boot Düsseldorf 2020 Recap
Features / Mon 10th Feb, 2020 @ 1:10 pm
Nine days with 93 exhibitors from 17 countries showed the latest trends! The world’s largest watersports fair attracted more than 250,000 visitors at the 51st boot Düsseldorf. “The best boot for years”, according to Florian Brunner, member of the exhibition advisory board and CEO of APM Marketing. Hall 8a hosted the summit of surf sports and was a particular crowd-puller thanks to the diverse range of all surf disciplines, numerous hands-on activities and exciting contests with international stars.
There was a full range of exhibitions and events on offer. The Surf Academy, organized by the Association of German Water Sports Schools (VDWS) in partnership with Surf magazine and the boot Düsseldorf, was well received by beginners as well as those with interest in further education. Some of the attractions at the show ranged from boards, sails and kites for all surfing disciplines to a kiteboard simulator, travel destination representatives, tips for beginners and many exciting test activities.
The highlights in the lively surf hall included contests with international stars and the sporting elite. The best showed their talents on the skimboard track, the flatwater pool and in the wave, while visitors could also try out their skills under the guidance of the pros. With an outside temperature of three degrees, the trade fair guests enjoyed the surf festival at boot Düsseldorf in a hall temperature of 24 degrees like a humming summer hotspot – in the middle of winter.
A crowd-puller: THE WAVE by citywave®
One of the highlights in the surfing paradise of boot Düsseldorf was the action on THE WAVE by citywave®, where 20,000 thundering litres of water per second created the highly popular standing wave and a motivating fun factor. Over nine days, fans were even able to experience for themselves what surfing feels like. Also, the wave stars among the surf and SUP riders showed what they are capable of.
Brilliant opening for the board’s sport summit of “boot Düsseldorf.”
“It’s been a bombastic first day!”, boot Duesseldorf’s Director Petros Michelidakis said on the evening of day one. A full house, a world premiere, the new Surf Academy, many stars and exciting international competitions have ensured a brilliant start to the nine-day fair on the Rhine.
Winter hotspot for surfers? boot Düsseldorf!
On a journey of discovery through the hall, it quickly becomes clear: Surfing has become so trendy with its diverse range and modern technologies. The flow of visitors proved right away that surf sports are extremely popular at the beginning of the new decade.
“The fascination of windsurfing is unbroken, “says Florian Brunner “of course it is the final boat show’s balance that will count, but we had very satisfied exhibitors on the first day and that is an important sign.”
Brunner represents the surf industry in the boot Düsseldorf’s advisory council since 2019. He sees surfing on the upswing again, above all because of its modern diversity. Kitesurfing, SUP in all it’s variations, surfing and many other board sports attract watersports enthusiasts on various levels.
More than 300 guests attended the world premiere of the spectacular surf movie “Riders of the Liquid Plains” featuring Kai Lenny and other fascinating characters of the surf world.
Olympic Ambitions: Leon Glatzer on the wave
As the hottest candidate amongst the surfers, Leon Glatzer set course for at boot Düsseldorf 2020. The 22-year-old son of parents from Kassel who discovered his passion for surfing in Pavones in Costa Rica and successfully made it his life is Germany’s top candidate for participation in the Olympic premiere of the wave riders in Tokyo 2020. The likeable young man, who had signed his first professional contract at the age of 15 and has since consistently advanced in the World Qualifying Series (rank 32 at the end of 2019), has narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Olympics in his first attempt. He plans to make better use of his second chance in May to keep his Olympic dream alive. At the boot Düsseldorf, Leon Glatzer enjoyed spectacular appearances on THE WAVE by citywave® and so did his enthusiastic spectators.
On his visit of the boot Düsseldorf, Leon Glatzer said: “I am here to support our wonderful sport, surf the wave and meet friends. After all, everyone is at the boot Düsseldorf this week.”
The second-weekend insight: the boot Düsseldorf remains in a surfing mood
On Sunday afternoon, the final decisions at the boot Düsseldorf Wave Masters 2020 for men and women ensured full ranks and enthusiasm for THE WAVE made by citywave®.
Wave Masters | boot Düsseldorf an expert and an all-rounder dominate the wave: Simon Bitterlich and Valeska Schneider win the surf festival
Simon Bitterlich confidently earned Men’s Wave Masters on the opening weekend of the world’s largest water sports exhibition boot Düsseldorf. The 20-year-old from Munich acted lightly and smoothly on THE WAVE by citywave®, made the fewest mistakes and showed the most beautiful moves. Also, the tour second of the citywave® pro World Tour 2019 built this wave himself.
“It’s my favourite wave. I enjoy the bond between her and me, ” said the winner.
In the starting field for women, the experienced 28-year-old Valeska Schneider from Munich made the most of her chances, relegating 19-year old Rosina Neuerer from Munich with a narrow lead of just 0.37 points to second place. Third place went to the Swiss Annik Bollag from Zurich.
SUP stars Zane Schweitzer and Fiona Wylde dominate the wave
While surpassing the 250,000 visitors mark, the boot Düsseldorf celebrates stand-up paddling on the final day and inspires a growing surfing community.
For the SUP stars Fiona Wylde from Hood River (USA) and her prominent teammate Zane Schweitzer from Maui (Hawaii), almost everything they touched became gold. The two top favourites won the women’s and men’s SUP Wave Masters in the wave.
They demonstrated the best moves and their mastery.
Germany’s Carsten Kurmis, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on the final day, took third place among the SUP men in the wave. The women’s SUP Wave Masters were shaped by Fiona Wylde, who despite her diabetes is one of the most successful SUP athletes worldwide. She was unbeatable in her fourth Master’s win in a row in Düsseldorf. The 22-year-old raved about her visit of boot Düsseldorf: “It is incredibly impressive how much passion there is for surfing in this hall. Actually, surfing is an outdoor sport. And all this happens in the middle of winter. It rather feels like a cool event in summer.”
The boot Düsseldorf once again showed how multi-talented the surf sport is: the surf hall was just as much the winter paradise of the year for kiters and windsurfers, skimboarder or wakeboarder. The exhibitors at the fair offered them plenty to get involved with, lots of new gear to check out and plenty of pros with valuable experience to chat with.
For more information on boot Düsseldorf, please click here.
Mon 10th Feb, 2020 @ 1:10 pm
By Jen Tyler
Italian/Egyptian Jen Tyler grew up on the sandy beaches of the Red Sea and has been on the IKSURFMAG & Tonic Mag team since 2017.
