Who Is Vadim from Green Hat Kiteboarding?
Who Is Vadim from Green Hat Kiteboarding?
Two decades on the Jersey Shore. AWSI Vice President. Still in the water — and still answering the same questions that started it all.
Vadim isn't a "founder" in the traditional sense. He didn't sit down and map out a business. He didn't raise money. He didn't launch with a plan.
He was just a rider. Someone who was already putting in the time on the water, already experienced, already the person others would watch from the beach and want to learn from.
Green Hat didn't start as a company. It started as someone people were already watching, already asking, and already trusting before there was anything formal behind it.
Vadim — Founder, Green Hat Kiteboarding
- Riding since 2002One of the earliest kiteboarders in the NJ area
- AWSI Vice PresidentMembership Committee Chair
- IKO L2 · PASA L2 · USCG Master CaptainCertified across instruction and navigation
- Family riderWife kiteboards. Kids kite, wing, and foil
How did Green Hat Kiteboarding start?
It started the way most real things start.
There was no plan. Just someone who kept showing up and answering questions.
Vadim was out there consistently riding. Wearing a green hat. Doing his thing. And someone kept coming up to him.
Asking questions.
Wanting help.
Pushing for lessons.
He didn't go looking for students. The student found him.
"I just used to wear a green hat when I used to kite, and this guy started coming up to me on the beach… and kept bugging me to start doing lessons with him."
— Vadim, Founder
At first, he brushed it off. But the guy didn't go away. Eventually, Vadim gave in. Not because he wanted to build a business. Because someone needed help and he knew how to give it.
That's the origin. Just one person helping another person figure it out.
Why did Green Hat become a real business?
It didn't turn into a business because of a decision. Vadim helped one guy on the beach. That should have been it. But it wasn't. More people kept showing up, asking the same questions, and wanting help.
It wasn't structured. Just more conversations, more time on the beach, and more people trying to understand what they were doing.
If people keep coming to you, asking for help, and you keep giving it, eventually it stops being random. It becomes something.
Vadim didn't sit down and decide to build a brand. He just kept showing up, kept helping the kite community, and more people kept finding him. Over time, that turned into Green Hat.
Shaping wind sports — locally and nationally
Vadim was among the first foilers and wingers in New Jersey — not following a trend, but riding one before most people knew it existed. He was at the first foil regatta on the East Coast.
Today he serves as Vice President and Membership Committee Chair on the AWSI board, working at the national level to improve how the industry is organized, how instructors are certified, and how the sport grows responsibly.
And through all of it — his wife kiteboards. His kids kite, wing, and foil. This was never just a business. It's how his family lives.
What Vadim believes about teaching kiteboarding
This is where most people get it wrong. Teaching kiteboarding isn't about running lessons or selling time on the water. It's about reducing confusion.
Most beginners don't struggle because it's too hard. They struggle because they don't know what to focus on, what matters, or what comes next.
"We are really trying to prove to even ourselves that we have value… what is the reason for our existence."
— Vadim
They don't run a traditional school anymore. Instead, they work with a partner company run by someone Vadim taught years ago. That person took what he learned, built on it, and scaled it into a full operation.
That's intentional. Green Hat focuses on the gear and the knowledge. The partner handles the lessons.
Where Green Hat Kiteboarding is today
Today, Green Hat has grown well beyond how it started, but it hasn't lost what made it work in the first place.
Green Hat is still rooted in the same thing it started with. People who actually ride. People who spend time on the water in real conditions. People who test gear, talk to customers, and stay close to what's actually happening in the sport.
It's built on the beach, in New Jersey, where conditions change, seasons matter, and riders have to adapt. That's where most of the real learning happens.
If you're getting into kiteboarding, where should you start?
Start simple. Ask questions. Show up on the beach and put yourself out there.
Find someone who actually rides. Someone who's out there in real conditions. Someone who can explain what's happening in a way that makes sense.
And more importantly, find someone who isn't trying to sell you something before you even understand what you're doing.
Vadim's approach has always been the opposite. Slow it down. Understand it first. Get clear on what you're trying to do, what conditions you're riding in, and what actually matters for your progression. Then make decisions.
About Vadim and Green Hat
Who is Vadim from Green Hat Kiteboarding?
Vadim is the founder of Green Hat Kiteboarding and one of the early kiteboarders in the New Jersey area. He started riding in the early 2000s and quickly went from learning to teaching.
Is Vadim still actively kiteboarding today?
Yes. He still rides regularly — testing gear, riding different disciplines like kiteboarding, wing foiling, and hydrofoiling.
Does Vadim still teach kiteboarding lessons?
Not directly. Green Hat no longer runs its own school, but works with a partner company run by someone Vadim originally taught. That company now handles lessons, while Green Hat focuses on gear and guidance.
What is Vadim's role on the AWSI board?
Vadim serves as Vice President and chairs the Membership Committee on the AWSI board, shaping how the industry operates at a national level.
Where is Green Hat Kiteboarding located?
Green Hat Kiteboarding is based in Waretown, New Jersey, and serves the broader Jersey Shore kiteboarding and wind sports community.
Why do riders trust Green Hat?
The guidance comes from real experience, not marketing. The business was built from helping people directly.
Summary
Green Hat didn't start as a business.
It started as a rider on the beach, someone asking questions, and a conversation that didn't stop.
Because everything that exists today is built on top of that same foundation. Real experience, real time on the water, and real answers given to people trying to figure it out.
It didn't come from a plan. It came from doing it, over and over, until people started relying on it.
And that hasn't changed.
Green Hat is bigger now. There's a team, structure, and systems behind it. But the core is still the same. The advice comes from people who ride. The guidance comes from experience. The goal is still to help someone understand what they're doing so they can keep progressing.
You're not just walking into a shop.
You're dealing with someone who was already doing it before there was anything to sell, and built everything around that.
Ready to get started?
Talk to the team that's been doing this since 2002.