 |
| No sharks in sight: Ice creek's surfable standing wave |
If surfing in Germany sounds about as plausible as
snowboarding in the Sahara, think again. Despite
very little sun and no beach, land-locked Munich is a
cult surfing Mecca, boasting a boarding scene that
has been Germanys best-kept secret since the
1970s. Nobody knows who laid the three rows of
concrete blocks along the canal bottom to reduce
the flow of water surging up from underground. This
underwater ridge has been enhanced with some
wooden boards wedged into the canal by local
surfers. The result is a fast but surfable standing
wave of wildly gushing rapids that has created a
year-round surf spot. It may not be Malibu Beach -
but there's not a shark in sight.
Munich's river surfing is centred on the Eisbach (or
"Ice Creek") where two underground canals
coverage under the Prinzregentenstrasse Bridge.
Balance is a key focus as is avoiding injury from the
concrete blocks. Once in the water, a complex curl
is tricky to master as all the energy is at the front.
Much like a wind-tunnel on turbo, the powerful
oncoming current pushes backwards - threatening
the humiliation of being dumped down-water.
More info: Munich Tourist Office
More info: Munich Tourist Office
0 comments
Post a Comment