WordsChristian Mueller, Riccardo Marca // PhotosMarc Van Swoll
If you fancy windsurfing in the Swiss Alps, 1800 metres above sea level, then Lake Silvaplana is the spot. Located in the Engadin valley region in the eastern Swiss Alps, southeastern Switzerland, it is home to one of the ‘highest’ windsurfing clubs and longest running windsurfing competitions in the world. We caught up with Christian Mueller, co-founder of the EFPT and head of the Engadinwind event team and Italian freestyle young gun, Riccardo Marca, to find out more about the pristine alpine spot and its competition scene.
CHRISTIAN MUELLER – EVENT ORGANISER The history of competitions on lake Silvaplana started back in the seventies. In 1978 Nicolo Holinger founded the Engadin Surf Marathon and the first ever winner was Robby Naish. In the following years there were several competitions organized on the lake, like the Mistral World Championship in 1986 or the Jet Set PWA World Cup in 1994. Twenty years ago the event got a new name – Engadinwind. The event ethos is hosting the best windsurfers in the best possible windsurfing disciplines on the lake and having the legendary Engadin Surf Marathon always a part of Engadinwind. The ‘new’ event started with a PWA world cup and for the last 20 years we’ve hosted many top league windsurfing events in Silvaplana. As well as PWA world cups, we’ve organized world championships in freestyle, Euro cup racing and slalom, EFPT (European Freestyle Pro Tour) events and many Swiss championships and, very importantly, every single year we’ve organized one of the world’s oldest and still running windsurfing contests – the Engadin Surf Marathon.
In 2011 we created a new format called ‘Best of 3’. The simple idea behind it was to find out one thing: who is the fastest on the lake. Windsurfers, kiters and sailors competed against each other in three disciplines (slalom, racing and speed). Last year we had an epic 40th anniversary of the Engadin Surf Marathon. We invited all the winners from the last 40 years and almost all of them showed up. During the preparation of the event I was in contact with all of them and so many stories came up from the ‘good old glory years of windsurfing’. It was a very special moment to see them all competing together. From former world champions from the seventies to modern day PWA world cuppers, it was just amazing to watch all these heroes sail on lake Silvaplana. The highlight of Engadinwind 2018 (13-19 August) will be the FOIL MANIA event – windsurfing, kitesurfing and sailing only on foils and of course the EFPT freestyle tow-in only event, you can see the full schedule at www.engadinwind.ch
CONDITIONS During the summer months, Silvaplana experiences the famous wind called “Maloja”. It’s a thermal wind blowing from the southwest, mostly between force 4 and 6, and kicks in around noon. Normally there’s no wind in the morning and so is perfect for beginners then. The best time to visit the lake for wind is between June and September, it’s also the part of the year with the nicest weather, at least for water sports. The wind comes through on sunny days only as it’s a thermal wind, so make sure to check if the weather at the lake is going to be good as you will hardly ever find wind with bad weather at Silvaplana.
It’s definitely a unique landscape! The lake is surrounded by the Engadin mountains, which are 1800 metres above sea level and high mountains, like Mount Corvatsch (3303 m). There’s not many places where nature and windsurfing are so close together. The conditions on the lake are perfect for slalom, formula, freestyle and foil thanks to the flat water conditions, although you can still get some small chop in the middle of the lake also.
GEAR TO BRING You can windsurf at Silvaplana lake with every kind of windsurfing board, though it’s best to leave the wave boards at home! Sail sizes used are mostly between 5.0 and 9.0 m2. The water temperature in the summer is always around 14-15°C., so make sure you bring a good spring/winter wetsuit, recommended thickness is 3-5 mm. You can rent windsurfing equipment at the “Windsurfing Silvaplana” school and centre, which is located next to a campsite and right in front of the lake. www.windsurfing-silvaplana.ch | info@windsurfing-silvaplana.ch | +41 818289364.
STUFF TO BRING It can be cold even during summer, especially during the evening, so bring your jackets and some warm clothes. The best way to know what to put in your luggage is to check the forecast a few days before leaving. Since the lake is located at 1800 metres, your skin burns very fast, so make sure to bring a good sunblock. Local currency is euros.
NO WIND ALTERNATIVES Even if there’s no wind, there are a lot of good action alternatives, like MTB biking, SUP, climbing, hiking, fishing, running, cycling, swimming and horse riding. There’s a cable car right next to the lake that goes up the mountain, it’s a really nice place for those who love to walk in nature and there’s excellent downhill tracks for mountain bikers also.
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS There’s a beautiful campsite right next to the “Windsurfing Silvaplana” school – www.campingsilvaplana.ch, but if you want to stay in a hotel or self-catering apartment, the best option is to contact the local tourist office – www.engadin.stmoritz.ch/silvaplana | silvaplana@estm.ch | +41 (0)81 838 6000.
FOOD There are many nice restaurants around the lake with typical Swiss food as well as international options. Some of the good Swiss dishes I would recommend you try are the cheese fondue, Raclette and Zurchergeschnetzeltes, a really tasty local stew.
AIRPORTS The best airports to fly to are Zurich, Switzerland and Malpensa or Milano, Italy. You can get a train from both to the lake and the journey will take between 3 and 4 hours. If you’re flying with windsurf gear, then you’ll need to rent a car at the airport and driving to the lake will take between 3 and 4 hours.
RICCARDO MARCA Silvaplana had been on my bucket list for a while and it’s exactly as I expected, really beautiful. I love both mountains and water, in Silvaplana the two elements meet. When I arrived the first thing that surprised me most was the water colour. Normally you don’t expect lakes with such a light blue water colour, but in Silvaplana somehow it was different from every other lake I’ve ever seen. The lake is set in a verdant valley between the Engadin mountains and the vibrant green nature makes for wonderful views.
The locals are really friendly and some of them were involved in the organization of the very first Engadinwind; Silvaplana has a rich windsurfing history! I’d been told about the ‘cold’ weather in Silvaplana, even during summer, but I definitely didn’t expect to see snow in August, that was a shock! During the day it was nice and sunny though, so we could enjoy the “lake life” at its best.
Sailing in Silvaplana is a unique feeling, the wind feels very different to any other spot I’ve been to. The wind also looks much stronger then it actually is, so it feels kind of weird to sail without having that much power in your sail, even though it seems to be honking! If you want to visit a really unique flat water windsurf spot then I can certainly recommend Silvaplana and I look forward to being back there soon.
