Mamas Surf week in Biarritz 05/06/10 to 12/06/10

Champagne and waves in the home of French surf culture.
Biarritz Ladies Surf Week is a luxury surf holiday for women of all ages who want to learn to surf. From our own experiences in the water- and on the beach- we think it really is better to learn with other women. We love men but we do find that they tend to get just a tiny bit macho where extreme sports are concerned! If you’ve ever tried to take lessons from a boyfriend or husband, you’re probably already sick of being told that the biggest wave of your life was ‘ about six inches. Learning to surf is one of the most exciting things you’ll ever do, and Biarritz is the perfect place to do it, combining world class waves with the laid back chic of Europe’s historic surf Mecca. The resort first became fashionable in the Belle Epoque, when it was visited by people like Picasso and Ernest Hemmingway. Then in the 1950s the pioneers of French surfing moved in - the sport of the kings and queens of Hawaii became the sport of the beautiful people. Since then the faded glamour of the Art Deco casinos and Russian tea houses has been given a new lease of life by the arrival of the international surf community.
The waves are world class, from empty beach breaks on picturesque sandy beaches to the legendary big wave spots at Guethary, with a backdrop of the corniche and the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Seven years ago Johanna Matsson arrived in Biarritz from Verbier, where she was a professional free skier, competing in the world tour, and heli-ski-ing in the Andes and Himalayas. She was hooked on surfing after her first session, and swapped the mountains for the waves -endless winter for endless summer.
It was here that she met her husband Christophe Reinhardt, whose father Bruno was one of the first surfers on the Basque coast. Christophe started taking waves at the tender age of three, and went on to become French champion , but he’s best known as a fearless big wave rider, surfing in Pipeline and Sunset in Hawaii, and his home breaks at Guethary and Avalanche. He has over twenty years experience as a surf instructor.

In 2004 the couple set up the Mamas Surf Club, with the idea of getting women out of the kitchen and into the surf. It was an eclectic group of women from 20-50 years old, who had ended up in Guethary from all over the world, Lappland, Idaho, London, Amsterdam. In the original group, most had children, and most were married to surfers and had tried over the years to learn with their partners - with very little success. Their fitness levels ranged from keen sportswomen to women who kind of meant to join the gym - one day. But they all learned to surf and had a lot of fun doing it - there were cakes and hot coffee on the beach in winter, barbequeues in the summer. And of course an apres surf glass of rosé in one of the local beach bars, watching the sun set over the Spot, and reliving the waves and wipeouts of the day.
So we’re sticking to the same plan here. We’ve got team of fully qualified instructors, including Johanna and Christophe of course, who know all the local spots, swell conditions, tides and wind directions, so we can take you to whichever wave is working best. With several instructors we can split the group according to your ability, so beginners might go to the beach break others go to the peak, and there’s a high instructor student ratio, so you’ll get some one on one coaching in every session.
What we want to share with our guests is the exhilarating experience of surfing, and the lifestyle as well. That means oysters in the markets, shopping in Biarritz, a trip down to Spain for tapas, aperitifs in the beach bars in Guéthary, and gourmet French food. (Don’t worry about not fitting into your wet suit at the end of the week, you’ll burn off thousands of calories in the water. Believe us, when you surf, you need to eat!)
There’s also a free massage for every guest, and two yoga classes during

the week.
You’ll be staying at a private lodge with swimming pool and tennis courts in the Domaine de Bassilour, an 18th century chateau in parkland 3km from the coast. Every day we’ll give you breakfast, take you on a four hour surf lesson, timed on the conditions. Then you can either join in activities, explore on your own, or relax on the beach. We’ve got professional chef at the lodge, and are also planning a night out in a local restaurant, a plancha barbecue prepared by Christophe and a wine tasting evening- we’re working on getting sponsored by a champagne company!
The price of the week is 950 euros which includes 7 nights accomodation, with breakfast and dinner, 6 days of surf lessons including all your equipment, massage and yoga, and transport to and from the breaks and airport pick-up.
Flights are not included but you can get very cheap deals on Ryanair.