How Swiss water sports brand Ensis is shaping a new trending discipline
6/2/2024
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Two things in particular catch the eye in the hall for fun sports at the international boat show «Boot» in Düsseldorf. The butterfly-like Wings with which athletes glide over the water even in light winds and the foils, surfaces that allow riders to hover above the water. Swiss brand Ensis is one of the trendsetters in this market.
Before now, attention has almost always turned to Hawaii to see what’s happening in windsurfing, surfing and other trendy water sports. However, Ensis, a brand from Baar in Switzerland is currently moving a little further into the spotlight.
It’s an exciting time in water sports. «Wing foiling attracts fans from all kinds of sports,» says Ensis Managing Director Karl Müller. «They come from windsurfing, kiting, stand-up paddling and sometimes skateboarding,» he adds. There’s a real sense of optimism in Hall 17 at «Boot 2024».
Not least because of the 50-metre pool including wind system, where the stars of the scene show off tricks or introduce interested parties to the sport. Then there’s the stars themselves, such as Ensis team riders Balz Müller and Michael Näf and water sports icon and Starboard team rider Fiona Wylde, who travelled all the way from the USA.
Source: Siri Schubert
In fact, according to market research company Fact.mr, the global wing board market was already worth USD 265 million in 2022. According to forecasts, this figure is set to double by 2032.
Wing foiling, wing surfing, wing SUP and pump foiling – what even are they?
In short, these trending sports rely on three pieces of equipment, a wing, a board and a foil. These devices are used in different combinations. Sometimes a paddle is also included.
What makes these new disciplines so exciting for water sports enthusiasts is their versatility. At the same time, precisely this factor sometimes causes confusion. So here’s a brief overview, which you can skip if you’ve been following water sports trends for a while.
Through the wind with a wing
A wing differs from a windsurf sail in that it isn’t firmly attached to the board. This means it can be combined with almost any board. A hand-held wing works for various sports, such as wing foiling, wing kiting and wing surfing. The wing can also control a stand-up paddleboard, a skateboard, skis or a snowboard (both known as snow-winging). Videos of skaters with wings are also doing the rounds on YouTube.
Last year, I tried out a wing with a small, inflatable stand-up paddleboard.
If you’ve been to a large Swiss lake recently (yes, even in winter), you’ve probably seen wing foilers. They use wings and a so-called foil board to hover using the wind. Advanced wing foilers perform freestyle tricks and push the boundaries of what’s possible on a board in the water almost every day. The strength of wings is that they also work in light winds. Ideal for Swiss lakes.
Taking off with foil
The second element driving the water sports trend is foil. This refers to a hydrofoil, i.e. the surface that allows surfboards and many other water sports equipment to float on water. Although the concept of hydrofoil has been around for a long time, it’s experienced a strong upswing in recent years.
Source: Siri Schubert
You can foil with or without wind. If it’s strong, take a wing with you. Without wind, you can get out of the water and onto your board using either the waves, muscle power or a paddle.
Source: Ensis
Today, there are a whole range of disciplines: windsurf foiling, kite foiling, surf foiling (also known as prone foiling), pump foiling, SUP foiling and its subdiscipline of downwind foiling, wing foiling and a few more.
No matter which waterboard sport is your passion, the foil and wing will give it a boost, both figuratively and literally. After all, nothing has fuelled the industry’s innovative spirit in recent years like wings and foil.
A Swiss brand in the middle of it all
Ensis Managing Director Karl Müller has been involved in water sports for almost his entire life. First as a windsurfer, then in stand-up paddling, where he launched the first racing series in Switzerland, the Swiss SUP Tour, almost 15 years ago. At that time, stand-up paddlers were still quite rare in this country.
He also caught one of the first waves when it came to wings. While there were only a handful of companies producing wings and foil boards in 2020, there are now more than 100. «We’ve grown incredibly quickly,» says Karl. The manufacturer of colourful wings and boards is now represented in 34 countries.
Source: Siri Schubert
Rapid growth often brings difficulties, and it’s no different with Ensis. «We were totally surprised by the growth,» the Managing Director recalls. As a result, he’s since recalled products due to a production error. That was expensive, but it was part of the brand concept, he says. «We’re 'engineered in Switzerland' and, as a Swiss brand, we want to convey values such as quality, reliability and respect in our products, service and customer care.»
Source: Siri Schubert
Ensis is now in the process of setting up its own warehouse in the USA. The fact that products made by a water sports brand from Baar, Zug, are now also selling on the Hawaiian island of Maui is a real success for Ensis.
The popularity of Switzerland as a landlocked country in international trend sports is primarily down to the products, but also to a certain extent to the team riders from nine countries causing a stir across the globe. Team rider Balz Müller, who has already won several World Cups in freestyle wing surfing and has played a decisive role in shaping the scene with new tricks and manoeuvres, is particularly well known in the community.
A new board for almost all conditions
Ensis presented a new board at the international boat show «Boot», the Waltz. With its narrower shape, this board is designed for downwind foiling. But instead of specialisation, the board should be suitable for almost all conditions on Swiss lakes. Light winds for pump foiling and SUP foiling, for example, the sports in which the board is brought onto the hydrofoil by hand. It’s suitable for wing foiling in light winds. In stronger winds, downwinders are possible. Here, the board floats on the surface from gust to gust. According to the manufacturer, a board can be used for the many different conditions that exist on Swiss lakes.
Source: Ensis
Find out why the new sport is so well suited to Switzerland and what floating over water feels like in our interview with freestyle World Cup winner Balz Müller and pump foil pioneer Michi Näf.
A new generation in mind
The trendy disciplines using wings and boards fascinate athletes of all ages. Some of them are windsurfers or kitesurfers attracted to the simpler materials of wing surfing. Some are looking for a new challenge and want to get on the foil board.
Unlike stand-up paddling, wing-foiling is a sport that’s becoming increasingly popular with young people. «At the GWA, the Wing Foil World Tour, the acrobatic youth is taking over,» says team rider Balz Müller, who won the World Tour from 2020 to 2022.
Ensis supports this trend. It not only offers a junior product series, but also promotes young water sports athletes from Switzerland. Four of them were allowed to travel to the boat show, where they had exclusive access to the indoor pool one morning and were able to work on their tricks and technique with the pros.
You can currently find these Ensis products in our range:
Header image: Siri Schubert
Siri Schubert
Senior Editor
Siri.Schubert@digitecgalaxus.chResearch diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.
