The Intriguing Beings podcast is your backstage pass to the inner workings of the kiteboarding industry! If you're not a convert yet, we'll show you what you're missing with a sneak peek into Rou Chater's world, snippets of his in-depth chat with Boards & More CEO Till Eberle on the evolution of Duotone and the kite industry, and previews of other featured guests on the podcast!

Podcasts have been on the scene for 20 years and are even older than this magazine, which was already ahead of its time when it first launched in 2006! This new way to consume content started with featured news in the IT industry - ideal for die-hard tech fans, but has now evolved into something much bigger. Just as your favourite TV series may cover any and every genre, podcasts have the same variety of content, from murder mysteries to science news to, you guessed it, kitesurfing!

Many have still resisted the lure of podcasts, as we all have so much going on; who has time to add another distraction? If you're one of the holdouts, here's your sign to give it a try! If you're reading this magazine, you've already got enough of a passion for this industry to get some serious value out of the Intriguing Beings podcast. Whether you're on your way to work, putzing around in the kitchen or garden, or waiting at the kite spot for wind, there's something for everyone in the library!

Rou Chater, the host of the Intriguing Beings podcast and publisher of IKSURFMAG, Tonic Mag, and IMB, has been working in the wind sports industry for more than 20 years. His deep connections with the clever minds behind your favourite brands give him unique insights that translate into podcasts that go well beyond the surface level. From a catch-up on the phone with Robby Naish to a tour of the Brainchild Production in Macedonia with Ralf Grösel, Rou has access and angles that you haven't seen before!

Rou Chater on the launch of Intriguing Beings

"I started the podcast in 2018; I'd just had a really bad MTB accident and had a lot of time on my hands while I recovered. I'd actually been toying with the idea before the accident and had even recorded a couple but never got around to publishing them. I'm very privileged in my role; I've been travelling all over the world and chatting with some of the most influential people in the world of action sports for so long.

Over dinner one evening, I was having the most interesting conversation with Reinier Korstanje, who is a Red Bull King Of The Air judge and product designer for a few brands over the years. I thought it was so interesting that I wanted to share it with people. I realised I get to have these conversations all the time and that it might be interesting to record some of them and share them with the world.

I never have any questions prepared, I literally sit down with them in person, as I much prefer the way the dynamics work and we just start talking; I enjoy the process, but I do struggle for time to edit them. I lead an incredibly busy life with the publishing business and with my sunglasses company FacePlant. Finding the time for these is always tricky, but people really appreciate them.

I've got a few favourites; the first time I interviewed Robby Naish was such a treat; I'd had pictures of him up on my wall from when I was seven years old and a mad, keen windsurfer. He was so humble too, one of the most interesting people I've met. Rob Whittall was another standout, mainly as we got onto the subject of motorbikes, and he races the Isle Of Man TT which is arguably the most insane thing anyone can do on this planet. Bill Tai would be my other real highlight; he's an incredibly talented and clever guy who's just on another level. 

In more recent times, the trip to Macedonia for Brainchild was pretty unreal, Ralf Grösel is one of the most intelligent human beings I've met. To be one of the first to see his new production facility was a real treat and he took me paragliding at lunchtime, which was amazing. I'm planning on going back there in the spring for a follow up.

One thing I do like to do is have these conversations face to face, and that makes it difficult to keep them going, especially during Covid. I find when I'm in a room with someone, we can quickly build a rapport, and they let down their guard, and it becomes more of a conversation between two people. I chatted with Pete Cabrinha really early on in my van once; Pete is quite a quiet guy, and to start with, he was showing some very closed and protective body language, but after about 15 minutes, he'd completely transformed and we had one of the best conversations.

That's why I like sitting down with people in person; it makes it feel more authentic and real. So many of these people in our industry have the most amazing stories; I think Intriguing Beings gives them an outlet for that."

Till Eberle, CEO of Boards & More

In one of his recent releases, Rou catches up with Till Eberle, the CEO of Boards & More, one of the world's largest watersports businesses and the parent company of DUOTONE and ION. Recorded over beers at a bar in Tarifa, Rou sits down with Till to talk all things Duotone, the rebrand of Fanatic and how the industry has been during these difficult times. While the best way to enjoy this story is by tuning into the Intriguing Beings podcast (Season 3 Episode 7) for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred platform, we've shared some of our favourite parts of the conversation right here!

In his position as CEO, Till speaks about his passion for developing toys for big boys and girls and what he sees as his dream job. With the big rebrand to DUOTONE in 2018, followed by a massive outdoor industry shakeup due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past few years have been a wild ride. Now, with inflation and economic concerns being the latest challenge, it's clear that a dream job in this exciting industry is no walk in the park!

Back when North Kiteboarding became DUOTONE Kiteboarding in August of 2018, it was a move that many who were looking from the outside questioned. However, they proved the strength of the team behind the brand with a launch that surpassed even their expectations, with an increase in sales of 20% in the first year. Since the DUOTONE change, however, the Fanatic brand, which also exists under the Boards & More umbrella with a focus on windsurfing and wingfoiling, has fallen by the wayside a bit. With wingfoiling products being released under both the DUOTONE and Fanatic names, bringing these two products together under one brand was the most logical approach. In August of 2023, Boards & More brought all of the windsurf and wing products into the DUOTONE family. Fanatic is now a 100% SUP focused business and still a powerful player and a recognised brand in the stand-up paddle market.

