Marie Schlittenbauer
An interview by Axel Reese with Marie Schlittenbauer, the 2025 Wingfoil Surf Freestyle World Champion from Rosenheim in Germany
This isn't just a burning question for Axel: A wing foil world champion who lives with her family in Rosenheim, Germany and has to drive three hours just to get to a good wing foil spot?
This is rather unusual for the Wingfoil World Cup, as many of the riders come directly from top spots like Tarifa, the south of France, Maui, or the Columbia River. Others travel around the globe all year long with a private instructor for school and a wing foil coach, always on the hunt for the perfect wing foil spots to train and make it onto the podium at the GWA World Cup.
Marie Schlittenbauer training at Lake Garda
Yes, there is another way, as Marie’s story shows. Marie grew up in a surfing family, too, since her grandfather, Franz Schlittenbauer, was once the CEO of the windsurfing brand F2 and later of the surf travel specialist Surf & Action Company - a role that Marie’s father, Markus, eventually took over for several years.
Axel spoke with the new world champion in the surf freestyle discipline, who has only been seriously wing foiling for a year and a half and doesn’t like all the fuss because she’s “just a normal 15-year-old high school student.”
Marie, how does it feel to be a world champion?
It feels great! I'm really happy that I managed to do it, especially since this was my first year on the world tour.
Contest debut at the GWA event in Tarifa
Almost no one in the wing foil scene will know you, so please introduce yourself briefly.
I’m 15 years old and come from Rosenheim, where I attend high school. I started wing foiling three years ago. My dad was the first to take it up, and then the rest of us in the family followed his lead. For the past year, we’ve been doing almost nothing but wing foiling; before that, we did more kitesurfing.
I first saw your name in the heat order for the world cup in Tarifa. And then, out of nowhere, you became world champion!
Yes, I didn't start competing until early 2025, and my first event was the world cup in Tarifa, where I finished third, and, yes, things went well for me.
But to say it “went well” is - if I may say so - probably a bit of an understatement, because, to reiterate, you don’t actually live in a wing foiling hotspot; you’re from Rosenheim, where there’s very little water and even less wind.
Yeah, that's right - there's practically nothing around here. We might go to Lake Simssee once or twice a year. Other than that, there's nothing here!
And at Lake Chiemsee?
No, that won't work either. The Lake Kochel is probably the best option, but it's always so cold there, and the lake is almost a two-hour drive from Rosenheim.
Marie Schlittenbauer's world cup debut
How many weekends do you spend with your family at Lake Garda?
Yes, quite a few - we’re at the lake almost every weekend during the summer months.
And how many days a year do you get out on the water?
Maybe about 60 to 80 days a year.
A wingfoil world champion who only gets out on the water 60 to 80 days a year. Well, even on the coasts of northern Germany, there are some amateur wing foilers who get even more time on the water. Changing the subject: You didn’t join your sponsor until spring 2025. Tim Schubert, Sales Manager at Duotone for the Wing & Foiling division, had supported you as best he could with boards, foils, and wings.
Yes, I got a board and the wings I needed from the test warehouse.
When did you compete in your first competition?
That was the event in Tarifa in June.
Perfect for wing foiling - in the summer, she often head to Lake Garda
And when did you finally realize, “Hey, I can do better than this - I can stand right at the top of the podium”?
That was during a family vacation in Egypt in March, where I learned how to do a backflip, and that was exactly what the women were doing at the world cup. That’s when I thought this might actually work out. In April, we were on Boa Vista, where I learned how to do backflips and frontflips within two weeks, and that’s when the idea of competing in a world cup really took hold.
Tim Schubert said about you as a wing foiler, “Wow, Marie is pretty tough - she trains with the tough guys, and she even pulls off some really difficult tricks!”
Yeah, I try to do what the guys around me are doing. They’re my brother Franz, Rocco Sotomayor, and Franz Rappolder. In the morning we usually ride in Malcesine, and in the afternoon we ride with the Ora at Conca. We’re always together and practice the tricks together.
Marie has only been part of the Duotone team since 2025
Let's stick with the tricks. What “hard” moves do you already have in your repertoire?
The palau backloop, back mobe and the double palau.
Do you also see a risk of injury, or is that not really something you’re thinking about?
Nothing has happened to me so far, so I don't even think about it - you'd really have to go all out for something to happen.
