In 1985 a trip to Connecticut launched me literally head over heels into windsurfing. I lived and breathed the sport. As usual, I progressed from big board to custom small board way too quickly and almost became ‘shark meat’ in the storm-surge 15 foot breaking waves in Cabarete’s reef. But as a result and out of necessity, I learned very quickly certain life-saving maneuvers. I travelled every opportunity I could to Cape Hatteras, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Lago di Garda to sharpen my skills. Windsurfing really came close to rivaling the passion I had put into my art for so many years.

Along the way, skiing and mountain biking have been and still are passions. Returning to mountaineering, however, deserves special note. In 2000, I was invited by my dear German friends to windsurf with them in Italy. After meeting them in their hometown of Karlsruhe, we drove to the Italian Dolomites for several days of hiking. On day 2 we climbed a 1500’ rock wall called the Via Ferrata Tridentina. It was my 1st experience rock wall climbing and frankly the whole Dolomite experience whetted my appetite once again for mountain culture.