From the homespots up to the high north

The first stop of the Budget Kitesurf Experience Tour on the way to Fehmarn is successful “in the books”. We pack up our equipment and continue our journey towards the north – next stop: Walchensee and Chiemsee.

Bye bye lake Garda, see you next year! After a successful season opener, we are heading to our next destination – back to Munich and from there to Hamburg, to meet Linus Erdmann, a friend and kitesurf expert. For me as a kitesurfer, travelling is part of the game – and I love it, since I don’t mind travelling by car or train.

After a relaxed trip to the lake Garda, it was a really easy going trip back to Munich. Since you can’t travel all the time and because I am going to move back to the Chiemsee in autumn, I felt like exploring some homespots around Munich.

Part of our “Budget Kitesurf Experience” series. The big goal always in front of them – we follow around Jana Schader, Mario Rodwald and Linus Erdmann one whole summer season and report how they travel from spot to spot with their rental car from Budget to get wellprepared for the Pringles Kitesurf World Cup 2016 in Fehmarn.

The spots of my homeland

My home region around the Chiemsee offers various opportunities to prepare effectively for a contest and to make sure to keep up the training level of the on-going saison. Especially at the Chiemsee and  Walchensee, which is located next to the Kochelsee, you need to be able to cope with demanding wind and wheather conditions.

A spot, that is definitely not suitable for beginners, that offers a breathtaking scenery with a magical view on the mountains. Even the way to the spot at the Walchensee is magnificent, as the car journy over the serpentines down to the lake is already big fun.

The early bird can be lucky enough to experience a marvellous sun rise; because as soon as you pass the morning mist, the viewing window of the road opens up like a curtain and you will have a unique view on the turquoise lake right in front of you.

The southern slopes of the Jochberg and the Herzogstand, which literally heat up during the summer,  offer constantly great conditions – for us kiters but also for windsurf enthusiasts. As the wind can get quite choppy, you should definitely inform yourselves in detail about the local weather conditions including the thermal.

However, as soon as you got the twist, it is the perfect location for some marvellous sessions after work or on the weekend.

Nevertheless, there is not as much space as for example at the lake garda. Therefore, the Walchensee is definitely a spot for advanced surfers. As soon as you arrived at the lake you bear left along the lakeside and after another 15 minutes of driving you will reach a scenic mountain backdrop.

Janas’ personal advice regarding the spot:

“Try to get along with the locals, since they know best where the wind is perfect on each and everyday. They are also more familiar with the thermal conditions and can help you out, when you have simply no clue where to go.  And also the material will be happy about a freshwater shower which will definitely lengthen its lifetime”.

Obviously, the spot is not always blessed with the best weather conditions, what requires a great range of equipment. You can plan in advance which kite you want to use, but in the end it can be only decided on site.

GALLERY

Most of the time you need a huge kite, an investment in a 12m2 kite is therefore truly worth it. For the totally crazy of you, go for a strong breeze session, before the storm arrives. But be careful! – Listen to the locals, the lakes are unpredictable just like the ocean! However, this location promises big fun and one doesn’t have to travel that far.

Alternatives en mass

At the second stop – the Chiemsee, my hometown, I prepare myself not only on the water. I love to keep myself fit with mountainbiking and hiking, in case there is no wind around. With your bike or longboard in the car boot you will reach some winding routes that you can not reach with public transportation services. If you are planning a climbing trip, I also highly reccomend you to travel by car – you are flexible and shall the wind come back you can quickly drive down to the lake and jump on your kite. Last but not least, sailing is also a great alternative to kitesurfing. All in all, for me the Chiemsee is more regnerating than activity pure.

Although I don’t feel like leaving my hometown already, I need to head further north – Linus is probably already awaiting me.

Next Stop: Hamburg and Fehmarn

I continue my journey heading further north towards Fehmarn, where I am going to meet my buddy Linus Erdmann. He lives in Hamburg and is quite familiar with the world cup spot on Fehmarn. With a rental car, he only took 2 hours to get to Fehmarn from Hamburg. My journey with around 8 hours in the car, was a little longer, but definitely worth it. From now on, he is going to continue with the review.

From the mainland you can easily estimate the wind and weatherconditions on the water. Just in case there is no wind at all: you can find a professional wakeboarding installation close by, where we also practise in preparation for the world cup.

Local knowledge is here very important as well. I can therefore not wait to examine the different spots on the island. Mario, a kitesurf pro who is also joining the Budget Experience will show us around. As a northern light and experienced keen swimmer he has probably all the insider tips and tricks for some great sessions on Fehmarn.

GALLERY

Image source: CW / @mediahouse.one GmbH

The board and the tricks are quite similar, which makes it easy to establish a comparable ratio similar to the kite. That makes it easier for us advanced riders, because we can practice at any time – independent of the wind. This is very important for us when there is an upcoming contest. On the installation one will always experience a lively ambience. you will find even mor action when a contest is cancelled and every rider drives to the installation. We had that situation a few weeks ago – it was simply crazy.

The jumps and tricks we are going to show off at the contest can be well prepared on the artificial facility. Nevertheless, the speed is different to when going for a normal kite session on the water. There are different stages of speed you can choose from. The tougher stages are more realistic.

Tricks on the wakeboard-installation and the realisation with the kite on the ocean 

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Linus personal advice regarding the spot:

 

„The wind on Fehmarn is, like always when riding a kite, very important. As the wind breezes from the east, I prefer the spot near the green brink. During great wind conditions the spot in gold is highly recommendable due to its shallow water conditions and wind blowing from the west.” 

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Linus Erdmann

YOUR EXPERT

Linus Erdmann

STATEMENT

With a kite you are always dependent on the wind, but luckily you can practice almost every stunt and jump at the artificial wakeboard installation.

JOURNEY

It is best to travel by car, since you can’t reach all spots with public transportation. With a rental car instead you can easily get anywhere very fast and simple and it is great to warm up after a cold kite session or for a little break in between.

ACCOMMODATION

In the northern part of the island, near Heiligenhafen, I can fully recommend the Bretterbude. Who needs a little comfort and cool design can reach Heiligenhafen in only half an hour.

ALTERNATIVES

Mountainbiking, running, hiking and especially the wakeboard installation in  Weißenhaus.

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