Take 2 - Big Wave La Malate 2008

The last two days I got eMails from Jules Gallais and Stéphane Pion with additional shots. Especially some nice lifestyleshots.

La Scie:
Munich surfers, French and Munich paddlers eagerly awaiting their turn at La Scie

Stéphane aka Daron himself throwing down a huge flashback

pictures by Aurelien Bruet

La Malate:
Just above the drop in into the La Malate Wave

Nice close-up side-kick from a different angle above the wave

Same angle different move: going for the california-roll

pictures by www.dkayaking.net

Same move different angle and still catching airmiles...

After the first session we had lunch. Just perfect, sun and sitting right in front of the wave with the action going on without pause.

A lot of onlookers and paparazzi whatching the show

Food, so good after a hard paddle! ;-)

Waiting to get back in the rumble

Always amazing if you see the point of take of left in the top of the wave.

Seppi enyoing the bounce or being amused that he just missed the bounce of his life. But the good thing is at la Malate the next perfect bounce is just 10 seconds away... ;-)

Even on the other bank people where enjoying the spectacle

The not surfable whole on the other side of the river

Did I already say that I love spray and air ;-)

Oh, nearly forgot one of my favorites: the helix (oh boy, on Malate it´s soo fast)

And last but not least thanks to all paparazzi, as without you we couldn´t show anything to our grandchildren

pictures by Aurelien Bruet


PS: I was doing a boat-colour-check on that weekend (red, yellow and green) and I think red won or maybe yellow...

Watch this movie! - www.sharkwater.com

We´re back - La Malate 2008 - French TV helping to save the wave

What a weekend. The level of the Doubs was going up and we decided to hit the road. After 6 hours drive we arrived at La Scie (the upstream wave of La Malate) at 2 o`clock in the morning. We checked the waterlevel and it was already nearly optimal for the La Scie wave, which means "too high" (= not optimal) for La Malate. Therefore we stayed the night there and the next morning we got perfect level for La Scie. Besides we met again a lot of good old friends from France and Switzerland.
Unfortunately I wasn´t able to bring my own Riot Astro, therefore I had to paddle different boats, which wasn´t too bad, as checking the other designs is a lot of fun as well.
Besides the French TV came to get some footage about the efforts to save the La Malate Wave. Check the TV footage here: TV Clip

Here some impressions of the weekend:

Just after waking up. Tress standing in the water, in the front and in the background.

Taking a quick breakfast so we get on the water before the crowds arrive.

Also some Munich Surfers ripped the wave.

Warming up before the first session.

Getting used to the wave and boat.

Throwing a PanAm
Going for the pistol-flip

Somehow looks funny. Like I just got hammered into a cream pie ;-)

Simon doing his thing.

Mathieu going big.

"Old Man Jan" doing the sidekick.

Nice profile of the other Jan.

Sunset of the first day.

La Malate auto-bounce.

Sidekicking all the way.

Nice spray.

One of the best places to fly - the La Malate Wave.

On the third day the level at Malate had dropped 100m3 to around 400m3 and it was less big, less steep, quite flushy but still great. One advantage was that one could enter the wave via eddy-service and one hadn´t to worry about getting trashed in the whole next to the wave.

Much smaller but still enabling all moves.

After a sunny session it was time to head back home.

All pictures by Maria Stelzig