From the Beginning: The Franz Olry Interview
By Paul Lang

There is a good chance that you have no idea who Franz Olry is. If you have heard about him, you probably just know that he currently rides and works for Wainman Hawaii, but Franz’s history in kiteboarding goes all the way back to the beginning. Franz was one of kiteboarding’s first pro riders and he worked closely with Bruno Legaignoux on the development of products at Wipika, kiteboarding’s first inflatable kite brand. At a time when everyone was riding large and unwieldy directional boards, Franz shaped Wipika’s first production twin tip, a board with soft rails and a kicked-up nose and tail that people continued to ride for years.
After working for Wipika and later Takoon, Franz disappeared from kiteboarding for a few years before reappearing with Wainman Hawaii, a brand founded by his good friend Lou Wainman. Franz also still shapes boards under his brand name of Alkita that continues to be based on his original Wipika board concept. Now back on the kiteboarding scene, we wanted to talk with Franz about his history in the sport. Not only was Franz an early rider, but he was also an early character in Cabarete and has been traveling to and kiteboarding in Cuba since 2000.

click here for the rest of the interview thekiteboarder
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