Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

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Trip Papua Neuguinea

Papua New Guinea, a remote, mysterious country, secluded from the modern world! Where Stone Age continues, where unknown, belligerent tribes live which  –  according to some rumours…  –  still exercise headhunting and cannibalism. A common cliché, much too often portrayed in the media and stuck in people’s heads…

The ones who are familiar with my articles know that ever since I stopped competing in the World Cup, I have been focusing on freeride missions that aim at helping the sport by constantly finding and exploring new, still rather unknown kitesurf-destinations, far away from the crowds.

My trips of the past years have taken me to the most remote corners of our fascinating planet and I have had the privilege to kitesurf on hidden lakes in Russia, ride perfect waves in the deepest outback of Australia, explore unknown coastlines in Belize, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Cape Verde, play in the waters of Caribbean islands that are still completely unheard-of and many more special places.  I have to admit it gets harder and harder to discover perfect kiting grounds, though, I am a high achiever and am never happy with average results… the good news for you guys is:  recently I have hit the jackpot !

In my mission as ‘globetrotting freerider’ it magically draws me to always even more unusual places and I simply love to immerse myself in other worlds and new cultures. With this in mind I packed up my 60kgs quiver not too long ago and jumped on a plane to an absolutely unique place, that only a few have discovered for themselves and travel agencies seldom offer as a destination: Papua New Guinea.  I wanted to find out whether there are any grounds to the prejudices and clichés and obviously also what the country has to offer in terms of kitesurf-potential.

Photographed by Jason Pini, this adventure into the unknown turned into a dream-trip that will remain in my heart forever. A ‘once-in-a-lifetime’-experience which felt a bit like a visit to another planet and which clearly prove the incredibly strong unifying force of our great sport !

Check out this beautiful 10 page feature in the leading german mag, Kiteboarding.de. Read it either right here online or download it onto your computer. A fascinating trip of 3 stages, wrapped up with handy tips. Soon, also to be published in English and French, stay tuned !!