BACK TO BASICS: THE JOY OF FREERIDE!BACK TO BASICS: THE JOY OF FREERIDE!Forget the podiums and double loops for a minute! Freeride windsurfing is where the soul of windsurfing truly lives. Remember the first time you got in the straps, hooked into the harness and felt that magical sensation of planing? Yepjust you, the wind and your board flying across the water, that is the real joy of windsurfing! Well maybe it is time to get back to basics! Word on the street is that shops are seeing a fresh surge of interest in freeride gear. So, with that in mind, we reached out to a cross-section of top sailors to find out what they love about this timeless side of windsurfing and what kit they are riding. Heres what they had to sayPhotos: Si Crowther, Defi Wind, Fish Bowl Diaries, Club Vass, John Carter, Andrea Cucchi, Stefan Csky, Gunsails andPhilip Mackenbrock.BEN PROFFITTObviously Im lucky because we live in Sagres, Portugal so there are plenty of days I can go out for a blast on the freeride kit. Ive been freeriding a lot more recently since weve had kids. It feels like I appreciate free ride more now than I ever have done, because now I dont get every opportunity to go sailing. Ive got to work, we have kids and I have a lot going on with my property so any chance to go sailing is welcome. When I get a window, I look at the forecast and freeride ticks more boxes easier than anything else.We get lots of perfect free ride days and we have flat water. Ive got this G6 Monster freerace board, which is super comfortable and fast and then Ive got a 6.6m V-Max no cam sail which for me is much easier to use than anything else. So, I usually I go with the 106L freerace plus the 6.6m V-Max. I dont even need to ring anyone. I just go for a cruise and its weird because Ive, Ive never truly appreciated that. Ive always enjoyed slalom and racing, but just going out there, especially with the GPS now, its kind of fun you can play around with your personal best speeds. If theres another guy down the beach, you can also have a bit of a drag race so that is fun too.I love racing for fun. It doesnt matter what gear you are on, a race is a race. I could be on the beginner gear. If theres someone else out there and we race, I find it fun anyway.We also have this perfect little spot for doing like lay down jibes and like a really hard carving jibe. And for any wave sailor out there will know that drive off the bottom is an amazing feeling and you can get that on a free ride just cranking a big lay down.When you are out there, you appreciate that quiet you get when you are blasting. People who have kids will know it only too well. Youre just out there and you know I love the feeling of steering the board through the chop as you fly across the water. That kind of feeling doesnt get old. You want a good fin and you want the board to be comfortable so you can press it on the gybes and push on the straight line. It is a freaking good feeling. Its a shame that some people never ever have that feeling, you know, people that have never windsurfed.Simmer Style | Windsurfing FRANK ROGUET (Head of testing for Wind Magazine France!)Freeride windsurfing is the best medicine. It should be enforced by the government. One you get into the straps and planning that is it. You get rid of all of your pain and stress. Your mind is free. No hassling with the wife! Nobody shouting at you, it is pure joy! Windsurfing helps energize your body, even if you feel tired. You jump on the board and you gain energy and power. You come back after your session and you just feel much better in your head and in your body. Windsurfing is the best medicine. Just blasting and gliding. Gybes can be really exciting too. With different levels you start wanting to go faster. There is a huge range of different boards and sails out there, according to your level. Freeriding for fun is just fantastic! I have been testing boards for twenty years so close to 100 boards a year. That is about 2000 boards and I still enjoy jumping on a board for a blast. Every board is different and there are boards that fit your skills and what you are aiming for. If you want to go fast, plane quicker of find the foot strap easily. There is a board for you. It is not easy to find the right one but that is why we do good test reviews!ANDY CHAMBERSTheres nothing better than getting out on freeride gear and letting loose, especially when the UK summer breezes roll inor when youre somewhere like Club Vass, chasing that perfect mix of adrenaline and freedom. Modern freeride equipment has taken things to a whole new levelits lighter, faster, and more efficient than ever, giving you full-speed thrills without compromising on comfort.Recently, weve had a great run of warm easterly winds here in Bournemouth, and Ive been putting the new Goya Carrera to the test. Honestly, its probably the lightest freeride board Ive ever sailed; an absolute rocket. Blasting across the sunlit, choppy waters, it felt like skimming over the glassy lagoons of Bonaire: pure speed, pure freedom and pure escapism.Todays gear makes it easier than ever to go fast, stay comfortable, and just enjoy being