To go kitesurfing in Malcesine: a chat with the champions

Kitesurfing in Malcesine is not like kitesurfing on the sea: the organization and the landscape are different. The staff of 360gardalife talked about it with Alice Brunacci, Cesar Portas, Aaron Hadlow, Gianmaria Coccoluto and Airton Cozzolino who came to Malcesine for kitesurfing.

Alice Brunacci

She came to Malcesine in 2011 for a day of free teaching for women in kitesurfing.

You have grown up at the seaside, you train with the Mistral in Tuscany, here we have Pelèr, the king of our winds. What are the differences between kitesurfing on the sea and here on the lake?

Pelèr is a morning wind and we are not used to be out so early in the morning. For me it was a bit traumatic : waking up at 6 a. m. and go in the water, cold water! But then, once you are over the initial shock and when you get used to water, it's just beautiful.

It's the same as kitesurfing with the Mistral.

Today you are here for a day of free teaching for women in kitesurfing. What do you think about this spot and the atmosphere here in Malcesine?

Malcesine has always held a special place in my heart from the first time I came here: I liked it both last year and this year. The landscape with the mountains is really suggestive. The wind is always present, in the morning or in the afternoon so it is always possible to go out and have fun...

Here you can find the full interview and the report of the kitesurf day in Malcesine with Alice Brunacci.

Cesar Portas

He came to Malcesine in 2013 for his holidays because he heard that Lake Garda was a wonderful place for kitesurfing.

What is your first impression of Lake Garda?

I had a wonderful impression, the landscape is just beautiful. The lake is so big that you feel like at the ocean, the large woods, the small towns and the surrounding villages make you feel fine.

Despite the bad weather conditions, how do you find kitesurfing on Lake Garda?

Despite the bad weather conditions, it's so much fun riding in a different way. You jump on a boat and you start following the wind with your mates.

In fact, on Lake Garda, boat lifts are used in kitesurfing. Had you already tried it? What do you think about it?

No, I hadn't, this was my first time. We always start from the beach!
Starting from the boat is so much fun, when you go out on a boat for a kite session everyone takes care of each other and kitesurfing becomes a true adventure.

Will you come back?

Sure! I felt fine and welcomed by the people I met.

And I had the chance to practice many of the sport I love. For this reason, I will surely come back. Next time I want to try some paragliding from Mount Baldo too!

Here you can find the full interview and the report of the kitesurf day in Malcesine with Cesar Portas.

Aaron Hadlow

He first came to Malcesine in July 2015, together with Gianmaria Coccoluto to present the North kit for 2016.

What about Ora, the afternoon wind and Pelèr, the morning wind?

Feeling the wind coming from opposite directions and knowing that this happens constantly was really cool. I can't really think about other places where you can kitesurf with two winds coming from different directions in the same day.

To go out with Pelèr, you have to get up early in the morning. Some people find it traumatic, what about you?

I don't like going out early in the morning. I need to have some time for waking up, have a rest, make my muscles warm up to avoid the risk of injuries which is quite high. But this is part of the game and you have handle it.
At the beginning it is quite hard but then it is extraordinary, especially if you are on Lake Garda.
It is worth coming even only to see the sun rising behind these unbelievable mountains.

Would you suggest Lake Garda to people who want to practice kitesurfing?

Of course! If you are in Europe and you are far from the ocean it's quite hard to find places inland with such good winds.
Kitesurfing is really unique and cool in this spot.

Here you can find the full interview and the report of the kitesurf day in Malcesine with Aaron Hadlow.

Gianmaria Coccoluto

He came to Malcesine in 2015 with Aaron Harlow and with Airton Cozzolino in 2016 during the tours organized by North Kiteboarding.

The differences between the sea and the lake are many: no sand, freshwater, the boat lifts. How was your experience?

I haven't been out so many times but I can tell you that going out on the lake is not bad at all. The water is fresh, the wind is costant and you have the chance to go home with your equipment nice and clean.

How did you find Ora, the afternoon wind and Pelèr, the morning wind?

Ora is the afternoon wind, it's very constant and clean, the lake was quite flat with only some chops, these conditions allowed me to train and try some maneuvres. Pelèr was better (despite waking up at 6 a.m. and going in the cold morning water) blowing with a constant intensity of about 25 knots in an unparalleled landscape.
Watching the first sun beams behind the mountains was so beautiful.

Airton Cozzolino

He came to Malcesine in 2016 together with Gianmaria Coccoluto for a a stage of the North Kiteboarding Freestyle Tour 2016.

We know that you like the sea. Here you have been out with the morning northern wind and with the southern wind in the aftenoon. How was going out from our small beaches and how did you find our winds?

We have been very lucky to have a double session.

In the morning with the Northern wind, the water was a little too cold for me and I suffered a bit because I'm not used to it. On the other hand, I had so much fun in the afternoon: the wind was more constant, the water was warmer and there were many people having fun with me.

How did you find the scene in Navene and the way the Kite Club beach is organized?

Organization is top level and the team is great. I had so much fun and I'm sure I will come back.Malcesine is already on my list.

Here you can find the full interview and the report of the kitesurf day in Malcesine with Airton Cozzolino.

See you in Malcesine!