Time to make it official: SEEN 8, my new Video is here. This time you can find some crazy action from Vienna’s Citywindsurf Spot: „The Bridge“. But then…What is going on?! I crash straight into the 80s?! But hey Windsurfing was still there, the cars were sick aswell, the closes and sunglasses had a different style, but they had style, and the Windsurfequipment? Yes, different – but unexpected very good rideable and good fun. To say the truth riding the old Sunset Slalom with the more than 30year old North Sails was one of my best Crusing and Freeridedays I ve ever had – so much fun! But now go and check the Video.
Ah yes, and the Video takes part in the Windsurfers.de Video Competition. Check it out.
Wow. That has been the best Autumn in Austria, since I ve been Windsurfing! The bridge was going of, a lot of perfect south-east wind days, really awesome conditions I could share with some of my best friends. I think after travelling so much the last 1,5 years coming home and sail almost every single day at the spots where you grew up, is just as good as it gets! When the South Wind kicked in September me and my buddy Jo started working on a proper Windsurf Action Clip straight out of Vienna. It will take part in the Panasonic Windsurf Video Competion hosted by Windsurfers.de, it will be online pretty soon!
Beside ripping up the Danube we got some storm days on Lake Neusiedl aswell. Hell yeah, nothing beats the feeling of being totally overpowered in some pure flying water gusts, two days stayed in my mind: First we experienced a massive NW day in Podersdorf. Flying water everywhere, measured windgusts up to 120km/h, me totally stacked on my Idol LTD 3.6 and my small Flikka FS Board. WHAT AN AWESOME DAY! A few days with SE directly followed the big storm, and guess what it got even better.
THE DAY of the Year!
If you were following my stories on social media or here, this year Neusiedl was a bit of my Kryptonite, I just did not get warm with the spot during the EFPT Event there. Anyways a forecast popped up which predicted up to 45knots South Wind. Usually I would go to Weiden, but my friend Luki convinced me to give Neusiedl another try. Already on the way there, I heard on the Radio that’s up to 100km/h South Wind in Neusiedl. I was excited. After a few runs on my 4.0, I changed down to 3.6. And I was sailing until it got dark, as it was just THE DAY OF THE YEAR. I think for me it was also a gamechanger. As I finally realized I can land also the hardest moves in not ideal conditions when I pulled of my first planning shifty and some crazy Airfunnel Burners and Kabis in the mega chop. I think it has been at least one year that I ve been so stoked about Windsurfing! And for sure my personal highlight of 2018, which is crazy when you think back on what kind of dream spots I ve been, that I still find the biggest pleasure at the place where I grew up, where I learned to Windsurf and what I call my home!
What’s next? Right now I need to catch up with some projects I was working on the whole year to still push it out. There are three Windsurf Videos coming in the following weeks – so prepared! The plan is to squeeze in at least one or two Croatia trips now in December for some R&D Work on new Flikkaplans. I would love to hit the mountains aswell, as I ve a really cool new Cooperation coming up. Anyways latest in Jannuary it will be the time to kick Windsurfing 2019 of. I was thinking quite a lot how Windsurfing could be then. After all those years it is still my big Love. So there is only one way. Windsurf More. More Quality. Go Bigger and send it more!
Last June I spent a couple of weeks in Greece. My friend Andre and me did some island hopping to produce a stories for the German Surf-Magazin. It’s the biggest Print Magazin in the Windsurfworld with around 25k issues sold every month. So if you are keen to jump on a cheap flight next summer (Vienna-Kos you can go for aroung 80!! €) Maybe this spotguide helps you. You can read it online on digital.surf-magazin.de
An intense summer coming to an end. I ve been in Mauritius for almost two months and enjoying it’s amazing landscape, the pure nature and some very nice Windsurfing.
Altough this spot will never be my favourite place to Windsurf, you can score some proper conditions. Some of the days are as good as it gets, with huge glassy waves steady wind and just friends in the water. On other days you are battling with 30 Kitesurfers and 20 Windsurfers in light gusty winds for some choppy waves…which caused some upsets aswell. Anyways I tried to make the most out of it, sail whatever was there and had a lot of watertime – which is the most important thing anyways!
