TKM
Can you take us through when you began watersports, did you start surfing or kiting, and how has your ‘watersports life’ evolved?!
I started bodyboarding in shore dumps when I was about five. At eight I had my first surf trip to Bali, where I caught my first stand-up waves at Kuta beach; the feeling was amazing and I was hooked from then on. I picked up windsurfing in my early teens and was lucky enough to grow up in Hong Kong where the Gaastra and Neil Pryde businesses were based. This passion led me to live on Maui and chase the windsurfing dream. I started kiting in 1996 and hydrofoiling in 2002 and have not looked back since.
TOM BRIDGE
If you could change one thing from when you were starting the brand, or one thing you would change now about the brand (other than signing me, haha!), what would that be?
Damn Tom, that’s a tough one to answer mate. In retrospect, building a half pipe in the office was probably a bad idea. We have definitely had a lot of downtime with damaged wrists and elbows. But on a serious note, I think everything we did influenced where we are going. We’ve learned powerful lessons from all our mistakes, which has only made us stronger. All these little mistakes have been very constructive to help us improve season on season.
ULI SOMMERLATT (PRODUCT MANAGER)
What makes North so different from other brands in the market?
Good question, Uli. I think it comes down to North’s heritage with North Technology group and North Sails. We carry so much in-depth knowledge and experience within the group, and we are lucky to be able to leverage off this. At North’s heart and soul, I think more than any other brand, is that
