There's no discussion when a cold front hits Lake Wolfgang - drop everything, grab the keys and get in the car. 31 May. Forecast: plummeting temperatures, chaos, storms. Sounds like a perfect day.
Normally I'm early, set up my quiver from 4.8 to 3.6 and wait for the spectacle. This time? Too late. A classic false start. The front is already rolling in, so no need to think twice: 4.4. The golden middle. Or just wishful thinking. All around me, everyone's rigs are smaller - 4.0, 3.7, sometimes even less. I stick to my motto: "Go big or go home".
One of the windsurfing days you live for
Then it happens. This massive white wall pushes in over St. Gilgen. Not a normal squall line - the thing looks like a flying water roller. Seconds later it slams in. On the water, it immediately becomes clear: this is not "just a lot of wind". This is survival mode. Fully overpowered, zero control, more body drag than windsurfing session. We spend most of the time hanging in the water, clinging to the equipment and simply trying not to be blown away completely.
This is not just 'a lot of wind'. This is survival mode."
And right at that moment, Christoph is standing on the shore with his camera. Perfect. You can't get more motivated than that - even if it looks more like a fight than style.
But these are exactly the kind of days. Raw, uncontrollable, honest. When the wind completely tears you apart and you still stay out. When the lake is swept clean and only a few crazy people are left on the water. No fair-weather windsurfing. No Instagram planing. But real front-chasing. And that's what you live for.
Text: Marco Lang
Impressions of Lake Wolfgangsee in the video
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