40 Years of ION CLUB – The Story of a Watersports Pioneer
In 1975, a young woman named Yola Bichler packed four windsurf boards into a tiny Renault 4 and drove to the southern tip of Italy. She had no business plan, no financial backing, and no roadmap, just a dream and a passion for a brand-new watersport that was only just beginning to take hold in Europe. Her destination was Robinson Club Calabria, where she planned to open her first surf school. The hotel director was stunned when a young girl showed up asking to teach windsurfing in his resort. But within a week, she had a waiting list. What started as a small windsurfing operation quickly turned into a life dedicated to the sea. From opening ten centers in Robinson Clubs across Europe with the godfather of Mistral, to pioneering kitesurfing in Tarifa, and later embracing the global rise of wingfoiling, Yola has spent 50 years in the surf industry, and the company she built, now called ION CLUB, celebrates 40 years in 2025.
In her own words, Yola shares the amazing story of how it all began and how ION CLUB became what it is today…
A Journey Begins
A Letter from Yola Bichler // 40 Years of ION CLUB, 50 Years in the Watersports Industry
My name is Yola Bichler, and I’ve spent the last 50 years in the watersports industry a journey that started with just four windsurf boards, a Renault 4, and a dream.
In the early days, windsurfing was completely new in Europe. There were no manuals, no instructors, no blueprint. I opened my first center at Robinson Club Calabria in southern Italy and had to figure out everything from scratch // from how to teach, to how to keep beginners safe in strong offshore winds. I still remember the excitement of those first weeks: every session was full, and the demand kept growing. It was clear that something big was starting.
PIONEERING YEARS & FAMILY ROOTS
In the years that followed, together with Ernstfried Prade, the legendary godfather of Mistral, we opened 10 windsurfing centers in Robinson Clubs across Spain, France, Greece, and Italy. It was a time of momentum and pioneering spirit. In winter, I managed logistics and prepared each operation for the coming season. In summer, I was on the water, running the center in La Chiappa, Corsica, side by side with my husband Toni.
Corsica became our second home, it’s still where we spend part of the year, and where our two children, Daniel and Ninja, grew up surrounded by salt air, surfboards, and sun.
Our centers were all equipped with Mistral boards, and I dove into the sport fully even competing in several windsurfing championships, including the very first Mistral European Championship in St. Jean de Luz in 1977.
THE BIRTH OF CLUB MISTRAL
By the late ’70s and early ’80s, Mistral had become one of the most iconic windsurfing brands in the world. Their next move was to create dedicated centers in some of the best wind locations, not just to promote the sport, but to showcase their newest gear directly to riders. That’s how Club Mistral was born // as part of the Mistral marketing department.
We launched in places like Gran Canaria, Barbados, Lake Garda, Sardinia, the Maldives, Tarifa, and Cape Verde. Today, 40 years later, we’re proud that ION CLUB still operates in Tarifa and on Sal, Cape Verde, two of our original locations.
FROM OPERATOR TO OWNER
By the late 1980s, the market began to dropped for Mistral. Board sales were declining, and Mistral could no longer afford the luxury of running centers purely as a marketing tool. They were looking for a solution and they came to me. I didn’t buy Club Mistral at that point, but I made a promise: I would take over the management and turn the centers into a sustainable business.
In 1990, we officially created Club Mistral Windsurfing GmbH, a daughter company of the Mistral Group, with headquarters in Weilheim, in the south of Germany, a region where many European windsurf brands were based at the time. After a few years of growing the business and understanding it from the inside out, I bought the company from the Mistral Sports Group in 1994.
Back then, windsurfing was still the world’s first real trend sport // even before mountain biking, snowboarding, or kiting. We continued expanding, opening new centers in Egypt (Safaga and Dahab), in the Caribbean (Isla Margarita, Cabarete, St. Lucia), and in Alacati, Turkey. Each new destination brought fresh energy, new team members, and new adventures.
THE RISE OF KITESURFING
By the end of the 1990s, we began hearing about a new, exciting sport. At first, it was called “flysurfing.” The French were the early pioneers in Europe. Our manager, Rolf, introduced the idea during our annual manager meeting. In 1999, we opened our first kitesurf center in Tarifa, in Valdevaqueros and it became the very first kiteurf center in Tarifa. In those early years, the sport was still quite dangerous. The safety systems were undeveloped, and it took courage to learn. But then the quick-release system came onto the market, and everything changed.
At first, we created a separate brand for kiteboarding, called “Skyriders.” Windsurfers and kitesurfers didn’t always want to share the same beach, just like skiers and snowboarders in the early days. But over time, we understood that there was more to gain by bringing people together than keeping them apart. So, we merged everything back under one name: Club Mistral.
