Windfinder News/Blog

Windfinder.com now available in Korean language

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:32:53 +0000

Thanks to Seongouk Choi and Yeaseul Kim from South Korea, who study in the Netherlands, we are proud to release Windfinder.com in Korean language (한국어). Most pages have already been translated into Korean and more will follow soon. The Korean translation will allow our Korean users to access the Korean wind reports (observations) and the Korean forecasts in their native language. To see Windfinder.com in Korean, navigate to http://ko.windfinder.com or use the language select menu at the right of the main navigation bar. If Windfinder.com is not yet available in your preferred language please contact us at info --at-- windfinder --dot-- com.

Now available: the Windfinder iPhone App

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:51:13 +0000

Today we are proud to release the Windfinder iPhone App! With the app, you will be able to browse real time observations to see the current conditions at your favorite spot. And you will receive six days of wind and weather forecasts so that you will never miss a good day again! The display is optimized for the iPhone.

Have a look at how our app works and looks like:

Watch video on youtube / Music by www.normandie-music.com

Real time observations from more than 3000 weather stations worldwide
Forecasts for more than 15000 locations worldwide
Forecasts for the next 6 days in time steps of 3 hours
Displayed weather parameters: wind speed & direction, air temperature, clouds, precipitation, air pressure, wave height, period, & direction
Optimized design for fluent display and navigation
Save money through optimized data transmission
Configurable units and display options
Configurable list of favorites

There are two versions of the Windfinder iPhone App available: we offer the basic free ad-supported version, and the "Windfinder Pro" app which is the paid and ad-free version.

The Windfinder iPhone App requries an IPhone or iPod touch with IPhone OS 3.0 and above. You can find more information about the Windfinder iPhone App on our product description page. If you want to download the app to your iPhone, you can download both the free and the Pro version from the iTunes App Store.

If you have any questions or feedback, just send a mail to iphone --at-- windfinder.com!

German Kitelandboarding Championships 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:07:52 +0000

This weekend, the German Kitelandboarding Championships took place at Wanlo near Mönchengladbach. Unfortunately, the weather conditions were pretty bad with strong rain falling in the night between Friday and Saturday, so the whole place was rain-sodden. In addition to that, there was not enough wind during the whole weekend so that only two races could be finished.

After a strong season in both race and freestyle, Windfinder.com teamrider Emmanuel Norman became German Champion 2009 in Kitelandboarding Freestyle and second in Kitelandboarding Race. Congratulations to Emmanuel for a great season, and thanks to all the organizers of all the events for their work! Windfinder will continue to give you the latest information about Kitelandboarding next year.

Picture credit: www.kitejunkie.com

High resolution Superforecast maps for North America

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:07:39 +0000

Today we can present you a new feature on the Windfinder website. In addition to our existing Superforecast maps for Europe and Egypt, we can now offer you Superforecast maps for North America, too.

The Superforecast for North America is our high-resolution weather model covering the whole North American continent with a horizontal resolution of 12km. We have created 21 selected maps especially targeted at kitesurfers, windsurfers, surfers, sailors and paragliders. Now everyone can check the wind conditions in the area around his or her favorite place to get a better picture of the general weather situation. Available maps include:

Columbia River Gorge including the whole Hood River area
Southern Florida, covering Islamorada and the Miami area and many more
North and South Carolina, with detailed forecasts also in the Cape Hatteras area
Yucatan peninsula (Cozumel, Isla Holbox, Playa del Carmen)
the area around San Francisco Bay
the Great Lakes (Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario)
Nova Scotia, including Prince Edward Island and Magdalen Island
Baja California
...and many more!

You can see the complete list of available maps on our overview page. If you have any questions or want to suggest new regions for our Superforecast maps, please contact info --at-- windfinder.com

Added many weather stations and forecast spots in the Philippines

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:04:58 +0000

We added more than 37 weather stations and forecast spots in the Philippines increasing the total number of forecast spots in the Philippines to 57. Among those are the well know windsurf and kitesurf spots Boracay, Puerto Princesa/Palawan, and Cuyo Island.

