E-foil Surfing Next Big Thing for Lake Jindabyne

The next big thing for Lake Jindabyne is E-foil surfing reports our Jindy action man Steve ‘Crazy’ Leeder after a big session with REthynk Experience. Gotta try this soon crew!

Jindabyne is turning into the mecca for summer sport adventures. Everyone knows about riding the Downhill tracks at Thredbo resort, the amazing Thredbo Valley trail route, not too mention family bike options around the lake, and I’ve told you about how fun the sailing and paddling are.

But there is a new sport that is going to take over Jindabyne and its called E-foil Surfing.

Normally when you thinking of surfing you think about the hot sunny beaches on the coast. But this is totally different, no waves required. A flat day on the lake is the best, but I was out in some pretty big chop and didn’t really notice it.

The day started down at a little beach in East Jindy with Jason Gammel from REthynk Experience who’s entire business premise is about offering adventurous experiences and promoting a healthy adventurous lifestyle. The boards are super quiet and zero emissions so you don’t have to worry about disturbing the environment or anyone else.

We suited up in our wetsuits, yeah it’s starting to get cold in the mountains already. But that’s why they say if you have the right gear you can do anything.

Rethynk Experience from Wildman Film Productions on Vimeo.

The guide gave me all the normal briefing stuff like start slow, be careful, don’t run into anyone or anything and most important HAVE FUN. And then we carried our boards into the water and off we went.

You start out on your belly just like normal surfing

but here’s the rad thing, you pull the trigger and you start to go, no paddling just instant go time. Standing up was way easier than I expected too. I was up first try.

Now the idea of a foil is to be floating up in the air up above the water. But I wanted to do the right thing. So I was just cruising along for a little while until I got the hang of it, and then I started to rise up into the air.

As soon as you are up in the air you really get that feeling of flying. There is no drag, nothing. Just you standing on the board flying. It’s truly a unique experience.

I surf and I skateboard and a long time ago I was even a snowboarder, and yeah, I’m sure that helped me a bit, but there were groms and couples from the city that I watched and they were out there riding real quick as well.

Let me tell you it’s not something that you will do just once: you will be back for more. I know, I am hooked and I already can’t wait to get back out there again.

The mountains are my home and flying along over the water with the Snowy Mountains around me in the summer is magical.  

Of course as with any sport I am never satisfied with just cruising along so I really had to see what I could do.

I wasn’t let down. One of my favourite things on my skateboard is to grab the rail and just lean over in a deep carve and I figured I gotta be able to do that on these things. Funny thing is you don’t even have to really lean that far, but when you do…

HOLLY FREAKIN CRAP BALLS!!!

I could hear the prop sucking in a bit of air and I was leant over so far I felt like Andy Irons on a bottom turn in Hawaii.

That was it, I was hooked for real. So the next time you are down to Jindabyne for some mountain biking or hiking set some time aside for some E-foiling.  

Don’t think you will have to wait until next summer either, Jason has ordered a fleet of winter wetsuits and heated vests so all those days that the mountain is on hold or it’s socked in with weather and it’s bright and sunny in Jindy you now have something most epic to do instead of wandering the shops all day.

Ok wander the shops a little bit and buys a few things from them too .. keep us all in a job!

Normally big cold fronts bring the odd surfable swell for locals, but they might be outnumbered by E-foil fans soon – especially on flatter days..

To have a go get onto REythnk on the link here soon.