I watch the weather forecast at least twice a day. Interview with German kitesurfer Linus Erdmann

Meet Linus Erdmann, a professional kitesurfer and 6x German Champion. In an interview to Windy.app, he told about his favorite kitesurfing spots and the German kitesurf industry.

Linus Erdmann

He was 9 when he was first allowed to kitesurf. Now his is a professional kitesurfer from Germany and one of the best riders in the world. He continues to work hard to advance his skills, gain more competition experience, and develop his overall career. He also founded the "Kitesurf Club Deutschland e.V."

— How often do you kitesurf now? And where?

— Currently, I’m living in Tunisia on Djerba which is a nice Island for kitesurfing but really unknown.

We have a 60% chance of wind during the year as I’ve seen on the Windy.app and it’s true. So for half the week I go kiting and the rest of the time I spend training in the gym or doing other sports.

— Do you do additional sport exercises? What?

— I go skateboarding a lot, as well as body weight exercises to stay fit for the competitions in kitesurfing. Also, I like wakeboarding and trampoline when there is not enough wind to go foiling or kiting.

— In childhood, you tried windsurfing, snowboarding and other sports. Why did you choose kitesurfing?

— For me, it was never an active decision, I still enjoy doing all board-sports! Just kiting seemed to be the one which I’m the best in since the sport hasn’t been around for too long and not many kids in my age back in the days had tried it.

I love to be in the water and I decide on the conditions what sport I’m going to do. If it’s windy I go for freestyle or big air and if it’s light I enjoy foiling. If the swell is good I do regular surfing and if it’s windy as well I take my kite and surfboard. That’s what I love about the sport, you have so many options and Windy.app always tells you which board to take.

Photo: Linuserdmann.de

— Why is Tarifa your favorite spot?

Tarifa is maybe not the greatest regarding the conditions in the water but it’s the vibe and the people which make this place unique. It’s relatively warm during the whole year and the conditions are varying a lot which is good for training all disciplines.

— What other spots do you especially like and why?

— In summer, I like to be in Germany at the Baltic Sea on Fehmarn because we have great flatwater and foiling spots. Denmark is also quite close and delivers good swell from time to time.

But during winter in Germany, I like to go elsewhere. Either snowkiting or in some warm waters like Brazil, Tunisia or Cape Town.

— What trick or achievement was the most difficult for you?

— Doing the double handless (blind judge 7) was tricky to learn for me since I’m quite tall (192 cm) and you have to go really high or turn really fast which is difficult with my height. I managed to do the trick but still I struggle to pull it off every time. When my body is in a good shape and I’m not too heavy it’s far more easy so I always try to stay fit in order to pull off these moves.

Photo: Linuserdmann.de

— How much in advance do you usually check the wind forecast before going to a spot?

— I watch the forecast at least twice a day to see how it develops. Just before I go out I check to be sure which size to take since things can always change during the day. Also, I don’t rely on forecasts for more than three days because it can still change. The best is to check in the morning and in the night to be sure to have a good session!

— What would you like to change in the German kitesurf industry or culture?

— I want to develop the German national kitesurf team since no association is taking care of it. Germany is the biggest market on the planet by sold kites but still there is no support for the youth and active athletes. There is no prize money at the German Championships and no interest in pushing the sport on a professional level.

I founded the "Kitesurf Club Deutschland" which is responsible to take care of the pro Athletes in Germany for Racing (Foil) and Freestyle (expression). We plan to do camps, trainings and coaching at events for the young upcoming generation. Kitesurfing will be an Olympic discipline in 2024 and I want to bring the athletes to rise and shine at that event and in general

This interview was originally published in the Windy.app blog at December 13, 2019. Visit Linus' website. Follow him in Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Learn more about how to read the surf / swell forecast in a special Windy.app presentation with examples and tips from professional surfers with many years of experience of riding the biggest and best waves on the planet.

Text: Windy.app team

Cover photo: Corekites.com