We are looking for people who can translate Windfinder.com into Filipino. If you are interested please contact us at info --at-- windfinder --dot-- com.

Added many weather stations and buoys in Hawaii

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:27:00 +0000

Windfinder added observations from weather stations and weather buoys + forecasts in Hawaii: Hawi, Hilo Harbor, Kealakomo, South Point, Kaloko-Honokohau, Kawaihae (all on Big Island), Hakioawa (on Kahoolawe), Makapulapai/Kalaupapa (on Molokai), Kahuku, Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, Bellows Beach AFS, Mokuleia Beach/Dillingham, Banzai Pipeline/Pupukea (all on Oahu), Princeville Airport, Port Allen (all on Kauai), Woods Hole Ocean Buoy (north of Oahu), Northern Hawaii Buoy, Northeastern Hawaii Buoy (both northeast of Maui).

Alex Mussolini and Iballa Ruano Moreno win wave riding at World Cup Sylt

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:39:13 +0000

With a huge low heading straight for the North Sea, head judge Duncan Coombs, made the excellent call to start the wave heats early on the eighth day of competition at the Colgate World Cup Sylt.

The women hit the water first whilst the conditions looked a little less brutal, but it didn't take long for the wind to increase and the shore break to build, creating an amazing scene for the thousands of spectators gathered on the beach. With a constant 25 knots and gusts of up to 40 knots, it really was an incredible sight, and the women put in a solid performance in the toughest of conditions.

Women

Iballa Ruano Moreno (North) was sitting pretty at the top of the single elimination, so by the time it came to her first heat she had barely sailed. Her sister Daida Ruano Moreno (North) on the other hand was already in tune with the conditions having sailed against Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne) to defend her position. Daida upped the level and actually sailed a better heat than most of the men did in their early rounds, landing huge tweaked push loops to beat her sister. This meant a second final would have to take place to decide the event winner. Second time round, both of the Moreno twins were pushing hard and getting some excellent jumps and riding in. Iballa however pushed the sailing a notch higher and landed a huge push loop followed by a high scoring ride which just edged her out in front, winning her the heat, and the event.

All of the women sailed extremely well in the tough conditions but some better than others. Evi Tsape (Fanatic, NeilPryde) stood out in the early rounds with some great forward loops and an excellent riding style, but she was halted in her tracks by an on form Alonso. Alonso was hitting heaps of sections with plenty of power, and going for some frighteningly high push loops. Laure Treboux (Fanatic, North) also looked more comfortable in the port tack conditions and was unlucky not to progress further.

Men

Alex Mussolini (Tabou) sailed a fantastic final to take the men's wave event in one foul swoop. Klaas Voget (Fanatic, NeilPryde, MFC) put up a strong fight after charging through numerous heats, but the Spaniard was fresh from the wrapper and ready to defend his single elimination victory. Mussolini landed some stylish jumps throughout, and in the final few seconds put the final nail in Voget's coffin by spinning round a sweet taka. Mussolini knew he had won and was celebrating as soon as he touched Sylt's golden sands.

Voget had sailed tremendously well for much of the day, taking down the likes of Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, Mormaii) with an awesome display of sky-high back loops, fully planing push loops, and incredibly late stalled forwards. Seadi put up a great fight, but the local lad finished him off with the only wave 360 of the contest. And thus handing the 2009 Wave World Title to Josh Angulo (Angulo, MauiSails, Dakine) on a silver platter. Even when Voget met Angulo on his path to second, he wasn't fazed. The newly crowned World Wave Champion almost bowed down to Voget somehow knowing that he would carry on the show in front of his home crowd.

Another amazing performance came from Dany Bruch (Exocet, Serverne), who after failing to get out in his first heat of the single elimination stormed through this round with some of the highest scoring jumps and waves of the day. Bruch was on fire for much of the day until he met Voget, who permanently put a stop to his rampage with his powerful display of aerial antics.

