Julien Mas

In the following interview we introduce Julien Mas, one of France's shooting starts in freestyle windsurfing, ranked 26th in the EFPT (European Freestyleprotour) freestyle tour 2010.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from and how come you got into freestyle windsurfing?
Hi, I’m Julien Mas and I’m 21. I come from France and I live in Grenoble close to Lake Monteynard. That’s where I began windsurfing and where my passion for freestyle started. At that time, I used to watch teenagers who were practicing this discipline and they looked so cool and relaxed. So I wanted to become like them. I started windsurfing at the age of 6 and  practicing freestyle at the age of 13. I live near a town with many rivers that are all quite dirty. The nearest river from where I live is the Isère. I have never surfed there because it is forbidden by the law and it is said that the Isère river is very toxic but it’s my dream to go one day. When the winter arrives Lake Affrey starts to freeze, so I start my car and I drive in the direction of Lyon until I reach the Rhône River that is also a bit dirty. Fortunately there’s a McDonalds next to the spot where I can recover from a session afterwards :)

What has been your greatest success on the EFPT tour so far and how did you feel back then?
I finished 5th at the EFPT at Leucate in 2010. It was the first time that I took part in a competition, so I was able to see how it looked like. A competition is very different from a free session, you have to contain your stress, to manage the moves of your opponents but also succeed in performing your own moves so that you don’t finish out of the limit. I’m working very this year to improve my skills.

How and where do you prepare yourself for the tour 2011 that is kicking off in Europe with a show event in Podersdorf / Austria?
From October to December I trained in different spots in Brazil and since mid-January I’m training at Bonaire until beginning of April.  Ya , I heard that the freestyle competition for the EFPT will start with such a night session towin.

What are your favorite moves and what's the latest move you're working on ? 
Air funnel and Skopu.

Can you describe a typical big day on Rhône River while sailing with your buddies?
A dirty day !! Some wind and some sun! It starts with a phone call to my friend Alexis Fernet who comes and shoots the session, then we drive in direction of St Alban du Rhône (90km). After St Alban du Rhône there’s town that stinks of cat litter and when you get this smell it means you’re nearly there. Generally, the conditions are quite good in the morning. A good day is 4.2 fullpower, good chops. In the afternoon it gets a bit irregular. I ride for 2 hours and when I come out of the water my skin starts to itch. The water is a bit dirty. After the session I always go and eat at MacDonald’s to clean the inside :)