MG Windsurfing

I spent two great days with Oli and Luis at Lake Garda. We had one perfect morning session in Al Pra. The spot was really crowded, the chop was huge but the sun was shining and the wind blowing. The lake can get packed in summer and afternoon winds are often crap. But I really like it in the off season. Adding to the lake's attractiveness is the Italian lifestyle with its haute cuisine and laid back flair. Here are some action shots: The following video is the first part of a series of short clips showing some short trips to popular windsurf locations. Lake Garda in Northern Italy is still one of Europe's most popular windsurf destinations. This video shows a two-hour session I had one Saturday morning. Thanks to Luis Depping and Oli Brecht Nägele for filming. Travel Diaries - Part 1: Lago di Garda from Mathias Genkel on Vimeo .

After a long break due to injury and slowly getting back into the sport, I finally attended my first competition since last year's EFPT event in Southern France. It was a national freestyle event near Kiel in Northern Germany. I intended to attend the event in order to see what the level was now like. I just wanted to have fun on the water without paying too much attention to where I would finish. However, I quickly got back into competition mode and could sail some solid heats in some pretty challenging conditions. The wind was going up and down, so I had my 4.8 and 4.4 rigged and ready to go on the beach. I sometimes had to change sails only seconds before my heat as the wind would drop down or go up real fast. In my heats I could do some normal power moves like regular konos, culos and burners but also some skopus - on both tacks. That was probably the key to winning the event. Kono shaka The event was very well organized, we had quite a few spectators on the beach ...

A little update from the far south of Germany - This time we had to go to a lake in Austria to get the best conditions. When we arrived at the spot, everybody had already rigged their smaller sails. But it was still wind calm. Everybody waited for the conditions to improve. The funny thing is this: the longer people are standing on the shore waiting for wind, the crazier the conversations get. Because everybody wants the wind to start 😂 Here are some photos - thanks to Oli!

Life is living for the moment and making the most of time, taking advantage of what nature has to offer right on your doorstep. When the next beach is far away and there is not a single windy spot nearby, it would be a waste of time not to go and check out the surroundings. With my current residence being a small village in the Alps, quality windsurfing sessions are a rare occurrence. So one sunny Sunday morning, I grabbed my bike and went up the nearest mountain. At about 800 metres, all bike trails come to an end and you have to start walking and climbing. I was surprised to walk through fields of snow in mid-June. The "Benediktenwand" is about 1800m high. It is basically a wall of exposed rocks covered in grass and conifers. From a certain height onwards, you kind of feel like being above everything. However, these hiking tours are getting so popular these days that I found it a bit too crowded, especially at the summit. When you arrive at the top you also get a ni...

Pouring rain and a light breeze from the north west, small chop - some good ingredients for testing the new Sailloft Mission in 7.5 and the Patrik Slalom 110. This combination is really fast - if I may judge it as a freestyle windsurfer. When jumping on the board I immediately felt comfortable. However, as soon as the first gust hit my sail and the whole gear started to accelerate like crazy, I really had to watch out for not missing the straps and get catapulted. I am used to my freestyle board, so the strap position on the slalom board felt weird. You actually have to position your feet on the rails and put a lot of pressure on the fin. Placing your feet into the straps is like fastening a seat belt when you get ready to go super fast with some crazy speed machine. Jibing is as easy as tacking with that board and sail. I was positively surprised with how easy to handle a sail in that size is. There must have been a massive step forward in sail design within the last couple of y...

“Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.” ― James Joyce, Ulysses. A trip to Sottomarina in November and sightseeing in Venice...    If you want to buy the most expensive cup of coffee in the world, don't look any further. The way nature arranged mountains around some lakes in the Alps makes for reliable winds. Waiting for wind and reading the Financial Times at Lake Garda in autumn.  Driving in the Alps means crossing tunnels, especially when you drive from Innsbruck to Feldkirch. My new board equipped with some super light Kovalski straps. 

The title says it all - I spent some time in Northern Germany at the beginning of the new Year. I have had two good sessions but the light was just really bad for filming and taking photos. So the quality of the footage is not as good as it should be. I still tried to make a little video that tries to capture the gloomy atmosphere of a typical winter's day in Northern Germany. It basically shows some slow-motion footage, combined with the atmospheric music of Iceland's Mùm. A grey sky, some light drizzle and a chilly wind were on the menu. The wind was really light as well and the spot, Meldorf, quite choppy that day. So I couldn't do all the moves I wanted - like a Kabikuchi or a Culo 540. On top of that, I sailed with a really sore back which has now kept me off the water for more than three weeks already. This may be the reason why a lot of the moves do not look as fluid and powerful as before. I am currently doing everything to overcome this issue and I want to...