Episode #74 - Benjamin May

[00:00:00] Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. This week we have Benjamin May joining us. He was the GWA Vice World Champion for Big Air in 2023 and the winner of the Towin Super Session in Lucat also in 2023.

[00:00:15] That to say, the kid is an absolute ripper. He joins us to talk about Big Air, the gear he rides, his upcoming trips, and much more. So we hope that you enjoy this episode.

[00:00:26] If you haven't caught last week's episode, Ladina and Dasher joined us to introduce the Island of Bonaire, their new business called CZEN, and talk about how they found Wynn, how they met, and much more.

[00:00:38] Dasher did an amazing job on the YouTube version of this episode, so make sure to head over to our YouTube channel to watch it, Wing Life Podcast.

[00:00:47] Now, I want to take this opportunity to thank our team for making this show a reality.

[00:00:51] We have Frank that helps out with media and consulting, Matthias on guest relations, and Stefan on audio mastering.

[00:00:57] A big thank you guys, because a lot of work was in each and every episode.

[00:01:03] Next, I'd like to say a big thank you to our sponsors.

[00:01:05] We have North Foils on kiteboarding and now PPC.

[00:01:10] So I've been riding the SF range in La Ventana.

[00:01:13] I just got here a couple days ago, so I had a couple sessions.

[00:01:16] I was on the 830, so if you're looking to find out and have any questions, send us an email.

[00:01:23] More than happy to chat to you guys about it.

[00:01:25] The wings I've been riding are the NOAA V2, so it's an awesome light 3-meter wing.

[00:01:31] Good grunt, overall amazing wave wing.

[00:01:34] Also, I've been testing out the new M1 Lite from PPC.

[00:01:39] Also a superb wing with great range that is very responsive.

[00:01:43] So, if you want to know more, let us know.

[00:01:46] Lastly, winter is coming, and if you haven't decided where to go yet, come on out to La Ventana.

[00:01:52] I'm offering wing foiling lessons here, and I'd love to get some riding in with you.

[00:01:56] So send us an email at info at winglifepodcast.com.

[00:01:59] Now I hope you enjoy the show.

[00:02:07] Welcome to the Wing Life Podcast, where we talk about wing foiling

[00:02:12] and the lifestyles of those who enjoy this great sport.

[00:02:15] Hey Benjamin, thanks for joining us on the show, man.

[00:02:17] Hey, thanks for inviting me.

[00:02:19] Absolutely.

[00:02:20] Looking forward to talking about winging and big air, personally.

[00:02:24] That's such a topic that interests me.

[00:02:27] So, when you're jumping, like, how high are you jumping, first of all?

[00:02:30] And then, how have you progressed since the start?

[00:02:34] Because I know the wings, they're playing with a lot of different kind of canopy materials

[00:02:37] and leading edge materials now.

[00:02:40] Has that led to softer landings, giving you guys more time to boost?

[00:02:45] Like, all that kind of stuff.

[00:02:47] Yeah, so regarding first question, I think they're, like, this year, the limit has been, like,

[00:02:55] or the bar has been set pretty high regarding high jumping.

[00:03:00] Like, I've seen, like, a couple of guys jumping already, like, 16, 17 meters or so.

[00:03:05] I mean, that's pretty decent high.

[00:03:07] And, yeah, my highest jump, I think, was, like, 15 meters last year.

[00:03:14] It was, I think, like, it wasn't a front loop or anything.

[00:03:19] It was just a straight jump before the bigger competition in Pozzo.

[00:03:25] Unfortunately, not in the competition.

[00:03:28] But, yeah, it was just a kind of test jump.

[00:03:33] And, like, this year, I've tried to set the heart a little bit, to step it up a little bit.

[00:03:40] But I kind of didn't really got the, like, proper conditions to jump high

[00:03:44] because you need, like, really specific conditions to have, like, sideshow wind

[00:03:50] to get the kickers properly, like, proper good wind, like, 35 plus knots.

[00:03:55] Maybe, like, 40 knots is probably better.

[00:03:58] And, yeah, because, like, if you have a front or, like, sideshow wind,

[00:04:03] like, in Denmark or anywhere, then the distance between the waves

[00:04:08] is getting too small to get enough speed for jumping high.

[00:04:12] And, yeah, regarding canopies and material and rings,

[00:04:16] I think that's still a pretty interesting thing right now in the market

[00:04:22] because, yeah, it's hard to say if there are, like, brands developing specific

[00:04:31] big air wings because the normal, like, freestyle wings are actually doing

[00:04:37] a pretty decent job in the big air discipline.

[00:04:42] For sure, there's, like, a little bit of development in the, like, canopy,

[00:04:46] the way how the wing is driven and how much lift it has.

[00:04:53] But you always need to get, like, kind of a mix to have a big hang time

[00:04:58] but also get, like, good control in the air because if you just want to have a wing

[00:05:03] that goes just up in the air and stays there, then it's usually pretty hard

[00:05:08] to rotate also.

[00:05:10] And you just don't want to have a, like, for me personally,

[00:05:13] I just want to have a wing that lifts me up but also rotates me pretty good

[00:05:17] so that I can do, like, a front loop, back loop,

[00:05:21] or one-hand backflip in the air because I think that is the thing that, yeah,

[00:05:27] pushes me in the big air and not just, like, jumping high.

[00:05:32] So, regarding that, does that mean for, let's say, breaking it down for folks

[00:05:37] who are just kind of getting into it, a wing that allows you to get a little pop

[00:05:42] but then move, is that a wing that would sit more, will move a little bit more on land,

[00:05:47] will sit more stable?

[00:05:49] Like, does the shape of the wing and how it's built in that sense contribute

[00:05:53] to you guys being able to perform better?

[00:05:57] Yeah, I think it's, oh, I think it's not really dependent.

[00:06:03] Sorry?

[00:06:04] It's a technical question but still kind of just...

[00:06:06] Yeah, it's really technical.

[00:06:07] Yeah.

[00:06:08] I'm not really that much in the wing design theme really into it.

[00:06:13] I'm more into, like, foiling testing a little bit and boards.

[00:06:18] But I think in, like, winging you can't really say on the land if the wing is, like, stable.

[00:06:24] If it stays flat and you hold it on the neutral handle then it's, like, a good wing,

[00:06:29] good and stable wing.

[00:06:30] You really need to try it on the water to get a proper, like, impression of it.

[00:06:36] And, yeah.

[00:06:37] But you don't really need a wing that rotates, like, super, super fast

[00:06:42] but, like, that's stable and controllable on, like, big maneuvers.

[00:06:46] And I think that's the key point for, like, big air wings.

[00:06:51] Because you're still jumping 45 feet, right?

[00:06:53] Like, that's a pretty big...

[00:06:55] That's the height of a house pretty much.

[00:06:56] 15 meters is normally three feet per meter.

[00:07:00] So 45 feet is normally the height, like, it's pretty high.

[00:07:06] How are landings?

[00:07:08] Well, that's another question.

[00:07:11] It's, like, I've already had, like, a couple of jumps where it's pretty hard.

[00:07:16] I already had two injuries.

[00:07:18] One pretty serious injury where I had to get surgery.

[00:07:22] And both of them on a front flip, yeah.

[00:07:27] And they both were on, like, a decent height.

[00:07:29] Like, the one actually was a little bit stupid.

[00:07:32] Don't want to talk about that.

[00:07:33] But the other one was, like, yeah, just too high, not enough wind.

[00:07:38] The wave was a little bit too big.

[00:07:41] And I was kind of underpowered because the wind was a little bit gusty.

[00:07:45] And then if you're just on a height of, I don't know, eight to nine meters and you do a front flip,

[00:07:50] and then you don't really see the landing.

[00:07:53] Or it's quite hard to see the landing if you do the front flip because you go, like, forward, you know.

[00:07:58] And then, yeah, just dropped out of the sky and broke my left foot.

[00:08:06] And, yeah, so it's coming with a risk.

[00:08:11] No question about that.

[00:08:13] But if you, like, with the time you get to know how to land and if it's, like, you need to land a little bit more, like, not flat, but kind of like a windsurfer, I'd say.

[00:08:26] Like, the back of the board should be a little bit further down than the front of the board that you kind of slide in the water with the foil.

[00:08:34] And that way you can actually, like, get a, like, probably soft landing, I would say.

[00:08:42] Do you think that that would be the biggest tip you would give to people at home who are starting to jump?

[00:08:48] Is how to land kind of tail first kind of thing?

[00:08:52] Is there anything else that stands out?

[00:08:55] Yeah, definitely.

[00:08:57] I would say so.

[00:08:59] Because if you're jumping high, you not only need to jump high because when you're up, you're up, but then you also need to come down.

[00:09:07] It's like going up on the mountain, then you're up on the mountain.

[00:09:10] Okay, cool, but you also need to get down, you know?

[00:09:14] So if you don't get the landing properly, don't think about jumping high.

[00:09:19] So you need to get the basics done on, like, small jumps.

[00:09:22] Get them, like, properly done.

[00:09:24] Do them, like, 100, 500 times.

