Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

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Im Zeichen des Drachens

When my mobile rang during a sunny afternoon that I spent typing away on my laptop back home in Vienna, Austria and a journalist of Austria’s high society magazine ’Seitenblicke‘ told me that they wanted Kitegabi to teach the newcomer Rockband Smart Alec kitesurfing, I felt privileged ‘sure, pleasure when do you wanna do that?’. ‘Next Tuesday down at the lake Neusiedl between 2 and 4 o c’clock in the afternoon that should be enough time, yeah?’ … mh, I was pretty gobsmacked… ‘weeell, to tell you the honest truth, usually learning to kite takes a bit longer’, ‘Well, we don’t have more time, we need a photo of them on the board, so you wanna do it or not’, ‘Ok, sure, I give it a shot’.

It was a tough but really fun afternoon, the dudes from Smart Alex were brilliant and although it took me until shortly before sunset – trust me: those hours were exhausting and 100% – both of them succeeded in getting up on the board and kiting a few metres, sick!!’

Please note: DONT TRY THIS AT HOME, ok, learning to become a safe kitesurfer definitely requires a bit more practise and time and if it wouldn’t have been for ‘the shot’, I would have bailed out of that mission….