As a Swiss you stand on skies at an early age. Yet when I got my first snowboard it soon became evident that for me its not just a sport that you do a few days a year. Snowboarding became a lifestyle. It was my goal to spend as many days on the board as possible – winter and summer. To call it an addiction would be an understatement.
Nevertheless it was during a six month backpackers trip through Central America that I discovered surfing. I never considered surfing, until in Guadeloupe I saw people surfing waves for the first time. With no clue how to surf I just tried it out in Costa Rica and found it to be so much fun and exhausting. But it was back in Europe in a surfcamp in Portugal where I learned the basics. The thrill and excitement of surfing was similar to snowboarding but still so different.
Going back home I started my studies in tourism in Chur. Here I was surrounded by the best ski resorts and it fueled my addiction for snowboarding again. However as soon as the snow melted – I grabbed every opportunity I got to catch some waves. In combination with the search for waves was always the encounter with other cultures in exotic countries, which in its own became fascinating. Surfing just as snowboarding became part of my life.
Apart from this I was always interested in the possibilities the web offers and so I choose this as a career path after my study. In the past years I gained considerable knowledge in Online Advertising, Social Media, Web Publishing and Digital Analytics. Working in these fields in Chur for the Rhätische Bahn and some other companies I was fortunate enough to work flexible hours in order to enjoy the fresh fallen snow and spend longer vacations to go surfing.
But as a landlocked surfer I became frustrated, because my time in the ocean was limited I couldn’t improve as good or fast as I wanted. I needed more practise and time. So that is how the idea for a surf world trip came to be. Finally we are not limited by the factor time anymore and we both can follow our passion to surf and travel the world.
Laybacktravel.com is our mutual project to share our experience with the world, in addition for me its a way to continue working in my profession and still surf more than I ever have.
Places surfed:
California, Taiwan, Philippines, France, Peru, New Zealand, Samoa, Chile, Wales, Spain, Portugal, Panama, Italy, Vietnam, Morocco, Ghana, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Indonesia (Bali, Lombok, Sumatra, Sumbawa, Java), Nicaragua, Costa Rica