CHASING a HURRICANE-FORCE STORM in the BALTIC SEA 

You might as Well get Red Bull as a sponsor dude

There are lots of you tube professionals out there pushing the limits way past what most of us can do, board, bike, skis etc. By showing us such things are possible it inspires people. Thats a pretty good role model. Thanks for the vid and keep them coming.

How you master those conditions with that gear shows an insane skill level. Your reaction to that man was a display of your maturity. Yes you are a rollmodel but every windsurfer has to decide for him(her)self where the limits are. Thank you for this inspiring video.

Ich war auch Pelzerhaken mit 3,7 und 77 Liter Waveboard unterwegs. Mit Slalomboard und 5.3? In tausend Jahren nicht…😳 Respekt!

Motivation pure!!! It connects me to the reasons why I love this sport. Hearing you say „I felt like a beginner.“ striking me and giving me a new point of view on my own days at the limit. In my head I used to tear myself to pieces when I felt like a beginner. Thanks Nico for sharing so frank.

Schon voll krass mit Slalom gear da raus zu gehen. Respekt

Wow, was für Bilder! Kein Zweifel, dass Du sehr gut einschätzen kannst, wann und wo Du aufs Wasser gehst... und wenn selbst ein Profi sich als beginner fühlt, ist die Botschaft für alle anderen eh klar. Danke für das Video! Danke für deine ehrlichen Kommentare und Gedanken. Danke auch an dein Team, mit dem Du deinen genialen Sport in die Öffentlichkeit bringst.

Strength 12 on the Beaufort scale, and with a 5.3 sail!!!!!, impressive, I would never have believed that you could hold that size without it ripping your arms off.

"I was just a passenger", "Don't try this at home". You are a Rockstar Nico!

Respect Nico with 5,3. As a young guy on 27.08.1989 y was the only guy out in Strande, but with a 2,6 m2 and a heavy Wave board. This sail y used only twice in my life. Go on guy.😊

Du bist ein Vorbild für viele Windsurfer, egal ob Pro oder Beginner. Jeder muss seine Grenzen testen 😊

"Engel links Teufel rechts" Mega Video, hammer Naturbilder und ein Windsurfer der es echt drauf hat! Ein Augenschmaus! Auf der anderen Seite, wenn da welche sind (Sanis und Feuerwehr, die sagen wir kommen nicht raus) hmmm, wir haben in Deutschland die Pflicht zu helfen. Klar steht die Eigensicherung an erster Stelle, aber solche Menschen gehen auch mit Herzblut in ihren Job und würden alles versuchen dich zu retten. Wie man sieht du kennst dein Material und bist ja auch heile zurück an den Strand gekommen, aber das können die Rettungskräfte ja nicht unbedingt vorher einschätzen. Da finde die Session am See wo du auf dich gestellt bist besser. Weil keiner sich darüber Gedanken machen muss, wie oder wer dich retten könnte ohne sich selbst in zu große Gefahr zu bringen. Ist nur meine Meinung 😉🤙

Go Nico ! 🙂 I was (am) your size. Fit and slightly bigger than most. I was ALWAYS told as a teen to slow down (skiing and snowboarding) as the other kids would try and follow me and 'may hurt themselves' because they saw me as a "role model" !!! I wasn't going to stop living simply because others don't know where their limits are .... Well done for EXPLAINING to that older guy that there MUST be people who push the limits, so people like him know when to back down 🙂 Cheers and thanks for the excellent video. Gnarly 🙂

Nice, definitely one of the most extreme windsurf-vids on YT. Crazy conditions on the Baltic Sea and what a jump on the lake which was absolutely insane! Thanks and big kudos for sharing your thougts and emotions what describes the essential meaning to go out in these conditions really good - to find your own personal limits out there. Lars has done a superb job with the camera of course, nice to see him filming under these conditions in the vid. Seems to be that very long harness lines are essential for you, aren't they? Vielen Dank für dieses besondere Video, Nico und Lars und viele Grüsse aus Norwegen. Well done.

