Hungary isn’t the first place that springs to mind when you think of great European windsurfing destinations, but it is home to Lake Balaton, a freshwater lake in the west of the country and the largest lake in Central Europe. Chris Pressler explores its windsurfing and reports back on a spot full of freeride potential, set amongst protected wetlands and scenic volcanic hills.
As an Austrian, lakes are our ‘local’ spots and Lake Neusiedl our prime one and home to the famous PWA competitions in years past. Variety is the spice of life but and keen to discover some ‘fresh’ freshwater, we only had to travel a few hours across the border into Hungary to discover another lake, Balaton, which due to its large size offers multiple spots covering all wind directions and it even has some tiny waves to play on in the right conditions!
The grand scale of Balaton is key to its utility for windsurfing. It has a total length of 77 km, a width between 14 km and 1.5 km and a total shore length of over 160 km. The average depth of Balaton is 3.2 m with a maximum of 12.2 m, which you may think is relatively shallow but is not extraordinary for the area as the average depth of neighbouring Lake Neusiedl is roughly only 1 m.
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!