Also worthy of mention, is Jonas Ceballos (Fanatic, Simmer Style, MFC), he arguably landed the biggest back loop of the contest in a heat against Julien Taboulet (F2, Naish), wowing both the judges and the crowd. Thomas Traversa (Tabou, Gaastra) also threw some of the craziest jumps with a huge stalled forward, which helped him on his way to gaining the highest score of the double elimination at that time.

Biggest bailout of the day went to the 2009 Slalom World Champion, Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde). When it was his turn to stop Voget, he rotated around a huge push loop, but unfortunately for him came adrift from his gear at the apex of his jump creating an amazing spectacle for those on the shore, and needless to say, a long swim for himself!

With a double elimination complete for both the men and the women, there will be no more wave competition in Sylt. However, with the second round of the freestyle already underway there could well be more action to come.

Results

Men

1^st Alex Mussolini (Tabou)

2^nd Klaas Voget (JP, NeilPryde, MFC)

3^rd Josh Angulo (Angulo, MauiSails, Dakine)

4^th Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

5^th John Skye (RRD, Naish, MFC)

Men's Overall Wave Rankings 2009

1^st Josh Angulo (Angulo, MauiSails, Dakine)

2^nd Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, Mormaii)

3^rd Robby Swift (JP, NeilPryde)

4^th Klaas Voget (Fanatic, NeilPryde, MFC)

5^th Thomas Traversa (Tabou, Gaastra)

Women

1^st Iballa Moreno (North)

2^nd Daida Moreno (North)

3^rd Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne)

4^th Karin Jaggi (F2, Severne)

5^th Evi Tsape (Fanatic, NeilPryde)

Women's Overall Rankings 2009

1^st Daida Ruano Moreno (North)

2^nd Iballa Ruano Moreno (North)

3^rd Karin Jaggi (F2, Severne)

4^th Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne)

5^th Evi Tsape (Fanatic, NeilPryde)

The forecast is predicting more wind tomorrow, so be sure to tune in early to catch up with the action, or in the meantime, for more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com   

Unpredictable winds and heavy rainstorms at Windsurf World Cup Sylt on Thursday

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:52:36 +0000

After a dusk 'til dawn of wave action the previous day, a promising forecast had the freestyle fleet all set to do battle, and eager to get back on the water to strut their stuff. Unfortunately the wind didn't quite cooperate and much of the day was spent either basking in the sun or hiding from the squalls - Sylt managed to deliver all four seasons in one day.

Strong gusts of wind kept tempting the competitors out onto the water, and eventually some of the first round heats were completed in a more constant 12-18 knots. This was however short lived. The squalls soon returned, and so did the light periods that followed.

In the heats that did take place, the young Russian, Yegor Popretinskiy (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) managed to land an array of freestyle trickery including a smooth switch chachoo, a flaka diablo, and an excellent forward loop, to take down German lad, Fabian Weber (Fanatic, North, MFC). Popretinskiy sailed extremely well in the previous round so everyone will be expecting him to perform to the same high standard this time.

Frenchman Leo Ray (Naish, Naish, MFC) also nailed numerous complex moves during his heat, but it turned out he didn't actually need to because his rival competitor, Johannes Witte (Naish, Naish, MFC), had already gone home. Ray showed excellent sportsmanship by completing the full heat and performing many crowd-pleasing moves for those gathered on the beach.

For the rest of the heats, the conditions were so light and variable that only the 2008 World Champion, Jose 'Gollito' Estredo (Fanatic, North), was able to express himself fully and move through to the next round. Estredo landed his full quota of moves including lollipops, flaka's, and bob's whilst others failed to land even one move.

Heat 13 started and stopped numerous times, but in the end, the wind failed to play ball, and there was no option but to be cancel the competition for the rest of the day. For these heats to count, a full double elimination has to be completed. Therefore as it stands, Elton 'Taty' Frans (Starboard, MauiSails) still leads the freestyle fleet.

