Master Your Wing & Parawing in Hood River / 3-Day Clinics with Gwen Le Tutour

[00:00:00] Welcome to Foil Life. Whether you wing, kite, parawing, downwind, pump or e-foil, thanks for being here. Alright my friend, hey thanks for coming on. Alright, thanks for having me. How many podcasts have you done? Like a thousand? Probably, probably 1,200. We've edited them all, it's taken a painstaking amount of time. Thank God the software is better. It's so much easier than four years ago. You guys were the pioneers, you and Damo came out with it.

[00:00:28] But we followed suit and it was like, oh my God, we just tried to hang on. Yeah, it's a lot of work so we didn't really keep it up but yeah, good for you for keeping it up and it's always hard to find new people and reach out and planning and all of that stuff. But it's a cool way to keep the stock going and more information out there is good.

[00:00:58] We have to like a big thank you to our sponsors obviously this year. We got Water Speed, Mystic, North, we have On Kiteboarding and then we have all these other big brands that are coming in to support us as well to showcase products. So thanks to everybody because we wouldn't be able to do this. But today we're pretty excited because we're launching two camps in Hood River this summer at the Mecca of windsurfing, winging and foiling. Yeah. And it's going to be an amazing time. So what are we doing?

[00:01:23] Hood River is pretty amazing place in the summer. It's kind of like, you know, one of the best places on the planet for a lot of wind sports. So we decided to do a three day camp for winging, focused on driving and attacking. And then the following weekend we'll be doing a power wing clinic, three day power wing clinic, to teach people how to ride bumps, which is the most exciting thing in the power wing.

[00:01:52] And so we're going to focus on that. We'll have yourself and Kellen and myself to coach. And we are like excited. I mean, you've been telling me we need to do a camp for a long time. And I have. It's good because I get busy with other things. Yeah. And so, you know, you you've been enabling me to make it happen. So that's that's awesome.

[00:02:18] I think it's a it's a great way of connecting to the community. It's a great way also of just helping people progress because tacking and jiving for winging is a place that a lot of people get stuck on. It's huge. There's so much going on. So it'll be really cool to have three different perspectives to help people along with that. And there can't really be. I don't know if there's much of a better place in the summer to go to than Hood.

[00:02:43] Yeah. In terms of consistency, you know, that's it's always how when you plan an event that's around wind, because what you do if you have no wind, even though we do have options if we have no wind, but at least with Hood Revere, we have high chance of having wind. So, you know, like you said, jibing and tacking is is probably what I get the most request for videos instructional. And I've done a ton and I keep people keep asking me for more.

[00:03:12] And I'm like, I don't like I've done so many already, you know, and but it's there is a huge need for it. And it definitely like at least the jibe kind of like opens the door to more riding, because when you fall, every time you have to turn around, that's a lot of effort you spend, you know, getting back up. You know, you drift downwind and, you know, so once you can finally go back in first without falling, even for winter riding, you get less cold, you know, that's nice.

[00:03:42] True. And then the tack is also another challenge. And that kind of like opens the door to, you know, diversify your riding and is also a useful move to be able to, you know, go upwind better. So those two is is. Yeah, what I get like a lot of requests and lessons to when I'm in Florida.

[00:04:03] And so I actually did a wing camp on jibe and tax in December in Florida. And we had about 10, 11 people for three coaches, which is kind of like what we are shooting for also in Hood River.

[00:04:25] And I would say it's good to put people together because that they're on the same journey because, you know, coaches, you know, we we've done it. We've kind of like learned a while ago. And so we have a way to explain it. But sometimes someone that just got it is going to be able to share their experience and unlock, you know, that same hurdle that somebody has.

[00:04:52] So when you put a group of people together, you know, everybody benefits from it. And the cool thing that we were doing is the video. That's huge. Analysis. Yeah. So being able to show people what they are doing and to point exactly at their mistake when they see themselves doing it. That is a massive help.

[00:05:17] And so that's kind of like what we're going to do with split the group between the three coaches and, you know, being able to get a lot of instruction and filming. And then we are going to be like, we are very lucky because we will have access to the Katie facility in Hood River to be able to check it out. It's a pretty cool place to see. And then also go there to watch the clips. And so we can learn from that.

[00:05:45] And we probably get a little factory or like a warehouse tour as well. And we might be able to demo gear if there's demo stuff available. And after the clinic, they will be able to buy gear from your shop, right? We're going to be offering that through your website, which is wingfoilprocenter.com. So that will be the possibility to try some stuff, get used to it, and then purchase it afterwards, which is awesome. And so maybe we can break down what exactly is included.