[00:09:28] And then you can start going bigger.

[00:09:31] And, yeah, I think that's a basic for it.

[00:09:35] Okay, all right.

[00:09:38] Starting off from there, like, on smaller jumps, your foil absorbs the impact, right?

[00:09:44] But as soon as you get big enough, what I'm gathering is the foil does less and less, and it's more of a smackdown on the board.

[00:09:53] Not actually.

[00:09:55] Like, the foil, let's say maybe on the smaller foils, but I'm kind of used to use 850 car, so it's actually quite big.

[00:10:08] And I'm using it in, like, probably all kind of conditions because I'm a pretty, like, heavy guy, like 82 kilos.

[00:10:17] And so I need a certain lift on the foil to stay up and getting up.

[00:10:24] And if you're having, like, an 800 foil, the foil really absorbs quite a lot of impact on the water.

[00:10:31] So I've tried a couple of jumps also with the 650, like a smaller foil, and also 500.

[00:10:38] And there you'll feel a big difference.

[00:10:40] Like, it's, if you jump and the most impact is just on the board.

[00:10:47] And, yeah, also on your feet.

[00:10:51] Okay.

[00:10:51] Now for kiting, obviously, you know, like, they'll do loops.

[00:10:54] So they'll do that kind of thing to slow them down before landing so they, some of them can be a smooth butter kind of touchdown.

[00:11:02] Is there anything you can do with the wing while you're in the air that helps slow you down?

[00:11:07] Or do you come down kind of the same speed as a windsurfer kind of smackdown?

[00:11:12] No, that's actually a little bit softer, I would say.

[00:11:16] But you need to get, like, a certain technique because in the air most of the time, or most people do it like they jump up.

[00:11:24] And then they just stay in one position and the wing is, like, all the time fully powered on.

[00:11:31] And then the impact gets slightly harder, I would say.

[00:11:37] But there's, like, one trick.

[00:11:39] If you go up and then kind of let the wing depower a little bit so that the canopy is a little bit loose.

[00:11:47] And then you pull it on again, then it stops you a little bit more, I feel like.

[00:11:52] But it's also just, like, I feel like it.

[00:11:56] Maybe it's not also everybody who feels like it.

[00:11:59] But for me, it's like, yeah, it stops me a little bit of the impact to get a little bit slower in the water.

[00:12:09] So that's, yeah, how I do the big jumps.

[00:12:13] Almost like pressing the gas kind of thing before you're going to hit a bump because it raises the front of your car kind of thing.

[00:12:19] Like it accelerates a little bit, kind of if we can use that analogy.

[00:12:24] All right.

[00:12:25] Yeah.

[00:12:26] How did you get started into winging fire?

[00:12:32] That's already quite a long time ago, huh?

[00:12:35] It's like almost five years ago.

[00:12:38] It's crazy.

[00:12:39] Yeah.

[00:12:40] I think I, like, started with windsurfing and kiting, like, already at, what was it, I think 10 years.

[00:12:50] 10 years of age, I think.

[00:12:52] And, yeah, mostly we were skiing at home because we have the mountains right in front of the home.

[00:12:58] And then, like, we only have, like, small lakes with, like, a little bit of wind, like thermal wind.

[00:13:04] Sometimes we have a little bit of west wind.

[00:13:08] And, yeah, so for kiting, it's actually pretty hard to go out here because we have a lot of trees and gusty winds.

[00:13:14] And if there's wind, then it's super busy and super chaotic.

[00:13:19] And for windsurfing, for the light wind days, we usually have, like, two, or you need so much gear to, how do you say, to bring around.

[00:13:36] And it's, like, super annoying if you go out with, like, three people, the cars fully packed because everybody needs, like, a super big board, super big sail and the mast, the boom and, like, everything.

[00:13:49] And, yeah, then the wing thing came kind of into the, like, Bavarian lakes.

[00:13:57] And, yeah, that was, like, the perfect sport for you because we are mostly in summer.

[00:14:01] We have, like, 10 to 15 knots or so.

[00:14:04] And for that, it's, like, perfect, you know.

[00:14:06] You just need, like, two wings maybe, one board, one foil.

[00:14:10] And, yeah, then my dad, he got one wing by himself and I tried by myself.

[00:14:17] And, yeah, then it just came step by step.

[00:14:20] And, yeah, it kind of got into rolling.

[00:14:24] Yeah.

[00:14:26] Rolling.

[00:14:26] When did you think about competing?

[00:14:29] Because not everybody enters into that level.

[00:14:32] Did you find learning was so came pretty naturally to you that you wanted to take it to that next level?

[00:14:38] Well, not immediately.

[00:14:43] Like, I was mostly skiing by the time I started winging and, like, competitive alpine skiing.

[00:14:50] And by that time, I didn't really have time to go, like, winging or do a lot of water sports at home.

[00:14:58] And, yeah, then skiing kind of stopped in a certain way.

[00:15:04] And, like, because of COVID.

[00:15:07] And then I just had to, you know, get some stuff to do.

[00:15:11] And then I went out on the water all the time.

[00:15:12] And I got kind of better and better.

[00:15:15] Not that much in freestyle in the beginning.

[00:15:17] But a little bit in racing.

[00:15:20] And, yeah, then the first competitions came up, I think, already in 2020, I think.

[00:15:27] And also a couple of competitions in Silver Plana, which is in Switzerland, which is not that far away from where I live.

[00:15:37] And then I just thought about, yeah, maybe just compete, you know, just for fun.

[00:15:43] And, yeah, then it just went rolling and rolling and rolling.

[00:15:47] And, like, in the first competition in Silver Plana, there weren't that many competitors.

[00:15:52] There were only, like, 20 competitors.

[00:15:54] And in U19, I won.

[00:15:59] Yeah, I think I won in the racing category.

[00:16:01] And then I thought, yeah, just maybe do another competition.

[00:16:05] And then another one.

[00:16:07] And then another one.

[00:16:09] And then...

[00:16:10] Nice.

[00:16:11] Yeah.

[00:16:12] They went from there.

[00:16:14] Because you were three times German champion for race and freestyle.

[00:16:20] And then GWA vice world champion for Big Air in 2023.

[00:16:25] So very well done in such a short period of time.

[00:16:30] Thanks.

[00:16:30] And then winner of Toe-In Super Session.

[00:16:34] What's that?

[00:16:34] GWA World Cup 2023 in Le Cat.

[00:16:41] There was last year...

[00:16:45] You know, the GWA sometimes makes, if there's time left, the Super Sessions,

[00:16:50] like now in Datla where they did the surf foil competition.

[00:16:58] And they did kind of similar thing in Toe-In.

[00:17:02] Yeah, where we showed, like, mostly backslips,

[00:17:05] but also some backflips in the 360s, backflip into backflippers,

[00:17:09] stuff like this.

[00:17:10] And, yeah.

[00:17:12] What have you found to be your favorite move that you've worked on

[00:17:18] that has pushed you, but has kind of, like, the biggest payback so far?

[00:17:23] Ooh, that's hard.

[00:17:25] So many moves.

[00:17:27] But I think the most, like, the best feeling you get on a trick is probably

[00:17:35] a stalled frontflip.

[00:17:38] It's like you get a big, decent kicker, a big, strong wind,

[00:17:42] and then you go up to, like, 11, maybe 12 meters or so.

[00:17:45] And then you just wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,

[00:17:48] and do a stalled forward.

[00:17:49] That's, like, probably the best feeling.

[00:17:52] But for, like, best trick, I would say actually the backflip, I would say.

[00:17:59] Because I can do it, like, in, like, almost all conditions,

[00:18:03] from light wind to strong wind.

[00:18:05] I can do it in, like, flat water, super choppy water,

[00:18:09] like, big waves and, like, all kind of conditions.

[00:18:12] And, yeah, that's probably the best feeling or the best one for me.

[00:18:19] Talking about that stalled frontflip, any kind of hesitation

[00:18:25] when you're getting that high?

[00:18:26] You just have to commit, blindly turn into it,

[00:18:29] hope everything goes well?

[00:18:33] Yeah, kind of.

[00:18:35] But you also need to prepare yourself a little bit.

[00:18:40] So because, like, when I had my injury last year,

[00:18:45] I kind of stopped doing frontflips for quite a long time, actually.

[00:18:50] For, like, three to four months,

[00:18:52] I couldn't really, like, properly do frontflips

[00:18:55] because my mind just said, no, stop.

[00:19:01] And, or, like, I had, like, really some really bad days doing them

[00:19:06] because my technique kind of changed a little bit after my injury.

[00:19:11] So before I went, like, kind of a rally up

[00:19:16] and then I flipped over to, like, on the highest point,

[00:19:22] I got the momentum of the wing and then I flipped over

[00:19:26] and afterwards I did slightly a little bit more like a windsurfer.

[00:19:31] And for wing that's actually not that good

[00:19:34] because then the impacts are getting harder.

[00:19:37] And now by the time I got it, like I did before my injury,

[00:19:43] and, yeah, so you, most of the time before,

[00:19:48] like, a warm-up was pretty important, I would say,

[00:19:51] just to warm up your ankles, your muscles,

[00:19:53] so that they know that you're ready

[00:19:55] because if you do a big jump, the impacts are also big.