Beside the Windsurfing Side of Life, we got some very nice SUP Sessions and saw whales and Dolphins – which made the whole trip unforgetable.
There will be definitly a short Windsurf Video from Mauritius and there will be also a JBL Imagevideo feat. the brandnew Clip 3 aswell. Beside that we shot some content for Surf&Action Company and Chiemsee. You will find more about this soon on this page.
As so many people asked me for recommendation for their stay, one of the most amazing houses I saw is the Villa Seewoo directly in La Goulette. I would totally recommend it for you if you want more quality, but have not enough budget for one of the **** Hotels.
There are some exciting Videos and NEWS coming soonish – so better check my socialmedia channels and this blog…
In beginnig of June I started a trip to GREECE with my friend Andre. This year the spring season in Austria was not really as good as it was in the previous years, so it felt like a relief to go to some Greek Islands and get some proper Windsurfing done.
With a solid forecast ahead I was boarding to Kos at 4.00 in the morning, starting the day with an ice cold cafe frape, after a day of chilling, we started with some Foilaction and later on we got some pretty decent Freestyle conditions…After a few days on Kos, we headed further to Rhodos to checkout new places such as Theologos, then visited the more known Spots Trianda and Prasonisi. In Prasonisi I probably had one of my best sessions so far this year ending it with a almost landed Airfunnel-Burner…so sick…
After scoring all the spots we took back the ferryboat to Kos to bring the spotchasing there to an end. With some foiling in Kefalos and some Windsurfing in Marmari and Psalidi the trip ended well, but left room for more. So I am still keen on Windsurfing.Ahh yes, forgot the most important stuff: you can read all about our adventures in one of the next issues of the German SURF. And you will find some detailed spotdescriptions aswell!
Now a two weeks back home for the Upsidedown Next Generation Week, teaching some kids how to Windsurf and then off for a whole summer in Mauritius.
Yes, it’s true. I windsurf with music. It’s nothing new as I started already in 2014 with it – and I loved it from the very beginning. The question why I windsurf with music is not so easy to answer. Basically it is, because I ve more fun and simply sail better (when I listen to a good Song!). It’s something which helps me getting me focused on Windsurfing. I don’t know how you feel while surfing and what you think while Windsurfing, but for me (especially when I am not focused), I am drifting away with my thoughts. I am thinking about my life, my problems, what I had for lunch, what I will do tomorrow, what should I better do in this special moment, blablabla and much much more – but what I often not think about: About the next move, how could I duck my sail better, what did I do wrong on my last attempt…and guess what Yes with music I am in my zone…and whats even better with the right music it’s much easier to step out of my own comfortzone.
In my whole Windsurfing with music experience I tried a lot of products. Starting with a waterproofbag for my iPod Nano and some waterproof shit ION Headphones(killing that iPod soon), a few pairs of headphones later I switched to an iPod Shuffle in a pretty bad waterproofbag and again not such nice headphones from Amazon (can’t even remember the brand). iPod died again. From that moment I switch to a MP3 Player-Headphone Bundle from China, called smarttera. I had a couple of those in the last 3 years, I would say I had around 2 at least each year – but I was never satisfied qualitiy and the headphones fell out easily and were not so nice to wear – but it worked and I could sail with music.
Last year in Amsterdam JBL came with their new sports headphones- and hey the unofficial launchpaper already wowed me. Fully waterproof headphone with integrated mp3 player. YES. I was burning for this product already more than 8 months before its launch. And guess what when Eduard gave me the first sample and said I should try it and produce a sick video in Brazil- I was like: HELL YEAH, thats the product I was waiting for. I took it with me to brazil and was already in love with it- and it was just the first proto:
In the end the ENDURANCE DIVE, is everything I was searching for for years and until now it’s the only headphone/mp3 player bundle I can really recommend you for action watersports!
