Oravi 2011

It is said that the WISSA Ice & Snow Sailing World Championships is the longest running continuously held  international racing event in the history of windsurfing - ironic given that windsurfing started as a liquid water sport. The irony goes away fast when you see how well the windsurf rig works when adapted to ice sailing. As if to prove the point, here is a picture of the Short Track Slalom [STS] at Oravi, Finland in 2011.

Over the Line and Down

PLACE: Chain Lake St. Ignace Michigan

EVENT: 2012 WISSA Ice and Snow Sailing World Championships

DATE: February 2012

RIDER: Klaus Faisst- Canada

Pushing hard to cross the upwind finish line Klaus did a stylistic lay down for the cameras. He then got up and out of the way very quickly. 

STS Wings

These are from Sweden Team Rider Jenny Back.
This is what you get when you mix the Short Track Slalom [STS] with wings :-)

Special Individuals

Igor, WISSA 2008, Val Brilliant, Quebec

Every organization has its special individuals and WISSA is no exception. In fact, WISSA has more unique individuals than most organizations. Moreover, it is safe to say that the member body of WISSA is comprised of outstanding individuals with a high sense of adventure and above average intelligence. Keep checking this site and you will meet (one by one) many individuals who have extraordinary life stories.

The competitor bios will be released as time (and permission) allows. For now here are two photos. The backstory will come out in further posts. 

Oh - and lest you become complacent? There will be regular posts of cool and historic photos every week (sometimes every day all summer long!)

For now - meet Igor Renkas (from Ukraine) and Kalev Alikveer from Estonia. Both have amazing resumes, but you must wait as we research to get all of the facts straight.

Kalev, WISSA 2008, Val Brilliant, Quebec

2009 Lineup

For those who say that the sport of windsurfing is on the decline - take a look at the starting line at WISSA 2009 in Riga, Latvia

Finell in Newport

Kitewing CEO Martin Finell recently visited Newport, Rhode Island and Lake Sunapee New Hampshire for meetings and plans regarding the coming year at Kitewing. Look for a fully revamped web site, new products, more dealers and a major campaign to get more people out sailing on ice & snow in the coming year.

Inspiration Series - 2

Jarno Rautio - the lead organizer of WISSA 2013 meets us at the train station in Ylevieska. Nice to see after countless hours of travel.

Kitewing is coming to America

 Martin Finell CEO of Kitewing arrived in the US last night to discuss plans for a North American product rollout. Today is a "lay day" for sight seeing and jet lag elimination. Meetings commence tomorrow.

We will keep you posted.