Lennart Neubauer, the super talented young freestyle- and wave windsurfer from the island of Naxos, Greece had the idea to create a windsurfing park with ramps. Together with Sam Promponas, a few friends and his sponsor Red Bull he was able to realize his dream. They already experimented with single ramps several years – Stam knows Julien Taboulet, who built also ramps for windsurfing – and used it for tow-in action. Now Stam and Lennart developed a ramp park with kickers and sliders. Lennart designed ramps and sliders on paper and together with the support of his sponsor Red Bull they realized the project.

The ramp set up gives me a whole new perspective of what is possible on a windsurfing board. I feel like I am riding in a skate park! Lennart Neubauer, GRE-734

Little Windsurfing Ramp History

The first ramps with fin slots were used in indoor events in Paris Berci in 1989 and 1990. More than 12000 spectators followed the action in a stadium live. Big names like Angela Cochran, Nathalie LeLievre, Robby Naish, Nik Baker, Erik Thieme, Kevin Pritchard or Robert Teriitheau.
A few years ago Austrian windsurfer Tom Hartmann also built a ramp with a fin slot. The ramp was also used in the heat area at the Surf World Cup in Podersdorf,  Lake Neusiedl. He and his friend Dany Bikich started a kicker trend. Tom Hartmann, Dany Bikich, Tonky Frans or Kevin Mevissen landed big air moves like stalled Forwards or Air Chachos.
Raimondo Gasperini and a few other Italians landed big moves over a ramp during a jump contest in Italy. Alex Humpel, who created air inflated sliders for the King of the Lake at the Conca D’Oro more than 20 years ago, not only started the new-school freestyle trend. He as well was one of the first creators of a park on the water. Levi Siver and Jason Stone built special sliders in Maui and landed moves in the skate style. Julien “Wesh” Taboulet built a ramp around 2014 and placed it just in front of his Wesh Center in the Etang de Leucate. He created videos featuring him and friends landing big moves over the steep kicker. The ramps looked quite similar to the ramps of Lennart and Sam. 

17 year old Lennart wrote a bucket list of moves. Some moves worked out well straight. With some other moves, like the Back loop he struggled a bit in his first attempts. Every move works differently over a ramp compared to natural moving waves or chops created by wind.

BOOOM!! I’ve always loved the idea of Windsurfing with Ramps! Opportunities are unlimited with a small kicker under your board. As soon as I saw the ramps, I just wanted to hit them. I couldn’t wait. I’m stoked to share with you a minute of pure ramp windsurfing action from my latest project “Lennart’s wind park”. Lennart Neubauer

Now Lennart Neubauer and his friends stepped up the game and built a park with several ramps and sliding boxes in the Laguna Beach Park. It’s the place where Stam Promponas runs a center and several freestyle windsurfing contests were held in the past. It was a special moment for the 17 year old Greek hot shot, who won the EFPT tow-in event in Austria earlier in the season. Lennart puts a special delta fin in his fin box and lands incredible moves!!! A Back loop, Paskos, an Air Chacho, a oh Ponch, a Culo, a Gozzada, an Air Spock oh, an Air Flaka, a switch Flaka oh, a Table Top, a Table Top Forward or a stalled Forward. And he slides over the box or even lands a Shaka on it. It’s a sensation! Lennart used a special board produced by his board sponsor. It’s  reinforced for the strong impacts and heavy landings. The wind blew very strong during the shooting – gusting up to 40 knots+ –  and Lennart performed most of the moves over the ramps and sliders for his first time.

Lennart Neubauer – Windpark Action from Naxos, Greece – Video

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