insane conditions but it's also a good way to learn and feel that you can handle a storm, feel what your gear is capable of(often more than you think). I often give advice to go out in high winds even if it's not the best session you learn so much out of it and ofc you always have to have an plan b if something fails. but on a lake in onshore winds it's often quite safe just to try and get perspective. great video nico👌

Fantastic Nico. That was awesome mate! I love those days when its off its face and most guys don't go out. Tho I'm older now 55, I'd give it a crack as I'm lucky to have one of Jasons personal custom wave board around 68 litres (old board but perfect for those days), which is great in those conditions, hmmm well easier than slalom gear. No way 5.3 think I'd be smallest possible 3.5 (think I'd struggle with my depowered 4.5 tho), as I'm only 60 kg. I've sailed in 50 plus knots several times before (ocean and lakes, inlets etc), and it was yes challenging fun esp on a lake or flatter water. Becomes too much survival sailing in the ocean after a short time tho. Loved the video mate!

the gnarliest thing is that you do it all with bare feet......you've got great skill nico.....i'll keep dreamin of getting even 1% of how good you are...thanks for the motivation and v well done

Wassup nico. The storm also passed my house, and i managed to go out on the water with my 7m². I live in a gulf of islands, so the wind only peaked at 36 knots that day, and it was crazy out there... Flat water, did a 29 knot speedrun on my technobic 133l. Um glad you didnt hurt yourself or smth. Love your vids, seeya

5.3 in 67 knots 😳😳😳😳 ! You are an alien ! Incredible mate ! KUDOS!!! 😎

Huge respekt for slalom gear. I have chased few storm (50-60+ knots) here on local lake. I have heard same opinion from random guys many times. Once police officer stop by and told us "who is the organizer of this event" lol noone, there was like 20-30 surfers/friends. And then he asked us if we thought about it. I told him "Yeah every second since it showed on windguru 4days ago". My friend told him that this wasnt even highest wind he ever sailed. Sadly there was one guy - not from "our group" - he was beginner and he needed to be rescued. It was on lake so ambulance picked him up on the shore. One time it was funny because I worked as insurance adjuster and took vacation for that day. And next day when I was answering phone calls from ppl whose properties were damaged, one lady asked me how terrible was my day. I told her it was best day of my life :D If you are prepared, and you can do basic riding, 100% waterstart in any conditions, and you use your brain to decide whats OK and what is not. Then its possible to minimize risks to OK level. BTW my worst moments on windsurfing were not in extreme conditions. Once I totally destroyed sail in Altenteil on Fehmarn like 1km away from shore - it was a long paddling on my board (since then I always ask dudes on beach and do homework about possible currents). And the most scary moments was in Klitmoller again kinda far away from shore where I lost my gear and according to gopro I was swimming like 20mins - it took me a while to even see it, and lucky for me wind was strong so I ended up like 500m away from my car. I always love this feeling when u arrive to beach and you see current conditions for the first time, the adrenalin when you setting up your sail. Inside voices telling me "go home", they always stop after I do beach start, after that its really nice feeling. Its really great bonding experience with friends who sailed too. Winter is coming and so does storms :) Your slalom gear, man I cant even comprehend it !

IN.....SANE. :) I agree with your take on storms. Surfing 15 years, been out once in Pelzerhaken at 70kts a few years ago with 3.3m² and 80L and only in the flat water part before the sandbank...for reasons. Most people can't understand the level of understanding a long time veteran windsurfer has of the wind. They think 'treebranches are falling, better go inside'. But those are the limit days - to test how it feels, within reason of course. And you did a good job of making this clear IMHO. And yes, inexperienced people put themselves at risk more often, mostly without knowing (looking at the kitsurfing guys who did a 1 week course in egypt, and think they can handle baltic sea 7bft) Nice video, you rocked it!

