What makes a 90-year-old man keep wingfoiling? Or someone driving two hours from Milan to Lake Como just to get on the water? Or someone leaving their home country to dedicate their life to watersports?

You could say it's the adrenaline of riding so fast that everything around you begins to blur. The feeling of flow when you're carving across a wave. Or those few seconds after a jump when gravity seems to disappear.

Yes, it's all of that.

But I believe what truly brings us back, again and again, is something else.

Shared passion.

Riding with a friend or someone you love. Telling your friends you finally landed the trick you've been working on for weeks. Showing your family photos from your latest session. Encouraging others, and being encouraged in return.

That is exactly what I found in Cremia with the ENSIS team.

 

On Friday afternoon, Andy—who has been part of the ENSIS family for years—kindly picked me up in Gargnano, on the shores of Lake Garda, and we headed together towards Lake Como.

The two-hour drive flew by. Between stories about wind, travelling and foiling, the conversation made the journey feel much shorter than it actually was.

When we arrived at the campsite, Tobi had already pitched my tent. That evening we all had dinner together and, from the very first moment, I was impressed by how naturally everyone made me feel part of the group. It didn't feel like a dinner with colleagues. It felt like a family that had been gathering around the same table for years.

 

The next morning, Demo Day began.

While the riders prepared the gear and the first visitors arrived at the beach, I spent time talking with dealers, customers and ENSIS riders. Little by little, I realised the feeling I'd had the night before wasn't just a first impression.

No one was there simply to ride. Everyone was there to share.

 

Tobi and Michi helped me choose different setups to test throughout the day. Michi even lent me one of his own boards. Every combination delivered the same feeling: lightweight, incredibly responsive and precise, allowing you to focus entirely on enjoying the session.

But surprisingly, what I remember most isn't any particular piece of equipment. It's the atmosphere.

Every time we came back to the beach, Michi's wife and their young daughter—exploring every corner with the curiosity only children have—welcomed everyone with a smile. Between sessions, conversations naturally drifted from wind conditions to equipment, from travel stories to everyday life.

And that's when something clicked. The real difference wasn't just the products. Or the event itself. It was the people.

 

At the end of the day, one feeling stayed with me: the ENSIS team truly feels like a family. And when that's the case, the sport becomes much more than just a sport.

It becomes a place you always want to return to.

There's a well-known quote from Into the Wild that says: "Happiness is only real when shared". After Cremia, I'd like to offer my own version:

Passion is better when shared”.

 

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