Inbound: the AXIS Surge, in the words of the design team

This interview first appeared in Foiling Magazine issue 29 (August 2026) in the magazine's Inbound series, where the editors quiz a brand about a new product. Republished with the magazine's kind permission.

The AXIS Surge, the brand's "dedicated surf weapon", is exactly what it makes itself out to be. Fast, and optimized for back-foot drive and as much fun as you want to squeeze out of it. To find out how it came about, and what it does best, we had a little chat with the AXIS team.

The mission plan for the Surge was to reject the idea that surf foilers must choose between carve and glide. What did you do differently to hit that sweet spot with these foils?

Any new foil is the embodiment of all the foils that came before it. The lessons learnt from a DW foil, for example, add to the depth of knowledge drawn upon when making a new wave foil. The Surge incorporates the high-camber profile first seen in the Fireball, delivering amazing low-speed lift, glide and speed, and combines it with the straight median line that secures pitch stability across the wing's working speed range.

What's new is the 'gross moustache' downturn, which massively improves the foil's ability to roll through turns. The gross moustache adds a lot of conflicting vectors into the lift profile, which in the past has caused a foil to be slow and lack glide. But when added to the high-camber profile and straight median line, it gives us a foil that glides, pumps and, above all, rolls like never before.

You describe the Surge as bringing back a raw, back-foot surfing feel. In terms of feeling, how does it differ from many modern high-aspect foils?

It's all about the roll… All foils will turn on the yaw axis, but that's a turn that's impossible to put power into without washing out the wing. The ability to roll the foil to extreme angles allows the rider to apply leg pressure through the turn, and that revolutionizes how dynamic a turn can be.

Once you stabilize the pitch with the straight median line and enable extreme roll, the rider can be really aggressive in the turn, loading up the back leg with confidence that the foil will respond and not wash out. It is truly amazing how hard the Surge hangs in through a turn. In fact, it is very, very difficult to get it to let go!

What design characteristics allow you to use the Surge in everything from knee-high surf and tow sessions to solid outer-reef conditions?

I think it comes down to that combination of high-camber profile, straight median line and gross moustache… It really does combine the best parts of a variety of other wings. Unless you are a specialist trying to unlock the final 2% of performance from your gear, the Surge really does take care of business across pretty much every foiling discipline.

We have some photos of Luke ripping on the Surge in this issue. How does the foil behave when it's pushed hard through a turn or deliberately breaches a wingtip?

I wouldn't dare claim that I can put a foil in any of the places Luke can, but watching Luke ride, the answer is clearly that it is predictable. You rarely see him wobble or falter, even in the most critical sections, and that tells us something about the Surge's behavior. Having said that, even for riders of Luke's ability, the foil has to be easy to use, and that's clearly a benefit for foilers of all levels. One of the first things I noticed during my initial tests was just how tolerant it is of tip breaches and white water…

The Surge is clearly surf-focused, but you also highlight strong crossover potential for wingfoil, parawing and kitefoil. What gives it the characteristics required for all those disciplines?

To a large extent, we are looking for the same characteristics across multiple disciplines. We may choose different methods of getting on foil, but once we're up and riding, we are all looking for pumpability, turning and rolling ability, glide, ease and control – especially on the pitch axis.

The biggest surprise for me when testing the Surge was its glide and ease of pumping. Both are extremely important factors for prone foiling, but equally unlock the door for parawing and winging. Kitefoil is a little different, as the power source is so dominant, but the ease of use and controllability make it a joy to ride.

You recommend pairing the Surge with the new Surf Skinny rear wings. How does that combination alter some of the foil's attributes?

The Surge works amazingly with the Progressive, Skinny or newest Surf Skinny ranges, with each offering something a little different in accessibility and performance. The Progressive, with its larger chord and thicker profile, gives a very stable, predictable ride, damping out the pitch for less assured riders. The Skinny has minimal drag and unlocks the downwind efficiency of the set-up, while the Surf Skinny was designed specifically to reduce yaw and allow maximum roll through turns – a feature the Surge is already so good at.

If you are looking to use the foil in more of a DW or fast wind-sports environment, then the Skinny is the way to go. But if you want to unlock maximum roll and minimum turn radius while retaining effortless efficiency and glide, then the Surf Skinny is the way to go.

For anyone who's already sold on the ART V2, Spitfire, Fireball or Tempo, what conditions or style of riding would convince them that the Surge is the missing wing in their quiver?

If you want to go from point A to point B downwind as fast as possible, then the Fireball and Tempo foils are clearly the way to go and are class-leading in that respect. But if you want to go from point A to point B in the least direct way possible, the Surge is a bundle of fun.

Carving downwinds on SUP foil or parawing, winging, prone foiling or Foil Drive – anything that requires glide and turns – the Surge is the way forward. The ART V2 and Spitfire are great fun wings and were both industry-leading at their launch, but Adrian has not been sitting still, and that combination of factors has led to the Surge becoming more than the sum of its design parts…

Also in issue 29: the Surge at Endless Surf

The same issue's Exposure gallery carried this shot from the Endless Surf wave pool on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, where AXIS rider Matt Etxebarne Aguirregomezkorta went in February to help find the best possible wave for foiling. His verdict: "Without a doubt in my mind, it's the best foil wave in the world! The wave starts from one side, then comes back from the other, so you can keep riding wave after wave for hours without stopping. Thanks to my AXIS Surge 830 foil, I was able to enjoy some incredibly long rides." Photo Tanner Wilson, Endless Surf.

The Surge range

• All Surge front wings: 740, 780, 830, 890, 950, 1010, 1080, 1150 and the new 1240
• Surf Skinny rear wings, designed alongside the Surge
• Skinny rear wings and Progressive rear wings

Read more from Foiling Magazine, and find issue 29 online.