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THE ULTIMATE ONE-DAY ADVENTURE Back on the streets of central Munich, the white slopes of the Zugspitze seem like a different world altogether. Up next: the world-famous Eisbachwelle urban surf wave as the unmistakable sound of a snowboard cutting through powder snow breaks the silence. Seconds later, Daniel hits the point of no return and with a deep, heavy thump he takes off into the air. We watch him gracefully turn 360 degrees as he glides through the blue sky above us. For what seems like ages, we behold this small miracle unfold. With no one else around, the coming together of the Alpine backdrop, fresh snow, blue morning sky and Daniel landing expertly on his board feels like we just witnessed the very essence of snowboarding. It’s a moment of freedom so pure that you can’t help but envy the grinning rider as he pulls up next to us with a cheeky, “How’s that?!” We spend the rest of the morning like this, trailing the pair as they find one natural obstacle to conquer after another. We learn that Basti fractured his spine not only once but twice in a four-year span, but still made it back on his board. “It’s all part of it,” he says with a shrug before taking on a 13-foot drop. Daniel, hyped by the endless playground beneath him, throws his board through the powder again and again, chasing the perfect spray of white snow for our photographer. Their energy level is remarkable, and yet the day is only halfway through. After a quick lunch watching the shadows play on the mountain slopes, it’s time to head back to the bustle of downtown Munich. We’ll need to get moving if we want to catch waves in the city. For decades, the Eisbachwelle has attracted surfers to the Bavarian capital from all over the world. Located in the middle of Munich, the wave used to be up and running only a few weeks a year, when the conditions of the riverbed were just right. That all changed in the 1980s when a local surfer took matters into his own hands and brought power tools and generator lights to the river, laying a single, heavy railway rail across the riverbed. The rail broke the wave just right, and today it stands proudly at around 5 feet all year round. Visit Munich any day of the year and you’ll notice just how much of a surfing hotspot the Eisbachwelle has become. Dozens of surfers line up on the riverbank every day, packing wetsuits and custom shortboards ideal for this kind of wave, while scores of tourists and spectators gather to take photos and cheer them on. “Especially in the summer, it gets very crowded,” says Daniel as he emerges from the water following a first run. “But people surf here all year round at all times. I used to get up at five in the morning in the winter to have the place to myself. That’s how you learn. Of course we do it to have fun, but you need to be obsessed with getting better. There’s no easy way around it.” Behind us, Basti has already made the first few turns on the wave, pushing his feet across the roaring waters as he commands his board back and forth. As soon as he slips and gets carried away by the strong current, the next surfer in line jumps in. The spectacle is truly impressive, and as the 58 THE JAGUAR

“I USED TO COME HERE AT FIVE IN THE MORNING IN THE WINTER TO HAVE THE PLACE TO MYSELF” PHOTOGRAPHY: RASMUS KAESSMANN, MATTHEW MICAH WRIGHT / GETTY IMAGES hours pass by and the afternoon turns into early evening, the pair continues to take turns in a seemingly endless line of short battles with the perpetual wave. The sky above is no longer blue, and the serenity of the Zugspitze has been replaced with the deafening noise of the wild city river and cars passing by above it. It’s as if we have traveled between parallel realities, only connected by the two riders’ dedication to showing us the best of both their worlds. “This is what it is all about,” Basti says, as the two boarders finally call it a day, the cold water running from their wetsuits and their skin still colored by the morning mountain sun. “Living here means that you have the luxury of choice: Mountain or river, winter or summer, it’s all there,” he continues. “You’d be a fool not to take advantage.” As the day comes to an end, the traffic at the wave wears off, and only a handful of dedicated surfers still jump into the water, trying to land that final big trick before calling it quits. And as for Daniel and Basti? They are done for the day and what a day it has been. But to them this is every day, and by no means the end. They’ll be back on their boards again tomorrow. And the day after that. SNOW TO SURF WORLDWIDE Nevada in Andalucía, Spain, lies just two hours by car from the Mediterranean Sea and the waves of Costa del Sol. A popular destination for surfers is the CALIFORNIA Big Bear Mountain and the nearby sleepy seaside village of Big Bear Lake in California El Palo, just outside (above) offer excellent charming Málaga. conditions for a full day on your board. Less than two THE CHILEAN ANDES hours apart, one can easily Snowboarding in the make the morning snow Andes is on many a bucket and still hit the waves in list, but why stop there? the afternoon sun. Start the day in Santiago de Chile, and you’ll have SPAIN One of Southern plenty of time to make it to Europe’s most popular Valaparaíso on the Pacific skiing destinations, Sierra coast, all in a single day. THE JAGUAR 59