Interview mit Ruben Lenten

Posted: September 20th, 2009 | Author: Boost News | Filed under: Boost-News, Interviews, Kiteboarding | 1 Comment »

Wir haben Ruben Len10 interviewt. Wir haben ihm unter anderem über den neuen Fuel, seine Arbeit bei Slingshot und seine Pläne ein paar Fragen gestellt. Wir haben das Interview mit Absicht auf Englisch gelassen, da so seine nette Art besser rüber kommt!

Hi Ruben. I’m glad that you are ready for an interview with Boost-Kiteboarding.com! How are you and where are you right now?

Hi guys, what’s up…I’m fine mate, I’ve actually been able to relax a summertime at home and spend some time with my dear friends and family for the first time in four years. I really enjoyed it and am feeling great, fully motivated for a winter full of hardcore kiteboarding action.

What’s your favorite spot in the world?

It depends on how I feel like riding. Strong winds are my favorite, so South Africa has to offer this many days. Cape Town rocks!
Or a good old storm in Holland would be my favorite place to ride. But if I want to ride wakestyle I need some more chilled out conditions, so Brazil would be the spot for that.

Why aren’t you competing any more? All the people wanna see you ride!

I just don’t feel like traveling my ass of to locations that are not working all the time or that don’t allow me to ride the way I want.
The judges want to see more technical stuff, more spins and passes. I just like going big and powerfull and that just doesn’t always work in competitions, that’s why I just focus on promoting the sport and my sponsors by making vids and giving demos around the globe.

What are you doing if you’re not kiting? Are you studying or working for Slingshot?

If I don’t kite, I’m either wakeboarding behind the cable. Playing with my dj mixer, or planning my next trip. No studying for me, the whole world is one big school so I learn the things I want on the road.

What are the next desinations this year man?

For the coming months, I’m going to escape the Dutch winter and have it well hard elsewhere in the world. I’ll hit Brazil in October, New Caledonia or Australia in November and then I’m off for a big trip to South Africa.

The dutch kitesurfers are very succcessfull in the world, why? Is it about the great cheese? Or all these beautiful girls?

I think it’s the cheese mate, I’ve got a great cheese shop right around the corner from my house. Haha, nah I think it’s because we’re really motivated and we’ve got all kinds of conditions hitting our beaches. So we get comfortable in all kinds. If it ain’t Dutch it ain’t much!! ;) We’re all pushing eachother to have more fun and ride harder.

Your Sponsor is Slingshot, tell us more about you and Slingshot.

I have been with Slingshot for over 8 years now and they’ve always believed in me and they understand the core of the sport. So we have the Fuel kite which we have been developing and improving a lot over the past years. Slingshot knows they need a hardcore c-kite to keep kiteboarding cool. But they also know how to create quality products and grow the market. So they believe in me and let me do my thing, give me the best support and let me be part of the family.

Slingshot is a really cool brand with a lot of performance and freestyle stuff ! Whats the difference to other brands on the kitemarket ?

Slingshot has been there from the beginning and have always been progressing. That because they have good people behind it.
They do in what they believe and do it with passion. When I was a little kid I actually fell in love with the brand…It gave me a feeling I was part of something different. And look now, I still am. So it’s just the great energy that flows and the knowledge they have to be the great brand they are.

Have you used the new Slingshot Octance ? How is it?

The Fuel has been my kite, and I get annoyed by anything that flies not the way I want to. So they let the testing of other kites to other team riders like Ben Wilson and Youri Zoon. They know how to make great product. So no doubt Tony’s killing it with this one.

The Fuel is “your kite”! Whats new on the Fuel 2010?

It’s mine! ;) haha…I love it! Imagine, if a kitedesigner listens to your needs when making a kite. That’s just insane, and for me it’s even more insane because I have been riding the Fuel for over 8years so I know what I want to achieve. Every year I get better and better, more comfortable with the gear and it just works. I learn how to handle more wind and that’s how we improve our gear over and over again. We learn!
So for 2010, we just had to make some minor tweaks to the profile to give it the grunt I needed. Tony Logosz, Slingshot’s kitedesigner has been studying my riding too and he knows how to translate this into the kite. Right now it just flies more direct and has a pretty stiff profile so it holds it’s constant power in the window. It’s just a great solid kite, especially on 20m lines. That’s the way I ride it.

Ruben, you´re still traveling since you are 15 years old, is it the same now, or is it more business ?

Dude, it has changed so much from when I was 15. Of course I still love it and I’ve always been pretty serious about my riding. It started with passion and it still is, but you always try to lead it in the best way possible… But the business side has become more interesting as well. I like it, sometimes it’s a lot of work. Especially in the head. There’s so many things that I need to keep in mind, so many people that want something. But I learn and learn, so every year it’ll go more professional. It’s awesome and I totally enjoy it.

When are you back in Germany the next time? We are really looking forward in nice loops!

In 2010, after my sick ass wintertrip where I will of course keep you guys updated from on: OnTheLoose.tv I’ll definitely be planning some sessions in Germany. Bring on the storm and I’ll be there!

Aight, thanks man!
Peace and ride hard!
Ruben LEN10