ATHLETE PROFILE: Annika Seidl

Interviewed by Alexandra Black-Paulick

When it comes to finding a pro paddler at the top of their game, Annika Seidl makes the short list for the entire European market. Not only does she run her own packrafting and kayaking school in Slovenia and Austria, she is on the board of directors for a club for kayakers with disabilities. Every year when the snow starts to fall, you can find Annika ski and snowboard instructing in the Allgäu Alps in Germany.

In short, this is the woman for helping you master almost every sport. As she would say, “I simply love seeing people succeed in the sports I love.”

WHERE IS HOME TODAY? I was born in Augsburg, Germany. There we have a saying, “Home is where your underwear is.” That suits me quite well. My stuff is scattered all over the place. I can only tell you where to find me most of the time. In winter I’m usually in the Alps Oberstdorf Germany, in summer sometimes it’s primarily Bovec, Slovenia.

WHAT HAPPENED AT 6 YEARS OLD THAT SPARKED YOUR PASSION FOR KAYAKING? I think it was only natural. My dad was an enthusiastic whitewater paddler in the 80’s, inspiring me from an early age. Living in a campervan close to the rivers accelerated that passion and spurred a fascination for the sport.

HOW DID YOU START YOUR OWN PACKRAFTING SCHOOL? In 2013 when I was setting up my own kayaking school a store contacted me about packrafts. At first I offered packraft courses exclusively for them. At some point our ideas on how to run packraft courses strayed too far apart. I decided that it was time to build a school under my own direction, guided my own teaching principles and concepts. I’ve never regretted that decision for a second.

WHY DID YOU START YOUR SCHOOLS IN THE SOČA RIVER VALLEY? The Soča River is unique in Europe. On one hand, it stands out because of its incredible natural beauty. On the other hand, there are countless playing spots perfect for training. Most sections are super fair, but it offers all the different difficult levels on one river allowing me to train all techniques quite easily.

WHAT’S SOMETHING NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT SLOVENIA OR THE SOČA VALLEY? The Slovenia boom in recent years is changing the valley and the community. As in many popular alpine regions, it must be possible to achieve a balancing act between nature, the locals, tradition and tourism. We Europeans tend to sellout our Alps, which irretrievably destroys many things. For my part, I decided not to offer courses in Slovenia in August, despite the high demand.

For me environmental protection is important and it’s not a question of economic viability. I wish that the Soča Valley will soon find a healthy way to deal with the tourism boom.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM TAKING A PACKRAFTING OR KAYAK COURSE WITH YOU? WHAT WILL THEY LEARN? My teaching concept is a bit different. My biggest priority is to train people to be responsible paddlers. Not just for themselves but also for the nature and other people on the river.

I always try to give people a solid paddling technique that is useful for their skill level. It’s important for people to understand what to do and why they should do it. In each of our courses, safety is a big factor, such as recognizing hazards and how to act correctly in an emergency.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT RUNNING A PACKRAFTING SCHOOL? The people I meet. Usually they are very close to nature and open minded. The packrafting community is kind of small right now, making it easy to network with packrafters all over the world.

WHO DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FROM? In my everyday life I have the privilege to meet many international people. Even though they come from all sorts of different backgrounds they are all united by the same passions. Their lifestyle and points of view inspires me. But of course, also my home base of friends, family and acquaintances.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE OFF SEASON OR WHEN YOU ARE NOT TEACHING? I like to travel. Of course, almost exclusively in connection with my sports. It’s not just a job, it’s a way of life. That’s what my free time is all about. This makes it easy to get to know people and guides worldwide. In a kayak or packraft, the world can be traveled quite differently.

WHAT IS A DREAM TRIP OR ADVENTURE THAT YOU WANT TO TAKE? Oh it’s a long list... For next season I’m trying to cross two off the list. I would like to explore the rivers in Greece, and Colorado to finally visit Kokopelli’s home state. Otherwise, there are still untouched rivers and countries I would like to explore Bulgaria, Albania, Chile, Georgia, Ecuador and the list is getting longer and longer... However, there are also places I would like to visit again, such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.

CONNECT WITH ANNIKA

Annika offers packrafting and kayaking courses May-October.

PACKRAFTING SCHOOL: www.packraft-touren.com

PRIJON KAYAK SCHOOL: www.kajakschule-prijon.com

INCLUSIVE CANOE CENTER: www.inklusives-kanuzentrum-augsburg.de

INSTAGRAM @LetsGoPackrafting @Prijonkajakschule