Constantin Bisanz

November 28, 2011
by Constantin
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A dream comes true

Check out our Best of Trailer and see the most impressive moments of our challenge. Thank you for following our expedition and convictions.


August 16, 2011
by Constantin
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Today we are totally stoked – we broke world records

We are the first people who reached the international dateline by kiteboard in the direction Alaska to Russia.

We are also the fastest who achieved this approximately 70 kilometer distance with speeds of up to 40km/h without using a motor engine – only using the power of the wind and our body strength.

When we started our 3rd attempt the conditions worked perfectly for us – but as usual in the Bering Strait the weather changed from one extreme to the other in seconds – heavy fog, waves, super gusty winds and currents from 3 different directions.

Check out the movie of our successful attempt. We are really proud of what we have accomplished.

It was more than just setting up a record: our expedition was an amazing adventure. From dangerous situations out in the Bering Sea , heavy weather conditions and logistical challenges to a unique and also great fun team experience.

This success would not have been possible without our great support team and all of you – who also believed in this crazy dream! For sure we will never forget this trip! ;-)

August 2, 2011
by Constantin
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Video from our crazy attempt

Here’s the video from the day when we had extreme bad conditions: Crazy waves and storm: 1 board lost, 1 kite broken, 1 walkie-talkie broken, 1 gps tracker broken and 1 safety beacon lost.

July 27, 2011
by Constantin
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Please support Global H2O

Being a passionate kiter, water is my element. That is why I am an active supporter of the international charity organization Global H2O, which is an initiative of „The Wilde Foundation“, a non-profit organization aiming at building clean water and sanitary facilities for rural population worldwide. As you’re probably aware, the lack of clean drinking water is one of the biggest health risks in developing countries.

So please help: A donation of only 20 USD secures a lifelong supply of clean drinking water for a person, 150 USD even for a whole family. You can donate here: http://www.globalh2o.org/projects/constantin-bisanz/

 

Thank you in advance for your support!

July 27, 2011
by Constantin
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Test run with the boats

Check out a video of our first test run with the boats from Teller to Wales. Our boat crew is very professional and trained for rescuing, as you learned in my last post :-)

July 26, 2011
by Constantin
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Had some trouble yesterday

Recovering from an interesting kite-experience I had in the middle of the Bering Sea yesterday: 70 km/h storm picking up to more; monster waves came up like houses – up to 5 meters – my board broke and disappeared in the ocean, my leash ripped, Geza’s kite broke, lost my GPS, and all other communication tools broke down also… Happy when our fabulous Rescue Team managed to pull us out of the 2°C cold water,..feeling good now and preparing the next attempt.

PS: don’t tell my Mom ;-)

Foto: Maurice Lacroix Bering Strait Expedition

July 25, 2011
by Constantin
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Finally – images from Alaska

Here you find some pictures of our team, tons of luggage and even some snow in July :-)

Geza, André and me in our beautiful kiting suits – believe it or not, they keep really warm, even in 2 degree cold water.

That’s me and some packages in a small, small plane

Snow in the middle of summer – nice!

Tons of luggage have to be moved for our trip

A cute little Inuit girl

July 20, 2011
by Constantin
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The adventure continues

Guys, we almost made it: During our first try to do the crossing, we made 80 km within record time of only 2 hours 15 minutes. We already saw the Russian coast, only 20 km left and going fast – about 40 km/h on our kite boards – when suddenly a really strong currency drove us into a wind pocket and foggy walls behind the Russian islands. At some points I couldn’t even see Geza and André or our boats – scary!

With no wind left there was no chance to go on, there were times when we were lying for 30 minutes in 2 degree cold water – which was really scary too. We tried restarting the kites but didn’t succeed.

The whole trip took us six hours, in the end we were completely soaked and freezing. A violent storm came up when we returned to Alaska with ice-cold water and breaking waves. About 200 meters in front of the coast we had to jump off the boats and swim the last distance with our sleeping bags in hand (waterproof packed). The strong wind and waves drove us 500 meters south to where we were actually about to land – it was like Navi Seal training!

Under those conditions there was no chance for the boats to land in Wales, so they had to drive 100 km to Teller and land there – in storm and four meter high waves.

Back in the base camp, our school in Wales, we were really exhausted but still “hungry” and immediately checked when we can go for the next try.

If all goes well, the wind turns and the storm ceases during the next few days. We have to wait until the sea calms down – and with good winds we will be out there again, sure that we can make it. I keep you posted!