Mark Shinn Interview


Mark Shinn recently visited South Africa to promote the launch of Nobile kites. We sat down with the former two time world champion to see if we can get a glimpse of what the future holds for kiteboarding.

1. Where are you based now?
I'm English but am now living in Tenerife, Canary islands

2. What is the main purpose of your visit to South Africa?
To see the SA launch of the new kites.  My new designed kites will be in the kite shops worldwide very soon.

3. What do you think of South Africa?
It's very beautiful, I love Table Mountain, it's way more spectacular than I thought.  So far I have seen in SA a combination of places that remind me of Australia, Greece and the Canary Islands.  There is such variety here.

4. Tell us about yourself, what have you been up to since you left the PKRA tour.
I made a choice to stay in the kiting scene and started working with a production company and became part of the Nobile brand.  I've been working on the R&D of their kiteboarding boards, and have now also recently designed my own Nobile kites.

5. How many times were you the world champion and when was it?
I was part of 2 world tours in 2002, I won both.  Thereafter I competed for another 2 more years only.

6. What's your take on the skimm boards?
I started messing around with the idea to design a board for super light wind conditions.  I only ride strapless surfboards or skim when I riding for myself.  But when I test I ride with straps.

7. What do you think about the current PKRA tour - with Aaron Hadlow dominating?
Aaron is the kind of person that would dominate any sport.  He could so easily be sidetracked into any other sport, there is so much money to be made.  Aaron will dominate the scene for a very long time if he remains to be motivated.  I believe he is being held back by the rules of the game.  The judging is being done for quantity rather than quality.  For him to go really big he needs space and time, and during comps he needs to get as much as possible done in a short amount of time.

8. You were involved with Naish for a long time and for a while you were on Cabrinha Crossbows. What are you flying right now and who are you sponsored by?
The difference between the kites from 1 year to the next was so small, …(I lost this one)
I have been riding Nobile since 2005, and wanted to design a kite that was compatible to the Nobile boards that Im riding.  Now we have a Nobile kite and a board design.
 
9. What is your home break like?
I test everywhere, but I have a special wave spot right in front of my house.  There are a lot of rocks though, so its not safe for anyone to kite there.  I have my own kite school just about 1 km from my house where the beach is beautiful and the kiting is much safer.

10. Bow kites, C shape kites and Hybrids. What's your take on this. Is there a place for Bow kites on the PKRA tour?
Bow kites are dying… well then it depends on your definition of a bow kite.  A real bow is not meant to be in the PKRA, but in the end everyone is trying to achieve the same thing. If it wasn't for the bow, we would not have seen any SLE kites now, even the C-kites bridles now.

12. We've seen unhooked, big jumps, board grabs, handle passes and wave riding. What do you think the next big thing is going to be?
I don't think there is a next big thing.  Each thing will just get bigger.  Free ride will always stay the core of the sport.

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