[00:19:59] And, yeah, then just really don't start with the big kickers

[00:20:04] right in the beginning.

[00:20:06] Just take it easy in the beginning,

[00:20:07] take some smaller kickers, do some smaller jumps,

[00:20:10] and then do it step-by-step going a little bit bigger every time.

[00:20:14] And, yeah.

[00:20:16] Okay.

[00:20:17] Well, that's good advice to take home

[00:20:18] because if people are watching,

[00:20:20] we don't necessarily hear about the back-end things of injuries

[00:20:25] and how hard those impacts really are

[00:20:27] because I know the sport will just keep going on the hard,

[00:20:31] keep tracking forward.

[00:20:32] But we also want to see how is it for,

[00:20:36] how hard is it on your body,

[00:20:37] how many people should do it,

[00:20:39] who should avoid doing this stuff

[00:20:41] because they might see it like,

[00:20:42] oh, yeah, I want to go try this,

[00:20:44] and then what could possibly happen?

[00:20:46] Let's say that actually,

[00:20:48] like, the impacts are actually not that hard,

[00:20:50] but if you have, like, one jump

[00:20:52] that is totally messed up

[00:20:54] and you stay in your foot straps,

[00:20:57] that is the jump where you really mess up

[00:20:59] because then you're still in your foot straps,

[00:21:02] the impact is super hard,

[00:21:03] and you twist your ankle and your foot strap or whatever,

[00:21:06] but most of the time the impacts are, like,

[00:21:09] let's say, okay,

[00:21:10] so you can withstand it, like, usually,

[00:21:14] but then you have that one jump

[00:21:15] where everything goes down,

[00:21:17] you don't get the momentum or whatever,

[00:21:18] and then...

[00:21:20] So what initially kind of inspired you

[00:21:22] to get into foiling?

[00:21:24] What discipline were you in skiing?

[00:21:26] I just want to ask that

[00:21:27] because it might lead to some of your acrobatics.

[00:21:29] Was it racing, kind of moguls?

[00:21:32] What were you into?

[00:21:34] I was in alpine skiing

[00:21:36] in slalom, giant slalom, and super G.

[00:21:40] Yeah, so mostly racing,

[00:21:42] but besides that,

[00:21:43] I also did, like,

[00:21:44] a little bit of free skiing

[00:21:46] and, like, free riding

[00:21:47] when there was a little bit of time lost.

[00:21:49] Because how...

[00:21:50] Because not a lot of those acrobatic tricks in the air,

[00:21:54] like, did that take a lot of practice

[00:21:56] or did that kind of come more naturally?

[00:22:00] Like, a little bit of both, I would say.

[00:22:03] I did quite a lot of sports

[00:22:05] when I was, like, pretty, like...

[00:22:09] I think it's called the golden age,

[00:22:11] like, between 8 or 12 years old,

[00:22:13] where you learn, like,

[00:22:14] most of your motorical achievements, I would say.

[00:22:19] There, like, I did a lot of trampoline

[00:22:23] at the house and backyard.

[00:22:25] Played a little bit of football, tennis,

[00:22:27] you know, like, doing a little bit of everything.

[00:22:29] And I think that resulted in, like,

[00:22:31] knowing how to move your body right

[00:22:34] when you're old or getting older.

[00:22:37] And...

[00:22:38] Yeah.

[00:22:42] So...

[00:22:42] I would say that's the key point, yeah.

[00:22:46] That helped out, definitely.

[00:22:47] Okay.

[00:22:48] And so your...

[00:22:50] Was it your dad that kind of initially got in?

[00:22:53] Like, you guys do it as a family?

[00:22:55] Yeah.

[00:22:56] Like, my dad, he was skating already

[00:22:58] for, like,

[00:22:59] I don't know, 30 years,

[00:23:01] 35 years or so.

[00:23:03] And before he was windsurfing

[00:23:04] a lot of times.

[00:23:08] And, yeah, he just went,

[00:23:11] like, also goes to the lake

[00:23:13] every weekend when there's wind.

[00:23:15] So he just took me with him.

[00:23:17] And then, yeah, just...

[00:23:19] He put me on the board,

[00:23:21] on the windsurfer in the beginning,

[00:23:23] and then on the kite,

[00:23:23] and most of the times on the kite

[00:23:25] in the holidays.

[00:23:27] And, yeah, then it all came step by step.

[00:23:30] And just moved on,

[00:23:32] learned the jive on the windsurfer.

[00:23:34] And, yeah.

[00:23:36] Planning jive?

[00:23:38] Yeah, planning jive, actually,

[00:23:40] I just learned, like,

[00:23:42] three weeks ago in Denmark.

[00:23:43] Sick.

[00:23:45] Hard, eh?

[00:23:46] But with the front loop.

[00:23:48] And, yeah, then...

[00:23:53] But, like,

[00:23:54] most of the time we were foiling here on the lake,

[00:23:56] so I, most of the time,

[00:23:58] just knew how to windsurf on the foil.

[00:24:01] Oh, nice.

[00:24:02] Okay.

[00:24:02] Matt, I want to know,

[00:24:04] like, one of our team members,

[00:24:05] how you prepare mentally and physically

[00:24:09] for competitions,

[00:24:10] especially major events,

[00:24:12] like a World Cup.

[00:24:14] Yeah, like, physically,

[00:24:17] I'll try to stretch myself,

[00:24:21] well, like,

[00:24:22] regularly.

[00:24:23] You know, like,

[00:24:24] I'm honest,

[00:24:24] I'm not getting to it,

[00:24:26] like,

[00:24:26] every evening or every second evening,

[00:24:28] but I should do it.

[00:24:30] And then,

[00:24:31] yeah,

[00:24:33] mostly,

[00:24:34] or really important,

[00:24:35] is, like,

[00:24:36] the warm-up before the competition.

[00:24:38] Because it's, like,

[00:24:39] kind of a ritual,

[00:24:41] I would say,

[00:24:41] where you get into shape,

[00:24:43] you prepare yourself,

[00:24:44] not only your body,

[00:24:45] but also your mind,

[00:24:47] to get ready for the competition.

[00:24:49] And, yeah,

[00:24:51] that's where you...

[00:24:52] I mostly mobilize my ankles

[00:24:55] all over the body,

[00:24:56] from, like,

[00:24:56] shoulder to foot,

[00:24:58] to knee,

[00:24:59] to everything,

[00:25:00] and warm up my muscles

[00:25:01] to get ready.

[00:25:04] And mentally,

[00:25:05] I actually haven't done anything,

[00:25:08] but I think I will do in the future

[00:25:11] something for it.

[00:25:13] Because I really underestimated

[00:25:15] in the past

[00:25:16] how important your mind is.

[00:25:20] Because, yeah,

[00:25:22] most people also just underestimate

[00:25:24] how important it is

[00:25:26] to have the right mindset,

[00:25:29] to get prepared for competition,

[00:25:31] to get all your stuff together,

[00:25:32] to be prepared.

[00:25:33] And, yeah.

[00:25:36] Because some,

[00:25:36] like, when I talk to Cash

[00:25:37] and some other guys

[00:25:38] that are on tour,

[00:25:41] their focus is more so on

[00:25:43] they love the sport,

[00:25:45] and this gives them an opportunity

[00:25:46] to love it even more

[00:25:48] kind of thing.

[00:25:48] So they stay in that

[00:25:50] kind of mindset.

[00:25:51] Other people get more

[00:25:52] super focused on

[00:25:55] the competitive aspect of things.

[00:25:57] So it differs for athlete

[00:25:59] to athlete, I find.

[00:26:00] And then you have people

[00:26:01] on the shore helping you,

[00:26:03] making sure that you know

[00:26:05] how many points you're ahead

[00:26:06] or behind.

[00:26:07] And there's a lot that goes

[00:26:08] into it, doesn't it?

[00:26:10] Yeah, it is definitely.

[00:26:12] I think it's like

[00:26:14] how Cash is saying it,

[00:26:15] it's super important

[00:26:17] to not lose the fun

[00:26:18] during the competition.

[00:26:19] Because if you take it

[00:26:20] too seriously,

[00:26:21] then you just get,

[00:26:23] like,

[00:26:23] it doesn't get fluid anymore.

[00:26:26] No, then the jumps

[00:26:26] are not that good anymore.

[00:26:28] The takeoffs aren't that good anymore.

[00:26:30] So you still need to

[00:26:31] have that kind of,

[00:26:32] like,

[00:26:33] fun in the competition.

[00:26:34] But if you see

[00:26:36] the other guys

[00:26:36] like Chris or Malo

[00:26:38] when you're in the final

[00:26:39] in the big area

[00:26:39] like this year,

[00:26:41] how focused they are,

[00:26:42] then you also need

[00:26:43] to stay focused.

[00:26:44] You just don't,

[00:26:45] or you're not really

[00:26:46] just can't have,

[00:26:47] like,

[00:26:47] fun.

