She's a natural in front of the camera and isn't afraid to laugh at herself which makes Red Bull Reporter and extreme sports fanatic Susi Mai the perfect presenter for the new Global Blitz Trippin' series on Red Bull Web TV.
We caught up with the kiteboarding supremo as she made her way homeward for the festive season to find out how she’s enjoying her new role as personal tour guide to the world’s most intriguing cities and captivating extreme sports events.
“I just kind of exploded into it,” laughs Susi, remembering her first assignment at the Red Bull Air Race in Barcelona last year. “When I read the script for the first show it was quite intimidating and I was like ‘wow, what is this?’ The producers are so amazing though and that makes it so much easier. The point is to teach people things while I take the 'mick’ out of myself [ie to be self-deprecating]. The writer is really good – he’s British – and I really get that sense of humour. The style is really funny and I’ve been so excited about the last two shows; they are going to be hilarious.”
'It’s such a power-packed format you really see everything'
Fast forward several thousand air miles and Susi has reported from a host of the finest global hotspots for the fused travel and sports guide including Zürich, Egypt, Bangkok and Manila. It’s a hard life we know, but someone’s got to do it. Making a brief stop in the UK after a gruelling back-to-back trip to the Philippines and Thailand, 26-year-old Susi is no stranger to jetsetting. Based in the Dominican Republic where she has lived since the age of five, the German-born kick-ass kiteboarder spends most of the year travelling and takes it all in her stride.
“I have stuff based in different places, so I’m usually prepared for every kind of weather,” she explains, as her staple bikini is quickly replaced by less than glamorous thermal underwear in a snow-covered England. “I’ve been travelling like this for the past seven years so I am kinda used to it. I suppose you could call the Dominican Republic home although I am only there about six weeks of the year and the rest of the time I’m moving around. I also call Munich home too because I was born there and I go back every year to see family.”
Filming the series of adrenalin-fuelled TV shows, Susi has been able to see some of her favourite countries from a new perspective and her boundless energy is put to good use with non-stop action starting the minute she lands.
“I really enjoyed Giza because of the pyramids. I’ve been to Egypt quite a bit for kiteboarding as it is a major destination for my sport but I had never been to the pyramids,” explains Susi. “It’s such a power-packed format that you really do get to see everything and we don’t leave anything out. Giza was a great location for that and I got to ride a camel too!”
'If you took yourself too seriously then it just wouldn’t work'
Whether it’s jumping off a bridge into a river, hilariously trying to seduce male extreme sport stars or just sampling the local cuisine, Susi seems to be able to adapt to the task without a hitch. You never know what’s coming next and that’s the real secret to the show’s appeal according to Susi. “The shows are very spontaneous and it’s all about me doing silly things so if we see something funny then we’ll go with it,” she continues, reeling off some of her recent capers with the film crew. “When we were in the Mall of Asia in Manila, they had these little helium balloons that hovered just above the ground like little dogs with funny little legs. We saw them and thought it was great so I started walking my little helium dog throughout the mall. On scripted productions it doesn’t usually work like that and I guess it helps that I can laugh at myself. If you took yourself too seriously then it just wouldn’t work.”
Alluding to more comedy antics, Susi gives us a little teaser when she mentions a run in with the Thai police on the last shoot which involved a monk and Susi not wearing enough clothes… but she says we’ll have to wait for the final cut to see what happened! Make sure you stay tuned for the Global Blitz Trippin’ series, showing on Red Bull Web TV…
Want more?
- Watch Red Bull Web TV here
- Read a profile of Susi Mai here
- Watch the latest episode of Ruben Lenten and Aaron Hadlow's kitesurfing docusoap On the Loose here
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