The forecast for Saturday is predicting some all time Sylt conditions, so be sure to tune in early to catch up with the action, or in the meantime, for more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com.

Text/images by PWA/Paul Griffiths.

Wave riding action at World Cup Sylt on Thursday

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:50:59 +0000

With the skippers' briefing taking place at the crack of dawn, the wave fleet smothered the beach with kit and hit the water from the early hours. The wind was often gusting over 40kts, a strong current was running, and plenty of North Sea growlers were hitting the shoreline, meaning kit choice was critical.

In the early rounds, many fell foul to taking gear which was too small, leaving them struggling to get planing and out past the shore break. Those more experienced with these typical Sylt conditions headed out early and played a tactical game from the word go.

12 minute heats, with 2 wave rides and 2 jumps were the order of the day. With the strong onshore wind with a slight starboard bias, this was going to be a tough call for even the best competitors out there.

Men

With some of the old guard already in the second round, the new guys on tour went out there to show them that getting their automatic place in front, in no way meant they'd stay there. Jason Polakow (JP, NeilPryde) failed to make it through his first heat when an on form Alex Mussolini (Tabou), who was taking no prisoners today, stamped his authority on the contest.

Then came a slight reversal, first with old time racing legend Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) flying through his first heat to then meet Dany Bruch (Exocet, Severne) in his second. Bruch failed to get out the back throughout his entire heat, giving Albeau an easy ride into the next round. Then came wonder kid Philip Köster (Starboard, NeilPryde, Dakine). Having won in Gran Canaria, we were expecting big things from the youngster. He made it through his first heat, but failed to impress the judges in the same way that he had done earlier in the year and was taken down by tour veteran Peter Volwater (F2, MauiSails) in his second.

Going into the last 16 there was a real mix of old school versus new. Victor Fernandez (Fanatic, North, MFC) upped his game to see off Volwater, whilst Josh Angulo (Angulo, MauiSails, Dakine) notched up some awesome wave scores, which helped him take out Nik Baker (Fanatic, North). Angulo's riding in this heat was some of the finest seen throughout the competition making it near on impossible for Nik to recover, even with his impressive jumps. Ricardo Campello (JP, NeilPryde, MFC) was also putting in some excellent turns on the waves, but these moments of glory were often followed with an absolute pounding which allowed an on form John Skye (RRD, Naish, MFC) to pass. Other notable performances in this round came from UK powerhouse Robby Swift (JP, NeilPryde), who opened his heat with an impressive fully planing push loop, and Albeau, the 2009 Slalom World Champion, who steam rolled ahead with an equally impressive aerial display.

In the quarterfinals the sailing went through the roof, and when Skye met Kauli Seadi (JP, NeilPryde, Mormaii, MFC) everyone thought that it would mark the end of the UK sailor's session. Skye however had other plans and sailed the heat of his life, scoring the highest wave score of the day with an awesome frontside aerial - nigh on impossible in these conditions, and the only one landed by any sailor today - to take down the 2008 Wave World Champion and carry on with his path of destruction. Mussolini also took the sailing to another level with some super high push loops and amazing rides. Even the impressive crowd stopping backside airs of Klaas Voget (Fanatic, NeilPryde, MFC) weren't enough to slow Mussolini's charge down.

The most impressive display of wave sailing was arguably seen in the semi-final. All of the sailors were on fire, which no doubt made it tough for the judges to make their decisions. Angulo had some great waves which put a stop to Skye progressing any further despite the young Brit fyling high and getting some amazing jumping scores. Skye was always looking for the same frontside smack that saw him past Seadi but it never materialised. On the other side, even though he landed the biggest back loop of the contest, Albeau was no match for Mussolini. The stylish wave riding from the Spaniard saw him straight into the winners final.

