Rip Curl Europe gathered a team of female ambassadors – Ludovica Robaudo, Janina Zeitler, Marta Davila Mateu – for a few days of surf, skating and fun in the beautiful south west region of France.
Photos Fred Lecoq / Ripcurl
Sunday:
We were picked up from the airport in a fully kitted out bus (our transport and accommodation for the next few days) and headed to straight to Mimizan Plage Remember to camp for the night.
Monday:
In the morning Vincent Duvignac joined us for two hours’ surf coaching. He gave us lots of useful advice and explained how sand banks work, then we hit the water. Conditions were great but with strong currents it was tricky for everyone to spot the best place in the line-up.
At the end of the day we had a skate session, with Marta ripping in the bowl. Then we moved to Vielle St Girons (one hour south from Mimizan) for the night there.
Tuesday:
After a dreamy early surf, with offshore wind and few people in the line-up, we had a restorative yoga session under the pine trees in the middle forest.
Fuelled up from lunch we set out on electric bikes, on the search for empty waves up north. The weather was a bit windy and cloudy, but still we managed to find small and fun waves. We headed back to the bus to camp in Seignosse (one hour South from Vielle St Girons) for the night.
Morning yoga in the pine forest, to stretch and relax.
The best day of the trip so far!
Thursday:
The best day of the trip so far!
We parked our bus in Anglet at Les Corsaires in the morning. Marta left the trip and went back to home but Manon from @allonsrider joined us, and we hit the beach to check the surf conditions. The waves were so fun with almost no one in the water. We surfed for two hours at La Chambre d’Amour (Anglet), then went back to the bus to have lunch and recharge. During the afternoon the weather was hot, so we walked around Biarritz and enjoyed the city view.
Friday:
The end of this sick trip. A lot of fun, memories and some new friendships!
Marta Davila Mateu, Spain, Data and Software Engineer
Marta, where was your favourite place you visited?
I liked Mimizan because it was lost in the middle of the pine trees and the sunset light between the trees was really beautiful.
What was the surf like?
It was great! The first day, the size was good but there was too much current. However, Tuesday was amazing in Vielle St Girons, when we surfed early morning, without any current and before the wind kicked in.
What was the best thing about the trip?
Surfing and learning from Janina. It’s amazing to be able to surf and learn from such a talented surfer.
And the worst?
Yoga and hard positions, which gave me muscle pain for the rest of my life (exaggerating)!
Ludovica enjoying the fun waves.
Ludovica Robaudo, Italy, Owner of a Kindergarden and Model
Ludovica, where was your favourite place you visited?
My favourite place was Vielle Saint-Girons: staying so close to nature makes me feel relaxed and the beach was so long and covered with seashells!
What were your best moments?
My fave thing was cooking pasta for the crew and I also won’t forget the day we had electric bicycles: the private lesson with Jeremy is something that will make me laugh forever hahaha!
Where was your favourite place you visited?
I enjoyed every second we had in Anglet, as it was simply the perfect combination of ocean and city. Surfing in my Bombshell Series shorty, in beautiful warm water, and then enjoying the day in the city was a highlight of this trip for me.
Janina impressed the others in the surf.
Janina Zeitler, Germany, Rip Curl Team Rider
What was the surf like during the week?
Overall the surf was amazing, not only due to the epic waves we scored, but also due to the great atmosphere, making every session with the girls really fun and memorable.
Who was the standout surfer on the trip?
It’s really hard to choose a stand out surfer in this trip, as we all put on such a great show. But if I had to choose one I would say Ludovica really impressed me, not only because of her performance, but also due to her constant smile and really positive vibe throughout every session we had.
What was your least favourite thing about it?
Well, I’m split between the awkward usage of the bathroom, always striving to be as quiet and sneaky as possible, and the beautiful symphony that our photographer snored out loud on the bus during the first evening!