Whats better than on any other products I tried?
all in one solution – just a pair of headphones (no mp3 player, wires around your body, in your wetsuit needed)
very good sound quality
headphones stay super save in the ear and never hurt
you can use the Endurance Dive as a normal bluethooth headphone aswell
use in other situation of your life is possible (I would never ever do this with the waterproof solutions I used before)
I used the headphone also during the Event in Neusiedl (was not the fault of the headphone I could not get a better result than 17th) and during the Austrian Championships- which I won (I could stay super focused with my music). Since I ve the endproduct I did not have many sessions without music and I am still convinced that this is the way a headphone for watersport should look like – well done JBL.
Last Weekend the Austrian Championships (Surfgames) took part in Podersdorf. And WTF?! I am Austrian Freestyle Champion now. I am so happy, so stoked – it’s hard to find the right words for it!
Anyways we had two days of 5.2 wind – I ve to say after France this setup felt huge – but heat after heat I felt more confident and sailed better and better. I could beat Chris Sammer this time in the Winners Final of the Single Elimination and during the final of the Double in the sunset with a lot of friends, teammembers and supporters on the beach I faced Tisi Kraschitzer for the final showdown. This time I sailed again super solid – and when I was planing out of a massive Kono mid of the heat I already knew today is my day! I finished strong with double Puneta and an Airfunnel followed by Shakaflaka…and that’s the end of the story…I am Austrian Champion now.
On the next day the wind was a bit lighter – so there was a best Trick Contest…I felt really tired and even a bit ill – but still managed to pull a few decent moves on my big gear and finished 2nd.
I am still so stoked. Thanks also to JBL for the Music in my ears to keep my stoke alive!
Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. This time I was not so lucky with my heats – altough my performance was quite good I think. I lost very close against my Austrian Friend Chris Sammer (Sammersurftour) in the Single, and had to let Julien Mas pass in the Double (ended up 17th). BUT in the Supersession I was ripping and altough the condition were super hard (45 knots, mega chop, backwash from the wall) I could land some kabikuchis, mega culos,…and had just a great time on the water – beside that the Launch Event of the JBL Endurance took part at Neusiedl aswell. And I can tell you: This headphone rocks! I used it already in Brazil and now all the time on the water and I simply love Windsurfing with music with the gadget – but soon more with this. I got some good Coverage aswell in Neusiedl:
Checking the Weatermap was not satisfying on Monday after the Croatia trip, lot’s of snow and crazy cold temperatures predictated. So I packed my van once again, bought some new camping stuff and drove via Germany and Switzerland to France. To make the Trip cheaper – I used an app called „blablacar“ and took a random guy from Lyon to Montpelier – was a nice dude.
In Leucate it was hammering for 3 weeks – almost everyday on 3.6 – full taquet, no mercy. I was so much on the water with legend Balz Müller that I got completly hooked with Windsurfing again. The best part about this trip was meeting so many old friends like Nico Akgacyan, Balz Müller, Rikki Marca, Loick Spicher,…and making new friends with some locals and foreigners…
The conditions can be really tough – even when there was no wind predicted I was fighting with flying water and huge chop! but all in all it was an amazing trip and I enjoyed my small vanlife to the max!
My favourite Spot in South France? I like the flatwater of Rouet, but also enjoyed the chop of the Teleski Lake
Where to go with Marin(South Wind)? Go to Lac de Ganguise…but hey 18knots can 45knots there – the Landscape is amazing anyways
Croissants? Everywhere!
Where to meet the other Windsurfers? Weshcenter
Don’t like it Deadflat, and Wesh is too crowded?! try La Palme, it’s sick!
What comes Next? Surfworldcup at my homespot: Lake Neusiedler! Cu there
This year my season kicked of super late, as I was still recovering from a small hand injury. Anyways my comeback was strong…a super nice Southwind Weekend in Croatia. Vanlife, Bureks, Beach, Sea and some wind. At least I was sailing all my Gear from 5.2 with 100l to 3.6 and 75l – was great fun and I could also test some new stubby shapes from Flikkaboards in different sizes with different fin setups. All in All a great comeback weekend – and after I was ready for some spring sessions at Home! BUT the winter kicked back – snow, ice and decent -°C temperatures made a season start in Austria impossible – so I had to escape again…
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