[00:06:14] So let me just throw this up on the screen. And you can walk us through our first one. So for those that are on audio only, you can go to wingfoilprocenter.com, go over to the schools tab. And then from there, if you scroll down the screen a little bit, you'll have upcoming camps and clinics. So you have the first one, July 345, and it's learn to jibe and tack. So we're just going to go over there and check it out. So we have our three-day wingfoil progression clinic, July 345 Hood River.

[00:06:43] And this is join us for a three-day coaching experience. We're looking at six hours of focused instruction per day, which is awesome. This clinic centers around, like we said, tacking and jibing. But what else are they going to be? What else is included, Gwen? So basically we have, during the instruction, we're going to be using the BB talking headset, which we all use for teaching. So that's a way to communicate clearly underwater.

[00:07:10] That makes delivering instruction a lot more clear. And we're going to have photos and videos, videos mostly used for reviews. And then photos so that you can share when you finally get your jibe or your tag. You can share it on social media. And we'll have some shirts for you guys, you know, come out, leave the camp. It was a cool way to remember your experience.

[00:07:39] And then, yeah, we'll have discounts for gear after that. It's six hours of instruction. So we'll try to pick the best window. I would say usually, you know, we start around like 11 because it's not, the wind is not as good earlier in Hood River. And then it's not necessarily going to be six hours of writing. So you don't have to be worried about like, I don't know if I can write six hours. I can't write six hours.

[00:08:06] So it's, you know, we're going to split it out between, you know, we go out, we rotate, we, you know, do video reviews. It goes by pretty quick and you don't have to be writing for six hours. And after that, you are, you are pretty, you know, pretty toast for sure. But so that's a long day. And Hood River is a really cool place to be in terms of, you know, diversity of, of landscape. I mean, I love that. Like you have the mountain, you know, really close.

[00:08:35] So if you come with your family, I mean, if they are not into water sports, they can go in the mountain, hiking, mountain biking. And it's a small town that has good food and cool places to hang out. So in terms of like, yeah, like family friendly and amazing for writing. Looking at requirements, what must our participants be able to do? Yeah. So that's an important thing.

[00:09:00] You need to be able to ride up on foil both ways and be able to stay upwind. So basically really you are, your hurdle is easier to jibe or you have the jibe already and your hurdle is the tack. But this is very important because when we have a big group like that, you need to be able to stay with us. You can't be really drifting downwind. So you need to be able to stay upwind on your own.

[00:09:29] And then in terms of the gear, we, you know, we have limited gear. So if you want to travel from there and you don't really want to bring your gear, you can reach out to us. We can probably figure out some gear for you, but we, you know, probably can't have 11 or 12 setups or 10 setups for everybody. So, you know, you, you have to bring your own gear if you can. And, um, it's in a way it's also better because, you know, when you are trying to learn a new

[00:09:58] skill, you don't really want to be on all new things. You don't want to be on a new board, new foil. That's going to make the process a bit harder because then you still have to put in the time to get used to that setup on top of trying to learn a new skill. So your setup is going to be better. Um, and because it's a three day, um, clinic, I'm assuming most people will be mostly local ish.

[00:10:25] Um, you know, probably won't get international, you know, people like you're from Europe for three days unless they want to check out who driver after that, which is definitely worth it. Yeah. It's worth it. So, but the cool part is if you've never been to hood river, not only, you know, if you come to the camp, you're going to learn new skills, but you're also going to get to discover the spot in, um, in a way that's going to build confidence.

[00:10:52] Showing up to a new place, uh, as a new rider, you know, can be intimidating, but here we're really going to be able to show you the best part where you can go. Cause they are like, even though hood river is a small town, there is a lot of different spots that you can go and ride. And so it kind of like depends on your skill level and what you are looking for. But the cool part is, you know, hood river has a spot for every skill level. So that's, you know. Yeah, that's true.

[00:11:22] Depending on where, how hard you want to push, uh, even like event site, for example, is a basic one, but it's relatively safe there. They have a WSI event there every year, but you can get out and be as, as, uh, I don't know, push as hard as you want. That place has everything you can, you can imagine. So that's cool. And then just in the 2% possibility, there's no wind. We are going to be able to offer some other stuff. Yeah. But we're hoping it's going to be windy, of course, but we were saying like either pumping

[00:11:51] dock starts, foil scoot, foil drive, flat water paddle ups, kind of anything that we can do, we could facilitate in that 2% chance, but it's almost on lock in July. So yeah. I mean, hood river, it's very unlikely, but yeah. So when I did the camp in Florida, we did have, you know, of course that's Florida, you know, we did have days, you know, with no wind.

