datrip: Did you have good waves on Madeira? Must have been some solid waves when (low) Emma was passing….

Michi: Yes, it was good. Not massive but good, clean waves. The first half of the week we were only surfing lefts, the rest of the time it was only rights. Good for a change, so….

datrip: Are you planning to stay in Munich? It’s a bit difficult to go surfing from there, especially as you are looking for waves that you don’t find at the Mediterranean with the necessary size…

Michi: The idea to live somewhere else naturally pops up once in a while, but if you look closer to it, it isn´t that bad over here. I just had a friend from Australia visiting me and he was really amazed about the options we have here. It takes me an hour to get on a mountain and when I see a large swell coming in I fly for a prolonged weekend to Portugal, last minute for 160 Euros. He pondered that probably, seen over the year, I get more quality surf then him, with the few larger trips to Indo or OZ and a few spontaneous trips within Europe that I do every year. And as I’ve already seen quite a few places I have to say that it isn’t that easy to replace home. The places that come closest would be South- or West Australia.

datrip: Your extended home, means at Europe’s coasts, had some very solid waves this winter. If you look at the pictures of the waves at Belharra, Playa Gris and Aileens, is that already your league?

Michi: Sure, I’m always checking what is going on at Europe’s coasts and always suffer when I can’t be there myself. This winter (2007/2008) wasn’t very good for me. Whenever a really good swell was coming in, I had so much work to do that I couldn’t get off and when I had time it was flat.

There were a few swells that I wanted to surf together with Sebastian (Steudtner), but just couldn’t go and so I missed Mullaghmore Head and Playa Gris at the beginning of December, Aileens at 31st December and Morocco in early January. But at the end of the winter I had a few good waves and spent 2 weeks exploring the Azores.

Sure, every wave has its risk, Playa Gris is not really a difficult or heavy wave, more of a huge face, but very close to the rocks. Aileens surely is powerful and hollow, not a good place to get caught inside.

Belharra didn’t break for ages, the last time was March 3rd 2003, a day that I will never forget, the day that I surfed my largest waves. It’s probably the “least dangerous” big wave ´cause it doesn’t break hollow and breaks into deep water at both sides. I thing with wave height it’s not such a huge problem, it depends on the shape and the surrounding. Nevertheless, you have to surf such waves regularly, be prepared for all kind of situations. O.k., I’m not absolutely comfortable in 40 ft waves, so I’d say it’s not yet my league. But I wouldn’t say no if I would be there at the right time. You don’t have the chance to surf waves like that too often.

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