It's back to the era of the giant magazines at the end of the 90s, whose format also pushes the editorial scanner to its limits. As a result, some of the pages at the top of the gallery cannot be seen in full - but that shouldn't detract from the pleasure of clicking through!
Localism is a big issue at this time: participants in the legendary Wave Trilogy had to leave Mauritius because they were threatened by locals. In Jaws, the strap crew around Laird Hamilton, Rush Randle and co. try to keep commerce out of the spot and disrupt a Neil Pryde photo shoot, for example. At the same time, however, they themselves shoot well-paid advertising films in the giant wave. Robby Seeger reports on the tense atmosphere and attacks in a surf interview. "The sea belongs to everyone," says Robby. "And if anyone is claiming senior rights, it's the Polynesian natives of Hawaii!"
Freestyle takes off
Freestyle was still in its infancy in 1998, but it is already becoming apparent that it will be a huge trend. F2 pushed one new board after another onto the market and the competition followed suit. Josh Stone's "Air & Style" was a trendsetter at the time and is still a household name today. surf tests four new models that are shorter and rounder than the familiar shapes of the time. "Now replaces the waveboard on inland lakes," is one verdict. Still old school: the long fins.
Robby Seeger wins the King of the Lake on Lake Garda, with the other King Robby Naish coming third. While it had previously been rumoured that Naish was "an old-school rider with an age-old tendency to cross-slope", he surprisingly pulled off a Volcan, the brand new top move at the time. After several questionable jury decisions, Robby Seeger took the win in the final with yet another new move: a "Lazy Susan", a board 360 in the air!
surf tests old against new
"What drives all these misguided consumer deniers to stomp after the snooty, modern freeriders on their boards with elephantine bows?" asks surf editor Stephan Gölnitz in the face of a large fan base of windsurfing old-timers. He tests the aged models F2 Vega, Fanatic Ultra Ray and Mistral Shredder against their then modern offspring Xantos, Bee and Explosion. Conclusion: "The old shapes are predominantly easier to ride. [...] The new shapes primarily satisfy the needs of the better, sportier surfers." Cushioned comfort versus direct feeling. Insider tip: A modern fin is often a huge rejuvenation for the old-timers. The situation is different when it comes to sails: "Every modern cheap sail performs better than the old sacks."
Sigi Hofmann became Annabella
Surf authors Josh Welz and Steve Chismar paint an impressive portrait of Annabella Hofmann. Born and known as Sigi Hofmann, she always felt alienated in the male body and had little interest in the pursuit of success. And there was plenty of success for Sigi Hofmann: three thriving surf schools, German champion, European champion and good placings in Hawaii. Hofmann developed the legendary 444 and 555 models for HiFly, published several books and sits on the board of the VDWS. There, as in the entire surf industry, she was dropped after coming out and deciding to live as a woman in the early 90s. This was followed by numerous lawsuits and financial ruin. But at the same time, Annabella built up a reputation as an artist and completed three degree programmes, becoming a sought-after expert in quantum physics. At the time of the interview, Hofmann had adopted the name David and was living in seclusion with a friend on Lake Garda.
You can click through the entire magazine in the gallery above!
And what else?
- On the product side, two trends that have almost been forgotten catch the eye: Flapper boards with a small rubber lip at the tail so that the fin doesn't draw air - and the whip sails with an overly curved mast top (a similar principle existed again a few years ago with the GunSails Bow).
- Whether car racing or windsurfing, crashes always exert a strange fascination. surf shows a series of spectacular descents in the wave in a large picture series.
- Harness test: Lots of sleek freeride harnesses, with a few models with impressive back armour in between. There are tentative signs that waist harnesses are becoming increasingly popular, but the majority of surfers still prefer to sit in a seat harness.
- It looks like a highly scientific discussion of curves, but it's actually quite helpful: to kick off the wave riding technique, there is an introductory course on wave shapes and the right line.
- Tips against the little annoyances with the details on the material: Whether stubborn fork clamps, stuck ropes or fiddly variotops, something always gets in the way.
- Stone Age GoPro: In addition to a waterproof camcorder housing, surf also offers a pole mount for a disposable camera. Made of stainless steel, with 27 pictures, for a slim 130 marks!
- Bernd Flesser wins all eleven course races and the wave riding at the Funboard-DM on Sylt. Newcomers: Gunnar Asmussen and Steffi Wahl
More surf reviews:
- These were the highlights in surf 6/1978
- These were the highlights in surf 4/1979
- These were the highlights in surf 11/1980
- These were the highlights in surf 4/1981
- These were the highlights in surf 5/1982
- These were the highlights in surf 9/1984
- These were the highlights in surf 8/1985
- These were the highlights in surf 8/1986
- These were the highlights in surf 5/1987
- These were the highlights in surf 8/1988
- These were the highlights in surf 5/1989
- These were the highlights in surf 4/1990
- These were the highlights in surf 6/1991
- These were the highlights in surf 3/1992
- These were the highlights in surf 9/1993
- These were the highlights in surf 4/1994
- These were the highlights in surf 7/1995
- These were the highlights in surf 11-12/1996
- These were the highlights in surf 7/1997
- These were the highlights in surf 4/1999