Hey Nico, shout out from Cortes Island, British Columbia. What a trip down memory lane. I learned to windsurf in Kalifornien a few kilometers to the west of your session. I moved to BC as a child but had the opportunity to sail in Kalifornien every other summer until high school. After that the Gorge in Washington/Oregon became my stomping ground. In regards to your question, sail in whatever conditions you choose. Adults should be able to choose what level of danger they expose themselves to. Nobody stopped me from sailing overpowered on a 3.2 as a 17 year old amongst the barge traffic and current of the Columbia River. Some of my best windsurfing memories.

When you want to learn you need to get out of your comfort zone. Apparently for you this means slalom gear at the Baltic in 10 Bft. The only way to find your limits is by trial. You showed perfectly the dilemmas that come with that. Always consider what would happen if your gear breaks: can you make it to the shore in time without help from others ? If yes, go for it. You run the risk of getting an experience you will never forget. One of your best videos !

Wow. Simply wow. You show the difference of windsurfing, that one can enjoy from 6 to 66 knots. Thank you, you are giving me motivation again after I silly have broken a mast in a low shorebreak on last Friday

... was für ein Sprung - Hammer und Glückwunsch!

Wieder ein geiles Video! Schön, dass es gelungen ist, diesen Ausnahmetag so authentisch einzufangen. Stichwort Vorbildfunktion: (Hoffentlich) Jeder, der bei solchen Bedingungen rausgeht, hat sich langsam an so etwas rangetastet. Allen anderen hast du davon abgeraten. Meine Faustregeln für mich: Nie alleine raus und nur soweit, wie ich zur Not bei den herrschenden Bedingungen auch wieder zurückschwimmen kann. Fange schon mal langsam mit Daumendrücken für Japan an.

Fantastic ! A clear demonstration of an important aspect of our sport : handling the fear, and always trying to find our limits. Difficult to understand for outsiders....

was waiting for this video sice you told me on instagram that was there a video from that session

I started windsurfing in 1982. The arrival of the first short wave boards and fully battened rigs made sailing in these conditions possible and addictive. Watching this I was initially thinking that i would have gone out in those conditions, but the rocks being there might have stopped me. I sailed at west Kirby in the UK on the marine lake so had that option too if the sea was too dangerous.

I have gone out in similar conditions; it really forces good technique and wind awareness. The key takeaway is to rig small and know your limits. I would have rigged a 3.5 and a 75 liter wave board.

Hey Nico that was amazing to see, a one man storm chase! Thanks a lot for that.

I was waiting for this vid! Looks pretty gnarly 😮

Material und Mensch am Limit. Mal wieder ein richtig geiles Video. Der Anfang könnte auch fast Red Bull Storm Chase sein. Top weiter so. 🤙🤙👍👍

Insane how much control you had considering the conditions! lots of respect ! Is there a slight chance we might see a bloopers reel some time with the gybes you missed? Just so we don't feel like total noobs. 🤣

Ich finde deine Videos super cool und ich finde es immer wieder faszinierend, wie man auf einem Surfbrett so etwas hinbekommt.

Pushing the limits is part of windsurfing. I agree that in the beginning you overestimate your capabilities. And the feeling of not being in control is terrifying. However, Nico you are a world class windsurfer and your limits are beyond everything i can imagine as an intermediate surfer. So of course you should be "allowed" to go out. Its also the content we want to see, so i think you did everything all right in warning us not to repeat after you.

Nice jump Nico, great sailing in such strong and gusty winds. Kool 😊

I think as a proffessional you are the one to make the call for yourself of it is okay to go or not. Not someone else Who is out there watching (is That safe as well being out in a storm???) you did an great job telling the viewers Not to do this stuff (then in my opinion you did your job and you can enjoy the gusts) I am so stoked to get On the water again in this conditions. Love to see it keep in going!

