FAQ

How Do Lessons Work?

All lessons are conducted with 2 eFoils unless otherwise specified. All lessons begin with a dry land safety speech and basic technique training. Once all riders have passed the dry land portion of the lesson, the instructor will accompany each rider individually in the water with the student riding one board and the instructor riding a separate board. Using communication headsets the students will be guided through basic riding and bailing techniques. Once all riders have achieved basic proficiency alongside the instructor, both boards will be free to use by all riders for the remainder of the lesson, and the instructor will remain on shore to offer further coaching via the communication headsets.

Where do lessons take place?

Cook eFoiling is a mobile operation. We can conduct the lesson from any private beach, dock, or boat on Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake. For those without accommodations on the water, we can organize an ideal public location to meet up for the lesson.

What do I need to bring?

All you need to bring is swimwear and a towel. We provide helmets, lifejackets, wetsuits, and of course eFoils for every lesson.

Is there a minimum age?

Contact us.

Will I be able to learn to ride an eFoil on my first lesson?

For the vast majority of our clients, yes you will be able to ride “on foil” (board out of the water) on your very first lesson, at least for a short amount of time. For those with a strong athletic background and general good balance, expect to get some long flights on your first lesson.

What if it’s smokey from wildfires?

Cook eFoiling does not cancel lessons due to smoke unless the air quality is deemed to be “very unhealthy” or the lake is shut down by local authorities. A “very unhealthy” air quality index (AQI) is a value of 201 and higher. Please make an educated decision and assess smoke levels and air quality using a weather forecasting service. We like to use the New York Times wildfire tracking app and Apple weather, both of which include the air quality index. If the AQI is not within the hazardous range, and the lake has not been shut down by local authorities, the regular cancellation policy applies, so please cancel or reschedule more than 48 hours prior to your lesson start time.

What if the weather is bad?

We want to provide you with the best experience possible, and if the weather is going to be detrimental to your eFoil experience we will gladly allow a reschedule without a penalty, even on the same day as your booking. This includes lightning within 1 hour of your booking, or average winds above 15 mph, or an AQI of 201 or higher. This does not include rain or cold temperatures.

What is the cancellation and rescheduling policy?

Cancel over 48 hours in advance of your lesson start-time for a full refund*. Cancel by 9am on the same day of the lesson for a half refund. No refunds for cancellations on the same day made after 9am.

Reschedule over 48 hours in advance of your lesson start-time with no penalty. Reschedule by 9am on the same day of the lesson for a 50% cost-of-lesson penalty. No rescheduling after 9am on the day of lesson.

* Refunds: a full refund does not include the processing fee Square charges us (this is a new Square policy as of March 2023 which we believe to be unfair, and are currently searching for a better payment solution). We suggest booking without pre-paying for your lesson to avoid the possibility of having to pay this processing fee.