From Dreamy Easterlies to 60 Knots of Tramontana Chaos

Some trips don’t begin with big plans.
They begin with a weather forecast that suddenly looks too good to ignore.

Before heading south, there was one final stop at home — Lake Constance. And somehow, everything aligned perfectly. Rare easterly winds rolled across the lake, turning an otherwise grey and freezing spring day into one of those sessions you’ll still remember years later.

Easterly winds on Lake Constance are something special. Not because they’re insanely strong, but because they’re unbelievably clean — especially for Lake Constance. Steady wind. Flat water behind the harbor. No boats anywhere because the season had barely begun. Just cold air, peaceful surroundings, and that strange feeling of being exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Those are the days that make home spots feel magical.

The session itself wasn’t about huge tricks or chasing progression. It was simply kiteboarding in its purest form: riding, frozen hands, and that deep appreciation for conditions that only rarely appear in southern Germany.

A perfect little farewell before the road pointed south once again.

999 Kilometers Later

Northern Spain was already waiting — more precisely, the Costa Brava. Exactly 999 kilometers away from home. Somehow, that number felt like a good omen for the days ahead.

The water tank got filled one last time. My DemoGear trailer was packed to the roof. The obligatory grocery shopping escalated slightly, as it always does before a long road trip. And then: highway mode.

One of the beautiful things about living on the road is that, over time, you collect places that start feeling like home too. And on trips like these, you always find yourself returning to them.

Tramontana Doesn’t Ask for Permission

When I finally arrived on the Costa Brava, the Tramontana welcomed me with 40–60 knots of pure offshore madness.

It was fully on.

Brutal wind swept across the coastline for days — the kind of wind that doesn’t care about forecasts, comfort zones, or whether your plans still make any sense at all.

Normally, these are the conditions where most people start waiting for “better days.”

But in wind sports, there’s an old saying:

There’s no such thing as bad conditions.
Just bad moods.

And since being in a bad mood is relatively rare in the life I lead, we turned necessity into opportunity and headed out on my very first wingfoil downwinder.

The experience was absolutely insane. The wind was so strong that you didn’t need waves — or even the wing itself — to keep flying on the hydrofoil. Philip, Jochen, and I glided roughly 8 kilometers along the coastline without even thinking about using our wings.

Simply unreal.

The Best Part Is Never Just the Wind

After 11 days of improvisation — because the wind was simply too strong to truly enjoy kitesurfing — the moment finally arrived.

The thermal winds returned to the Costa Brava, bringing back sunny summer vibes and smiles to the faces of everyone attending the BigBoySport test event.

Looking back, this trip was never really about perfect sessions.

Not about the dreamy easterlies at home.
And not about the 60-knot storm days in Spain either.

It was about everything in between.

Because in the end, those are exactly the moments that stay with you long after the wind is gone.

If this story hooked you, lean back, hit play, and enjoy the full episode on YouTube :)