Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Thank you Lou Wainman

Forum for kitesurfers
User avatar
decay
Frequent Poster
Posts: 464
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Local Beach: Muizenburg, Cape Town
Favorite Beaches: Ruakaka River Mouth
Style: ALL
Gear: Stuff I design
Brand Affiliation: Lacuna CTO
Location: Muizenburg, Cape Town
Has thanked: 67 times
Been thanked: 148 times
Contact:

Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby decay » Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:48 am

Everything in life has a source, a trigger or an inspiration.

20 years ago I was working retail in Whistler, Canada. I'd taken six months out of my electronics career to do my dream northern hemisphere snowboarding season.

In Jan of 1999, I walked into a magazine retailer in Whistler village and saw a copy of 'Wakeboarder' magazine on the shelf. I flicked thru a few pages and then an image that would change the rest of my life came up.

It was the first time I would ever see kiteboarding. In that one instant I saw everything I needed to know I was going to get into the sport.

The image is likely lost in time, but was of Lou, riding an LF wakeboard, full boot bindings, holding a small two line bar being towed by a two line kite. PERFECT! What I saw in that picture was wakeboarding without a boat, just the right summer sport for a frothing snowboarder.

It would take me a couple of years, but by Aug 2000 I was fully into the sport and by Oct 2001 I had my own kite board shaping business.

One picture leading to half a life time of living at the beach, designing/building great product and meeting 1000's of great people from all over the world.

In recent years I've also had the privilege of meeting and riding with Lou, at Kite Beach in Maui. It is not often you get to meet your hero's.

Thank you Mr Wainman.
mauitime-Interview-with-Maui-Kite-Surfers-Flash-and-Elliot-LeBoe-Chris-Gilbert-Sierra-Emory-and-Lou-Wainman-July-21-1998-photo-credit-Peter-Sterling-3.png
These users thanked the author decay for the post (total 10):
Eckhardt (Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:07 am) • Toby (Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:19 am) • mgs (Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:43 am) • nixmatters (Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:53 pm) • Bill C (Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:08 pm) • Kitemenn (Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:41 am) • Clew In (Mon Jan 14, 2019 1:34 pm) • Hugh2 (Mon Jan 14, 2019 6:57 pm) • jjm (Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:01 pm) • Kaito (Thu Jan 17, 2019 11:14 pm)
Rating: 30.3%

User avatar
Toby
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 50346
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Weight: 95 kg
Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil
Favorite Beaches: same
Style: Airstyle
Gear: Rebel 2015 18
Brand Affiliation: None.
Location: World (KF Admin)
Has thanked: 832 times
Been thanked: 2365 times
Contact:

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby Toby » Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:23 am

That’s great to read DK.

Where did you start...Maui ?

My biggest hero at that time was Marcus “Flash” Austin.
But seeing Robby Naish in a video got me hooked in the first place.

Lou was the wakestyle (the real old school!) hero and Flash the big air hero.

I even had the honor to compete against him few years ago. That was epic for me.

What I love to see is people who get inspired by the sport and change their life and make it happen to live from it. Like you.

But also sad to see guys like Lou and Flash can’t live from their passion anymore. I wished they were still involved in the industry ... great pioneers.

User avatar
decay
Frequent Poster
Posts: 464
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2002 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Local Beach: Muizenburg, Cape Town
Favorite Beaches: Ruakaka River Mouth
Style: ALL
Gear: Stuff I design
Brand Affiliation: Lacuna CTO
Location: Muizenburg, Cape Town
Has thanked: 67 times
Been thanked: 148 times
Contact:

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby decay » Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:40 am

Thanks Toby.

Learned to kite at Pt Chev, Auckland, New Zealand. Was lucky enough in spring of 2000 to be living and working just 5min drive from the rig up.

mgs
Frequent Poster
Posts: 250
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 10:55 am
Style: Skimboarding, flat water & small waves
Gear: Ozone Chrono 18m (V1)
Ozone R1 15m (V1)
Ozone Chrono 12m (V1)
Peter Lynn Nova 10m (V1)
Peter Lynn Nova 8m (V2)
Zap ACE - Skimboard
DB Sandfish - Skimboard
DIY Kite Parts - Many sewing machines :-)
Location: England
Has thanked: 35 times
Been thanked: 19 times

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby mgs » Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:43 am

In the video titled “Upwind” Lou Wainman” is featured at 27:00 minutes into the video.

User avatar
Kamikuza
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7057
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:49 am
Local Beach: Sabae Beach
Favorite Beaches: Ol' Stinky
Gear: This, that, the other
Has thanked: 220 times
Been thanked: 193 times

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby Kamikuza » Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:52 pm

Nice :)

It was a Corey Roesler pic on water skis that got me gong.

User avatar
jumptheshark
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2169
Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:36 pm
Local Beach: Shhhhh
Favorite Beaches: Nude
Gear: The good stuff
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 387 times
Been thanked: 707 times

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby jumptheshark » Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:36 pm

All props to Corey, Flash and Robbie, but none o them can really hold a candle to Lou.

They were all key to the plot, but Lou's riding was a fresh departure from everyone else's and it blazed a trail for the next few generations.

He was so far ahead of his time with an innate sense of style.

It's truly a shame he never reaped the reward he is deserved.

User avatar
Toby
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 50346
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Weight: 95 kg
Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil
Favorite Beaches: same
Style: Airstyle
Gear: Rebel 2015 18
Brand Affiliation: None.
Location: World (KF Admin)
Has thanked: 832 times
Been thanked: 2365 times
Contact:

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby Toby » Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:12 pm

Kamikuza wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:52 pm
Nice :)

It was a Corey Roesler pic on water skis that got me gong.
When did you start?

User avatar
Toby
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 50346
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Weight: 95 kg
Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil
Favorite Beaches: same
Style: Airstyle
Gear: Rebel 2015 18
Brand Affiliation: None.
Location: World (KF Admin)
Has thanked: 832 times
Been thanked: 2365 times
Contact:

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby Toby » Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:15 pm

decay wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:40 am
Thanks Toby.

Learned to kite at Pt Chev, Auckland, New Zealand. Was lucky enough in spring of 2000 to be living and working just 5min drive from the rig up.
Oh, then you missed those two classics with such a short drive:

- where is my harness?
- you arrive and get ready and just wet, wind drops, everyone comes in and tells you how fantastic their session was!

This happens when you have to drive 1.5 hours like me and the day was over. 😂

User avatar
Toby
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 50346
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Weight: 95 kg
Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil
Favorite Beaches: same
Style: Airstyle
Gear: Rebel 2015 18
Brand Affiliation: None.
Location: World (KF Admin)
Has thanked: 832 times
Been thanked: 2365 times
Contact:

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby Toby » Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:16 pm

Sad to see what happened to Wainman kites.

Wished it had worked out for him.

Bill C
Frequent Poster
Posts: 241
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:01 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Portland, Oregon
Has thanked: 109 times
Been thanked: 16 times

Re: Thank you Lou Wainman

Postby Bill C » Sun Jan 13, 2019 4:26 pm

Kamikuza wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:52 pm
Nice :)

It was a Corey Roesler pic on water skis that got me gong.
At that time, I was spending all my spare time in the Gorge windsurfing and used to see him on the river with a kite and water skis. I used to think, "Why would you want to do that? That idea will never take off". Man, was I wrong.


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: alford, Brent NKB, cglazier, Indulang, purdyd, rnelias, Slappysan, suisd12, vladi elthve, zerogee_ca, zzzzzz and 355 guests