[00:26:48] You still should have fun

[00:26:49] and also have fun

[00:26:51] during the jumps.

[00:26:52] But you need to go

[00:26:54] to the competition

[00:26:55] with the kind of,

[00:26:56] like,

[00:26:57] competition mindset.

[00:26:58] Because otherwise,

[00:26:59] then it doesn't work

[00:27:01] from a certain point anymore.

[00:27:04] The others just,

[00:27:05] like,

[00:27:06] go a step ahead

[00:27:07] and then it's like,

[00:27:08] you can't follow anymore.

[00:27:10] And it's getting

[00:27:11] more and more competitive

[00:27:12] as this season's going.

[00:27:16] Yeah,

[00:27:17] it is.

[00:27:19] Any kind of young guns

[00:27:20] that you see

[00:27:21] just entered

[00:27:21] that are throwing stuff?

[00:27:23] Because there's people

[00:27:24] who are just

[00:27:25] practicing in the background

[00:27:27] and then they're

[00:27:28] going to slowly

[00:27:29] get into it.

[00:27:31] Anybody stand out?

[00:27:34] I know someone

[00:27:35] that is,

[00:27:36] like,

[00:27:37] is pretty young still,

[00:27:38] but he's also coming here

[00:27:40] from my region.

[00:27:42] And I'm pretty stoked

[00:27:43] that there's another one

[00:27:44] because, like,

[00:27:45] here it's, like,

[00:27:46] mostly low wind,

[00:27:47] you know,

[00:27:48] and the competition

[00:27:48] is most of the time

[00:27:50] like strong wind

[00:27:51] where you can ride

[00:27:52] or where can I,

[00:27:54] where I can ride

[00:27:54] a three meter.

[00:27:55] So it's

[00:27:56] mostly trying

[00:27:57] like proper wind.

[00:28:00] It's

[00:28:01] Franz Rappolder

[00:28:02] right here

[00:28:03] from Bavaria.

[00:28:04] Maybe you heard of him?

[00:28:06] Maybe not,

[00:28:06] I'm sure.

[00:28:07] I'll look him up.

[00:28:09] Yeah.

[00:28:10] He's doing pretty well

[00:28:11] in freestyle

[00:28:12] and

[00:28:13] if,

[00:28:14] I think if he keeps on

[00:28:15] then

[00:28:16] yeah,

[00:28:17] why not?

[00:28:17] I think he can compete

[00:28:19] on the GWA

[00:28:20] for freestyle.

[00:28:21] That's for sure.

[00:28:22] Yeah, good for him.

[00:28:23] Yeah.

[00:28:24] It's a lot of hard work.

[00:28:25] What's your next trick

[00:28:27] or maneuver

[00:28:28] that you're wanting

[00:28:29] to learn

[00:28:30] or practicing

[00:28:30] that you can share?

[00:28:32] If it's something secret

[00:28:32] you want to keep

[00:28:33] in the bag,

[00:28:33] you don't have to,

[00:28:34] but

[00:28:36] no,

[00:28:38] I think

[00:28:38] like

[00:28:38] it's

[00:28:39] my main

[00:28:41] focus

[00:28:42] right now

[00:28:43] over the last

[00:28:44] months

[00:28:44] was like

[00:28:45] big air

[00:28:46] and

[00:28:46] training for

[00:28:48] surf freestyle.

[00:28:51] But

[00:28:51] currently

[00:28:52] I'm trying

[00:28:53] to

[00:28:53] get the

[00:28:55] back mode

[00:28:56] properly.

[00:28:57] I know

[00:28:58] there are already

[00:28:58] like

[00:28:59] so many

[00:29:00] people

[00:29:00] that got them

[00:29:02] on lock already.

[00:29:03] I got them

[00:29:04] on lock

[00:29:04] like

[00:29:05] beginning of this

[00:29:06] year already

[00:29:07] in Cape Town

[00:29:09] but

[00:29:10] then

[00:29:10] I kind

[00:29:11] of

[00:29:11] like

[00:29:12] it doesn't

[00:29:13] get

[00:29:13] going anymore

[00:29:14] like

[00:29:15] that

[00:29:16] good

[00:29:16] because

[00:29:17] if I go

[00:29:18] for the

[00:29:18] back mode

[00:29:19] I don't

[00:29:19] really

[00:29:19] get the

[00:29:20] handle

[00:29:20] and

[00:29:22] yeah

[00:29:22] I'm

[00:29:23] still

[00:29:24] still

[00:29:24] training

[00:29:24] for

[00:29:24] it.

[00:29:26] What do you

[00:29:27] find

[00:29:28] most challenging

[00:29:29] aspect of it?

[00:29:31] To get

[00:29:31] the right

[00:29:32] timing

[00:29:32] to

[00:29:32] get

[00:29:33] the

[00:29:33] handle

[00:29:34] again

[00:29:35] during

[00:29:35] the

[00:29:37] handle

[00:29:37] pass

[00:29:38] that's

[00:29:39] the most

[00:29:39] challenging

[00:29:40] part

[00:29:40] because

[00:29:40] if you

[00:29:41] don't

[00:29:41] get

[00:29:41] the

[00:29:41] handle

[00:29:41] then

[00:29:42] the

[00:29:43] trick

[00:29:43] is

[00:29:43] messed

[00:29:44] up.

[00:29:45] Yeah.

[00:29:47] Okay.

[00:29:47] Now

[00:29:48] you've

[00:29:49] gotten

[00:29:49] to

[00:29:49] travel

[00:29:50] to

[00:29:50] some

[00:29:50] pretty

[00:29:50] cool

[00:29:50] destinations

[00:29:51] is there

[00:29:51] any

[00:29:52] that

[00:29:52] stand

[00:29:52] out

[00:29:52] the

[00:29:53] most?

[00:29:54] Which I

[00:29:55] traveled

[00:29:55] already

[00:29:55] or which

[00:29:56] I want

[00:29:56] to travel?

[00:29:57] Or both?