"Oh Hey a massive sea storm with 80kmph winds. IM GONNA RIDE IT!" said no sane man EVER

5.3 Thats like one of my big sails. Solid Nuts Nico

Hats of to you, Sir, for even daring to bear away in that wind, never mind actually completing all those gybes!

Mach weiter so. Das macht Lust auf mehr.

goooil, ich war in pelzerhaken , - 3.7 war zuviel, -aber 5,3, -alter schwede...respeeeekt....

Great video as always :)

Nice one, Loving the HIGH wind sessions. But personaly to have fun i have to feel in secure so im gonna ride it on a lake 😊

Amazing windsurfing!

Nico this is incredible!

Great video. As long as the wind is blowing you up on the beach, you can find your way back. I do a life jacket and helmet on big days and normally get my butt kicked by the waves much more than you did!

amazing skills, deep respect Nico in that conditions with slalomgear and a 5.3 ( p.s. good comments people)🤙

Zu deiner Frage als Role Model: Ich kenne einige Kids bei uns hier im Verein, die pushen vor allem auch, weil sie das erreichen wollen, was du tust und kannst. In sofern sind solche Videos unglaublich wichtig für den Sport. Die Logik des älteren Herren kann ich nachvollziehen, hinkt aber bei Spitzensportlern aus allen „extremeren“ Bereichen. Was ich allerdings nicht verstehe, warum du bei solchen Bedingungen keine Rettungsweste oder Rückenprotektor trägst.

Absolutely blasting 🔥🔥🔥

Hi Nico ! It's actually was nice weather 🤙! We had in Estonia same condition and a lot of fun was ! The only difference, i get bigger board 343cm and 187 L, because i had a 4.3 sail and In that case this board sit better in water. I use there very special A.R.T. 4.3 sail, special there is that sail have 4 CAM -s ! This sail is very stabil and can handle without problem up to 48 kn. wind, if gusts was some 56 kn, then it was really overpowered and sail was fully open to maintain stability.

And now another storm is here in the Netherlands! Let’s play with the elements 🤙🏻

WOW that looked awesome you have bigger balls than me 😂👍keep up the great ŵork love your vlogs

Thrilling, excellent video!

This was really on your limits and it suprised me how you could handle the gear. Anyway advanced windsurfer’s should know where their limits are and should responsible themselves. Warning of you was good enough. By the way nice filming job and catching this hudge jump on a lake.

Thank you for the video.

5.3 in 40-50 knots! That’s some Bruce Peterson/Hucker sailing right there!

Looks like pure fun! Personally I just love the feeling of being on the edge of control, geting that high on adrenaline. Huge cred to Lars for filming in these conditions! And yes Nico, you are a fantastic role model even if some oldguy think you are on the edge of wreckless. If you don't try it you won't know if it is possible and then we would never evolve and you just showed that if you practice hard enough you can do also this. Keep up the good work.

if you want to be supreme you need to go to the extreme ! this was fire 🔥🔥🔥

Very nice video Nico 🤙🤙

In the Baltic Sea, maaaan that was craaazy. Big up for You Nico!🤛🤙

Nico great video and your sailing-wow

OMG in capital letters, the sea looked like a washing machine, really crazy conditions. I sometimes go out in similar conditions, but always with a buddy. Just for safety. But what a cool video again. Be safe out there.

Mega skills, next Level Video

Solche Tage muss man erlebt haben. Da kann man das Risiko besser bewerten. Ich habe so einen zwei mal erlebt und da weiß man wo die eigenen Grenzen sind. Aber schön zu sehen wie du dass durchziehst wenn kein anderer da draußen ist. Maximaler Respekt.

