If you are interested in becoming a BLAST team rider - contact us with your profile/vids/pics. Being a team rider is about spreading the word and being a good abassador, helping to promote our equipment and in return you will receive product discounts and of course get to ride some awesome kit.
You will find all the BLAST teamriders stoked to help out with advice where ever they can assist.

The main equipment offered will be either Epic, Mutiny, Genetrix, Fluid plus Blankforce & Axis and Mystic etc.

You don't have to be the best kitesurfer out there.you don't have to be competing either as we are simply looking for super enthusiastic kiters who want to "spread the love" (although we do have a few top competitors too)

Only a deep passion for the sport and the equipment you use is paramount!
Email us with your details: info@blastkiteboarding.co.uk
 

             

     

Blast Team Riders
Tom Butler - Oxford                 Blankforce/Mystic/Mutiny
Dean Morgan - S.Wales          Wainman Hawaii/Epic
Craig Smith - Cornwall            Blankforce/Mystic
Martyn Bazen - South Coast    Epic
Chris Rand - Portsmouth         Blankforce/Genetrix
Mark Walker                             Epic/Genetrix
Alun Jenkins - S.Wales            Genetrix/Mystic/Xereator
Ellys Bloor                                 Blankforce/Mutiny

Riders Info Below......

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Tom Butler

Mutiny Kites/Mystic/Blankforce Boards

 Tom is also a BKSA Qualified Instructor with The Blast Team

We are super stoked to announce that Tom will be sponsored by Blast Kiteboarding with Mystic gear plus other kit.

An interview with up and coming Freestyle Kitesurfer Tom Butler, discussing his journey, the UK’s hot spots, the launch of Mutiny Kites and much more!

Tom's new website: http://www.tombutlerkitesurfer.co.uk/Tom_butler/Home.html


Hi Tom, Thanks for talking to us today. So, how long have you been Kitesurfing and how did you get into the sport?

 

Hi, no worries – it’s a pleasure!
I have been kite surfing for six years now. I first got into it through powekiting on land and it went on from there.

I was doing a bit of fishing one day in South Wales and saw some local guys ripping up and down the beach on these huge kites, jumping in the air and doing some crazy stuff and my dad knew straight away it was going to be an expensive new hobby! From there it went very quickly, I hooked up with a local shop (Marc now Blast Kiteboarding) when I was 13 and my dad would drive me 2 hours to the beach every weekend, and it went from a hobby to a lifestyle in no time.

What have you been up to this year? Have you been in many competitions?

After finishing my A levels before the summer I hooked up with my new sponsor; Mutiny Kites and saw potential for a gap year, learning about the industry outside of the competition scene. I have been mostly training in Egypt improving my riding and working with Mutiny recently. After 5 years on the British tour it’s now more exciting for me to see other sides of the industry. As a new company with well known guys from the industry, it has been a great few months learning about the design process of the kites, photo shoots, marketing the kites, testing and building my profile as a rider.

What equipment do you use? What has been your favourite bit of kit?

I am using Mutiny Kites, I ride any kite they need testing right now as the development is never ending on any kite. I ride footstraps or bindings on my kiteboard, I can go out on both and have really good fun as I love to mix my riding up as much as I can. Both disciplines have something to bring to the progression of Kitesurfing as a sport.

For me my favourite kite and board were my first and I think everyone would say the same. Although the kites we ride now are 100 times better, it’s that first feeling of raw power you get from a kite that you never forget and gets you hooked.

What is next, do you have anything coming up this and next year?

Well like I said I’m learning about the marketing side and I’m in the process of meeting loads of new people which is really cool. Mutiny Kites’ first kite is being released in December so it’s a bit hectic travelling around to events and retailers showing them the ‘ins and outs’ of the kit.

What do the competitions that you compete in normally involve?