out there! Whether youre carving your own lines on an empty stretch of water or drag racing through the busy playgrounds of places like Club Vass. Every windsurfer should have a freeride setup, one board, one rigready to answer the call when the conditions light up. Because those are the days that keep the windsurfing dream alive.https://goyawindsurfing.com/MARCO LANGWindsurfing freeride is pure freedom. Its you, the board, the wind and nothing else.The moment the sail catches the breeze and you start to glide over the water, all your stress disappears.My favourite combo for freeriding, is the Duotone Blast SLS with the E_PACE SLS. The Duotone Blast SLS isnt just a freeride board, the board offers you wide range of use for all types of blasting. The range of use with the Blast is insane and the board is really controllable which helps you go faster! The gybes on the Blast also feel effortless and for me the potential to have fun on this board is limitless!DUOTONE WINDSURFING Boards Ultimate Wave, Freeride, Race & FreestyleNIK BAKERI love going out on the sea at home on the Duotone Blast and E-Pace no cam. Personally, I prefer when it is windy and there are ramps so I can do big jumps and navigate the chop and swells on a freeride board. Now as my kids are getting starting to get more and more into it, Ill probably end up doing more and more freeride with them. That is the joy of windsurfing, just being hooked in and flying across the water and Id love to be doing that alongside my kids.SARAH QUITA OFFRINGAI love going out for a free ride session.It takes me back to the beginning and why I love windsurfing. Its this feeling of pure freedom and no pressure. Just enjoyment. I enjoy riding the Starboard Futura as it still has the fast feeling of the iSonic, but is much more forgiving and easier on the legs.And for a sail I enjoy riding the NeilPryde, Speedster. I like to go a bit bigger on the free ride sail because its much softer than a slalom sail so I will still feel that power and get this ultimate blasting fun feeling.FLO JUNGTheres hardly anything more liberating than blasting across the water with a few friends by your sideCape Towns sun behind you, wind in your face, flying over turquoise waves. Windsurfing is often seen as a solo sport, but especially when youre freeriding, it becomes something deeply shared.You push each other, laugh, scream with joy, and just let loose. No competition, no pressure; just pure stoke, freedom, and connection. The ocean has a way of bringing people together. Thats the kind of flow I live for. My favourite freeride gear is the Starboard Futura 120 and the GUNSAILS Rapid 6.7m!GUNSAILS | Join the familyANDREA CUCCHII often find myself rigging up no-cam freeride sails, sometimes for testing, sometimes for photo shoots, but honestly? A lot of the time its just because I love riding them. Theres something incredibly satisfying about taking these sails out and chasing down my friends on full, blown race gear. Its like showing up to a sprint in flip-flops and keeping up.Heres the thing: modern freeride sails have seriously levelled up. The performance is through the roof, and the materials are top-notch. Were talking about the same high- quality construction, reinforcements, battens, and detailing youd find in high-end race sails, unless, of course, a brand intentionally makes a budget version. So, when it comes to bang for your buck, freeride sails might just be the smartest choice out there. Its not a downgrade; its just a different tool for a different kind of fun.To break it down a bit, freeride sails come in a few flavours. Youve got the 5-batten options that lean towards free, move style, and the 6-batten sails like our AC-F that blurs the line into free, slalom territory. These arent full, on slalom sails without cams, like the AC-0, but they are fast, efficient, and ridiculously fun.What really gets me stoked about these sails is how alive they feel in your hands. The lightness in the luff curve, the softness that lets the sail breathe with the wind, it all comes together to create a ride thats smooth, forgiving, and playful. They plane early, stay light, and they never wear you out. Compare that to race sails, where youre often locked in, every muscle firing, just trying to squeeze out max performance. On a freeride sail, its like youre sailing in board shorts all year long. Its freedom, pure and simple.Honestly, I sometimes wonder why more people dont go for this experience. We keep pushing racy, aggressive gear, but if your goal is to spend more time on the water, to have more fun and less fatigue, then freeride is where the magic happens. I call them freedom sails because thats exactly what they feel like.When Im out on my pure slalom board with a freeride sail, Im still flying fast, smooth, and loving every second. And with the new trend of freerace boards hitting the scene, the pairing gets even better. You get that extra speed and drive, but with less effort and more joy.Instead of cruising around on a freewave setup just to gybe or jump, why not turn up the stoke a bit? Freeride gear brings a whole new level of excitement and