We were lucky to sit down with Mark ‘Curly’ Thomas while he was passing through Wellington. We covered his foiling and his personal motivations, equipment and riding preferences, New Zealand riding.
Here were some of Curly’s gems:
Life of design.
The benefits of foiling and mental wellbeing: I've had a lot of mental health issues. I discovered that if I felt shit from anxiety or depression, if I went riding, I felt better, and so I developed a very strong bond with the therapeutic value of movement and of making turns. Physical activity is great for your mental health. Laird Hamilton said on the Progression Project that when he's had his fix or his fill of the ocean or the wave riding or the excitement, it makes him a better father, partner, businessman, whatever, because you feel so satisfied and sated that you then have energy to give in other ways. I very rarely have issues when I'm active in nature. It's been very good for my mental health and I think it's very good for everyone’s mental health too.
If I've done two batteries on my Foil Drive, the rest of the day to me is just a bonus. It feels like I've had a great day already. I've probably ridden 100 waves, and I've had exercise, so I feel that pleasant buzz that you get from exercising. And and then the rest of the day, I'm kind of feel very present in it because I'm not jonesing for anything.
Foiling is a great way to live, and I can't think of better things that I can do with my time. You know riding a foil is as good a thing as I can think of in terms of:
Being good for my health
Being good for my physicality
Being good for my mental health
Good for connection with other humans
Good for connection with nature
It's all I want really. All I need.
If you’ve made it this far, please check out this Ebook that we wrote on FoilDrive.
Key Sections
What is it like? Background / Big Picture
What it does.
Who can use it. Who is it for.
Learning to foil in waves
Equipment Recommendations
Running through a Setup
Challenges and how to get through them
Customer Feedback / What to expect?
The Future / Considerations
“No chimney sweep ever lay on his deathbed, wishing that he's swept Just one more chimney” - Mark ‘Curly’ Thomas
I don't think you're ever going to regret having devoted a lifetime to exploring and riding and being in nature.
