Glenn Haslbeck

I fell in love with windsurfing from the first moment I experienced it.  It was one of those profound moments I have no explanation for.  That was at the age of 12 with an original Windsurfer on a flat and mostly windless-lake in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.  Finally at the age of 20 I bought my first „sinker“ board (a 9.0 Hi-Tech) and made my way to Nitinat lake on Vancouver Island where I learned the all important water start.  From there my progression naturally lead me to the Columbia river Gorge and then to the coasts of Oregon and Baja. It took me another 10 years before I found my way to Hawaii and the conditions that I had been dreaming about since I first learned about this amazing sport.  I have been living my dream of being a wave sailor in Hawaii since 2001, spending part of the winter season on Maui chasing the northern swells.  Spending as much time as I do at the mercy of mother nature gives me a profound respect for her power.  This respect flows over into my professional life as a graphic designer within the surf and windsurf industry.  I launched KOAV (www.koav.ca) and my youtube channel KOAV Sessions which are portals to share my artistic side and some of the moments I spend interacting with the ocean and Nature in general. I hope that in some small way I can inspire more people to make the time in their own lives get out in nature more often and experience the positive impact that has on ones life.     

Windsurfing provides the most intense connection with the elements… there is nothing else that forces me into the moment like this sport! Windsurfing also keeps me intrigued through the insane amount of endless challenges. There is no end to what we can create in the wind and waves.

Stay Healthy, Happy and see you on the water!

————-

Country: Canada

Home Town: Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Favorite Discipline: Wave

Sail Quiver (sizes and models): 4.5, 4.7, 4.9 KS3

Current Board Quiver: 80L Quatro CustomThruster, 86L Quatro Custom Thruster

Favorite Sailing Spots: Hookipa, Kanaha, Sprecks