The team
Bernie Steidl
Having grown up in a kayaking family, Bernie was already able to record first ascents in the Alps in his youth. The expedition "Sturzfahrt vom Nanga Parbat" in Pakistan, in which he took part at the age of 20, was also a great success. By founding SOURCE TO SEA in 2008, he turned his passion into his profession! Through his daughter, who now paddles diligently alongside him, he realized how important it is to convey the value of nature and the fun of paddling to the younger generation. This is why he is committed to the preservation of Tyrolean torrents as chairman of the WET association.
Marieke Vogt
Marieke - team leader of the kayak school, SOURCE TO SEA veteran, Big Mama of River Conservation and the best kayaker you've probably never heard of. Marieke kayaks incredibly well, but doesn't like to make a big deal of it. She explains the world and the river to us and her kayaking students in a very Marieke-specific visual language and is an incredibly patient kayaking instructor - provided the chocolate supply is secured. Together with Bernie, she founded WET and the Free Rivers Fund and has always been committed to river conservation - when she's not boating, climbing, scaling mountain peaks with or without skis, and keeping our website up to date.
Eli Trafoier
From a summer job as a secretary in a rafting company in Vinschgau to a slalom racer in Verona to a kayak instructor in Tyrol. This can only be Eli's impressive career as a kayaker with an exponentially increasing learning curve! Kayaking was simply love at first sight for her. Eli is involved in everything to do with sport - really everything - and now enjoys passing on her knowledge to those interested in kayaking with a great deal of attention to detail. She also actively supports us in the organization of the kayak school and the OETZ TROPHY, where she fearlessly distributes tasks and manages the team of helpers.
Luca Daprà
Luca is one of our most versatile kayak instructors. Having grown up in canoe slalom, Luca has been concentrating fully on white water sports for several years now. He also works for the mountain rescue service and is an experienced alpinist. When you're white water rafting with Luca, you can rely on him completely and count on him to be there when you need him! It is no coincidence that he was given the nickname "Supa-Luca" during a kayak course. He specializes in safety courses, technique training and play-the-river courses. When he's not in a kayak or climbing a mountain, he takes care of the organization of the OETZ TROPHY, which has been held annually in Ötztal since 2021.
Andi Brunner
Actually, we don't think we need to write anything about Andi because everyone already knows him! At the age of eleven, Andi had to decide whether to become a competitive gymnast or a professional kayaker. Thank goodness he chose the latter. Now he manages our Pro Team and competes in extreme kayak races all over the world. He has also been on kayak expeditions on the most difficult rivers - for example on the Indus in Pakistan or in Meghalaya in India. Andi is with us on the Zambezi, where he lives and trains for about 2 months a year. That's why he knows every wave there by name and shows us the best spots for kickflips!
Valentin Gutierrez
Vale is a former World Class Academy head coach, lawyer and team rider for Kokatat and Jackson Kayaks.
Growing up in a kayaking family in Argentina, among the highest peaks of the Andes, Vale
soon developed a passion for the outdoors. In the course of his whitewater kayaking career, he has traveled the world and has first ascents in the central Andes mountains (ARG) and the USA to his credit. Valentin has mastered all facets of the sport and has represented Argentina in freestyle,
extreme and slalom world championships. He loves to share his passion and knowledge with the next generation of paddlers.
Lenni Zaschke
Lenni finally came to us in 2021 after years of watching him grow up in various kayak courses. Originally planned mainly as a store employee, Lenni stepped on the gas in terms of paddling technique to such an extent that he has developed into a member of our pro team and an experienced kayak instructor over the last few years. Incidentally, Lenni can undercut like a world champion. So if you see someone on the river who is more vertical than horizontal, it's probably Lenni (or Bren Orton). When he's not in a kayak, Lenni can be found skiing around Innsbruck. He is also a gifted skateboarder and footballer.
Bijan Arbab
At home in the upper Inn Valley, Bijan has been river rafting professionally for over 20 years and has fed off wild water in rafts, kayaks and canyoning on 4 continents. He is now a teacher at a school and teaches safety and rescue courses from March to november. He has also been training raft guides for 14 years.
Bijan is a certified instructor from Rescue 3 Europe and the International Rafting Federation and is responsible for our safety and rescue courses. From many years on and in Africa's warm rivers, he has brought his passion for swimming in white water to our refreshing waters.
Anne Steinkogler
We should have asked her earlier, because since Anne joined our team, we can do everything and look good doing it! She makes sure that you can always find everything you need in our store. She makes sure that we always find everything you need in the store. But above all, she is a huge graphic talent, has designed all our logos and labels and can also take photos. Anne is the smallest kayaker in our team, so you can get advice on sizes XS/S from her. Apart from that, she lovingly repairs our broken items of clothing. And some of us have already been surprised by her with hand-knitted socks...
Felix Meisl
Felix is not only a great kayaker, but he is also great at helping his kayaking students to overcome their insecurities and make rapid progress. With his calm and level-headed manner, he takes the fear out of unsure paddlers in particular and helps them to surpass themselves. He also studies at the University of Innsbruck, is a committed environmental activist, saves food and the world on the side and works with us to preserve Tyrolean rivers. Felix is also an accomplished chess player and even runs a USI course! So it's always best to bring a chess board to a camp with Felix!
Phil Michel
With the decision to study biology and the choice of Innsbruck as a place to study, Phil's focus shifted from freestyle to whitewater and discovering the rivers of the Alps, which were still largely unknown to him at the time. Phil has been an integral part of the S2S family since his arrival and is not only the lead organizer of the OETZ TROPHY party, but also one of our most established kayak instructors. His motivation to discover new places and learn new skills is infectious for all his paddling students and his emphatic manner always creates the right atmosphere in the group so that you can explore your limits together with him and feel safe and perfectly looked after at all times. As a little add-on, he can always come up with exciting fun facts about the local flora and fauna, giving you a whole new perspective on our favorite playground - the river.
Miri Kirschner
From SOURCE TO SEA store customer to kayak instructor. Our young Hupfer from Bamberg has been kayaking since she was 11 years old. Thanks to her 5-year canoe slalom career, Miri teaches her course participants beautifully clean kayak technique. When Miri is not paddling, you can find her skiing and ski touring in winter and biking, climbing, hiking and doing anything else in the mountains in summer. She is also studying geography, which allows her to pursue her love of mountains and rivers.
Daniel Steidl
Dani has been an irreplaceable part of our team from the very beginning - in fact, since the first kayaking course ever offered by SOURCE TO SEA. He has been kayaking since his early childhood, is very handy, extremely versatile and a true talent for movement. So it's not surprising that Dani plays an important role in everything we do. Working mainly in the store, he regularly gives freestyle courses and is always present as a kayak instructor at one of our courses and kayak camps.
Magda Steixner
Magda has been with us for years as a kayak instructor and jumps in when the hat is on fire! As a true Tyrolean, she knows the rivers around Innsbruck inside out, has looked at every rock at every water level and also conveys a great deal of confidence and relaxation. This is perhaps due to the fact that, as a trained social worker, Maggie always knows exactly what our course participants need. Magda is also very active in the local kayaking club, the KNI! If you live here, why don't you drop by there?