Do you even know what “fear of getting hurt” means when it comes to wing foiling?
Not really, because I’m just diving into the water. But when I was learning front flips, I did take a pretty hard hit - that was “the worst” thing that’s happened so far.
Marie's wing foil buddies at the lake
Does being only 15 years old work to your advantage?
I think I already have an advantage over older people, and the guys I hang out with are quick learners, too.
You're not afraid to try even the really difficult tricks. How do you learn new tricks?
Yeah, I see the other guys doing new tricks, and when they do that - even on Instagram - I watch it a few times, and then I try the tricks myself.
Tim Schubert also said, “Hey, Marie is super athletic, too.” What does your training routine look like when you're out in the countryside to stay in shape for wing foiling?
Hmm, I don't really have a set workout routine. But at the ski club, we do coordination drills and go running together. Other than that, I don't do anything specifically for wing foiling.
Chris Macdonald and Marie Schlittenbauer on Fuerteventura
Is 18 already considered “past your prime” in the freestyle world cup? That’s probably how Chris Mcdonald feels, having dominated freestyle almost at will during the 2023 and 2024 seasons, only to be replaced by 14-year-old Benjamin Castenskiold.
Yes, most of them are very young. We also have Sofia Ginzinger on the team, who’s only 12 years old. The younger ones are probably better. But there are also a few riders over twenty who compete on the world tour.
Changing the subject. I hear that right after your world championship victory, you received offers from other brands with very attractive financial terms. What made you stick with Duotone?
Honestly, the new Unit D/LAB Wings are insane because they have so much hangtime! They're really good! And the Aero Carve 3 Foil is just as insane because the pop and re-pop are way better than with other brands.
And for me, it’s very convenient that Duotone’s headquarters are in Oberhaching, near Munich; if I need anything, it’s less than an hour’s drive away, and the staff are always happy to help me.
Also: As I mentioned, I ride a lot with Rocco Sotomayor from Lake Garda, Franz Rappolder, and of course my brother Franz, who all have Duotone gear too. This really helps us out because we’re all using the same boards, foils and wings.
Marie is confident in performing palaus
Keyword: “RePops.” What are the best combos you can pull off?
I'm doing “Palau to Palau to 360” - that's the best combo I know.
Your family would prefer to keep things low-key around you - in other words, they don’t really want to make a big deal out of you or create a fuss. What do you think about that?
Yeah, I just started competing in the World Cup, and it all happened so suddenly. I go to a regular high school in Rosenheim, I’m just a regular student, and I’m just starting my 10th-grade year.
On Fuerteventura, the wing foiler from Rosenheim claimed her first World Cup victory
Okay, no interview is complete without a look into the future. Klaas Voget, the line manager at your sponsor Duotone, just said that you have a very good chance of dominating the freestyle scene in the coming years. What are your thoughts on that?
I think I picked up the tricks pretty quickly, and when I hear from my friends who also compete in the world cups, it took them much longer to learn them. So I’m definitely hoping I can keep competing at the top. Hopefully it’ll stay that way. And it’s also a lot of fun to go wing foiling together with the other riders in the world cup, have a good time, and just hang out.
Marie Schlittenbauer also won the event in Gran Canaria, thereby being crowned the 2025 Surf Freestyle World Champion
You already touched on this briefly - what kind of material are you standing and working on?
When I'm out in 20–25 knot winds in Malcesine, I use the following gear: the new 4.0 Unit D/LAB, the Sky Style board with 55 liters of volume, an 82 cm mast, and the Aero Carve 3 650. The foil is very fast, has great pop and re-pop, and no turbulence during freestyle - it glides like a dream!
The 2026 season is just around the corner, and the first GWA Surf Freestyle Contest kicks off in Leucate this April. We’re rooting for you.
25.02.2026 © WING DAILY | Text: Axel Reese / reemedia | Photos/Videos: Duotone / Simone Girotti, Duotone / Uli Rappolder, fuerteventura-worldcup.org / Tom Brendt, GWA / Lukas K. Stiller, GWA / Samuel Cardenas
Text: Axel Reese / reemedia Photos/Videos: Duotone / Simone Girotti Photos/Videos: Duotone / Uli Rappolder Photos/Videos: fuerteventura-worldcup.org / Tom Brendt Photos/Videos: GWA / Lukas K. Stiller Photos/Videos: GWA / Samuel Cardenas DE