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The urban OutDoor trend of “artificial surfing” is sweeping the country like a massive wave of success, and the surfer network is becoming more and more popular. This is made imaginable through a variety of offerings, from herbal channels to high-tech waves. Pools. In addition to the long-awaited surf sessions, the adventure courses for water sports will also offer opportunities for brands, tourism and clubs.
Fantastic barrels off the coast of Hawaii, constant waves for surfing off the coast of Australia, very productive reefs off the coast of Bali – the most productive surf spots are on the other side of the world. And between trips? Surfers are forced to sit on dry land. What a luxury when you don’t have to fly to reach the next wave, but at most a train, a bus or your own bicycle.
Urban surf spots bring the game and the corresponding beach fun to the cities. This has long been applied to state waves like Eisbach’s in Munich, but now it applies to other concepts. Lately a wave is forming not far from the well-known surf spot of the English Garden.
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The O2 Surftown MUC in the Bavarian municipality of Hallbergmoos will open its doors this summer. The land north of Munich has an area of approximately 20,000 square meters, in the center of which will be located a gigantic wave pool. This pool, which can reach a depth of 3 meters, alone occupies about 10,000 square meters. Next to it there is a domain with solariums, a living room, a dining room with solarium and a children’s domain. “We are creating an exclusive outdoor offer in Germany, through which we make it possible to enjoy a game in an urban environment that can otherwise only be enjoyed via the sea,” says Stefan Schumm, Marketing Director at Surftown. .
The wave technology, developed through Surftown’s partner Endless Surf and founded in Hallbergmoos, is unique, and not just in Germany. A total of 34 other air chambers can be controlled separately during operation. Thanks to the air pressure, they generate the desired temperature. waves that not only reach other heights up to a maximum of 2. 20 meters, but can also shape other sections. The surfing experience can be tailored exactly to individual wishes. ” Unlike the sea, we have the merit of being able to offer the desired wave at the desired time,” says Schumm. This is especially attractive to professionals.
The O2 Surftown MUC is nothing more than an educational track for the surfing elite. Newcomers can watch this game on flexible terms. In fact, time spent on set will be just one of the many facets that will appeal to outdoor enthusiasts. At the gates of Munich. ” We need other people to combine, spend the day together and live the spirit of surfing,” says Schumm.
This spirit is already felt about two hours south of Hallbergmoos. Urban Surf Solutions has been offering a combination of surfing and wakeboarding in Innsbruck since 2019. To surf upstream, operators use a special pulley mechanism that they have developed and patented themselves. In 2016, the formula had already convinced the jury of the ISPO Brandnew Awards. By that time, Up Stream Surfing had reached the final round.
The surfing mechanism in front of the river is undeniable and therefore simply ingenious. What you want is a rope, an underwater sail and a pulley that you tie to a bridge for example. “The sail absorbs the existing force of the river,” explains Michael Strobel, co-founder of Urban Surf Solutions and a sports engineer. If the sail at one end of the rope is moving downward, the user at the other end is actually gaining speed. “By translating power, we can propel someone 4 to six times faster than the speed of the existing ones. ” At the Inn, surfers reach speeds of up to thirty kilometers per hour. At this speed they travel an elegant two hundred meters upstream. Good teamwork is mandatory to move forward. The sail only sinks into the river when someone pushes it under the water. Fun on the surfboard comes from helping others. “This makes upstream surfing an ideal team-building activity, for example for companies,” says Strobel. After a start severely affected by the coronavirus, the offer is now very well received. Especially since the network combines the season with various festivals and occasions at the “Airport Reef Innsbruck”.
Many members of the Up Stream network would like to regularly attend the (bottle) exercise. That is why the possibility of creating a club is already being considered, explains Strobel. “It will be essential that the concept of protection is respected,” he stresses. “There will have to be a security guard on site. Managers will also have to have the mandatory exercise to unite and disarm the system. “
The members of the non-profit organization “Surfwelle Augsburg” face another challenge. They must create a synthetic wave in the Senkelbach River, suitable for surfing, kayaking, boogie boarding, and wakeboarding. Building permission has already been granted through the city. As soon as the investment is clarified, Augsburg will appear on the surfing map.
In general, surf clubs in Germany are still in their infancy, with the exception of the German Surf Association and its many members. ” Although there are now many clubs active in the field of speed surfing, the structure with regional clubs in other sub-levels is slowly but steadily rising,” says Stefan Schumm. A facility such as the O2 Surftown MUC will naturally favour this development, not only from a sporting point of view, as surfing is an Olympic sport, but also from an organisational and administrative point of view. Point of view. “
Artificial waves the world.
Wave Garden, which boasts of being a world leader in the synthetic wave market, is recently present in 8 locations around the world. In addition to coastal countries such as Brazil, Australia, Spain, England and South Korea, this generation is also offered indoors. Other surfing facilities are being built lately in the United States, Israel and Scotland. Competitor AllWaves recently opened a huge facility in Belgium.
Tourism will most likely expand the target group even further. Most sports and nature lovers come from this area, especially since the O2 Surftown MUC is strategically located in the DACH region. “It’s our main area of influence,” says Schumm. However, he believes that the wave pool is sure to appeal to surfing enthusiasts from Europe and around the world. ” For many, the O2 Surftown MUC will be an added incentive to spend their holidays in Munich, as they will now be able to combine their remajor with genuine waves. ” This will add another attraction to the Munich area, which is already known for its recreational and outdoor activities. Smaller state waves, such as those from CityWave, have the merit of being able to match closer to urban centers. Or they can be built right in the city centre, such as the Rif101 in Rotterdam.
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If the synthetic wave in Hallbergmoos was well received from the beginning, it is precisely because of the expected boom in tourism, but there is another reason: “From the very beginning we thought about how we can position ourselves sustainably. “says Schumm. The site is situated in a business park where no herbaceous or landscaped land needed to be sealed. In summer, up to 100% of the energy needed to run comes from solar energy. the maximum of the water cycle, which means it rarely wants to be replaced.
“In addition to the ecological size and the economic size that we promote, for example, in tourism, we also see a third size of sustainability, the social size,” explains Schumm. “We need surfing to be fun for everyone. “The company is currently working with charities to enable young people and other young people to take up the sport. Integration into school courses is also foreseen. And people with physical disabilities can also ride the reliably controllable waves of the surf park.
Up Stream Surfing approaches the topic of sustainability from another angle. “For us, it’s not about how to make a product,” says Michael Strobel, “it’s about how I can put my commitment into a value-added service. We then sought to demonstrate that it is imaginable to create a sports facility that does not require structural measurements, does not consume energy and is a lot of fun. “
Under the right conditions, this type of synthetic surfing is also imaginable in other cities. A river alone is not enough, the speed of the water will also have to be right. ” It won’t have to exceed seven or eight kilometers per hour “But otherwise, it gets too wild,” Strobel says. “And the formula doesn’t work at walking speed. “
In the future, Up Stream Surfing will expand to two aspects. Together with a Finnish company, they are running the Up Stream Wave, a structure that crawls into the water and with bureaucracy on top of a wave. Up Stream is also planned Energy. Se it is expected that this further progression of the patent already filed will allow electric power to be generated in the near future. ” In this way, we take Up Stream Surfing from a fun domain to a more moderate domain,” Strobel predicts, adding with a wink: “Even if we take into account either of the two moderates. “The hungry network of surfers in urban spaces will certainly prove him right.