Ride on a board over the Tirolean Sea!

Wind and kite surfing & foiling at Lake Achensee

What windsurfing and kitesurfing have in common is the exhilarating feeling of letting the wind carry you over the waves. Both are fast-paced activities that involve holding on to a sail or kite and keeping your balance in the water. Lake Achensee has the requisite thermals and infrastructure, making it a popular destination for both sports. But what is the difference between windsurfing and kitesurfing? And what is wingfoiling?

In kitesurfing you are attached to both the board and the sail. The board is much shorter, and with the kite flying in the wind it is even possible to perform turns and jumps, floating weightlessly over the water between the Rofan and Karwendel mountains.

In windsurfing, the sail is attached to the board and not to the surfer. At a length of over two metres, a windsurfing board is also much longer than a kitesurfing board, which is about 1.4 metres long.

Ready to fly? Wingfoiling or hydrofoilling is currently taking off in popularity among windsurfers. Experienced surfers can get flying with only 8-10 knots of wind. Wingfoil surfers employ a so-called hydrofoil to lift them above the water, which adds a whole new dimension to windsurfing.

Want to learn how to wingfoil? The water sports schools Kiteschule Achensee and 3Style Kitesurfing offer courses for beginners and advanced surfers.

Usually Lake Achensee has excellent, sometimes challenging, wind conditions. The light southerly wind (1-2 Beaufort scale) in the morning and the strong northerly wind (3-5 Beaufort scale) in the afternoon require strength, coordination and bravery to manoeuvre the boards over the water. The infrastructure at Lake Achensee provides surfers of all abilities with everything they need to get out on the water. For all questions about permits and licences required for water sports at Lake Achensee, please contact the Welcome-CENTER Achensee.