While I was on a surfing trip I got a call from Andy Higgins who currently works at Wave Garden and who used to organize the legendary Rip Curl the Search events.

To give you an idea, for those of you who are into surfing, Andy organised for me the best CT ever on the right-handers in Mexico. So when I saw the call I imagined it could be something cool but I didn't know to what extent...

The proposal was as follows: Go on a surf trip to the Swiss Alps to surf at Alaia Bay, the new artificial wave that was about to be finished.

My face lit up at this news because on the one hand I had never been to Switzerland (nor had I planned to) and on the other hand, until then I had never surfed the left-hand wave Wavegarden. He asked me if I was available to try the “wave menu” (we will talk about this later) to which I obviously replied yes, I would go there without hesitation.

It was clear to me that this was going to be a “trip of a lifetime.”

I would literally be one of the first people to surf in Switzerland and one of the first times in history that you could surf in a country without an ocean. What do you think?

We left a week earlier than planned because the weather was worse than expected and it was essential that we had a couple of days of sun both to film and to avoid being so cold.

I packed my bag with a couple of boards and a couple of thick wetsuits (6,5mm with cap included) and we agreed to leave Biarritz by car to Sion. It was about 10 or 11 hours of travel but it was easy because the motorways are good and we took turns to drive the two cars we had.

We managed to get to the hotel for dinner and went straight to rest because some very intense days awaited us.

I was excited to go to the wave and when we arrived we all went crazy watching some right and left tubes breaking in the middle of some snowy peaks in the background.

When I started surfing 15 years ago I never thought this was possible and I felt disoriented because the situation was beyond me. It was pure perfection, crystal blue water, tubes and all this for us alone.

It didn't take long for us to change and start testing the "Wave Menu" they had planned for us. This shows the different types of waves they can produce and with slight modifications within each of these waves to find the most suitable for the clients. There are five types of waves offered at present: Waikiki, Malibu, Turns, Airs and Barrels.

My favorite was the Barrels because I could try again and again until I got the right line to barrel from top to bottom. Although I had a great time on all the waves, in the barrels I was able to improve and practice my position a lot, especially on my back.

The fourth and last day of our trip, I really couldn't take it anymore, I was very tired since we surfed six hours each day and of course, it's not like in the sea where you have to wait and such, here you catch one wave after another so imagine the intensity!

It was a very different and groundbreaking trip. I felt lucky to be part of this great advancement in our sport. Many thanks to Wavegarden for the invitation and to Alaia Bay for the welcome and such a pleasant stay in a wonderful environment. I have no doubt that I will enjoy it again soon!

Suggestions:

-Boards: I recommend taking boards that are a little shorter than what you normally take. If it's an epoxy board, even better!

-Fins: I used medium fins and I usually use large, a little straighter than usual so I can pivot comfortably and, very importantly, allow me to skid on the tail on the back tubes.

-What wetsuit to wear: When I went in February the water was 6 degrees Celsius and I used a 6,5,4mm with a cap included. Gloves and booties are essential. There they have a room that dries everything in an hour so there is no need to bring a spare.

- By plane or by car? It took me about nine hours from Sion to Hendaye and the road is actually very good.

-Lastly, I don't know about you, but bread and jam for breakfast, which is the most common thing there, doesn't really suit me, so bring some good ham and olive oil.