surf Year in review 2024: Surfing kings, electric trims, hot dragons and more
The windsurfing king
Well, Frederik X of Denmark has not distinguished himself as a dedicated windsurfer, but the then Crown Prince was a guest at the World Cup in Klitmøller in 2013. There, he had the pros explain their equipment to him, watched the action from a jet ski and took a surfing course with a school class on Vandet Sø. Frederik was then crowned King of Denmark in January 2024, reason enough to look back at the pictures of the surfing monarch.
Transfer carousel in full swing
Normally, the transfer market for professional windsurfers is not quite as dynamic as for footballers - not to mention the transfer fees. A few nice words from the brand and rider to say goodbye, followed shortly afterwards by the first pictures with new equipment and the assurance that it was the best equipment they had ever ridden. During the 2023/2024 winter break, however, there were some big surprises: JP and NeilPryde brought in wave talent Marino Gil Gherardi, and the 2022 slalom world champion Maciek Rutkowski suddenly found himself without equipment. The Pole then started with different boards and NeilPryde sails, while Ricardo Campello had star DJ Martin Garrix pay for his World Cup guest appearance in Pozo after Naish pulled out. The biggest clean-up took place at Duotone: Not only the Mortefon siblings, but also wave star Marc Paré had to go. While Paré won two World Cups in a row after his injury break, Pierre Mortefon won the World Cup double of Foil and Slalom X. Was Duotone a little bit annoyed?
Surf test on Tobago and the old-new comparison
In 2024, we once again travelled a lot to try out as many products as possible and offer you first-hand riding impressions. This year, we had around 50 boards, 40 sails and lots of accessories under our feet and in our hands! A large proportion of these were at the start of the three-week test in Tobago: under the Caribbean sun, we were able to extensively test all kinds of freeride and freerace equipment. We have written a blog about how the test went and what happened to us:
You can find an overview of all the tests of the year here: All 2024 tests at a glance
Surf editor Julian Wiemar carried out a different kind of test this summer: The freestyle ace not only grabbed a few new boards, but also their ancestors for a comparison of the generations. Together with his crew, Julian realised that even a 20-year-old board can be better for certain moves than the new freestylers!
Trimming at the touch of a button
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Our most watched and commented video of the year was the one with the least action: thousands of Instagram users watched a rope move meditatively millimetre by millimetre. The Triple E mast extension makes it possible to adjust the luff trim while sailing. An electronic system in the extension can retract the rope a few centimetres and the whole thing is controlled by a remote control on the boom. Read our test to find out exactly what this part for technology nerds is all about.
The (small) comeback of Mistral
Mistral wants to return to the windsurfing market, we announced at the beginning of the year, and ordered the brand new Hookipa waveboard for testing. The shape is quite convincing, the design is fully retro and the response has been very positive - so the comeback could work. However, we will probably have to wait a little longer for further windsurfing innovations, as the Mistral heads told us that there won't be any movement until 2026/2027. In the SUP sector, on the other hand, Mistral is right in the thick of things; the iSUP at Lidl and Kaufland was a complete success this year!
The brilliant start of Slalom X
A new discipline in the World Cup: Slalom X brought the comeback of the fin - eagerly awaited by some riders and fans. A high-wind slalom with optional obstacles such as a "sausage" to jump over or a chicane. After the two events in Pozo and on Fuerte, it's safe to say: hit the bull's eye! Lots of action and exciting races - more of the same!
Lina Erpenstein's magic moments
Lina Erpenstein took her first victory on the PWA/IWT World Tour at the 4-star event in Chile. For Lina, it was the start of a brilliant season in which she could dream of the world title for a long time. And she did this despite completing her medical degree "on the side". In Tenerife, she went one better and went into her home match on Sylt as the world championship leader. After a somewhat unfortunate event there and a narrow semi-final exit at the Aloha Classic on Maui, Lina ultimately had to give way to Sarah-Quita Offringa. But Lina now knows that she can do it - and will certainly be back on the attack in 2025!
Stephan on a hurried test mission at Lidl
Discounter Lidl added an inflatable SUP from Mistral to its range in June. This meant a special mission for SUP expert Stephan Gölnitz: at the crack of dawn, he stood outside the door of the local Lidl shop and was the first to grab one of the iSUPs. He quickly added a crate of wine - while he was there - and then hit the water (without wine) despite the pouring rain. A few hours later, Stephan's test report could be read on the surf website - mission accomplished!
Windsurfing around Japan and Denmark
Jono Dunnett has started his next big expedition in 2024: The Brit is currently surfing around Japan and is currently about halfway round. He has previously surfed around the UK and even the whole of Europe. In Japan, he was initially faced with a bit of a culture shock, but has since successfully avoided bears, survived major damage to his equipment and found a new love. While Jono is travelling with a long raceboard, Marinus Tambo and Alfred Dixen have opted for the Olympic iQFoil material for their expedition. The pair foiled around Denmark in just 13 days, including a circumnavigation of Bornholm.
Hvide Sande and Saxony: Successful protest actions
We have seen in Saxony that joint action can lead to success: After protests from the surfing scene, the foil ban there was initially put to the test (in the nicest officialese, "model foiling trial") and then finally overturned in March 2024. Things were quicker and less bureaucratic in Denmark: in Hvide Sande, the harbour authority wanted to build a helicopter landing pad near the North Sea surf spot, with up to 10,000 take-offs and landings per year (!). The local surfers and tourism operators joined forces, supported by numerous fans from all over Europe, and just a few days later the harbour authority relented!
