Haritz Larrañaga Altuna 1976/03/22

Haritz was born closely together of the sea, therefore it is not of surprising that it was developing his interest for the waves from very youngster, he was not losing occasion to be going with the friends to catch waves with the help of a bodyboard. There were not small the times that he was punished for entering to the water before doing the digestion, but always he was returning to re-affect. When he was nine years old, on having done the communion, his aunts gave him a surfboard (1985) and they him pointed at a few surf lessons in order that he was learning to do surf correctly. Those were the first surf lessons that were given in the beach of Zarautz and Joseba Iriondo was the teacher.

At the age of thirteen Haritz started competing, and he was OK, since he obtained very good results and was supported in a beginning by Aitor Francesena’s surf boards and later for Essus and Quiksilver. In that epoch he had occasion to know surfers that so much he was admiring as the Australian Tom Carrol.
Other one of the modalities that were given well to Haritz was the skate. He won some championship in Zarautz, Donostia and Orereta, but with the time it he was giving more importance to the surf and little by little he park the skate.
At the age of fourteen he flew for the first time to be going to do surf to Canaries with Jorge Inbert and Eneco Acero.
He obtained very good results so much when he was infantile (up to 14 years), as when he passed to be Júnior (up to 18 years). In 1991, with 15 years he obtained the champion's title of Gipuzkoa in the category Júnior and on the following year obtain the subchampion's title of Europe sub16.
In 1994 and after being employed as lifegard at Zarautz's beach started being employed for Mikel Troitiño and Aitor Francesena at the Zarauzko Surf Eskola. That was very important for Haritz since he supposed working with whom always they had been two examples to continuing. From that Haritz at the time he has not stopped giving classes of surf and nowadays he is the director of the Zarauzko Surf Eskola together with Mikel Troitiño. Occasionally he takes part in some championship and travels when he can. He travels to places like Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Australia and Indonesia. He surfered European coasts of Ireland, England, France, Spain and Portugal, and he knows the basque coust very well.
Since he started giving surf lessons he has not stopped, except the summer of 2003, since this summer the school was closed after the disaster of the Prestige. Nowadays he continues working with Mikel in search of a good method of learning and together they have produced an elaborated two didactic DVDs.

Mikel Troitiño Berasategi. 1969/04/14

Mikel was educated in an atmosphere where he could practice in his youth varied sport disciplines that Zarautz offered to him, like surfing, soccer, cycling, moutain climbing.... With the help of his parents and the technique of his brother, Xabier, he made his own surf boards. When he was just 18 (1987) he made his first surf trip to the island of Bali with his friend Alberto de la Maza.

He was employeed by Pukas and was sponsorized by Pukas and Rip Curl. He obtained the 4th possition in the championship of Euskadi. In 1991 he traveled to Hawaii, Mecca of surf. That same year along with Aitor Francesena and Eli Berazadi created the Zarauzko Surf Eskola, that nowadays directs along with Haritz Larrañaga Altuna. In this time he participated actively in the promotion of surf; he was president of the Basque Federation of Surf (1992-1996), he directed and was judge in championships, he was director of the Basque selection of surf .... and made courses for monitors of surf. His passion for the mountain was increasing with his partner Iosu Urteaga, until both disciplines happened to be his way of living.

Among his expeditions of this time must be mentioned the crossing of the continental ice of Patagonia, the climbing of several Andean and alpine mountains and their trip in canoe from Oslo to Helsinki. With Alex Sánchez and other surfers founded the Zarauzko Surf Elkartea and in 2002 began to direct surf trainings. In 2007 publish a surfing history of Zarautz with Lazaro Etxegarai. In 2008 create a didactic book and D.V.D.s of initiation and improvement of surf with Haritz Larrañaga.

ARGAZKI GEHIAGO IKUSTEKO SAKATU HEMEN
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