[00:30:00] I think

[00:30:01] like

[00:30:02] I've been

[00:30:02] the last

[00:30:03] two months

[00:30:03] in Denmark

[00:30:04] and

[00:30:04] Kota

[00:30:05] Hawaii

[00:30:05] that's

[00:30:06] I think

[00:30:07] for me

[00:30:08] the

[00:30:08] probably

[00:30:09] best

[00:30:09] spot

[00:30:11] for doing

[00:30:12] like

[00:30:12] everything

[00:30:12] to go

[00:30:13] riding

[00:30:13] waves

[00:30:13] to go

[00:30:14] like

[00:30:14] bigger

[00:30:15] to go

[00:30:15] for

[00:30:15] freestyle

[00:30:16] I know

[00:30:17] it's

[00:30:17] a little

[00:30:17] bit

[00:30:17] colder

[00:30:18] up

[00:30:19] there

[00:30:19] but

[00:30:20] for

[00:30:20] winging

[00:30:21] it's

[00:30:21] like

[00:30:21] a

[00:30:21] dreamland

[00:30:23] because

[00:30:24] you have

[00:30:24] so many

[00:30:25] round waves

[00:30:26] that are

[00:30:27] not

[00:30:27] doable

[00:30:28] for

[00:30:29] wave

[00:30:29] riding

[00:30:30] and

[00:30:30] windsurfing

[00:30:30] or

[00:30:31] kiting

[00:30:31] but

[00:30:31] it's

[00:30:32] perfect

[00:30:32] for

[00:30:33] wing

[00:30:33] foiling

[00:30:33] and

[00:30:34] yeah

[00:30:36] also

[00:30:37] we got

[00:30:37] some

[00:30:37] pretty

[00:30:38] heavy

[00:30:38] storms

[00:30:39] up

[00:30:39] there

[00:30:39] with

[00:30:39] 60

[00:30:40] 65

[00:30:41] knots

[00:30:41] and

[00:30:42] then

[00:30:42] there's

[00:30:42] like

[00:30:42] 4 meter

[00:30:43] waves

[00:30:44] on

[00:30:44] 14

[00:30:45] seconds

[00:30:45] or so

[00:30:45] whoa

[00:30:47] it's

[00:30:48] getting

[00:30:48] bigger

[00:30:48] 4 meter

[00:30:50] feet

[00:30:50] yeah

[00:30:51] that's

[00:30:51] getting

[00:30:51] bigger

[00:30:52] yeah

[00:30:52] yeah

[00:30:53] whoa

[00:30:54] now

[00:30:55] what's

[00:30:55] colder

[00:30:56] mean

[00:30:56] to you

[00:30:56] cold

[00:30:57] in

[00:30:58] in

[00:30:58] Denmark

[00:30:59] like

[00:31:00] in

[00:31:00] summer

[00:31:00] you can

[00:31:01] like

[00:31:02] I usually

[00:31:03] wear

[00:31:03] 4-3

[00:31:04] wetsuit

[00:31:04] so it's

[00:31:05] like

[00:31:05] depending

[00:31:06] on the

[00:31:06] weather

[00:31:07] direction

[00:31:07] if it's

[00:31:07] like east

[00:31:08] wind

[00:31:08] or west

[00:31:08] wind

[00:31:09] from

[00:31:10] let's

[00:31:11] say

[00:31:11] 23

[00:31:12] to

[00:31:13] 15

[00:31:13] degrees

[00:31:15] depending

[00:31:16] on

[00:31:16] like

[00:31:16] which

[00:31:17] which

[00:31:17] wind

[00:31:18] is

[00:31:18] coming

[00:31:18] because

[00:31:18] east

[00:31:19] wind

[00:31:19] is

[00:31:19] most

[00:31:19] of

[00:31:19] time

[00:31:19] pretty

[00:31:20] pretty

[00:31:20] cold

[00:31:20] west

[00:31:21] winds

[00:31:21] is

[00:31:21] a little

[00:31:21] bit

[00:31:22] warmer

[00:31:22] and

[00:31:43] chilly

[00:31:44] chilly

[00:31:44] now

[00:31:45] you

[00:31:46] mean

[00:31:46] with

[00:31:47] temperatures

[00:31:48] yeah

[00:31:49] yes

[00:31:50] yeah

[00:31:51] like

[00:31:52] it got

[00:31:53] a little

[00:31:53] bit

[00:31:53] colder

[00:31:53] when

[00:31:54] the

[00:31:56] water

[00:31:57] from

[00:31:58] the

[00:31:58] arctic

[00:31:59] coals

[00:32:00] came down

[00:32:01] because

[00:32:02] then it

[00:32:02] got

[00:32:02] colder

[00:32:03] step by

[00:32:04] step

[00:32:04] and

[00:32:04] it

[00:32:05] also

[00:32:06] sometimes

[00:32:07] I

[00:32:07] froze

[00:32:07] my

[00:32:07] ass

[00:32:08] off

[00:32:08] in the

[00:32:09] water

[00:32:09] but

[00:32:10] it

[00:32:10] was

[00:32:11] just

[00:32:11] by

[00:32:11] the

[00:32:11] end

[00:32:12] now

[00:32:12] and

[00:32:12] beginning

[00:32:13] of

[00:32:13] October

[00:32:13] so

[00:32:14] any

[00:32:14] places

[00:32:15] that

[00:32:15] you're

[00:32:15] really

[00:32:15] looking

[00:32:16] forward

[00:32:16] to

[00:32:16] going

[00:32:16] for

[00:32:16] the

[00:32:16] first

[00:32:17] time

[00:32:18] yeah

[00:32:18] I think

[00:32:19] there are

[00:32:20] a lot

[00:32:21] the world

[00:32:21] is so

[00:32:22] so big

[00:32:22] to

[00:32:23] travel

[00:32:24] all of

[00:32:24] them

[00:32:25] I

[00:32:26] definitely

[00:32:26] want

[00:32:26] to

[00:32:26] go

[00:32:26] to

[00:32:26] the

[00:32:27] northern

[00:32:28] countries

[00:32:28] like

[00:32:28] Norway

[00:32:30] Iceland

[00:32:32] Ireland

[00:32:32] Scotland

[00:32:33] maybe

[00:32:34] to

[00:32:34] get

[00:32:34] some

[00:32:35] good

[00:32:36] storms

[00:32:36] in

[00:32:36] the

[00:32:36] pocket

[00:32:38] I

[00:32:38] definitely

[00:32:39] want

[00:32:39] to

[00:32:39] go

[00:32:39] to

[00:32:42] Hawaii

[00:32:43] one

[00:32:43] day

[00:32:43] too

[00:32:45] and

[00:32:49] yeah

[00:32:49] I think

[00:32:50] that are

[00:32:50] like

[00:32:50] the

[00:32:51] most

[00:32:52] important

[00:32:52] stops

[00:32:52] I

[00:32:54] think

[00:32:55] up

[00:32:55] north

[00:32:55] I

[00:32:56] have

[00:32:56] some

[00:32:56] friends

[00:32:56] that

[00:32:56] live

[00:32:57] in

[00:32:57] Ireland

[00:32:58] and

[00:32:59] they

[00:32:59] get

[00:33:00] some

[00:33:00] good

[00:33:00] storms

[00:33:00] up

[00:33:01] there

[00:33:01] Scotland

[00:33:01] would

[00:33:01] just

[00:33:02] be

[00:33:02] cool

[00:33:02] for

[00:33:02] the

[00:33:02] food

[00:33:03] for

[00:33:03] the

[00:33:03] people

[00:33:04] yeah

[00:33:05] yeah

[00:33:06] that would

[00:33:06] be

[00:33:06] sweet

[00:33:06] so

[00:33:07] whereabouts

[00:33:08] are you

[00:33:08] in

[00:33:08] Germany

[00:33:09] in

[00:33:10] southern

[00:33:10] Germany

[00:33:11] south

[00:33:11] of

[00:33:11] Munich

[00:33:13] okay

[00:33:13] the

[00:33:14] guys

[00:33:14] right

[00:33:14] in front

[00:33:15] of

[00:33:15] the

[00:33:15] Alps

[00:33:16] oh

[00:33:17] nice

[00:33:17] yeah

[00:33:18] ski

[00:33:18] you got

[00:33:18] some

[00:33:19] of

[00:33:19] the

[00:33:19] best

[00:33:19] skiing

[00:33:19] in

[00:33:19] the

[00:33:19] world

[00:33:20] must

[00:33:20] be

[00:33:21] unbelievable

[00:33:22] wow

[00:33:24] yeah

[00:33:24] we grew

[00:33:25] up in

[00:33:25] outside

[00:33:26] of

[00:33:26] my

[00:33:27] family's

[00:33:27] from

[00:33:27] Quebec

[00:33:28] so

[00:33:28] we

[00:33:28] have

[00:33:28] some

[00:33:29] decent

[00:33:29] mountains

[00:33:29] out

[00:33:30] there

[00:33:30] and

[00:33:30] then

[00:33:30] my

[00:33:30] brother's

[00:33:30] in

[00:33:31] BC

[00:33:31] right

[00:33:31] now

[00:33:31] so

[00:33:32] British

[00:33:32] Columbia

[00:33:32] the

[00:33:33] best

[00:33:33] mountains

[00:33:34] in

[00:33:34] Canada

[00:33:35] but

[00:33:36] the

[00:33:36] Swiss

[00:33:37] and

[00:33:37] German

[00:33:38] and

[00:33:38] French

[00:33:38] Alps

[00:33:38] has

[00:33:39] always

[00:33:39] been

[00:33:39] on

[00:33:39] our

[00:33:39] list

[00:33:39] because

[00:33:40] we

[00:33:40] are

[00:33:40] big

[00:33:40] skiers

[00:33:40] as

[00:33:40] well

[00:33:41] we

[00:33:41] learned

[00:33:41] when

[00:33:41] we

[00:33:41] were

[00:33:41] super

[00:33:42] young

[00:33:43] and

[00:33:44] such

[00:33:44] a

[00:33:44] nice

[00:33:44] feeling

[00:33:45] to

[00:33:45] be

[00:33:45] on

[00:33:45] snow

[00:33:45] do

[00:33:46] you

[00:33:46] miss

[00:33:47] being

[00:33:48] on

[00:33:48] snow

[00:33:48] when

[00:33:48] you're

[00:33:49] on

[00:33:49] water

[00:33:49] like

[00:33:49] most

[00:33:50] of

[00:34:09] skiing

[00:34:09] especially

[00:34:10] the

[00:34:10] free

[00:34:10] riding

[00:34:11] and

[00:34:11] the

[00:34:11] powder

[00:34:12] but

[00:34:13] also

[00:34:14] when

[00:34:14] I'm

[00:34:14] sometimes

[00:34:15] during

[00:34:17] Christmas

[00:34:17] or so

[00:34:18] or

[00:34:19] also

[00:34:19] a little

[00:34:19] bit

[00:34:19] afterwards

[00:34:20] we

[00:34:21] get

[00:34:21] some

[00:34:22] good

[00:34:23] snow

[00:34:23] storms

[00:34:23] here

[00:34:24] we

[00:34:24] go

[00:34:24] for

[00:34:25] snow

[00:34:25] kiting

[00:34:25] and

[00:34:26] it's

[00:34:26] super

[00:34:26] fun

[00:34:28] so

[00:34:29] I usually

[00:34:30] get

[00:34:30] a couple

[00:34:31] of

[00:34:31] days

[00:34:31] in

[00:34:31] the

[00:34:32] year

[00:34:32] where

[00:34:32] you

[00:34:32] can

[00:34:32] go

[00:34:32] skiing

[00:34:33] or

[00:34:33] snow

[00:34:33] kiting

[00:34:34] or

[00:34:34] anything

[00:34:35] like

[00:34:35] this

[00:34:35] when

[00:34:36] you're

[00:34:37] not

[00:34:37] what

[00:34:37] do

[00:34:37] you

[00:34:38] do

[00:34:38] for

[00:34:38] training

[00:34:38] when

[00:34:39] you're

[00:34:39] not

[00:34:39] on

[00:34:39] the

[00:34:39] water

[00:34:40] do

[00:34:40] you

[00:34:40] hit

[00:34:40] the

[00:34:40] gym

[00:34:41] a lot

[00:34:41] the

[00:34:42] specific

[00:34:42] kind

[00:34:43] of

[00:34:43] eating

[00:34:43] routine

[00:34:43] that

[00:34:44] you

[00:34:44] follow

[00:34:44] any

[00:34:45] of

[00:34:45] that

[00:34:45] kind

[00:35:03] of

[00:35:38] Yeah, but now since the season started, probably in June,

[00:35:46] I haven't been in the gym anymore, but I should be.

