BACK-TO-BACK ACTION
No less than 24 hours after touching down and one epic afternoon slalom session off a beach only 20m from our resort room front door later, we were on another truck heading one hour west to the famous wave sailing spot of Le Morne, ready to play our parts in an epic slalom competition – The Mauritius Freeride Paradise Challenge. Perhaps not one of the best-known events in the world, this festival was held over a seven-day period, with competitors racing in teams across four separate venues showcasing the best of Mauritius’ beaches. The week kicks off with some hard-core downwind slalom at Le Morne, usually the windiest spot in Mauritius, before moving further around the coast to Point D’sny for some speed racing across the flat water inside the reef. A day of medium length marathon slalom races, right in front of the Preskil resort, follows before, finally, the epic ‘Pheonix Crossing’ marathon, an all-in slalom race crossing over 40 km. of Mauritian coastline. This Pro-Am contest attracted the best the Indian Ocean has to offer, with a strong local contingent, some South African slalom hotshots as well as an Aussie team and a host of PWA World Tour sailors from France.
