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.