Mattia Pedrani on Gaastra – Interview

Kabikuchi by Mr. Pedrani!

C7: Will you be in the international team of Gaastra and compete at more windsurfing events this season?

Mattia Pedrani: I’m actually in the national team right now and I’m not required to participate to any PWA events. I’ll for sure be going to the Italian championships and, if my PhD graduation doesn’t overlap, maybe go to Fuerteventura. 

Mattia rotates through a Shock, one of his signature moves.

C7: Which models are you using?

Mattia Pedrani: I’m using the Pure 4.8 5.4 and 5.7 and IQs 4.2 4.5 4.7 5.0. As I’ve just changed, so far I’ve only been able to try out the 4.8 Pure, but it’s pretty much the epitome of the perfect freestyle sail. I just love duckin it…and it’s waaaaaay easier to handle and control too, allowing you to actually focus on the move rather than the sail ducking. I’m sure the IQs will be equally impressive and can’t wait to try them out as well.

C7: Why did you leave Simmer?

Mattia Pedrani: There’s a series of reasons, but mostly lack of communication and the need of having a sail specifically designed and developped for new school freestyle tricks. Also I was getting pretty annoyed having to sail 2012 sails in February 2013.

A one handed Shaka at Lake Garda.

C7: What do you like more, freestyle or wavesailing?

Mattia Pedrani: If I had a chance I’ll probably be spending much more time in the waves and less freestyling. Actually, ideally, that would be 50%-50%! I enjoy both very much, maybe waves more but I rarely have a chance to practice, living right on the lake and having to drive at least 300km to get to the closest wave spot, which is Sottomarina with not super great conditions. But it’s still fun though!

C7: Are you happy, when the spring will heat up Europe?

Mattia Pedrani: Oh for sure, I already have a lot of plans as far as videos and other material. I might do something again with the GoPro and the GhettoCam, and then, obviously, put everything on my channel www.youtube.com/Mattia00.  Can’t wait for the Ora to kick in. April is usually a super nice month, with no one around and 4.8 weather every day at Pier!

C7: Why don’t you travel somewhere to sail in warm conditions?

Mattia Pedrani: I’m not sure actually. I mean I know how hard the conditions here can get compared to other places like Camocim and so on, but somehow I don’t really feel the need to go away. I cherish what I have here at the lake, my daily routine, university, sailing together with my girlfriend, shooting videos/photos with my parents during the weekend. Don’t get me wrong sometimes I get really frustrated with the choppy gusty conditions and the cold, but at the end of the day there’s no place like home 🙂 

C7: Are you never scared to sail alone in that freezing temperatures?

Mattia Pedrani: I never really thought about it as a real danger. But it actually kinda is. Most of the time there’s nobody around not even in the parking lot, and that’s why I came up with the auto-wetsuit-rope-closing-system and the Ghettocam. I just don’t go too far out and go for shorter but more intense sessions to keep warm. My windcatcher drysuits also make a huge difference. Weirdly enough, the coldest session in the vid was not the snowy one, but the clear sky one at the beginning, where it was -5° and I had to dip the sail in the water every 5 minutes because it would get frozen solid. That never happened to me before. And yet, this somehow still makes my proud, knowing how far this passion can move me and thousands of other riders that sail all over Europe and the world in freezing conditions. 

Check out the latest clip of Mattia “Tropical Paradise”, sailing in extremely cold conditions at Lake Garda here.

Lake action in the dry suit instead of sailing at a tropical warm paradise spot.

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