[00:35:52] It's hard to keep up when you get very busy with other stuff, eh?

[00:35:56] But I think it adds a certain level of toughness and rigidity,

[00:36:00] especially as you get older.

[00:36:04] I noticed that big time with my strength getting back up.

[00:36:09] So I've been hitting the gym for a couple of years more consistently now

[00:36:11] and definitely helps out with everything,

[00:36:14] keeps your joints a little bit more bulletproof.

[00:36:17] Yeah.

[00:36:19] So what are we now?

[00:36:21] We're early October.

[00:36:22] I think you had mentioned that you have one more event to go to this year

[00:36:27] to wrap up the year?

[00:36:29] Yeah.

[00:36:31] Okay.

[00:36:31] The one in Brazil and Cherry Cocoa.

[00:36:35] How is it there?

[00:36:36] That's on my list of places to go to.

[00:36:38] I actually don't know.

[00:36:41] I've never been there.

[00:36:42] It'll be your first time too.

[00:36:43] That's sick.

[00:36:44] Yeah.

[00:36:45] Okay.

[00:36:46] But what I've heard of it was pretty decent.

[00:36:49] Like long, I think it is a point break, is it?

[00:36:53] Going down the coast.

[00:36:55] And yeah, the wind is pretty good there.

[00:36:57] Like 20, 25 through 30 knots every single day in the afternoon.

[00:37:03] Okay.

[00:37:03] I'll have to check in then and ask you,

[00:37:05] because that's coming up November 26th and November 30th.

[00:37:09] Yeah.

[00:37:10] That should be pretty fun.

[00:37:11] It'll be a surf freestyle and a free fly slalom.

[00:37:18] Any, which aspect are you looking forward to the most?

[00:37:20] You're looking forward to the surf or are you competing in both?

[00:37:24] First of all.

[00:37:27] In surf freestyle?

[00:37:29] Are you doing both or just one?

[00:37:31] Yeah, I do both.

[00:37:34] Yeah.

[00:37:34] But in surf freestyle, I just try to do like mixing up the surf and freestyle.

[00:37:39] I think that's the most fun part about wing foiling to mix up the freestyling in the waves.

[00:37:46] I've done that a couple of times now in Denmark.

[00:37:49] We've trained the waves like in, like they're like kind of in Brazil.

[00:37:57] Just do like backflip, frontflip, like a Palau, like one-handed backflip or like a, what is it called?

[00:38:07] Like a 360 spinning below the wing on the waves and everything, all the kind of stuff you can do on the waves.

[00:38:14] I think that's like, that's what winging is about, you know?

[00:38:17] And it's also the most fun just playing around in the waves.

[00:38:22] And that's, that's what it's, what it's meant for.

[00:38:26] What, um, how are your foil slides?

[00:38:30] Is that like, we've seen a lot of guys on tour do them.

[00:38:34] Is it on the, on the way for, yeah.

[00:38:37] Is it, is it difficult to like, there are certain angles you have to keep your foil.

[00:38:41] So the whole thing doesn't explode on you.

[00:38:44] Uh, yeah, do really like the most important is to lean back,

[00:38:49] but not to jump on the takeoff.

[00:38:53] Uh, so you like really, really lean back, but you, if you take off just a little bit too high,

[00:38:59] then you're jumping and getting back on the water and then you're not like sliding.

[00:39:04] Um, and you also need to get the right point on the wave because if the wave is just not steep enough,

[00:39:10] then, uh, you just fall, drop out of the wave now.

[00:39:14] Um, yeah, but it's not too hard, I would say.

[00:39:19] So if you are powered up properly and got a good wave, I think, uh, yeah, you can learn it pretty fast.

[00:39:27] Okay.

[00:39:27] I'm riding strapless right now, but I was considering strapping up.

[00:39:31] I was going to get a smaller board this winter for Mexico.

[00:39:34] And then I could play around with a few little different things.

[00:39:37] Um, yeah, I mean, you can do it also strapless.

[00:39:40] Yeah, that's true.

[00:39:41] I guess I could try, but then, so you're going for a mini jump.

[00:39:45] Are you just going so that your foil is going to slowly come up to the surface?

[00:39:48] Like, like what, what do you think would be, uh, I would say to like getting speed and then

[00:39:56] don't do it too slow.

[00:39:57] Like getting with the foil out of the water, because if you're doing it too slow, then the,

[00:40:02] the speed kind of gets a little bit less and the side isn't too long anymore.

[00:40:08] Uh, so I would say just do it like a jump where you take off, but really keep the foil low on the

[00:40:16] water level, on the water surface.

[00:40:19] I got a lot to practice this winter.

[00:40:21] I think it's going to be pretty fun.

[00:40:22] Any plans for winter for you?

[00:40:26] Uh, not yet.

[00:40:29] Um, but, um, yeah, yeah, maybe, maybe Tarifa, I think, but I haven't planned any, any, anything

[00:40:37] fixed yet.

[00:40:38] So that's all right.

[00:40:40] Yeah.

[00:40:40] Tarifa is another one on the list.

[00:40:41] That's beautiful.

[00:40:43] I guess Zavikor and a whole bunch of other kids are from there.

[00:40:46] Yeah.

[00:40:47] Yeah.

[00:40:47] Yeah.

[00:40:48] That'd be training a lot of freestyle there.

[00:40:49] No kidding.

[00:40:50] I think.

[00:40:52] Yeah.

[00:40:53] Honestly, that's a pretty sweet spot to go.

[00:40:55] Um, nice.

[00:40:56] Is there anything else you want to talk with us about today?

[00:41:00] Uh, I'm sure.

[00:41:04] Uh, I mean, we can talk, uh, I know.

[00:41:08] Oh, what, uh, what equipment are you writing?

[00:41:10] I guess we can go there.

[00:41:12] Oh, uh, yeah.

[00:41:14] That, um, like.

[00:41:17] Board, uh, board size right now is, uh, four nine, uh, 65 liter.

[00:41:23] I stepped it up this year from 55 liter last year, uh, because I just got heavier and like,

[00:41:31] uh, with a competition now in Tarifa this year, uh, you really saw like in light winds, you have a pretty big disadvantage, disadvantage of your, when you're on a small boat.

[00:41:42] And that's why I went up one size bigger, uh, sky style SLS.

[00:41:47] Hmm.

[00:41:49] Hmm.

[00:41:49] Hmm.

[00:41:49] And for foils, I use, um, uh, 82 centimeter mass D lip.

[00:41:59] Um, I also switched down from one size, uh, bigger from 90 centimeter because like until last year I was writing always the 90 centimeter mass.

[00:42:10] Um, because I kind of felt like that you get a little bit of better pop because you just have a bit more room to go with the board up and down before the takeoff.

[00:42:20] Um, but I actually realized this year on Fertventura that, uh, the, like the, um, that the landing gets a lot more instable with the longer mass.

[00:42:38] Oh, exactly.

[00:42:39] Especially for like combos or something, combos and stuff like this, because when the distance between the board and the foil is too long and you land, then the time also is longer.

[00:42:53] And then you have more time to like twist your board to the front, to the side or to the back or wherever.

[00:42:59] And for, for combos, like, I mean, we also have the like backslip to backslip to backslip or like backslip to frontslip combos and stuff.

[00:43:08] And if you don't get a proper pop on the second jump, then it just doesn't work.

[00:43:13] And, uh, yeah, that's why I went down for one size smaller.

[00:43:19] Yeah.

[00:43:20] And like foil, I use actually all the, all the time, uh, 850 calf 2.0.

[00:43:27] That's like my one to go for it.

[00:43:29] I use it in all kinds of conditions from like 10 knots to 15 knots.

[00:43:35] It is a nice size, isn't it?

[00:43:37] Yeah.

[00:43:38] Hmm.

[00:43:38] And you're perfect for my, for my weight side, for my weight.

[00:43:42] And you're 85 kg, you said?

[00:43:45] Yeah.

[00:43:45] Like 80, 82, 83.

[00:43:48] Okay.

[00:43:49] And 82.

[00:43:50] So you're minus, almost minus 20 then from kg to board size.

[00:43:55] But the new boards from Duotone are actually like, you kind of feel you have a bigger board below your feet than you actually have.

[00:44:05] Hmm.

[00:44:05] Pretty interesting.

[00:44:06] Pretty interesting, actually.

[00:44:06] I'm not sure why it is, but, uh, it's like the first time I stepped on them.

[00:44:12] It's like, whoa, what the fuck?

[00:44:14] It's like 10 liters more or so.