For the finals, the heat duration was extended to 15 minutes with 3 jumps to count and 2 waves. The wind had dropped slightly making the conditions even more difficult for the World's best. Albeau and Skye played a tactical game, but in the end it was Albeau who managed to impress the judges more with bigger jumps and longer rides. Skye went for his trademark onshore frontside aerial, but got taken down on landing by a mass of North Sea froth.

In the winners final, both riders were finding it more and more difficult to milk the waves from out the back all the way into the beach. And to make things worse, the stunt ramps that were seen in earlier rounds were disappearing. Mussolini was still going at full throttle though, putting his kit and his own neck on the line, attempting gutsy goita's in the teeth of some of the heaviest waves of the day. This style of riding had paid him dividends since the early hours, and it wasn't about to stop now. Mussolini had done enough to secure victory in the first wave elimination of this Super Grand Slam finale.

In the race for the title, it leaves Angulo ahead, but Seadi still has a chance to steal it back if he can find form in the double elimination, charge past Angulo, and beat Mussolini twice! Even if he beats Angulo, Mussolini can still stop him from gaining overall victory - Kauli must win this event if he wants to take home the title.

Women

In the early heats, Evi Tsape (Fanatic, NeilPryde) put together a great repertoire of jumps and wave rides to take down the freestyle legend Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, NeilPryde), and claim her ticket into the next round. Steffi Wahl (F2, Gaastra) also showed her home crowds how it's done by linking together numerous turns and squeezing every ounce of power out of the tricky onshore waves. On the other side of the draw, Laure Treboux (Fanatic, North) made it through her first heat with ease taming some North Sea monsters on her way.

In the quarterfinals, Iballa Ruano Moreno (North) had an easy ride because neither of her opponents qualified for the round. Nayra Alonso's (Fanatic, Severne) first outing was against Treboux, she managed to stop the Swiss girl dead in her tracks with an impressive display of backward rotating jumps. In the other half, Karin Jaggi (F2, Severne) disappointed the home crowds by seeing off Wahl. And current tour leader Daida Ruano Moreno (North) quickly put a stop to Wahl's plans of progressing any further. Wahl was unlucky to get caught on the inside for much of the heat making Moreno's life that little bit easier.

Jaggi sailed well to beat Alonso in the losers final and claim third place. In the winners final, Daida got plenty of jumps in, but failed to score as many high scoring waves as her sister, Iballa getting at least six turns on one of her highest scoring waves. This left the crowds wandering for quite a while, but when the scorecards were counted, Iballa had done enough to secure victory.

This leaves Iballa and Daida neck a neck for the overall title, with Daida no doubt hoping for a double elimination to take place over the next few days.

Results:

Men

1^st Alex Mussolini (Tabou)

2^nd Josh Angulo (Angulo, MauiSails, Dakine)

3^rd Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde)

4^th John Skye (RRD, Naish, MFC)

Women

1^st Iballa Ruano Moreno (North)

2^nd Daida Ruano Moreno (North)

3^rd Karin Jaggi (F2, Severne)

4^th Nayra Alonso (Fanatic, Severne)

Text and pictures by PWA/Paul Griffiths.

Forecasts for over 3500 Paragliding sites worldwide

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:33:40 +0000

In the past few weeks, we have worked on generating wind and weather forecasts as well as Superforecasts for Europe and North America especially for Paragliders. In cooperation with ParaglidingMap.com, we are now able to offer you forecasts for over 3500 paragliding sites worldwide.

Some featured paragliding sites are locations where the Paragliding Worldcup took place, e.g. at Seeboden in Austria, Grindelwald at Switzerland, Sicevo in Serbia and Montenegro, Cornizzolo in Italy or Ibaraki in Japan. You can see whether these sites are flyable right now on ParaglidingMap.com.

Now start looking for your favorite paragliding location! You can browse our wind forecast maps including an new filter option by sport or use our wind forecasts on Google Maps or simply use our search function!