A PERIOD OF EXPANSION
The early 2000s became a time of fast growth. We opened at least two new destinations every year: from Mauritius, Ras Sudr, Marsa Alam, and Djerba, to Prea in Brazil, Essaouira and Dakhla in Morocco, Karpathos in Greece, Fuerteventura in the Canaries, and Golf de Roses in Spain. Each new location was a step further in our journey and a new home for our growing family of riders, instructors, and friends.
In 2005, we celebrated 20 years of Club Mistral with a big anniversary party near Munich. Everyone came : the key people of the surf industry, our closest business partners, all the major surf travel agencies, and all of our center managers from around the world. After the party, we flew with our entire team to our brand-new center in Mauritius. That week was magic. Perfect conditions on the water, shared sunsets, deep laughs, and unforgettable energy. Our famous French crew : Yann, Manu, Ronan, Mathieu, Sébastien were there, along with so many of the incredible people who had helped build this company: Felix, Wolfgang, Chris, Mathew, Rolf, Oli, Daniel and Ninja Bichler, René, Moni, Ivor, Clausi… people who remain the heart and soul of our company even today.
CHALLENGES AND CHANGES
But after 2010, we entered more difficult years. Political instability in several regions impacted tourism deeply. In 2011, the Arab Spring began. We were full of hope for our Egyptian and Tunisian team members, believing things might change for the better. Unfortunately, the reality was different. Tourism came to a sudden halt, and we had to close several of our Egyptian destinations.
Then, in 2014, Venezuela was struck by a deep economic and political crisis, and after 20 years of operating our largest center in the Caribbean, we were forced to close.
Around the same time, our long-time equipment partner, Boards & More, sold the Mistral brand to a company in the Netherlands. In October 2015, after 30 years under the name Club Mistral, we decided it was time for a new chapter. We rebranded as ION CLUB. The name changed, but nothing else did // not our team, not our spirit, and not our values.
Those values still guide us today: Passion, Professionalism, Responsibility, Truth, and Authenticity.
We are team members from 28 different nationalities. We come from different cultures, religions, and habits, but we all share the same passion for our sports, for the ocean, and for nature. When we meet each other, you can feel the love and friendship in our team.
A New Chapter
In 2018, as I passed my sixtieth birthday, I began to think seriously about the future of Surfing Elements GmbH and our ION CLUBs. For me, people have always been the most important part of this company. I knew I needed partners who not only had strong international business experience, but also shared our core human values.
My friend Laetitia, director of Fun & Fly, approached me with interest in becoming a shareholder. She introduced me to Xavier Descamps, and once again, I was lucky. We met and quickly realized we had the same vision. With his deep background in sport tourism, Xavier was the perfect fit. We agreed to share the management of the company.
Just two years later, our entire industry was hit by the biggest crisis we had ever faced: Covid-19. On March 17, 2020, we closed every ION CLUB around the world. It was a moment none of us will ever forget. But it was also when I knew I had made the right decision. In difficult times, you discover people’s true character. Without Xavier, we would not have made it through.
THE WINGFOIL ERA AND 40 YEARS OF ION CLUB
And just as we emerged from that storm, a new opportunity arrived. Twenty years after the kitesurfing revolution, wingfoiling appeared on the horizon and it was exactly what our centers needed. Windsurfing was slowly declining, and we needed to offer something fresh and exciting. We invested immediately. Xavier and Chris Ziaja helped convince our teams to adopt the sport quickly. Again, we were among the first centers to offer Wingfoil lessons and rentals. Today, in most destinations Sal, Fuerteventura, Tarifa, Golf de Roses, Safaga, Le Morne we offer windsurf, kitesurf, and wingfoil, and in some places even surfing and SUP.
Now, in 2025, I celebrate 50 years in the surf industry, and ION CLUB marks its 40th anniversary. We chose to celebrate this milestone the way we love best : together, and on the water. In May, our core team, our center managers, our friends, and our closest partners gathered once again in Mauritius.
We shared an extraordinary week: wind, waves, shared sessions, beach bonfires, hikes to the top of Brabant Mountain, swimming with turtles and dolphins, and long conversations under the stars. It was unforgettable.
These 40 years were only possible because of the extraordinary people who chose to walk this path with me, many of whom have been with us for over two decades. Their courage, professionalism, and passion carried us through every challenge and made the good times even brighter.
I carry this gratitude with me every day. Because in the end, it’s not just a business. It’s a family. And a way of life.
Thank you to each and every one of you. You are the story of ION CLUB.
Yola Bichler