The Carbon Boom, Decoded

A wing's boom is the only piece of structure your hands touch. Whatever flex is in it sits between your input and the canopy's response. Aluminium booms feel solid but heavy. Soft handles flex enough that quick directional changes blur. Carbon sits in the sweet spot: very stiff for its mass, so input fidelity is high without the weight penalty.

Stiffer means more responsive, but it also means more transmitted feedback — gust hits, canopy pulses, swell-driven micro-corrections. Some riders love that high-resolution feel. Others prefer a slightly softer boom because it filters noise. There's no universally "better" answer; there's the right boom for the rider.

The Griplock surface is a structured grip texture moulded directly into the carbon — not an applied tape that wears off. Two practical wins:

1. Wet-grip without bulk. Smooth carbon on its own gets slippery the moment your hands are wet, and tape solutions add weight and turn into a peeling problem after a season. A moulded texture stays put.

2. Hand-position tactile feedback. The texture lets you find the same hand position by feel, without looking. For tricks where you switch hands quickly, that consistency matters more than people credit.

The carbon underneath does the structural work. The Griplock pattern is the interface, optimised for it.

The Griplock Carbon Boom is one of the headline features on the 2026 Nova Wing. It's the standard-equipment boom on that wing — not a separate upgrade SKU. Other brands in our line-up use their own carbon-boom solutions; the Griplock pattern specifically is North's branding for theirs.

If you're shopping for a wing and a carbon boom is in the spec, these are the four things worth checking:

1. Weight in the hand. Pick it up off the rack. Carbon booms range from ~230g (top-tier 2025/26 wings) to ~310g (older or hybrid carbon/glass constructions). The number on the spec sheet matters less than how it feels balanced against the wing.

2. Diameter and shape. Round vs. oval cross-section affects pumping ergonomics. Larger hands prefer slightly thicker; smaller hands a slightly thinner profile. Try before committing if you can.

3. Grip surface. Moulded texture (Griplock-style), micro-grit overlay, or wrapped EVA. All three work; longevity ranks moulded > overlay > EVA.

4. Boom-to-wing connection. Bolt-on rigid mount vs. soft attachment changes feel significantly. Rigid is more responsive but transmits more shock; soft is more forgiving but has slight lag. Most premium 2025+ wings have moved to rigid.