“.. oh SH#)$ what did I get myself into…,” was Kevin Pritchard’s first thought when he arrived on the airport in Denmark in the middle of December. It was cold, raining and storming. After scoring great conditions in Denmark in 2010 during one of the PWA events, Kevin always wanted to return to make a movie about the place. Now he did. The outcome is nice movie and more respect for the cold and the European cold water windsurfers;-) Now watch the video and read our full interview below the video.

 

Denmark in December

A movie by Johannes Neumann

 

Interview with Kevin Pritchard about his trip to Denmark

 

Continentseven: Kevin, you live on Maui, windsurfer’s paradise with warm water and perfect windsurfing conditions. What motivated you to windsurf in northern Europe in Denmark during winter time?
Kevin Pritchard: Like I said in the video, I went there for the PWA back in 2010 and it was epic. So beautiful and I always wanted to come back and make a movie on it. It was pretty interesting trip.

 

Continentseven: What do you want to show with this movie?
Kevin Pritchard: I wanted to show the beauty of the place. The cool vibe, the good sailing and the awesome scenery.

 

Continentseven: Are you happy with the outcome of the movie?
Kevin Pritchard: We did the best we could. It was extreme conditions. I wasn’t ready for what happened sailing in the cold like that. I am a little disappointed in my sailing, it was my least favorite conditions to sail in, down the line port tack. Last time I was there it was side onshore and jumping, this time was all wave riding.

 

Continentseven: It looks like a bit of trend in windsurfing – many windsurfer travel to cold water spots, like Iceland or even Faroe islands – to produce exceptional pictures in cold water conditions. 
Kevin Pritchard: Yeah, I didn’t know that the others had done the cold stuff but oh well. We will have to step it up and do something very warm.  

 

Continentseven: Was this the coldest you have ever windsurfed?
Kevin Pritchard: Oh yes by far the coldest in Denmark and maybe the coldest anywhere. It was a shock for sure. The entire plane ride I was like it is going to be cold, it is going to be cold. When I got out of the plane, rain blasting, hail storming, COOOLDDDD, I was like oh SH#)$ what did i get myself into.. ha ha ha.

 

Continentseven: At which spots did you sail?
Kevin Pritchard: I sailed in Hanstholm, and in Agger.

 

Continentseven: Did you really enjoy your sessions?
Kevin Pritchard: It was interesting for sure. It was crazy how different it was. The cold, the preparation. You guys in Europe are hard core!!!

 

Continentseven: Cold water windsurfing in waves is a bit risky. How do you deal with broken gear or did you think of it before you entered the cold water?
Kevin Pritchard: It is scary. I mean imagine if you broke down out there. Your in the middle of winter, your swimming, what are you going to do. No lifeguards, no people, its just you and the elements. 

 

Continentseven: What kind of wetsuits and additional gear did you bring to protect yourself from the cold?
Kevin Pritchard: I had a 6mm ONeill wetsuit. It was too warm most of the time. It is hard to get the right temperature. The nice thing about having that hood built into your wetsuit is that you can adjust it on and off to take you to the right temperatures. I can tell you I was pretty much a rookie about the cold

 

Continentseven: Can you imagine to spend the whole winter in one of the Nordic countries?
Kevin Pritchard: No. Not at all. I have so much respect for these guys. The vikings are amazing. Lars Pederson was up there and he was just enjoying it the whole time. Smiles on the face and just like a walk in the park. I was a stressing. 5 days of cold stress. It was hard. Hard to imagine becoming a professional windsurfer there. 

 

Continentseven: Do you already plan to return to the cold soon again?
Kevin Pritchard: No. No way. I am done for a while till the sting of the cold wears off 🙂

 

©continentseven.com 2016

 

Maybe you want to see more action ft. Kevin Pritchard

 

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