[00:44:16] Interesting.

[00:44:17] But they're, they're actually like, they are.

[00:44:19] Uh, because last year I got a prototype with like 55 liters.

[00:44:25] And it got the same or the new shape already.

[00:44:29] Uh, but I didn't know.

[00:44:31] And then I was like, whoa, I float a lot higher than with the previous board.

[00:44:35] So, uh, it's like, I'm not sure why, but, uh, yeah.

[00:44:41] It's pretty good.

[00:44:42] Maybe the volume distribution is a little bit different.

[00:44:45] Yeah.

[00:44:46] It's kind of distance, uh, different.

[00:44:48] So it feels like that the board is a little bit more compact.

[00:44:51] Um, like the whole, whole board shapes, just a little bit, or seals a little bit more compact.

[00:44:58] Uh, it's a little bit, I feel like wider in the thickness.

[00:45:02] Anything kind of exciting in the new gear this year?

[00:45:05] Like you're riding 2025.

[00:45:06] Is it custom stuff that you have or production?

[00:45:09] Uh, no, it's all production.

[00:45:11] All production.

[00:45:12] Yeah.

[00:45:13] And you've ridden most of the stuff that they just released?

[00:45:16] Uh, yeah.

[00:45:17] Like everything now.

[00:45:19] Uh, the, the new wings are mostly right in the, in the D-lib because they just have the

[00:45:24] most power.

[00:45:26] Um, also for like strong winds, they can, uh, hold the power for, for the longest time.

[00:45:32] Uh, so if you're overpowered, the D-lib just, or the Alula just, uh, doesn't bend as

[00:45:38] fast as the, like SLS wings or original wings.

[00:45:44] Um, and, uh, yeah.

[00:45:46] So, and I also ride it most of the time with, uh, with the boom.

[00:45:50] So major differences from last year to this year, the boards are a bit more compact.

[00:45:55] They feel like they have a bit more float.

[00:45:57] And then obviously the, the boom, right?

[00:46:00] That was the major difference this year.

[00:46:02] Yeah.

[00:46:02] For D-lib?

[00:46:04] Uh, yeah.

[00:46:05] Like the boom was like the major big D, uh, difference I would say.

[00:46:10] Uh, it's a lot easier to just do like all the handle pass tricks that's throwing, you

[00:46:16] know?

[00:46:17] Um, but also for like bigger, it's just a lot more handy if you just can go with the

[00:46:22] hands like this and like this and you just don't have to go like this, you know?

[00:46:27] Um, it's just easier and everything.

[00:46:31] And, uh, yeah, but the shape also from the wing switched a little bit.

[00:46:35] Uh, so the, the middle tube isn't, uh, that, so the previous ones, the 24, uh, units were

[00:46:43] on the middle tube.

[00:46:44] They like were a little bit further away from the, uh, from the, uh, front tube.

[00:46:54] And now it's like on one, one level.

[00:46:57] Oh, I see.

[00:46:58] Yeah.

[00:46:59] Different kind of shape with it.

[00:47:01] Yeah.

[00:47:02] Uh, I see what you're saying.

[00:47:03] Do you prefer this year better than or last year?

[00:47:05] Uh, yeah.

[00:47:06] Yeah.

[00:47:08] Like this, this year is one feels a lot more stiff.

[00:47:11] It has a lot more power.

[00:47:12] And, uh, how do you feel riding for duotone?

[00:47:15] They're a pretty big brand.

[00:47:16] They got some pretty good athletes under there.

[00:47:18] How does that feel?

[00:47:19] Um, I'm actually pretty happy with them.

[00:47:22] Yeah.

[00:47:23] Can't complain.

[00:47:24] Good.

[00:47:25] That's awesome.

[00:47:26] Yeah.

[00:47:26] Yeah.

[00:47:26] They got most of the, I think their headquarters is out your way.

[00:47:29] Yeah.

[00:47:30] It's like 20 minutes away from my home.

[00:47:36] Have you gotten factory tour?

[00:47:37] Want to kind of check out a little bit of the behind the scenes at all?

[00:47:41] Yeah.

[00:47:42] Yeah.

[00:47:43] Ooh, that would be interesting.

[00:47:44] We would love to.

[00:47:45] No, I know most of the guys that are working behind the, behind the scenery.

[00:47:51] And, um, are you able to, obviously, I think you mentioned that you were a little bit

[00:47:55] more into foil development more so than boards and wings.

[00:48:00] Yeah.

[00:48:01] Kind of.

[00:48:02] Yeah.

[00:48:02] I, I tried a lot of, uh, stuff with the, with the guys and like, um, foils testing a

[00:48:09] little bit of mast, um, and like new foils that are also coming and, uh, also for, for

[00:48:15] pump foiling.

[00:48:16] I did quite a bit.

[00:48:18] Hmm.

[00:48:18] Anything that you can share with us?

[00:48:20] Uh, your ideas of where it's going.

[00:48:23] Let's go there.

[00:48:24] And like pump foiling or.

[00:48:26] Cause I just tried pump foiling for the first time this year in hood river.

[00:48:31] Yeah.

[00:48:32] Pretty difficult.

[00:48:33] Like, uh, I saw a video from the guys at Mac kiteboarding cause they were, cause North

[00:48:37] is just releasing, uh, their dock starter, which you can tie to a dock and, and get off.

[00:48:43] And I was playing with that with Marley, um, and Hugh and the guys from North and a dock

[00:48:49] starter.

[00:48:50] Yeah.

[00:48:50] The dock starter.

[00:48:51] Oh, well, what's that?

[00:48:52] Oh, um, so it's an inflatable.

[00:48:56] Um, let me see if I can send it.

[00:48:57] I'll send it over to you afterwards, but let me see here.

[00:49:01] Dock starter.

[00:49:02] It's an inflatable kind of setup.

[00:49:04] Um, and what you do is you tie it.

[00:49:07] Here's a Mac kiteboarding video.

[00:49:09] I think they made it with PVC tubing and you end up putting your, do it.

[00:49:16] You run off the dock.

[00:49:18] You kind of do this kind of skimboard motion, hop on it.

[00:49:21] And then you're right away.

[00:49:23] Pump foiling.

[00:49:24] So it's pretty cool.

[00:49:25] I think I'm in 10, 10 tries, 10, 15 tries, but, um, my goal is to be able to get it eventually

[00:49:33] next year.

[00:49:33] So next time I'm down, so I don't have a pump foiling setup at home.

[00:49:38] That's actually pretty, pretty good idea.

[00:49:41] Um, no, I think like pump foiling is like really under the radar of most people, um, because

[00:49:50] winging is just going, growing so fast.

[00:49:53] Um, but for like, I have been in, in Hamburg shooting, uh, a little video beginning of

[00:50:00] the summer with Dürttemberg together and there are like so many people on like a local dock

[00:50:05] in Hamburg because there's like a, uh, little lake right in the city and like every, I don't

[00:50:13] know, Friday afternoon, Saturday afternoon or whenever they have time or fun or want to

[00:50:18] go, uh, they just all meet together at the dock and like in the middle of the city, in

[00:50:25] the middle of the city.

[00:50:26] Um, for that pump foiling is like pretty cool.

[00:50:30] I think.

[00:50:31] It's hard.

[00:50:32] Did you find it challenging to get, to get started with?

[00:50:36] In the beginning a little bit.

[00:50:38] Yeah.

[00:50:39] It's challenging for sure.

[00:50:40] Um, but like my, uh, I got it within a couple of tries, but I also had already like

[00:50:48] a big, um, uh, a lot of experience before from like windsurfing, kiting, wing fighting

[00:50:55] and so, uh, but if you're like a total beginner to water sports, it's pretty hard

[00:51:02] probably to, to learn.

[00:51:04] Yeah.

[00:51:05] Uh, yeah.

[00:51:07] Cause what I found right away was like, I know how to pump and wing and all that, but

[00:51:12] what I found the most challenging was it felt like there was quite a bit of front foot pressure

[00:51:17] as soon as I took off.

[00:51:19] And then it just felt like it was an acceleration upwards.

[00:51:22] Um, so I'm just going to have to put more time into it, but it took, uh, it took the

[00:51:27] guys a little while actually.

[00:51:28] They weren't for somebody who had never done it.

[00:51:31] It's either that they're going to go off and fall off the front of the board or they're

[00:51:36] going to like kind of backflip the board and they have to be careful that way.

[00:51:40] But, um, I can see it being pretty fun and when they get it, it looks amazing.

[00:51:44] So definitely something to practice.

[00:51:47] Yeah.

[00:51:47] I think the most challenging is just, uh, to get on the border because just to go on

[00:51:52] the board, stand right on the, uh, the right place with your feet.

[00:51:57] That's the, I think the most challenging, but if you get going, then, uh, it's pretty

[00:52:02] fun.

[00:52:03] And like, you can also go, like we had already like the first, like official, official

[00:52:08] races and pump boiling, uh, pump boiling here in Germany was already some, like, I think

[00:52:14] it was some good or a little bit of price money where they did like a little course

[00:52:19] within like in the middle of the city.