The competitions I have been involved in over the years have been a very similar format as I have always competed in freestyle events. You have heats of 3 or 4 people in a competition zone and each rider is marked on the technical difficulty in each trick, as well as the power and style they ride with. Depending on the conditions, every rider gets a second chance if they don’t do their best in their first heat, which is cool because you can clear your head and get out there to prove yourself.

The competitions are a great way to open your horizons of the sport and the people that you can meet, every year I have met countless numbers of new people and every single one has been helpful and really down to Earth.

 

Have you always been a Kitesurfer, or have you tried other forms of board sport?

Before Kitesurfing I never even thought of extreme sports as my kind of thing, I always pushed myself to do what everyone else was doing at school so I did county rugby and fishing competitions. Once I started Kitesurfing it was a really easy decision to drop everything else because there were no politics and I could push my own thing on the water, plus I could show off to every one on the beach – and as a 13 year old it was great!

 

 

Dean Morgan 

Wainman Kites & Boards & Epic Kites
Dean has been kiting since the beginning of time, he started with a Fexifoil Blade Foil kite back in the day....
He is past British Freestyle Champion and  was on the National team for Naish for many years.
 

As Marc has mentioned I started kitesurfing right st the very start of the sport, There were no water relauchable kites then and no twin tip boards. I started out on a 4.9 Flexifoil Blade and a 6ft 6" surfboards with straps. The learning curve was intresting to say the least with very limited saftey.

I was associated to Naish from their very first kites, and developed some twip tip boards with the help of local surfboard shaper Roger cooper, The sport was moving so fast that almost every new article in the magazines showed new boards and developments in the kites. With ever improving riders such as Mark Shinn, Danny Searles and Jason Furness pushing the boundries of the sport. These riders i got to know very well over the years.

back in the day there were mainly 3 Brands who produced both kites and boards.

WIPIKA: was led by a team of French guys who were right up there with riders such as Franz Olry who is now associated with Wainman, and Seb Cattalan who is still pushing the boundries with GENETRIX Kites and world speed records.

NAISH: Led by Robby naish and designer Don Monitguie and the team in Maui which included Flash Austin and the person that was pulling all the moves you see today over 10years ago Mr LOU Wainman.

CABRINHA Again based in Maui led by Pete Cabrhina and a team of local riders who again pushed the develpoments of the sport.

Board design has changed dramaticly with numerous and different types and styles available, believe me i have had the lot, from surfboards to really small Twin tips ( 115), to mutants to stubbie mutants back to twip tips with 6 fins, twip tips with fins in the rail, production boards, custom boards.

Kites pretty much remained the same with slight tweaks here and there in material and what some called gimmicks, but it wasn't until the era of bridled kites that the sport really changed for the better of all.

If you see me at the beach say hi and have a chat, if you would like to demo the kites, and boards i am using then ill gladly let you use them.

My one word of advice for the beginner's out there is Please please please have lessons i have gone through and seen some really shocking incidents. Professional advice from Blast Kiteboarding is the best investment you can make.
Good winds
Aloha
Deano

CHRIS RAND

Blankforce Boards/Mystic/Genetrix Kites

Portsmouth

Chris originally had his lessons with Blast Kiteboarding only just over a year ago and has learned at an incredible pace. He is already an accomplished Freestyle rider.

 

 

 

CRAIG SMITH

Blankforce Boards/Mystic

Cornwall

 

Age: 19

D.O.B: 09/06/91

Lives: Newquay, Cornwall

Local Spots: Perranporth, The Bluff Marazion (Anywhere in Cornwall really ha)

I have been involved in kites for as long as I can remember, from the days where I used to fly a 1 line Thomas the tank engine kite to now, competing on the National Amateur Circuit. I have ridden in many different places, mainly in the UK but also a few around the globe as well, places such as Egypt, Fuerteventura, Devon, the east coast west coast wales, you name it I have most probably kited pretty close. During the 2009 season I traveled the UK competing on the BKSA Amateur circuit, but plans for 2011 are ever changing so who knows where or what I will end up doing!

 

Ellys Bloor