Latest NewsTrainingTravel

Headed to Sylt

Posted philipsoltysiak

Since the PWA World Tour stop in Fuerteventura I’ve been back in Hood River, Oregon. The summer season there delivers some of the best windsurfing in the world, and in the couple months between PWA competitions in Fuerteventura, Spain, and Sylt, Germany, the Gorge didn’t disappoint.

Phil Soltysiak windsurfing at "The Wall" in The Gorge. Photo by Bob Stawicki.
Phil Soltysiak windsurfing at “The Wall” in The Gorge. Photo by Bob Stawicki.

Besides some epic days on the water freestyling, I also managed to win the overall Gorge Cup Race Series a regional slalom racing series, and be awarded the 2018 Male Windsurfer of the Year by the Association of Wind and Watersport Industries (AWSI). Sweet! I was stoked to take home the glass AWSI trophy and have my name plaque on the Gorge Cup trophy for the 3rd year straight! My girlfriend Kelsey got 2nd place in the women’s division out of 3 competitors.

Phil Soltysiak Windsurfing at the Hood River Event Site on the Columbia River. Photo by Bob Stawicki.
Phil Soltysiak Windsurfing at the Hood River Event Site on the Columbia River. Photo by Bob Stawicki.

We had a couple visits from friends and family out in Hood River. Seeing Hood River from a tourist point of view shows you how much there is to do. For example my older brother Kuba stopped by on a half business, half fun trip. We made sure the majority of his time was spent having fun; mountain biking on Mt St. Helens, Post Canyon, and the Hood River forest trails off highway 44, swimming across the Columbia River, outings to The Ruins and Mike’s Ice Cream for live music, and a camping trip to the Oregon Coast for some windsurfing at Florence. That’s on top of the regular trips to local windsurfing spots such as “The Hatch”, “The Wall”, and “Arlington”. I’m sure he had a lot of fun, but he missed out on our Rodeo trip to the Pendleton Round-Up – I included some videos up top here for your entertainment.

Live Music on Tuesdays "The Ruins" in Hood River, Oregon.
Live Music on Tuesdays “The Ruins” in Hood River, Oregon.
Camping on the Oregon Coast near Florence, OR.
Camping on the Oregon Coast near Florence, OR.
Our Mt St. Helens mountain biking crew; Kelsey, Kuba and me.
Our Mt St. Helens mountain biking crew; Kelsey, Kuba and me.
Phil Soltysiak windsurfing backloop at Arlington, Columbia River Gorge. Photo by Bob Stawicki.
Phil Soltysiak windsurfing backloop at Arlington, Columbia River Gorge. Photo by Bob Stawicki.

I’m now on a flight to Germany to take part in the Mercedez-Benz Windsurf World Cup in Sylt. The contest runs from September 28th until October 7th. I’m headed into the event ranked 9th, tied with 8 other riders, so the goal is to score another top 10 finish and see where that will leave me in the overall standings. Last year I finished in 17th place at this event, so finishing in the top 10 would be a significant improvement since last year. I feel ready to compete, so keep an eye on my Instagram and Facebook pages to see when the wind’s up so you can watch it on the live stream!

Phil Soltysiak windsurfing in Sylt at the PWA World Tour Windsurfing World Cup last year.
Phil Soltysiak windsurfing in Sylt at the PWA World Tour Windsurfing World Cup last year.
View from the flight to Sylt on the volcanos in the state of Washington.
View from the flight to Sylt on the volcanos in the state of Washington.

And of course, check in after the event for a blog update on what happened!