Switzerland is landlocked. Germany to the north, Austria to the east, Italy down south, and France to the west. It’s not, then, known for its beaches. Mountains, yes. Älplermagronen and chocolate, yes and yes. But beaches and waves? No and no. But when Jackson Lebsack, the guy who used to film for Jamie O’Brien, went there, he went surfing.
If you follow surfing, you’re likely aware of Alaia Bay. Back in 2015, a guy named Adam Bonvin headed to Hossegor on a surf trip. While he was there, he decided that surfing in Switzerland would be fun, too. While most people, however, would simply shrug and say, “it’s landlocked,” and go back to eating Älplermagronen and chocolate in the shadow of the Matterhorn, Bonvin decided to take advantage of the fact that we are in the future and have wave pools. He fired up a crowdfunding campaign and in less that two months, he had 100,000 Swiss francs at his disposal to make that dream a reality.
Over the next few years, Alaia Bay took shape into what it is today. First, in June of 2017, they began building a center dedicated to action sports, like skateboarding, snowboarding, and BMX. In 2019, an indoor section opened its doors with a skatepark and a trampoline area for training. In November of the same year, ground was broken on a surf pool, which uses Wavegarden Cove technology.
And now it’s a real thing. A real thing where Jackson Lebsack decided would be a good place to practice his evolving tube-riding skills. And guess what? He was successful.
