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 developing and improving the equipment we use led him to set up his own company Shinn, which he runs with his wife, Malwina, although in Mark's words, she runs the company and he just plays with toys! We get quite in depth talking about board design in this one and it is interesting to hear how he comes up with ideas and the process he follows for creating new shapes.

We also chat about hydrofoils and how this relatively new aspect of the sport is opening up opportunities for new spots and increasing our time on the water.

Links:

Shinn World

Shinn Model F Foil Video