Wingsurfing in the Salzkammergut
The up-and-coming water sport of wingsurfing combines the best aspects of windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing. With the wing in your hand, you glide almost weightlessly over the water on a foil board and experience a new dimension of water sports. Thanks to their geographical location and diverse wind conditions, the lakes of the Salzkammergut offer the ideal conditions for wingsurfing beginners and advanced surfers.
Start your wingsurfing adventure
The new water sport hype, wingsurfing, or wingfoiling, has now also reached the Salzkammergut lakes. This popular trend sport combines the most fascinating elements of windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing, offering the best of all worlds. With a wing in your hand, you glide almost weightlessly over the water on a foil board and experience a completely new dimension of water sports. If the wing is held correctly in the wind, you enter a gliding mode and can take off on the foil at the right speed.
Thanks to continuous developments in materials and technology, the sport is now also accessible to water sports beginners. However, anyone wanting to learn this trendy discipline should fulfil certain basic requirements. Physical fitness and swimming skills are a must and ideally you should attend a course beforehand. Having the right equipment for your stature and level is also a prerequisite for a perfect start. A beginner's course includes wind and weather information, safety training and all the basics of wind handling, foiling and board control. Tow-in boat courses give you a first feel for the board. If you are pursuing the trend sport of wingfoiling on your own, you should definitely find out about the local regulations and conditions (private beach, nature conservation zones, shipping law, etc.) in advance.
Wind and weather on the Salzkammergut lakes
The Salzkammergut region with its more than 70 lakes has specific wind and weather conditions due to its geographical location and topographical features.
Lake Attersee, Lake Fuschlsee, Lake Mondsee and Lake Traunsee offer the ideal conditions for wingsurfing beginners, intermediates and advanced surfers. Different local wind systems, especially thermal winds, high and low pressure areas and foehn weather conditions play a decisive role for wind and water sports enthusiasts on the region's lakes. The wind types are also influenced by the general weather situation in Europe. High and low-pressure areas and foehn weather patterns can influence the wind direction and strength. In particular, easterly and westerly winds and local wind systems provide the best conditions.
Lake Attersee
The turquoise-coloured Attersee is one of the hotspots for wind and water sports enthusiasts in the Salzkammergut. Austria's largest inland lake attracts many sailors as well as wingsurfing fans. The typical east wind in summer, also known as the "Rosenwind", usually starts in the late morning and reaches its peak in the early afternoon. But the legendary westerly wind also attracts many water sports enthusiasts to the lake.
Lake Fuschl
The east-west orientated lake is an insider tip among wingfoiling enthusiasts due to its manageable size and location. The wind yield is manageable, the best wind systems are east and west winds.
Lake Mondsee
Surrounded by striking mountains such as the Drachenwand and the view of the Schafberg, Lake Mondsee is generally considered a light wind area with varying wind conditions on the individual sections of the lake. There can be stormy westerly winds (watch out for storm signals!) and pleasant easterly wind days in spring and autumn.
Lake Traunsee
Lake Traunsee is the thermal spot and also the deepest lake (191 metres) in the Salzkammergut. Nestled between the Traunstein in the north and the Feuerkogel in the south, Lake Traunsee offers a unique backdrop for wingsurfing. The ideal wind conditions prevail in fine weather, when the temperature differences between day and night are at their greatest. The so-called thermal upper wind at Lake Traunsee - also known as the early wind among locals - is ideal for all early bird wingsurfers, while the north wind (also known as the low wind) corresponds to the typical thermal wind.
ATTENTION: Nature conservation zones and private property in the lakeshore zones must be accepted and respected as such!
Questions & Answers
Wingsurfing does not require a fixed sail, but an inflatable wing that you hold in your hand. The equipment is lighter and more mobile, and with wingsurfing you glide over the water on a foil board, whereas with windsurfing you stand on a conventional board.
If you already have experience in wind water sports, it will definitely help with wing handling and balance. But many other sports that require a sense of balance also help with the new adventure of wingfoiling.
The basic equipment for wingsurfing includes a foil board, a wing, a leash (safety line), a helmet and, if necessary, a wetsuit, depending on the weather conditions and water temperature.
The equipment can also be hired on site.
TOW means towing/pulling - in this context you are pulled off the boat standing on a suitable board (without a wing) so that the TAKE-OFFS are easier and you can concentrate exclusively on foiling.
Lake Attersee is the ideal spot for wingfoiling beginners and intermediates.
- the mostly thermal winds on Lake Attersee enable a step-by-step introduction, especially for wingfoiling beginners
- Lake Attersee is the largest inland lake in Austria - so there is plenty of space for all water sports enthusiasts to practise and learn
- turquoise-coloured water and a fantastic mountain panorama provide a unique backdrop
Similar safety measures should be observed when wingsurfing as when windsurfing or kitesurfing. These include wearing a helmet and a leash, avoiding crowded waters and observing the rules of right of way. It is also important to check the weather conditions and listen to the advice of more experienced riders if necessary.
Courses, camps & info
Content and photos: SUP Box Austria, Filblingstraße 6 | 5330 Fuschl am See
