September 19, 2024
Although day 2 of the 2024 FPT GVA Wind Festival saw no official competition, the lake in front of the Tropical Corner still brimmed with action. With loads of creative freestyle, both on and off the water, crowds were treated to a show as always. Read the full account of the second day in Geneva below, and make sure to check out the highlight video as well!
The forecast was mediocre at best, meaning that a generally relaxed atmosphere prevailed in the morning. Freestylers are known for their endless energy and search for novelty though, and soon enough a host of different toys was brought out to get moving. At the forefront, as always, Balz Muller. The Swiss waterman got everyone surfskating and getting barrelled underneath his tarp.
The creativity got relocated to the water afterwards, with Balz performing possibly the world’s first diving board forward loop. Can he claim himself yet another world first?
Despite the wind shortly teasing the competitors, no Foilstyle action took place. A Tow-In clinic took place for anyone new to the discipline, with Lennart Neubauer, Julien Mas and Sam Esteve coaching the new generation of rippers. Standing out in particular was Leander Halm, who by the end of the session landed a perfectly clean Burner.
The first official Tow-In qualification starts tomorrow, resulting in many of the top riders taking the chance to practice in the late afternoon as well. If what we’ve seen is anything to go by for the judged runs tomorrow, then the freestyle community is in for a treat. The livestream for the first qualification round is starting at 17:45, make sure to tune it to the livestream linked below.