ease, especially if youre feeling beat after forty minutes on a full race rig. Maybe its not about downgrading, maybe its time to upgrade to something that keeps you out longer, smiling wider, and feeling more alive on the water.And thats why, when I really want to have fun, when I want to feel the windsurfing stoke, I reach for those freeride sails. Because every session becomes a mini, vacation, and I never want to stop. No last run. No need for breaks. Just pure, effortless joy!GRETA MARCHEGGERTheres just something magical about blasting in 1520 knots on a perfect fin setup; full power, full control, and a smile you cant wipe off your face. To me the 2025 Super Ride hits the perfect balanceits sporty and fast like freerace gear, yet accessible and fun like a true freerider. It doesnt matter if Im blasting around in my flat water home spot Lake Garda, anywhere else in Europe or the choppy and windy tropical coasts of Brazilthe new Super Ride keeps delivering that unbeatable feeling of pure windsurfing joy. Whether Im carving turns, pushing speed runs, or just enjoying the ride, this combo brings endless fun on the water.Coming from racing gear, Ive found the Super Ride to be the perfect transition, it lets me dial back the intensity without giving up the thrill. Its performance with a touch of ease, speed with a dash of relaxation. For anyone who loves windsurfing in its purest, most enjoyable form, this board is a dream come true. Obviously paired with a NeilPryde Speedster or Ryde sail, the setup is complete.Thanks to several key upgrades that enhance its performance and comfort like early planning, control and exiting jibes fully planning became even more easy. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the board that goes wherever you go and rides however you want! NeilPryde WindsurfingWERNER GNIGLERJP Australia shaper Werner Gnigler explains a few fundamentals about freeride board shapes and why JP offer three different models in their range!Windsurf Boards JP AustraliaFreeride Boards are designed for versatility, ease of use, and good all-around performance in a wide range of conditions. This makes it very difficult to combine all these criteria into one shape.Therefore, at JP we offer three Freeride models;Most sporty: Super SportEasy allrounder, best to learn gybing: Magic RideIn between, sporty, controllable, gybing: Super RideBOARD LENGTHThe Magic Ride is the longest shape in our line-up. Getting on the plane is the most important criteria for freeride customers. A longer hull makes it easier to accelerate and move from non-planning into planning. Length gives directional stability and helps you jump over the planning barrier.This is why the Magic Ride is the longest and the Super Sport the shortest board in our range. Advanced riders will be able to pump the sail efficiently and get themselves onto the plane. Freeride customers are looking for easy planning that does not require too much active pumping.Part of the length is the volume distribution. While Magic and Super Ride feature a very balanced volume distribution, which makes them very forgiving,especially when not planning and when tacking. The more performance orientated Super Sport carries more volume towards the tail, which generates more power that needs to be tamed.OUTLINEThe outline must also support the volume distribution as well. Therefore, the nose and tail are kept proportional wide to offer maximum stability and flotation especially when not planning, nevertheless it helps to get on the plane as well.Very important is obviously the board width. The width gives stability and offers planing surface. The magic ride is wide and therefore supports early planning. The Super Ride is slightly narrower for a sportier feel, more comfortable in choppy conditions and allows for more radical fast gybes.FOOT STRAP POSITION AND RAIL SHAPE.The more performance you want to get out of a board the more radical the trim / foot strap set up needs to be. Comfortable freeride boards feature a smooth deck shape and rail shape. This allows us to offer various foot strap options to find the most comfortable position. They are not too far back and not too far outboard. This makes it easy to get the feet into the straps and start cruising. They also offer the perfect options whatever your skill level or body size may be. With the correct deck shape many positions work great.Looking for more performance like a Super Sport or Slalom board the rails become almost boxy and thick towards the tail. This in combination with very outboard and far back positioned straps gives the rider the ability to distribute maximum power towards the fin and pus for maximum speed.Part of the rail shape is the tuck line. Freeride shapes require forgiveness when turning. Therefore, the tuck line is shaped a bit rounder which makes the board behave very smooth during turns and allows the rider to adjust their arc. Hard super sharp rails have good release for maximum performance but are very critical and not most comfortable to ride.Windsurf Boards JP AustraliaThe post BACK TO BASICS: THE JOY OF FREERIDE! appeared first on Windsurf Magazine.