Thank for sharing ❤

Dude that's commitment for sure!! That does not look like a good idea 🙂 8 degrees and 50 knots, wind chill must make that sub zero 🥶🥶🥶🥶

Awesome footage Nico, especially choosing slalom gear 🔥🔥🔥 I have sailed similar strength winter storms on the Dutch coast myself a couple of years ago. But there were no hidden jetties underwater 😱

with this video you could ask redbull for a sponsoring :-) very very impressive images

My friend that's definitely what we do at home. We call it Föhn. Happened yesterday for example. And again on Thursday. Wind up to 120 km/h but warm temp. and nice weather. Even in winter. So enjoy the baltic. Better you than us ;))) And btw - no need for slalom.

That was awesome

Aaamazing👏🏻🤙🏻

The Hawaiian word for what you did is lolo 🤣, but that was a sick jump. It is good advice for beginners to know that if you push the limits, sometimes the limits push back.

Epic video Nico 👍

So strong with such a sail 💪💪🤙

Your insane dude kept it up💪

🤙11:41 nice flight. Great day, nice shots

Omg you re on fire!!!

Fritz Cola looks more effective than Red Bull 😂😂😂💪🏻💪🏻

Just amazing. Your level is greasy. Thx for this video

Incredibly impressive. To go out in that requires huge skill; to go out in that on 5.3 and slalom is simply off the scale.

Buenas tardes, UNO DE LOS MEJORES... GRACIAS, SALUDOS, FUERZA. 🌛. 🌞

very very very hard work

Those are the conditions for that I'm living for. You are super 🤙💪

5.3m² and a large slalom board? Looks like 100l? Jesus. With wave gear those conditions are challenging enough. At least it is onshore. Had similar conditions in Fuerteventura once. When you go normal, speed is so high that you are constantly in the air, when you go slow, you have no chance of surviving the gusts, water is choppy like hell and the constant spray hurts in the eyes. In the second half of the video, the wind looked less (less white wash, less water flying) and almost flat water - much easier.

Auf Gran Canaria haben wir oft solche Slalom Bedingungen. Das Problem ist wahrscheinlich dass es so kalt ist. Es ist ein großer Unterschied ob man 100kmh in 8 Grad oder 30 Grad hat...BIg Respekt...Wenn da etwas passiert ist man echt hinüber

Wicked man doing something different and Slalom Nice .

Wow i like your video 🤙

You are the top, amazing

Cool stuff, mate! Reminds me of being on Karpathos, out at around 40-45 knots and waves from two directions with a 3.4 wavesail in my twenties. Pretty wild! I wanted to do small jumps but they were getting high! And I was blown leewards massively. So, if you had 20-30 kts more and a 5.3 racesail - respect!

My role of thumb is that at 9bft, you get horizontal spray flying over the surface. For me, that's were my slalom stuff becomes uncontrollable (with 5,6). Mostly due to very short chop, combined with a set that wants to go 70kmh.

Wow ! Hope one day, will do the same on our St-Lawrence. A good North North-East (on shore wind -safest) stormy style, but with my 4.0 / 4.7 wave sail and my 80 liters wave board (no slalom for me in those conditions). We are leading to the end of the season (first snow today) but still hope for one last session...

Good on you mate! I love those conditions. There is a lifeboat crew documentary series here in the UK, and my favourite quote of one of their crew members, describing a rescue scenario, was: “It was windy. It was that windy that even the windsurfers stayed off the water that day!” 😂

You will only learn your limits by experiance and trying. But good call, and super to show that wen it gets to hot even you go to the lake. Safety first, but this looked like a hard and fun session. And well done Lars

I love it, holding on for your dear life you rock. The description regarding your jump on the lake ( and the floaty rocket) is similar to one of my what i though would be a hit the lip ordinary jumps sailing on the 21/10 here in sweden. The gust took control and i just hanged on haha, i didnt bother to look down just kept sailing with the wind and landed full planing with a Starboard ultrakode carbon 93L and 4,2 sail. 😅

awsome! it would be cool to see some clips of your fotwork also on video 🤘

Very nice sailing and as you pointed out. Not for everyone !

Einfach nur crazy aber so kennt man dich😂😮

5.3 and a single fin in that 😂 fair play