Why put everything under the DUOTONE umbrella? Well, since the rebrand, the fresher and more energetic approach was the ideal home for these products. DUOTONE is about innovation, competition, and radical board sports, and it continues to be a leader in the kiteboarding industry with high-performance products. They boast the current King of the Air, Megaloop Challenge winner, and Big Air World Champion. They are all the same person, but still! 😉 On the freestyle, wave, and strapless freestyle tours, DUOTONE athletes such as Mikaili Sol, Gianmaria Coccoluto, James Carew, Matchu Lopes, and Airton Cozzolino are frequent faces on podiums in their respective disciplines, and valuable members of the team.

On the design side, though, there have been some changes related to the merger. DUOTONE now has three divisions: kiteboarding, wingfoiling, and windsurfing. With design teams under each category, they do have some crossover, which allows experts from each sport to share their knowledge across other disciplines. They also have a brand marketing team, members working on the Duotone Academy app, and even one position that is only sustainability focused. Looking forward, they have invested heavily in their research and development lab, testing new fabrics and materials to develop the future of kiteboarding.

Diving into sustainability, Till explains their approach to working with sustainable materials and reducing the environmental impact across all the brands. He explains that there is some difficulty finding the right balance of sustainable products, performance that the end user is happy with, and a price tag that will allow the market to accept these products. 

You may have heard of Concept Blue, which has appeared in the latest boards and apparel range. As they describe it, "Concept Blue products are our next step towards a better future and an additional element in our Save Our Playgrounds campaign. Our R&D Team is dedicated to designing products with the latest and most sustainable materials available on the market. To help protect our playgrounds, we are committed to examining what we are already doing while continuing to explore what can be done in the near future and decades ahead. A sustainable ethos drives everything we do, from selecting and sourcing raw materials for our products to the manufacturing process and the lifecycle of everything we create. Concept Blue is the next chapter."

Till believes that Concept Blue is the leading edge of the industry in sustainable product development. They have included flax fibre and partially recycled top sheets in two of their latest twin tips, the Select and Soleil Concept Blue edition. On the Volt SLS surfboard, the Concept Blue model features a mix of basalt, Innegra, and fibre and has a 20% recycled EPS core while also being produced in Italy. Keep an eye out for Concept Blue kites, which will be released in 2024. 

However, it is always a challenge to see what the end consumer will accept. A recycled and organic product will only be successful if the customer likes it and these aspects of the product shift their purchasing decision. Till explains the decision their team has made to keep the price of the Concept Blue range the same as their less eco-friendly counterparts. While the cost to produce is higher, and a 5-10% price increase should be applied, this decision to keep the price point sustainable aims to encourage buyers to make the blue decision.

Going in more depth on price point, DUOTONE has three different technologies or ranges: their standard range, the SLS range, and the D/LAB. SLS is about 20% more expensive than their standard range, and D/LAB is the category in which they can shoot to the moon. There, they can try their wildest developments and experiment with the most innovative fabrics, but the purchase price reflects this increased cost. As Till explains, the Aluula fabric is 6x more expensive than standard Dacron. It takes quite a bit longer to manufacture due to the stiffness, which makes the premium price point impossible to avoid. Despite the high price point, the D/LAB range has been rapidly growing in popularity. However, the standard range has been around since the beginning, is reliable, and will provide a fun ride for nearly every kiter out there who can do without the ultimate in performance.

Discussing the explosion of the wing industry, Till sees the same potential in winging as in kiting. It is still a sport that exists on the borderline between niche and mainstream. While it is in one way more challenging than the hydrofoil, it is also pretty accessible as it allows users to experience spots where kiting isn't possible. In the future, Till sees that winging can grow to the same size as kiting, and while the market is severely oversupplied now, with nearly a hundred brands emerging in recent years, the rapid development of the sport and high product turnover should result in a course correction soon. 

What makes the world of foiling so interesting is that there is so much crossover across all sports, from downwind foiling, prone foiling, wake foiling, dock starting, kite foiling, wing foiling, and windsurf foiling. With the foil, once you've unlocked the magic, widening your horizons across foil sports is easily attainable.

With many insights across the past, present, and future of DUOTONE and the kiteboarding, foil, and wind sports industries, this 45-minute podcast episode with Till Eberle is well worth a listen!

Ready to get to know even more Intriguing Beings? Here are a few of our favourites from the library!

Raphael and Julien Salles (Season 3, Episode 9): Rou takes advantage of a rare opportunity to have both Raphael Salles and his son Julien in the room together. Raphael started F-ONE at the end of the 90s, and it's grown to become one of the biggest watersports businesses in the world. Julien was never that keen to work at the family business, but when the opportunity arose to head up Manera, their wetsuit and accessory brand, he changed his tune and is now poised to become the CEO of the whole company when Raph eventually decides to retire. They talk business, sports and downwind SUP in this incredible conversation…

Scott Harrison (Season 3, Episode 4): Ex-US Special Forces and brewery founder Scott Harrison sits down with Rou to talk about some of his adventures in various warzones over the years, his love of brewing beer and how kiteboarding brought all that together to put them in the same room in Mexico. The world moves in mysterious ways, and this episode is well worth a listen!

Ruben Lenten (Season 2, Episode 1): 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 setbacks along the way. If you want to get inspired about having a positive mindset, Ruben is the man to listen to!

Bill Tai (Season 1, Episode 15): An incredibly influential man whose early love of electronics and electronic engineering has led Bill Tai to become one of the most successful Venture Capitalists in the business. Running alongside his career has been a passion for water sports and the ocean, and Bill is often referred to as the Kiteboarding VC in the media. In recent years, Bill has recognised the need to spearhead a drive to change the way we think about the ocean as our playground, and his philanthropic endeavours into sustainability and reducing plastic waste are becoming the stuff of legend!

By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!

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