Flashback Friday | Break the Surface: Geneva 2023

It’s that time of the week when we rewind and relive some of the most thrilling moments from the Freestyle Pro Tour. Flashback Friday is our chance to dive back into the action, explore the stories behind the heats, and catch up with the riders as they push the limits of windsurfing. This week, we’re taking you to the scenic lakes of Geneva, Switzerland, for one of the most unique and exciting events of the 2023 season.

Back in 2021, Geneva had already proven itself as an exciting stop on the tour, with a wild Tow-In contest that left fans buzzing. Two years later, the riders returned – this time with Foilstyle firmly on the map after its breakthrough in Vieste earlier that season.

In this episode, Balz Müller talks about the rise of Foilstyle, the Swiss watersports scene, and why inland lakes are the perfect playground for hydrofoil action. He’s joined by Steven van Broeckhoven and Yentel Caers, who share how the foil has opened up new doors for freestylers across the world and changed the game even for the world’s best freestylers.

The first day saw riders hitting the water for a Foilstyle warmup session, but when the wind dropped, attention quickly shifted to Tow-In practice. Some riders experimented by combining Foilstyle and Tow-In, being pulled along on the foils for an innovative mix of both disciplines.

With no wind to speak of, Tow-In took center stage. We asked Lennart Neubauer, Balz Müller, and Andreas Rossler to explain the quirks of Tow-In and why the Geneva contest offers such a unique challenge: a fast run-up and a steep wave meant there was room to go massive.

The qualifiers saw plenty of drama. Yentel Caers, the tour leader in both Foilstyle and Tow-In, was unexpectedly knocked out early after two misfires out of the footstraps, leaving the overall Tow-In battle wide open. George Grisley, runner-up in the Tow-In rankings, secured his spot in the finals with a huge Shoveit Spock, while Foivos Tsoupras landed a Clew-First Air Flaka to guarantee his place. In the women’s fleet, Lisa Kloster earned her spot in the finals, while overall leader Maaike Huvermann prepared to defend her title.

The finals delivered high-stakes action from the very first run. George Grisley opened the heat with a huge Shoveit Spock, immediately raising the bar. Foivos Tsoupras attempted to match George’s level but couldn’t stomp his move and crashed. George then tried a follow-up run but went down as well, and both riders struggled to land their next attempts while pushing for innovative, never-seen-before tricks. With the pressure mounting and the top spots wide open, Sam Esteve seized the opportunity. He went huge on his runs, nailing every move, including a perfect 10 for a One-Handed Burner, and claimed the event win in spectacular fashion. In the women’s fleet, Maaike Huvermann pulled off the first ever Double Air rotation in Women’s Tow-In history, securing both the event win and the overall tour title.

The final day featured the Tow-In Super Session, where the biggest moves won each category: Foivos Tsoupras — One-Handed Burner (Style), Yentel Caers — Double Air Culo (Regular Stance), Lennart Neubauer — 4x Funnel (Combo), Jamie Howard — Double Air Funnel (Send), Lisa Kloster — One-Handed Shaka (Style, Women), and Maaike Huvermann — Burner (Send, Women).

Unfortunately, there weren’t enough conditions for additional Foilstyle heats, so the overall Foilstyle ranking winners were confirmed, with Yentel Caers taking the victory after Vieste.

Geneva 2023 highlighted the incredible show that the Tow-In format brings to the table, pushing the limits of what’s possible in Freestyle windsurfing.

Next week, we’ll take a full look back at the entire 2023 season before diving into what’s coming in 2024 — don’t miss it!