My windsurfing disciplines
SLALOM competitions: racing around marks, being fast and intelligent combined with well tuned gear. It´s fast and scary and needs a lot of training to keep the speed with the best. Slalom was very popular in the 80ties and 90ties and died while the beginning of the 20th century. In 2005 the PWA, IFCA and Rene Egli started the discipline as a racing format again on the highest professional level. They called it SLALOM 42, which limits the amount of boards and sails to each sailor. Two boards and four sails are allowed to use in each competition. The equipment has to be registered one day before the race will be started. Later in 2008 the PWA changed the rules to Slalom 63, which allows each rider 3 boards and 6 sailsizes for the entire season. The maximum sailsize is 10.0 m² and the maximum boardwidth 85 cm in the PWA. The boardwidth has been changed from 80 to 85 cm in 2008. My biggest sail is the REFLEX 9.6 m² in the moment and my biggest board the iSONIC 131, which is 85 cm wide. I can plan in really less wind, around 8-9 knots. Further sailsizes of the REFLEX are 8,6 m², 7.8 m², 7,0m², 6,2 m² and 5.6 m². My smaller sized slalomboards are the Isonics 111 and 86 in the moment. The windlimit is fixed with 7 knots blowing up to 11. In the moment there are discussions inside the PWA to fix the limit a bit higher like around 9, 10 or 11 knots. In the Eurocup the discipline slalom will be started around 13 knots windspeed and the maximum boardwidth is fixed with 85 cm.
FREESTYLE fun sailing and instructing: like to practice freestyle in light, medium and strong wind conditions. I did participate in competititions in between 2001 and 2003. My biggest success was the participation in the KOTL, where I got kicked out by Jason Polakow in the first round. Nowadays I sail freestyle for fun. It´s great to land a new trick and to be with friends on the water, who practice new stuff, too. Besides switchstance sailing feels super sexy. Want to improve day by day, but it´s quite hard!
WAVESAILING while travelling: It´s the only discipline I never competed in a competition. So I could imagine, but it´s not a must on my “list of dreams”. I never will catch a wave in Austria. I have to leave the country, to search for waves. A trip to Sardinia can fulfill my dreams. Quite exciting lefthanders and righthanders I caught in PERU and MOROCCO so far. Pacasmayo/El Faro and Essaouira/Harbour entrance. The biggest style you can develop and express while sailing in waves – just my opininion. It´s so claos eto the discipline surfing and has bit of snowboarding elements”Everything moves and your body and soul seems to be in balance.” Living in Austria makes it not easy to get this balance, but believe that I´m kind of balanced, too. But there is definitely a dream I have in my mind: to live somewhere close to a spot, where I could ride waves without flying thousand miles in an aeroplane.
On the following pic I can express my attitude. One foot off in Adicora / Venezuela mainland, shot by Kerstin. A special trip with a lot of emotions. Thanks to Kerstin, Charly and many new friends.
40 knots in Premantura/Croatia, November 2007
FORMULA Windsurfing: Thanks to my friends here in Austria, especially Peter Pfaffenbichler and Peter Hörler, I started to try this discipline in October 2009. I also always listened to the stories of Steve Allen about exciting Formula racing.
In the moment I only have the minimium kit, a Starboard Formula 162, a Severne Code Red 11,0 m², one mast and one boom plus a Pfaffi Fin. When there is time I try to get some training done. For sure I will compete in some races in 2010. In 2009 I did my first race, the Austrian championship and teh Hallowind in Croatia, Jadrija. Formula brings a lot of excitement and is out of my view one of the best competition formats.