[00:12:14] And, um, but the thing is, you know, in terms of foiling, working on your pumping technique is so beneficial to anything. So if you are, if your goal is to learn the jibe, most likely your, your pumping could use some work as well. And that's where if we do get a chance to do some dock starts, you know, from with the

[00:12:41] foil scoot or with the foil drive on flower tier, working on your pumping is going to be something you're going to be using all the time winging. Yeah, that's a good point, actually, especially with jibe. There's a part where you have to trust that you're going to be able to glide through the turn or pump a little bit through the turn. And if you, all those skills are valuable, not that everybody can, can dock or pump dock start.

[00:13:06] But anyways, we're looking at additional information just on the website here, but so we can help you find accommodation. We can kind of help you if you're coming from outside of town, we do have a little bit of experience. We can kind of help you through that entire process. And if you have any questions, just reach out to us and we'll, we'll do the best that we can to help. Jumping over to the next weekend for the pari-wing downwind clinic. What is it so far that you've seen that now we're looking probably a little bit more intermediate riders?

[00:13:34] Because beginners aren't necessarily going to be hopping on a pari-wing, right? Yeah. So, you know, the profile of riders for the second clinic is usually more, you know, if someone has spent a lot of time on the wing and they are transitioning to the pari-wing. So they are able to get up on foil. They are able to, you know, even, you know, probably jive with the pari-wing. But mostly they've been riding on flat water, but they want to learn how to ride bumps. They want to learn how to store the pari-wing.

[00:14:03] And Hood River is the perfect place for that. So that's what we're going to be, you know, working on is really how to learn to read the water, to see the bumps, because it's, it's, it's a skill to be able to understand what you are looking at, what you are looking for and where to be. And then from there, the pumping also is a big part of that skill.

[00:14:28] So, you know, we'll see everybody's level, but for that clinic, we might even try to place some pumping, even if there is a bit of wind in the morning or something, just because pumping is a massive, you know, skills, skill set to have when you, when it comes to riding, riding bumps, because riding bumps is connecting bump from bump to bump to bump. And you do have a little pumping in between.

[00:14:57] Um, so, so, you know, working on the pumping is going to help, but Hood River is very specific for, for that because it's, it's a pretty unique setting. Uh, you have the current that's opposing, um, the wind. And so it creates this pretty steep bump. It's almost as powerful as a small wave, but it doesn't break. And it's a, it's pretty slow. It doesn't move very fast.

[00:15:27] So like on the ocean, often you get big swell, really long period. So it's not very steep. And so it's hard because in those conditions you need a small foil, but then a small foil is not forgiving. Yeah. And, but if you ride a big foil, you can't keep up with the bump on the ocean. So Hood River is perfect because you can ride anything. You can ride a big foil. You can ride a small foil because it's so steep.

[00:15:53] Uh, it's surely forgiving and ideal to, to a place to, to learn, to ride bumps. And with the current bringing you back up wind, because if you do, if you are successful in riding bumps, you are going downwind. And if you need to need to go back up wind, then the current helps you going back up wind. And, but we'll see everybody's level. We can also split. If some people are really successful at riding bumps, then we can actually point to point.

[00:16:23] We do a downwind there. True. You know, and, and that's a, uh, a good time for everybody. Now, what kind of requirements are we looking at this one for this camp? Are we getting, if there's people that are brand new to pair winging, are they going to be able to join? Are we looking more intermediate level? Again, uh, I would say, you know, you need to be able to ride up on foil and, you know, at least stay up wind with the power wing.

[00:16:49] Again, because when we have that many people, we can't have someone drifting in this case in Hood River. If you can't get up or whatever, you would be drifting up wind and you wouldn't be pushed down wind. So we can have people kind of like spread out and not being able to get up. So we need everybody to be able to ride. So yeah, usually it would be someone that has a power wing already and they've been able to go back and forth, do some jibes.

[00:17:18] And they are ready to store it and ride without it. Cool. All right. Is there anything else you think we should let people know other than book your spot now? You know, if you have any questions for sure, reach out. If you have any, you know, hesitation on like, is this right for me? You can always ask us, you know, tell us more about yourself and we'll be able to tell you, yeah, this is for you or not. You know, this is maybe you need something else.

