SLINGSHOT Alien Air
Sizes Available: 4’8″ x 21.5″ x 2″ 30.1L
Sizes Tested: 4’8″ x 21.5″ x 2″ 30.1L
Slingshot Says:
Our largest foilboard by width and volume, the Alien Air is a stable and forgiving setup designed for user-friendly learning, casual cruising and easy progression, from a foiler’s first waterstarts to on-foil tacks, jibes and fancy footwork. Our original zero-to-hero board designed to get the masses up, foiling and having fun as quickly as possible. New for 2020, we updated the shape of the Alien Air with a thinner profile, narrower belly and a bit less volume. The changes make it easier to set on rail and water start, lighter and less bulky to maneuver and better as a crossover board for surf and wake foiling.
Visit for more info: www.slingshotsports.com/2020-Alien-Air-48
Tkb Says:
The Alien Air offers a higher volume foil platform in a shorter template that gives the rider solid stability through the beginner and intermediate stages of kite foiling. The rocker features a super flat bottom with straight rocker in the tail and mid-section with a substantial scoop in the nose. The rails are beefy with a solid chine into the bottom, while the deck features a subtle concave with a 3/4 deck pad that has a solid kick on the tail. The mast mounts to the board with a track system that has visual indicators that are numbered to get your mast placement set in the right place every time. The Alien Air can be ridden with a two or three footstrap configuration with the front center strap having five forward/aft placement options, four forward/aft options for the two front strap options and four options for the back footstrap.
The Alien Air does a great job of offering up the extra volume for beginner and intermediate riders that really helps during the initial foil-up phase. The extra float allows you to ride the board flat in the water without a ton of power, work your board speed up to foil-up range and then carefully experiment with shifting your weight back to access the wing’s lift. The extra width lends side to side stability and the volume of this board adds a bit more predictability to this process. While this volume helps for the newbie foiler, the shorter length keeps the board maneuverable both in the water as you’re setting up for waterstarts, as well as when you are flying in the air. As you progress through the learning curve the Alien Air is a great platform to grow with because it gives you a large deck to dial in your footwork, yet it still feels fun and maneuverable as you begin initiating more aggressive turns and learning transitions. Some people have commented how the extra float from a thicker rail can make tilting the board on its rail for waterstarts more challenging, but we found this year’s improvements helped with that, particularly if you are using straps or in the event you are learning. If strapless riders pay greater attention to foot placement in more efficient locations it works just fine. The scoop in the nose and extra float works great to dampen and recover from the inevitable porpoise crashes that will help you get more attempts per session. The Alien Air is a great platform for beginner/intermediate foilers as well as larger riders with its predictable and user-friendly platform that delivers a wide range of performance through the ladders of progression.
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