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Many a windsurfer spends the winter in the mountains, whether skiing or snowboarding. If you don't have liquid water on your doorstep at the moment, or if the cold water is simply too uncomfortable in winter, you can swap your neoprene for snowboard gear and still enjoy the feeling of sailing in the snow over the winter. When it gets warmer again in spring, the sail will be in your hands for the first session on the water - as if it had never been stowed away in the cellar.
While snowboarders can train on wakeboard facilities in the summertime, for example, so as not to lose the feel of the board, we windsurfers can also use what is actually an unusual aggregate state for us - snow - as a training tool. More and more videos are now circulating on the internet in which athletes race down the slopes with a sail mounted on a snowboard, jump over ramps or accelerate on the straight, snow-covered surface. But how does it work - and how can we mount the sail on the snowboard without damaging anything or spending a lot of money?
Below you will find full assembly instructions and some tips and tricks for your first snowsurfing experience - not to be confused with ice surfing, another winter windsurfing discipline in which riders reach extreme speeds on large, smooth ice surfaces using special boards on sharp runners. Snowboarding, on the other hand, could be described as a little more playful: It's more about tricks than efficiency and top speed. And if you already own a snowboard, you can easily convert it into a snowsurfer yourself. Have fun trying it out.
Mounting the mast base on the snowboard
Preparation - what you need:
- 1x vinyl click floor panel (5 mm)
- 1x aluminium U-profile with two legs and eight screws (size and length vary from snowboard to snowboard)
Total costs are around 20 euros, the time required is very short at around 45-60 minutes.
Territory & Wind
In order to have fun on the board for as long as possible, it is advisable to familiarise yourself with the ski area beforehand and choose runs that are as long as possible. Gondola lifts are also better suited for transporting equipment than chairlifts, for example. You should also be careful not to choose slopes that are too crowded, as skiers and snowboarders are less able to judge the length of the sail. The ski area around the Kronplatz in South Tyrol has proven to be one of the best areas for boards with sails. Thanks to the long runs and wide pistes, this area is our number one choice for snowsurfing.
It is also advisable to take a look at the wind chart: From our own experience, it is difficult to sail down the slope in wind speeds of over 15 knots, as the airstream already creates a lot of pressure in the sail, depending on the angle of attack of the sail. With a small storm sail, which offers less surface area to attack, this is easier to tame. However, when swirling mountain winds from different directions are added to this, it quickly becomes a challenge to get down the piste in a controlled manner, even with the smallest sail.
If it is windy, it is better to find a flat, snow-covered area (e.g. a lake with a closed snow cover or a meadow) and use the real wind instead of the slope as a drive. This also works extremely well and manoeuvres such as the rotation of a flak can be practised very well. In addition, you can practise switch stance on flat surfaces so that you can score points with further manoeuvres on the water in spring.
The first attempts at snowsurfing
You can hardly wait to finally whizz down the slopes or do a few fast laps on the snow-covered field. But there are a few things to bear in mind, especially at the summit. It is advisable to ask the lift operator beforehand if it is okay to take windsurfing equipment into the gondola or lift. If this is okay, be prepared to get the odd dirty look.
It is best to pack a small pack so that you can carry the snowboard under one arm and the sail (including mast, boom, etc.) under the other. Once you have set up the sail on the summit full of anticipation, you should first attach it to the board and then slide it into the binding. Now the motto is: the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Choose flat slopes to start with and try things out. Braking in particular is not straightforward during the first few attempts. You should straighten the sail and brake with the frontside edge so that your back is pointing towards the valley. The feeling when steering and cornering is also unfamiliar at first, as you can't put too much pressure on the front foot compared to snowboarding due to the weight of the sail. However, with sufficient basic knowledge of snowboarding and windsurfing, progress on the snowsurfer should quickly become apparent - and for many beginners it takes no longer than a day to get down the piste without any problems.
Snowsurfing manoeuvres
We windsurfers are looking for a thrill and are of course always trying to learn something new. Anyone who has now mastered the basics of snowsurfing and can brake and steer safely should quickly try out vertical and radical turns. Speed is important here, but so is the sailing position. The technique of backsideturns on the slope has enormous similarities with the cutback on the wave: In the initiation phase, you grip the boom a little wider and put your weight on the inside edge. In the transition, you prepare for the cutback and look over your shoulder. Finally, bring your back hand forwards again as you start to put weight on the backside edge.
Various freestyle tricks can also be performed while snowboarding. The advantage is that the snowboard turns faster and is more manoeuvrable than a windsurfing board due to its shorter length. This characteristic makes snowsurfing ideal for practising rotations such as the flaka or spock, as the sail alignment, head control and grip techniques are the same on the water.
When flakaing on a snowboard, for example, shifting your weight to the foot of the mast is just as important as on the water (see diagram 2). Head control is also very important in order to initiate, continue and stop the turn (see illustration 5-6). As a preliminary exercise, you can practise the Flaka, but also the Spock, without a sail on the snowboard to get a feel for the turn.
Snowsurfing on deep snow slopes can also be a lot of fun. In particular, the feeling of gliding over fresh powder snow is the perfect combination of snowboarding and windsurfing - you can really get into the flow here, just like on a long, smooth wave. Nevertheless, it is important not to ignore avalanche warning signs and always wear a helmet.
The sail alignment, handling techniques and head steering are identical on the water."
Conclusion
A small insight into a relatively large, but not yet very popular spectrum of snowsurfing. I hope I can convince some of you to make this small investment and spend a little time in the workshop on a windless day to have fun with a snowboard and sail on a snowy winter's day. If you're not convinced yet, be sure to check out videos on the Internet by Balz Müller, Levi Siver or me, Nick Spangenberg. Just type "snow windsurfing" into Google - and you'll be amazed.
