Surfing on the Eisbach River in Munich
Surfers take to the waves in Munich's Eisbach River.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Wild waves, extreme sports and all the thrills in the center of a big city. City surfing on the Eisbach river in Munich is only for the toughest, it's for real men.
SURFER: "The men are actually better. The women are good surfers too, but the lads seem to do more tricks."
NARRATOR: Is that so? Tanja Thaler doesn't think so. This 33-year-old has been surfing in the heart of Munich for 10 years now. Surfing is her ideal escape from the day to day routine.
TANJA THALER: "It's a recreational sport, a way to wind down. It's how I clear my head."
NARRATOR: Freedom, weightlessness and a challenge all in one. "It's like an addiction", says Tanja. In addition to her job as a social worker she attends university, works nights as a bouncer and is also a single mother. She has to keep a tight schedule, but she always makes time for surfing.
THALER: "You just have to schedule everything else around it. I work a lot and I'm back at school, but I make time to surf."
NARRATOR: The Eisbach flows right through Munich. Below the bridge here it's only around 10 meters wide, enclosed by steep concrete walls. The lure of the extreme and the thrill of the danger are constant companions.
THALER: "It's okay. Everybody crashes into the rocks sometimes. Accidents happen."
NARRATOR: The standing wave here at Prinzregentenstrasse has become a well-known tourist attraction cited in any Munich tour guide. Munich's extreme surfers have captivated visitors from around the world for 35 years.
SPECTATOR 1: "It's pretty surreal to have a surfing spot in the middle of a city."
SPECTATOR 2: "It takes nerve to jump in there."
NARRATOR: The surfing stars take the attention in stride. Some play it up for the audience, while others simply concentrate on the flow.
THALER: "At first you feel like a monkey in the zoo. But at some point you just shut it out. And I'm extremely careful. I only ever surf with a life vest, even though now I can really control my falls. I don't watch the tourists. I watch the wave and the board and the rocks. After all, it can be pretty dangerous here."
NARRATOR: Come ice or snow, rain or shine, Munich's city surfers seem impervious to the weather. The urge to surf even brings them out in the winter.
THALER: "I've been out when it was eight degrees below zero centigrade. It's pretty nice because then you have the wave all to yourself."
NARRATOR: So, what counts is the Eisbach feeling, enthusiasm for city surfing and quite simply, the love of sport.
SURFER: "The men are actually better. The women are good surfers too, but the lads seem to do more tricks."
NARRATOR: Is that so? Tanja Thaler doesn't think so. This 33-year-old has been surfing in the heart of Munich for 10 years now. Surfing is her ideal escape from the day to day routine.
TANJA THALER: "It's a recreational sport, a way to wind down. It's how I clear my head."
NARRATOR: Freedom, weightlessness and a challenge all in one. "It's like an addiction", says Tanja. In addition to her job as a social worker she attends university, works nights as a bouncer and is also a single mother. She has to keep a tight schedule, but she always makes time for surfing.
THALER: "You just have to schedule everything else around it. I work a lot and I'm back at school, but I make time to surf."
NARRATOR: The Eisbach flows right through Munich. Below the bridge here it's only around 10 meters wide, enclosed by steep concrete walls. The lure of the extreme and the thrill of the danger are constant companions.
THALER: "It's okay. Everybody crashes into the rocks sometimes. Accidents happen."
NARRATOR: The standing wave here at Prinzregentenstrasse has become a well-known tourist attraction cited in any Munich tour guide. Munich's extreme surfers have captivated visitors from around the world for 35 years.
SPECTATOR 1: "It's pretty surreal to have a surfing spot in the middle of a city."
SPECTATOR 2: "It takes nerve to jump in there."
NARRATOR: The surfing stars take the attention in stride. Some play it up for the audience, while others simply concentrate on the flow.
THALER: "At first you feel like a monkey in the zoo. But at some point you just shut it out. And I'm extremely careful. I only ever surf with a life vest, even though now I can really control my falls. I don't watch the tourists. I watch the wave and the board and the rocks. After all, it can be pretty dangerous here."
NARRATOR: Come ice or snow, rain or shine, Munich's city surfers seem impervious to the weather. The urge to surf even brings them out in the winter.
THALER: "I've been out when it was eight degrees below zero centigrade. It's pretty nice because then you have the wave all to yourself."
NARRATOR: So, what counts is the Eisbach feeling, enthusiasm for city surfing and quite simply, the love of sport.
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