Image by Peter Greiss, CC-BY 2.0

Interview with Ariel Corniel, kiteboarder from the Dominican Republic

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:16:44 +0000

Windfinder interviewed Dominican kiteboarder Ariel Corniel, 17 years old, winner of the PKRA kitesurf world cup in Cabarete 2007 who participated for the 1st time in the PKRA world cup in Skt. Peter-Ording in Germany this summer. Ariel is sponsored by Ozone Kites, Underground Kiteboarding and Windfinder.com.

Oliver: How did you get involved with kiteboarding? When did you start?
Ariel: I got involved at the age of 8 years by helping other kiteboarders on the beach in Cabarete launching their kites. I played around on the beach with my friends.

Oliver: How difficult is it for a rider from the Dominican Republic to become a professional kiteboarder?
Ariel: It is difficult due to not having access to the (new) kiteboarding gear and the kitesurfing brands hardly ever consider sponsoring us (Dominican riders). The communication between us and the brands is not very good as and the economic situation is also bad.
Oliver: You won the PKRA world cup in 2007 in Cabarate which was a tremendous success for you. Did it change your life?
Ariel: Yes, that was a big success for me and it changed my life because I felt like I could achieve my goals and my dreams to become a champion of kiteboarding.
Oliver: After your World cup victory in Cabarete you did not compete for a while? What happened?
Ariel: I could not compete because I became sick (mumps) but after my recovery I went to the KPWT world cup in Brazil and won again. After that competition I was invited to compete in the KPWT world cup in France and won a 3rd time.

Oliver: How is your riding level at the moment? How do you see your chances at the upcoming PKRA world cups? What can we expect from you?
Ariel: My riding level at the moment is the best I've ever had thanks to being healthy, more experienced, more reliable with my tricks and the trips abroad helped me to present myself and to improve my English. I think my chances are quite good because I am in good shape and I have a more professional attitude now. You can expect the best effort from me, giving more than 100%, to contribute to the development of the sport of kitesurfing that has influenced my life so much.
Oliver: What about the other Dominican riders and friends like Alex Soto,etc.? Will they show up on the tour?
Ariel: My friends practise hard and always help me to raise my riding level when we go out and train together. I think Alex Soto has plans to continue his professional career on the kitesurf world tour.
Oliver: What are your plans for the future? Will you participate in all tour stops?
Ariel: My plans for the future are to continue to compete and represent my country, the Dominican Republic and my new sponsors Ozone and Underground. I want to participate in all PKRA tour stops.

Final stop of the PWA windsurfing world tour at Sylt!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:30:03 +0000

As the final competition of the 2009 PWA World Tour draws ever closer, the pressure rises amongst the sailors, and Sylt's iconic Westerland beach gears up for what promises to be a dramatic conclusion to the season.

From September 25th through to October 4th the Worlds best wave sailors, freestylers, and slalom sailors will battle it out for their final end of year rankings, and a share of the €105,000 prize purse at the prestigious German windsurfing location on Brandenburger Strand. Not only will they be earning points, but the wave sailors and freestylers will also be gunning for the most coveted prize of all, the PWA World Championship titles!

Sylt has played host to the World Tour for more than 25 years now, so a win here will mean the rider gets their name inscribed in the history books along side windsurfing legends such as Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne), Robby Naish (Naish), and Jutta Muller.

In the men's Slalom competiton, the slalom-racing superstar Antoine Albeau (JP, NeilPryde) has taken the World Title for three years in a row with an event to spare. The freestyle tour also reaches its conclusion in Sylt, and the main players will all be on the water busting out their best tricks in an effort to claim event victory and the overall title. Last years PWA Freestyle World Champion Jose 'Gollito' Estredo (Fanatic, North) has been the most consistent sailor so far this year, claiming event victories at both of the previous stops of the tour in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Leading the charge right now for the women's wave competiton is the Spanish wave sailing legend, and many times World Champion, Daida Ruano Moreno (North) from Gran Canaria. In the men's wave competition, Josh Angulo (Angulo, MauiSails, Da Kine) currently has his head above the rest, but not by much.

