Duotone NOW Magazine No.03 2022

& Urban spots have always appealed to me, I like the contrast. Having a spot right in a city is unique and so different to the spots in nature that we usually travel to. The concrete, the buzzing traffic, the short distance to the spot and the feeling to be right in the middle of the daily hustle is what makes it so special. You can live in the city and ride your bike to ride to the spot. Still, most often at these unorthodox spots, they don’t deliver constant wind or enough space to ride with a kite. With winging there is always enough space to jump in and that is what makes Wingfoiling the perfect set-up for city sessions.  When I first got my hands on wing gear I was hooked straight away. It was during the summer when travelling became almost impossible due to the pandemic and being stuck in Austria limited my kiting days noticeably. In general, kiting at the lakes at home works well, but not on a daily basis. It highly depends on the right conditions. You can have some really good days, but there are also lots of light wind or stormy days when it gets gusty. Wingfoiling has brought new freedom and suddenly I could have sessions almost every day. It’s the simplicity of Wingfoiling that I love most. Not just the equipment but the increased possibilities for spots it opened up. It was my saviour you could say. I progressed quickly and started getting super creative with it. The fact that Wingfoiling is a completely new sport and that it’s in its infancy makes it so fun to just try things out, there is no right or wrong. It feels like everyone who’s out on the water with a wing is part of shaping the sport. Taking it to urban spots no one had ever considered before was amazing. It’s so easy, all you need is a location that leaves enough space for the wind to build up and of course, it has to be legal access to enter the water which is not always the case in every city.  I think there is huge potential to grow the sport within cities with its easy access to spots globally. In Vienna, there is already a flourishing Wingfoiling community, with wingers out on the water almost every day at a small launch spot, right downtown. Who would’ve thought what positive side effects a pandemic can have? In terms of wingfoiling, it definitely opened my eyes, showing me countless possibilities to make the city one of my favourite places to be in Austria. STEFAN SPIESSBERGER, A KITE PROFESSIONAL ON THE DUOTONE FREESTYLE TEAM HAS DISCOVERED WINGFOILING, NOT AT FAR-AWAY EXOTIC WARM SPOTS, BUT IN THE METROPOLIS OF VIENNA, THE CAPITAL OF AUSTRIA. URBAN WINGFOILING ANEW FREEDOM 50 E N A B L I N G D R E A M S E N A B L I N G D R E A M S 51 W I N G F O I L I N G Copy Stefan Spiessberger Photos Phil and Ai, Judyaries