[00:17:48] And, you know, this is kind of like we are getting the ball rolling and we're going to see, you know, how it goes. And maybe we'll do more, you know, it's kind of like we're going to see if there is enough of interest for that. And then if you guys are loving it, then, you know, maybe we'll do more different places. That's kind of like just the beginning. So if you can make it to this one, that would be great. I did have a question already from someone asking if there would be one in August.

[00:18:17] At this point, I would say we don't know. So, you know, you got to book this one if you can. We don't really know what, when the next one is going to be. And when gets a little bit flukier, but we still had some good conditions in August, like late August before. But it all depends. Yeah. And, you know, it depends, you know, places. I mean, of course, you know, we'd love to do it a lot of different places. I mean, we've been talking about Maui and Tarifa and, you know, a lot of different places that are on our mind.

[00:18:46] And it's mostly about gauging, you know, are you guys into it? And then making it happen. That sounds good to me. Well, thanks, Gwen. We're also going to have Kellen, your buddy Kellen Hall, coaching. Maybe we give a little shout out to him. You've been working with him for a little while. Yeah, I've been working with Kellen for a long time. He's also in Florida. So we've been doing a lot of, you know, teaching together.

[00:19:14] And he's on the west coast of Florida and I'm more on the east coast of Florida. So we've been complementing each other really well. And we've done a few, you know, a few like coaching together. He always comes to Hood River in the summer. So if you are in Hood River, you've probably seen him. There was maybe a couple, oh no, I mean, I don't know how many, like a few years ago or something. We were like on a journey to do the backflip together.

[00:19:43] And so we would go out and we, you know, all like protected, like, you know, ready for impact. And we just would spend days sending backflips after backflips. And, but that was like a few years ago. And now we are, we both pretty much transition to the powering. I mean, now the powering is where we, where we do the most, especially places like Hood River. Yeah. Yeah. And so, yeah, if you, if you are in Hood River, you've probably seen Kylian around.

[00:20:12] He's, he's, um, amazing coach. He's been coaching his whole life. He, he was a pro, a kiter. That's kind of like how it started. And he's been coaching, kiting for a very long time. Uh, traveling coach. He's been all around and now he has a, he has a baby, so he's not moving as much. Um, and then he also been doing, I would say more wing wing.

[00:20:41] I mean, he still does a lot of kiting coaching, but the wing has been a big part of his coaching now too. And, and now recently the powering is, is taking off. If we, we haven't done as much powering coaching, it's still new and it's, I think doing it, doing it in a camp, uh, setting, I think is going to be more beneficial than maybe on a one-on-one, uh, powering coaching. But yeah. We scale in and yeah.

[00:21:10] Like we were talking about a little bit before, it's like the group environment does allow people to kind of have different learning moments amongst each other. So that's going to be something quite fun. And, and the fact that we can, we're going to be doing some of this stuff at the KT warehouse in Bingen is, it's a gorgeous facility and it'll be really fun to be able to see that, that kind of setting in there and for video analysis. But if you guys have any questions, feel free to reach out. Thanks for joining us tonight. Good sir. And looking forward to this and seeing you guys soon enough. Yeah.

[00:21:38] I can't wait to, uh, to see you guys and get out there. Uh, when was the last time you were in Hood River last, last, uh, last year? Last September. Yeah. We had a couple of good days, uh, but this year I'm going to get there early and just have a week to myself to kind of cruise, cruise around. I think it's going to be important before the camp. I think. Yeah. And you? Uh, I'm, I'm already in the Northwest right now.

[00:22:03] So, uh, so I'm, I'm, I'm keeping an eye on the forecast, you know, right now it's still pretty early that, um, you got to pick your days. So I'm keeping an eye on the forecast. And as soon as it's good, as it's good, I, I drive to Arlington, Rufus, and especially with the new BIM power wings coming out, um, this week. I'm, I'm excited to go out there and, and try it cause I haven't tried it yet. Sick. Yeah. Let us know. Yeah.

[00:22:33] They do some good stuff over there. That's the thing also that, you know, hopefully we'll have a good set of demo power wings for the power wing clinic as well. Beautiful. All right, buddy. Thanks for coming on. Thanks so much. We'll chat with you soon. Sounds good. All right. Bye everybody. Bye.