The weather in this part of the North Sea can be anything from absolutely brutal with huge shore break and rough seas to flat calm freestyle heaven, making it an event not to be missed. With so many disciplines competing in the same place, there's bound to be some sort of action on the water everyday. And remember, no competitors are guaranteed the win - Sylt is a true test of all round abilities. Expect to see huge crowds arriving at the event site over the next day or so, in 2008 over 190,000 people turned up to watch the action unfold right in front of their very eyes. You too could be a part of it, so if you get the chance, book that flight, ferry, train, or helicopter and feast your eyes on the September spectacular here in Sylt.

At the moment, the wind forecast for Sylt looks like we have some light winds during the weekend. At the beginning of the next week, we can expect stronger winds up to 23 knots from westerly directions. Be sure to check out the live wind reports from Brandenburger Strand directly at the event site. Also check out the wind forecast maps for northern Germany as well as the Superforecast maps for the German North Sea to get a better picture of the overall weather situation. You can also check the various webcams on Sylt from our webcam directory.

Of course the Windfinder team will also be there at the PWA World Cup Sylt and provide you with daily updates directly from the event site. If you want to have a chat or have some questions, don't hesitate to talk to us!

Source: PWA, windfinder.com

Boese and Sroka dominate kite race

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:03:29 +0000

The PKRA kiteboarding tour stop at the Greek island of Paros was a complete success. The riders enjoyed the conditions with warm waters and both light wind as well as strong wind conditions and the parties at night.

A total of 11 races were held during the 5-day event. German rider Kristin Boese is taking home the championship trophy for the women's division. Greek first time racer Felicia Constandopoulou proudly walks away in second place followed by Maria Tampa in third.

As expected, French rider Bruno Sroka steals the show for the men's division, winning all 11 races followed by German rider Dirk Hanel in second place. Julien Kerneur made a lot of progress throughout the competition managing to take third place in this event.

Of course you can already watch the videos of this tour stop on ExtremeElements.tv. Windfinder congratulates all winners of the PKRA tour stop in Paros! The next PKRA tour stop will be a freestyle tour stop again in Parnaiba / Brazil in November.

Pictures: PKRA, Text: PKRA / windfinder.com

Kitelandboarding teamrider Emmanuel Norman wins!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:21:40 +0000

If you are Kitelandboarding especially in Germany, you will for sure already have heard of Emmanuel Norman. The 17 year old German is one of the finest talents in Kitelandboarding right now - maybe because he started really early in 2002 and is kiting hard since that time, for example last year he finished third in the German Kitelandboarding Championships. Emmanuel is sponsored by Flysurfer, Kitejunkie.com, Anarkite, Schwerelosigkite and since some weeks also by Windfinder.com!

In his first competition after joining the Windfinder team, he won the third tour stop at Nordstrand for the German Kitelandboarding Championships. Despite the strong wind conditions, he showed harder and more radical tricks than the other competitors and thus won the freestyle competition. In the race competition, he also finished in third place. This put him into first place in the tour rankings both in freestyle as well as in the race rankings. Congratulations to Emmanuel!

Now we are looking forward to the last tour stop of the year at Emmanuels homespot Mönchengladbach / Wanlo from November 6th to 8th. We will of course keep you up to date about this event!

PKRA kite race tourstop in Greece

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:26:21 +0000

From tomorrow, September 9th to 13th, the PKRA kite racers will head to the island Paros in Greece. All riders will enjoy the consistent wind and flat to choppy water at Pounda for the first time in the PKRA history. So racers get ready, bring your latest gear and start rocking in the Greek waters!

Best of all, the wind forecast for Paros for the next few days really looks good with winds around 16 knots from northerly directions. Also keep an eye on both the wind forecast maps for the
eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Superforecast maps for the Greek Cyclades.
During the event, you can watch the real time wind reports from Paros or have a look at the webcam from Paros kiteboarding resort showing the event site.