Olympia: Slightly clouded iQFOil premiere
The long-awaited premiere of the new Olympic windsurfing event: in Marseille, where the 2024 Olympic sailing competitions were held, the world's best iQFOilers competed for the medals. The actually positive outcome - there were exciting races to watch in all wind conditions and many sporting highlights - was marred by some questionable decisions by the race organisers: in the marathon, the women were blindly allowed to surf twice into a large wind cover behind an island, where they bobbed around for a long time and had no chance of getting on the foil. The not always fair mode with lots of qualifying heats and the medal races also caused a lot of criticism. There was also a smile and a tear in Germany's eye: medal candidate Sebastian Kördel went down in twelfth place, while Theresa Steinlein sensationally took sixth place as the underdog. Now her goal is the 2028 Olympics!
Again and again Hanstholm
We may be accused of having a certain preference: Again and again this year, Hanstholm delivered superb conditions. Not just for testing the wave material, Cold Hawaii is also one of the absolute favourite spots for some of the editorial team. It's reasonably easy to reach, rideable for many levels and, since the end of the fishmeal factory, also much more pleasant on land. Accordingly, over the course of the year we have brought back many galleries with pictures from Hanstholm, from Christian Kohl's New Year's Eve sessions to robust autumn storms. And to ensure that the spot remains open to everyone, the Hanstholm Surf Club is committed to the interests of surfers of all disciplines - even Germans can join in!
- Hanstholm Surf Club: "We want to anchor the surf culture in Hanstholm"
- Winter storms in Hanstholm - The best pictures from the turn of the year
- Sun, waves, wind - Sunday surfing in Hanstholm
- Dream waves in Hanstholm - the best pictures from the weekend
- Wind, waves, sun - impressions of summer surfing in Hanstholm
- Hot August in Cold Hawaii - the pictures from the weekend
Para-Wing - the new Hot Sh*t?
What's he got there? If you want to get an idea of the trends of tomorrow, all you have to do is watch Balz Müller. At the World Cup on Sylt, the Swiss waterman suddenly arrived on the beach with a kind of children's kite. He let the kite pull him out on his foiled downwind board, grabbed a wave and stuffed the kite under his Lycra without further ado. Once he arrived at the inside, he retrieved the bundle, threw the kite up - still with some line salad due to the prototype - and foiled out again. A few days later, he explained the new trend to us in detail and hinted that several brands were working flat out on para wings. His own partner Ensis has now launched a series model on the market - which will hopefully also work without a mess of lines.
Pasko, the Magic Move - Goosebumps documentary by Maarten Molenaar
In 2013, professional windsurfer and filmmaker André Paskowski died of testicular cancer - a move was named in his honour - the "Pasko". When windsurfer Maarten Molenaar was struck down by the same disease years later, he set himself the ambitious goal of not giving up and learning the pasko. Maarten recorded his journey in a moving documentary that won several awards and is now freely available. He wrote down how the film was made for surf:
New regatta format in Denmark
The European Pro Windsurfing Tour celebrated its premiere in Ebeltoft, Denmark, in 2024. Thanks to good conditions, but also an impressive setup with livestream, video wall and many supporters, the format got off to a brilliant start. Foil races are held on series material, but there are no other restrictions. Organiser Finn Noer announced in a surf interview that there will be a full tour in 2025, including stops at Lake Garda and the Brouwersdam.
Travelling destinations: From rugged to idyllic, from exotic to familiar
Travelling is part of windsurfing for most people! In 2024, we introduced you to a wide variety of spots: Have you heard of the Glenan Islands before? Secluded off the coast of Brittany, you'll find Caribbean water colours and pure idyll - if you can get there, because there are hardly any places to stay. Sam Esteve and Bastien Remery introduced us to this paradise:
Getting there and staying overnight is no problem, nor is this place unknown, but for many it is extremely inhospitable: Pozo has earned a reputation over many decades as a tough windsurfing spot where champions are moulded. Local legends and long-time visitors have tried to explain to us what makes Pozo so legendary
The Ringkøbing Fjord in Denmark is probably Northern Europe's best freeride and beginner area - very good surf centres and schools, perfect surf infrastructure, huge, shallow spots and impressive wind statistics. We travelled around the fjord once in the summer to introduce you to the best spots in the area - even though the region is like a second home for many North German surfers, it's always worth a visit!
New world speed records in Lüderitz
Surfing straight ahead for 500 metres on a narrow channel - for freestylers a torturous experience, for speed surfers the definition of species-appropriate behaviour. The fastest windsurfers in the world came back to Lüderitz in November to blast down the specially dredged channel. In 2024, the Big Days finally took place again with record conditions: Jenna Gibson set a new world record right at the start, which she raised several times over the course of the weeks to 48.03 knots! The old and new men's world record holder, Antoine Albeau, had to tremble a little, his first new record was subsequently corrected downwards, but in the end he still set a new record of 53.49 knots. Gunnar Asmussen was just behind with 52.69 knots - a new German record! Björn Dunkerbeck reported several times from Lüderitz for surf!
Tobias Frauen
Editor