[00:52:21] Um, and there were like hundreds of people watching.

[00:52:25] Um, so I think for that, it's pretty, pretty cool.

[00:52:28] Yeah.

[00:52:29] Especially if you can't, if there is no wind and you want to get some exercise and still

[00:52:33] get out.

[00:52:34] Um, yeah, definitely.

[00:52:36] So what do you think would make the experience a little bit easier for all wise?

[00:52:41] Like, do you have ideas and, and things that you feel that the foils could get tweaked or

[00:52:46] changed or improved?

[00:52:49] I think the, the market is pretty like, there are quite a lot of foils to choose from to

[00:52:57] get the, the right one.

[00:52:59] Um, there are also like, there's a lot of variety from the aspect ratio to, to get the

[00:53:05] right proper front wing.

[00:53:07] Um, and also there are like some foils that are like super high, high aspect, uh, where

[00:53:13] you can glide like endless and also a lot of foils that are like rather low aspect, uh, to

[00:53:20] get like good turns and also use it for freestyle.

[00:53:23] Uh, so I think like foil wise, uh, the market is like there, I think there's enough.

[00:53:31] Uh, but obviously it all develops all the time.

[00:53:35] You know, there's like so much, so, so, so much development in the whole foiling game.

[00:53:39] Um, and I think there's also still a lot room for, for more to go further up in like pumping

[00:53:48] efficiency, speed.

[00:53:50] And, uh, yeah.

[00:53:52] So if somebody was going to say, Hey, whatever, I'm in Germany, I want to learn this.

[00:53:58] And they're already duotone riders.

[00:54:01] What, um, what do you think would be a good setup for them to start?

[00:54:05] Um, I would say, are they, yeah, I think I'd say if you know already how to wing, um, go

[00:54:14] with the 175 M. Uh, if you're like total beginner, then go with the 2145 M. That's like one size

[00:54:25] bigger and, um, yeah, I most of the time use the H 180 back wing.

[00:54:35] Um, it's like high aspect wing to get good glide.

[00:54:40] Um, and I actually also use it for the, for the big foil.

[00:54:44] Um, but yeah, but actually most of the time I don't wear the big foil because it's too big for me.

[00:54:51] I rather use, uh, like smaller foils.

[00:54:54] Um, and yeah, if you really know how to pump foil and want to get more into cruising,

[00:54:59] rather than not cruising, but go into freestyle pump foiling, uh, I would say go with, uh,

[00:55:04] with 1450.

[00:55:07] That's, uh, I'm not sure you know what the WIS or it's a prone foil from duotone.

[00:55:13] They launched, I think in June now.

[00:55:17] 1950.

[00:55:19] And the funny thing is it's bent up like this.

[00:55:23] So usually all the foils are bent, like downwards a little bit.

[00:55:27] This one, this foil is like this.

[00:55:31] So if you watch from the front, then it looks, uh, quite a bit funny, but it's super efficient

[00:55:37] and like pumping and low end speed is, it's like crazy.

[00:55:41] And how's the role then?

[00:55:43] That role must be super curvy.

[00:55:46] Oh, interesting.

[00:55:47] So you can go for such like close turns and, uh, on, on the wave.

[00:55:52] That's so good for like prone fighting.

[00:55:55] Oh yeah.

[00:55:56] And the big size then also for, for pump fighting.

[00:55:59] Oh, interesting.

[00:56:00] Okay.

[00:56:01] Oh, that's pretty cool.

[00:56:03] I'll have to try some more, uh, next year when I'm back at AWS, I'll be able to try it.

[00:56:07] We had no wind this year.

[00:56:09] And, um, so we didn't get to try any of the gear out.

[00:56:14] We just got to talk to, like, I talked to Jeffrey there and he introduced the boards,

[00:56:19] but we didn't get to, uh, to try anything out on the water, but hopefully next year.

[00:56:25] Yeah.

[00:56:26] Well, I hope Brazil goes well and, um, I hope you have some fun there and get to try some

[00:56:31] of their awesome food.

[00:56:33] I think that would be a pretty sweet trip.

[00:56:36] But how, um, how's packing?

[00:56:39] Do you bring three, four board bags?

[00:56:42] Um, how do you normally bring your whole setup down?

[00:56:45] Uh, yeah.

[00:56:46] Just board bags.

[00:56:47] Board bags.

[00:56:48] Board bags.

[00:56:49] Board bags.

[00:56:50] Um, but actually like this year to the Canaries, I drove by car because last year it was so annoying

[00:56:59] to go with, uh, with the plane because they, I really had some struggles with, uh, with the

[00:57:04] board bags because they didn't send me a message that it's confirmed that they're going to take

[00:57:08] the board bags with them.

[00:57:10] And then on the airport, it was, it was such a struggle.

[00:57:14] And I hope it works now for, for Brazil.

[00:57:17] Um, but I'm probably going to go with like two board bags if it's enough.

[00:57:23] Maybe I need to get a third one.

[00:57:25] Um, because you know, for competition, you just need everything in double or three times

[00:57:31] because if just something happens, I don't know, you crash with your own foil and the

[00:57:36] wing or anything, then you just need a backup.

[00:57:39] So, um, same for, for the boards and everything else.

[00:57:43] And yeah.

[00:57:45] Now, like I went last year, I brought two board bags myself.

[00:57:49] So it was like a hundred and some pounds on, and they aren't wheelie.

[00:57:52] So are you bringing wheelie bags?

[00:57:54] Do you have people to help you?

[00:57:55] Do you get one of those magic carts?

[00:57:57] Like I just saw some videos of people with four or five, like the pros carrying four or

[00:58:02] five gear bags.

[00:58:03] And it's like, how the heck are you guys even getting to check, check it with that?

[00:58:07] No, I think, uh, the wheelie, the wheel bags are the, are the best ones for that.

[00:58:13] You end up paying oversize and overweight baggage fees.

[00:58:16] So you end up paying two, two baggage fees in essence, because normally the wheelie bags

[00:58:19] are heavier.

[00:58:21] Um, no, I think just, uh, the fee for the, for the board bag.

[00:58:27] Oh, okay.

[00:58:27] All right.

[00:58:28] Okay.

[00:58:28] Yeah.

[00:58:29] Okay.

[00:58:30] Um, yeah, but, but I also saw some, some wind surfers, uh, like Marco Lung is an Austrian

[00:58:36] wind surfer, uh, also pro wind surfer.

[00:58:39] And he like had like, when he came to the Canaries, he had like seven or eight board bags.

[00:58:45] I was wondering, like, how, how, how do you manage to get all that stuff even into the

[00:58:49] plane?

[00:58:49] You know, all, all by himself.

[00:58:52] He was alone.

[00:58:53] He was alone.

[00:58:55] 800, $800 in bag fees, I guess is what he ends up paying.

[00:59:00] Yeah.

[00:59:01] Something like that.

[00:59:02] And then somehow you're going to bring all that stuff through customs and oh my God, I

[00:59:08] guess he's showing up four or five hours ahead just to get his bags in.

[00:59:12] Yeah.

[00:59:12] Please.

[00:59:15] I only had two and I was like, it was a struggle.

[00:59:18] Um, cause they were both around 50 some pounds and a few tricks when you're like, when you

[00:59:24] put the board bag down, everybody charges a different fee in Canada for board bags.

[00:59:28] It's hilarious.

[00:59:29] So you'll bring it.

[00:59:30] They don't know what it is.

[00:59:31] So like, oh wow, you do something.

[00:59:33] And then if you put the nose on and you lift the tail or something a little bit, it doesn't

[00:59:38] weigh as much on these little techniques.

[00:59:40] You get it?

[00:59:41] Yeah.

[00:59:42] They oversaw overweight and, but, um, yeah.

[00:59:48] Yeah.

[00:59:48] I don't, I, yeah.

[00:59:49] There's a whole bunch of different things that are a pain, but oh well.

[00:59:53] Well, hey man, thanks for, thanks for taking the time.

[00:59:55] Come chat with us today.

[00:59:56] It's good to meet you a little bit and chat with you a bit more.

[00:59:59] Thanks.

[01:00:00] Thanks for my side also.

[01:00:02] Thanks for being in the podcast.

[01:00:03] And I hope you enjoy, what is it today?

[01:00:06] Today's what?

[01:00:07] Wednesday?

[01:00:08] Any wind coming near forecast time for you?

[01:00:11] Uh, yeah, actually I have been on the water today.

[01:00:14] Uh, we had some pretty decent, strong, fun wind.

[01:00:18] Uh, with like 35 knots, but like super gusty, but pretty strong.

[01:00:24] And, uh, yeah, it's one of the rare, rare, rare times where we have strong winds.

[01:00:28] Not that often.

[01:00:30] No, no.

[01:00:32] Okay.

[01:00:33] We'll have to keep in touch.

[01:00:34] Let us know how the contest goes.

[01:00:36] And yeah, I do.

[01:00:37] Yeah.

[01:00:38] Thanks a lot for joining and thanks everybody for tuning in.

[01:00:41] Thanks.

[01:00:42] Bye.