This article if fairly accurate. Kiteboarding is unusual in that everyone basically agrees it was "invented" by a bunch of people and not an individual. The con

This article if fairly accurate. Kiteboarding is unusual in that everyone basically agrees it was "invented" by a bunch of people and not an individual. The contributions of the Legaignoux's, Roeseler's, Don Montague, and not mentioned Lou Wainman all helped popularized it. A lot of this is captured in "UPWIND - Launch of a Sport"[1]. In terms of prior art, there's an amusing anecdote of Benjamin Franklin(!) pulling himself across a pond with a very large home built kite in the 1710's[2]. As a sport, kiteboarding is wonderful. It's mentally demanding in the same way piloting aircraft is while physically demanding in the way, say, snowboarding is. There is immense satisfaction in throwing around a huge 12 square meter sail with the flick of wrist while an intimacy and sense of flow that comes with riding out on the water in solitude exposed to the elements and not boxed in by a vehicle or craft. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKMSJTtypU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKMSJTtypU [2] http://mentalfloss.com/article/71431/time-ben-franklin-casually-invented-form-kitesurfing http://mentalfloss.com/article/71431/time-ben-franklin-casua...