Some weeks ago we had the chance to interview one of Germanys best kiteboarders, Jan Schiegnitz ("Shigi"). He is a member of the Windfinder Kitesurf Team and is sponsored by Liquid Force, NPX, Schwerelosigkite and Dandie. He has also released a calendar with beautiful shots from Germany's best kiters - would make a perfect christmas present, go to justkite.de and have a look!
Windfinder: Hey Jan, some days ago I saw footage from you where you ride a slider in Denmark in freezing cold conditions - wearing a shorty. Why did you do that, don't you ever feel cold?
Shigi: Haha, that would be cool! To be honest, I was wearing a 3/4 wetsuit underneath my shirt. Still it was freezing cold. But somehow it actually didn't matter, because I was so stoked, and had so much fun on the huge slider. It was a beautiful day in October, and everything was just right. 20 Knots, my Envy perfectly powered, flat water, and an awesome attitude among the riders.
Windfinder: Speaking of sliders and kickers - you are heavily into obstacles. Where does this come from and why do you like riding obstacles?
Shigi: This comes from my snowboarding roots. Since I was a kid, alpine sports have had a strong influence on me. Together with my family I spent every winter in the Alps, skiing and snowboarding. That's how I learned to shred everything I came across that seemed slidable. Obstacles open up a new dimension in kiteboarding. With kickers you can fly the kite even lower, twist your body even further, and hold the grabs longer. And sliders are just one hell of fun. When shredding obstacles the style is the key aspect. This finally sets limits to just dangling underneath the kite. It might not be the sport's future, but rather another aspect. And besides, I believe that kiteboarding will gain more acceptance among the other boarding sports in which kickers, and sliders are basically every day business. And this is just the beginning.
Windfinder: You finished third in this year's Kitesurf Trophy. How do you train to reach first place next year? :)
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Shigi: This season was just insane. After my knee operation last autumn, it was a really hard comeback within only 3 months. That made me appreciate my restored knee even more. I had a lot of good sessions aside from my contest agenda, so the focus shifted to creating pictures, videos and new obstacles.
Windfinder: What are your goals for the next season? How do you train to reach these goals?
Shigi: I'm really looking forward to the next season. I want to compete in more international contests like the PKRA or KPWT tour, and also participate in different formats like the Triple S. But before the summer season begins, I want to have some great days in the snow, and also take part in the Snowkite Worldcup.
Windfinder: Tell us a little bit about your snowkiting roots. How did you get into snowkiting and why do you like it so much?
Shigi: Snowkiting simultaneously unites the best elements of both worlds: snowboarding and kitesurfing. You can ride all day long, don't have to stand in line, and wait for a ski lift. With the kite you can do even more tricks, like inverted spins for instance. 
Windfinder: Describe a perfect day in kiting! Is it competitions, filming, landing a new trick... What pushes you the most when you go kiting?
Shigi: Kind of difficult to say that in just one sentence. I like the sessions with buddies from the neighbourhood best. It's all about fun, and pushing each other. Some shootings this summer have also been way out. Riding at night or at dawn, while the sun is rising is way more intense, and impressive than heats in competitions.
Windfinder: What would you do if you could not kiteboard any more one day?
Shigi: Don't want to think about it. Crack nightmare.
Windfinder: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Shigi: I think the sport will grow further, and we can still expect a lot more. I want to progress with the sport, and rock even harder on the water for the next 20 years. Knock on wood!
Boardpunx.com/LF taxi slider event preview - Mommark, Als 2009 from Kitesurferen.dk on Vimeo.
