Norwegian windsurfers, Oda Johanne Stokstad Brødholt and Håkon Skorge hit the road in continental Europe, following forecasts and checking out new spots in their self-converted camper van. From Norway to Portugal via Switzerland and back to Norway, taking in Spain and Sweden on the way, it was 108 hours of driving. Was it worth it? Read on and decide as Oda documents the highs and lows of their ‘Euro’ trip.
Oda in flight on her foil in Lake Urnesee, Switzerland.
Oda and Håkon’s dream van.
VAN PLANS
Last year I went on a three week road trip with my boyfriend, Håkon Skorge, in a 1997 Volkswagen Transporter. We had plenty of wind and waves around Denmark and Holland but the van’s heater broke down after 3 days and it was 5ºC outside. Not good. People who know me know I love trips and adventures, but with no heater to get warm after the session I really felt like going home. Meeting other people with bigger vans I knew we had to upgrade. I was done spooning with my boards every night. Six months later we were proud owners of a big 2012 Volkswagen Crafter. After competing in the PWA World Cup in Morocco this year we set about converting it into a camper. We had researched plenty of ‘how to build a camper’ articles and they indicated a build time of around 7 months. We did not have that sort of time frame, we wanted to convert it in 2 weeks so we could squeeze in a trip to the north of Norway (Lofoten), before driving down to Portugal for the PWA World Cup freestyle and slalom event at Viana do Castelo. Unfortunately, despite hours and hours of work, it took us 6 weeks, and we never made it to Lofoten, but decided to try to finish it as much as we could before heading down to Portugal. And we did!
The van’s living area.
HANDY TIPS
Oda on her way to the podium in Portugal.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.
REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!
