Intriguing Beings Podcast

This weeks episode is a little more light-hearted as I chat to Tom Court, one of the original kiteboarders from back in the day who was shredding from a very young age. Tom's garnered a successful career for himself within the sport, not just as a talented pro rider, but also as a videographer and practical joker.  With films like the Freeride Project series of movies under his belt, his abil...

They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, we'll this week I'm sharing a conversation I had with one of mine this summer, none other than the legend Mr Robby Naish. US1111 carved a name for himself in the windsurfing industry from a very young age, and that passion and drive for the sport led him to become one of the most successful watermen of all time.  Not just an accomplished athl...

This week I chat to Mike Raper, one of the kiteboarding originals who started as a pro rider before getting a job with the Pryde Group. Mike spent years there working on various brands including Cabrinha and left last year to move from Hong Kong back to New Zealand to spend more time with his family. Then all hell broke loose and the opportunity to build the North Kiteboarding brand presented itse...

I sit down with Duotone kite designer Ralf Grösel and have a very interesting chat about his life and how he got into design. From making his own paragliders and learning CAD at 14 to running several successful companies now, Ralf is a lesson in how you have plenty of time to do all the things you are passionate about.  With everything he involves himself in I bet he doesn't spend much time s...

Ruben Lenten is one of the most influential kiteboarders on the planet, his long career has seen him shape the sport in a way few others can match. From his aggressive powered freestyle riding to his insane mega loops and all the variations he has created. In this podcast Rou Chater talks to Ruben about his journey within the sport, his battle with cancer and how he has overcome some serious setba...

It's the last episode of Season 1 and I thought I might do something a little different. As it's the King Of The Air in Cape Town and the finals are tomorrow Lewis Crathern and I sit down for a chat about the event and who's likely to win. You can hear a real insight into what goes on from the only person to compete in every event since it restarted in 2013. We also put our necks on...

This week I'm chatting to the "Man Who Touched The Sky" AKA Lewis Crathern. He was one of the first kiteboarders to break into the mainstream when he jumped over Worthing Pier in 2009 with his buddy Jake Scrace. A year later Lewis broke onto the world stage when he jumped over Brighton Pier in a stunt that went truly viral. I've known Lewis for years and we often have differing...

This week I'm chatting to Dan Macaulay, he's the founder of Brandwave Marketing and someone who truly knows what taking a leap of faith is all about. At the tender age of 24, Dan somehow landed himself the role of European Marketing Director for O'Neill. Arguably one of the best jobs in the industry at a time when there were huge sums of cash floating around in the surf market. Afte...

This week I'm chatting to Tim Turner, founder and creator of the Red Bull Lighthouse to Leighton race in Australia. The race takes place every year in December, attracting riders from all over the world keen to have a crack at the crossing from Rottnest Island to Leighton Beach in Perth. I've known Tim ever since he first invited me to the race 5 years ago, I've been going back very...

Ian Young was the first ever kiteboarder in Australia, an ex special forces soldier Ian has had an affinity with water sports from an early age. His first love was surfing and then when back issues meant he couldn't do that any more he switched to surf skis and flying kites. This early interest in kites led him to believe he could power his surf ski with one to reach out reefs that were too f...

I'm back after missing a Monday over the festive period, don't worry, normal Monday service will now be resumed! This week I'm chatting to Bill Tai, an incredibly influential man who's early love of electronics and electronic engineering has led to him becoming one of the most successful Venture Capitalists in the business.  Running alongside his career has been a passion for w...

This week I chat to one of Britains most talented watermen, Dom Moore is a surfer, kitesurfer, spear fisherman and big wave aficionado with some incredible tales to tell. I've got a feeling this won't be the last time we sit down with Dom for this series! I asked him about to major changes that have effected his life recently. The first was a trip to Hawaii where by chance he met with Ar...

This week it's something a little different, I chat to Matt Crowhurst, AKA Mr Wakeboard UK. Matt's been a friend of mine for a while and he's an incredibly talented athlete as well as being an MC for many sports events around the globe. He now works closely with the Arena Cross brand and you can see him waxing lyrical at freestyle motocross shows all over the world.  We chat about t...

