Recent Flysurfer signing Viola Lippitsch is already proving herself as a force to be reckoned with on the GWA Tour. With 2024's competitive season now opening up, the podiums beckon for the young Austrian…
RIDER | VIOLA LIPPITSCH
WEAPON | FLYSURFER TAO
DIMENSIONS | 2.5M to 6.2M
RIDER HEIGHT | 166CM
RIDER WEIGHT | 55KG
I joined the Flysurfer family in January 2024, so I haven’t been riding the TAO long but I´m really happy with it. It’s flexibile, smooth, and agile when turning.
The TAO is THE wing for freestyle. Most of the time I’m out with the soft handle version, which is really great for handling. I have had some time to compare it with the version with hard handles and for certain tricks I definitely prefer this option.
The main and most important characteristic that I look for in a wing is easy handling. Furthermore, what the TAO fulfills perfectly, is the importance of lift in the wing. It’s super important, specifically for Big Air or any other jumps where you’re looking for height.
As my current focus is on freestyle competition, it is important, that the wing rotates easily, quickly, and smoothly. But not forgetting that lift, so you have enough time to land the tricks perfectly. And last but not least, the weight of the wing. The lower the wind conditions are, the bigger size you need, which of course means the heavier they get.
I use the same setup in training as I do for competition, in order to imitate the varying conditions as accurately as possible. You never know what kind of conditions the competition location will bring, and I want to be prepared for every possible option…
My favorite feature of the TAO is that it’s super lightweight. In addition, it fulfills all my expectations of a wing, such as the non-slip handles that allow for a super grip. Also there’s the maneuverability that is provided by the forward-swept outline of the TAO. And the flexibility of the tips which allows you to handle the wing easily, even in stronger conditions as they help absorb and dampen the dynamic forces.
As my home spot is based on the Danube River in Vienna, and due to the current icy conditions, my training sessions have been reduced to a minimum. But during the Christmas holidays and half term break of school in February, I got the chance to train in Tarifa. The conditions varied from really light wind up to 45 knots. I had a great session in 35 knots, use my 2.5m TAO and my small SABfoil front wing – it was a blast, I was out for three hours nonstop in order to improve my tricks as much as possible.
As my focus is currently on freestyle, in competition and freeriding, I always use my TAO wing, from my range of 2.5m to 6.2m. My favorite wing size is 3m and I always look forward to having the correct conditions to use this size. For Freefly-Slalom, I might ride a bigger size for maximum speed!
The Armstrong crew certainly is a tight one, so a chance to gather together for a photoshoot in Hawaii was a great opportunity for some good times amongst friends, and all the while calling it “work”. It wasn’t without incident though…
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