Finding North

German PWA star Leon Jamaer is as happy in a heat as he is on the road. A Red Bull Storm Chase finalist, he has the skills to backup his lust for adventure. His latest travels took him to the far northwest of the UK to the islands of Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland; Leon recounts his trip and gives an insight into the origins of his passion for exploring.

- Leon Jamaer

I remember the afternoon my parents and I picked up my first proper bike from the store. The next morning I got up before sunrise and rode the bike through the forest and around the lake. My parents were worried as they had no idea where I had gone and were upset when I returned home late after breakfast. That moment however expanded my range of freedom and independence. I could go wherever I wanted to, even though that wasn´t much more than a couple of villages. The bike became my daily vehicle to commute to school or to see friends. In a few minutes though I could reach the next train station, take the bike onto the train and quickly arrive at other cities or even the island of Sylt and see the North Sea. During these years of growing up in a small village close to Kiel in northern Germany, the prospect of unconstrained and self-reliant mobility was very important to me.

ROOTS

When my brothers, Dani and Henrik, and I picked up windsurfing, I was about eleven years old. My bicycle became fairly useless as it wouldn´t allow me to transport my equipment to the beach. Once in a while I dragged my boards and sails onto the train and made the effort to sail in Sylt. Nonetheless, my brother’s van quickly became the vehicle of desire. I was only fourteen years old when Dani waited outside the school building most Fridays, engine running. The trio of us would drive the four hours straight to Klitmoller in the north of Denmark, windsurf as if there was no tomorrow and return home Sunday night. Sore from sailing, barely able to open our eyes and with wetsuit rash around our neck, the teachers gave us dubious looks on Monday mornings.