This week I'm talking to longtime kiteboarder and coach extraordinaire, Jo Wilson! I've known Jo since the very beginning of the sport, I first met her when I was judging the Student Windsurfing Championships in Rhosneigr, Wales. I watched as she got to grips with the sport and went on to podium finishes on the PKRA World Tour after winning two British Championship titles. These days Jo...

This week I'm chatting to James Boulding, Marketing Manager for Cabrinha. James has had an interesting path to his latest role with roots in climbing, maths and music. We discuss how he got into flying kites back in the day and his early career as a pro rider. James and his friends, Aaron Hadlow, Sam Light and Tom Court, redefined what it meant to be a pro rider when they embarked upon the gr...

This week I head to the Kendal Mountain Festival in the Ford Transit Custom van to catch up with Gee Atherton, multiple UCI Downhill World Champion, winner of numerous UCI DH World Cups and Rampage competitor and Hardline winner 2018! Gee's one of the best riders on the planet although he's pretty humble with it. We talk about those early days riding bikes for fun and how his passion mor...

This week I chat to Alex Jones, AKA Stig, an old friend of mine who suffered a horrific crash on his mountain bike. Hitting a jump he had done a hundred times before, he landed a touch rear wheel heavy, looped out, and landed  awkwardly on his head. He'd broken his neck and was, at this moment, lying in the woods paralysed. Fortunately for Alex one other person was hitting those jumps that da...

This week I chat to Mark Shinn, one of the originals of the kiteboarding competition scene and multiple World Champion. Mark's an interesting guy, and one of the few pro riders from the sports inception who is still heavily involved in the sport. He has a knack for testing and feeling the subtle differences in boards which led him into a career as a board builder and creator. His passion for...

This week I talk to Sky Solbach, shaper and tester for Duotone Kiteboarding. Sky has been instrumental in creating some of the most well known kitesurf boards on the planet, and the chances are you've ridden one of his sticks at some point. He's an interesting guy with a mild nature and a real passion for all things aquatic. Together with his wife Kristin they bought some land on Maui, b...

I was very privileged to chat to Pete Cabrinha earlier this year. Pete is one of Hawaii's most talented watermen, a pioneer of many of the ocean sports we all love. He had a glittering windsurfing career in the 80's and was part of the first group of riders to tow surf the monstrous waves at Jaws. Pete has a huge passion for trying new things on the water and more recently he's beco...

My guest this week is Colleen Carroll, I sat down and talked to her at the Duotone meeting in Tarifa earlier this year. I've long been a fan of Colleen's riding but it's only in recent years I've spent a little more time with her and got to know her on a more personal level. What draws me to Colleen is her passion for the sport and her drive to get more women involved in kitebo...

Philipp is the International Marketing and Communications Manager at Duotone Kiteboarding at Boards and More. If you kiteboard then you'll no doubt be aware of the North Kiteboarding and Duotone Kiteboarding situation. If you don't I've attached a link to this podcast to an article I wrote on the subject in one of the last issues of IKSURFMAG. It's not all about Duotone though,...

This week I chat to multiple world kiteboarding champion Steph Bridge. Alongside her husband Eric they have raised three young men, Olly, Guy and Tom who are all world-class athletes in their own right. At the same time she runs numerous businesses in Exmouth and between them all, they travel the world competing in numerous events.   I've known Steph for a while and it always amazes me how sh...

My next guest is David Hastilow, you might have heard of him, but probably not. 20 years ago Dave learned to kitesurf, like so many of us he became hooked and fell in love with the sport. From those humble beginnings, he has gone on to become the division manager for Cabrinha, one of the biggest kiteboarding brands in the business, second only to Pete Cabrinha, the driving force of the brand.   So...

Welcome to Episode 01 of Intriguing Beings, a new podcast featuring interesting conversations with Rou Chater. My first guest is Nick Jacobsen, one of the world's most impressive kiteboarders. We talk about that first crane jump and how it changed his life to the more recent jump off the hotel in Dubai. Discover how seriously Nick takes safety when he does these tricks and how he deals with t...