Ester Ledecká is a Czech snowboarder and alpine skier who won golden medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics for the super-G in alpine skiing and the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding. She is also a friend of Swiss watchmakers Richard Mille, road-testing the RM 07-04 Automatic Sport. Ledecká is the first person to compete using two different types of equipment in the Winter Olympics and the first woman to win an Olympic gold in two separate disciplines. During the summer months Ledecká stays active by practicing windsurfing on the island of Lefkada, located on the west coast of Greece. Here, she shares her tips on how to stay active on the sunny Ionian island.
There are many places in the world that are sunny and beautiful but for me, Lefkada is a special island where I can connect everything that I love in one place to create a perfect environment. I do a lot of windsurfing and Lefkada is a windsurfing reserve – I do all my summer preparation there. Each year, I’m there for a month and a half at a time. I’ve been going there with my family since I was nine years old, so for almost 20 years now. It’s funny, I have more Greek friends than I have Czech friends.
My physio comes there with me to assist with fitness preparation in the morning and then, in the afternoon, I go windsurfing by myself. The water is perfect for taking my boat out and I can park it just outside the hotel and not worry about it as there aren’t too many waves coming in.
When I’m there I feel like I don’t have to worry about anything, I just do my job and then I spend my free time doing the activities I love with my family, who usually visit for a few weeks. I travel a lot for my job but I’m not the type of person who enjoys travelling frequently from place to place so I appreciate the security of staying in one location for a while where I can relax. To other people that may sound boring but for me, it’s incredibly peaceful.
Lefkada is the perfect place to visit if you’re interested in windsurfing because it’s not super windy all day. The morning is the best time to windsurf because there’s a light breeze, which is just coming in from the ocean that isn’t too strong so it’s ideal for practising how to coordinate the sail. The thermic wind starts at around three o’clock in the afternoon. This is a much stronger wind that comes from in between two mountains – it’s a lot of fun to go out and enjoy yourself.
