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Mike Raper

@mikeraper

3.2K
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3034
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Brand & product leader in watersports
35+ yrs | Kite & Foil specialist
Innovation. Performance. Global brands
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A new chapter begins. I’m stoked to share that I’m joining the Foil Drive team at its all new HQ in Adelaide, Australia, as Global Brand Director, physically working between Australia and New Zealand. Over the past 10 years, Foiling has significantly changed the way we all experience the ocean. I believe its next great transformation will come through electrification and foil assist. Not replacing the purity of surf foiling, but opening it to more humans, more conditions and more possibilities, including access to surf breaks that have always been difficult to reach. The opportunities are endless. Foil Drive began with a beautifully simple idea from our founder and inventor Paul Martin: to create a lightweight, retrofittable system that provides just enough assistance to get a rider onto foil, while preserving the feeling and freedom that make foiling and surfing so special. That idea helped create an entirely new category within the world of watersports: Hybrid Foiling. Foil Drive has been at the forefront of this movement ever since. I take my cap off to Paul Martin, Ben Jamieson, Caitlyn Francis and the entire Foil Drive crew. What they have created through curiosity, engineering and a genuine love of riding is extraordinary. The opportunity ahead of us is enormous, and we are extremely excited to explore what comes next. I can’t wait to get started and help take Foil Drive to the next level. I’ll be working across global brand direction, storytelling, product strategy and the introduction of the next generation of Foil Drive products, while engaging with our diverse communities around the world. New country. New team. New technology. Plenty to learn and an exciting future to help build. Let’s fly. taken in Adelaide, South Australia by @mikeraper
155
2 months ago
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Thanks Cyclone Vianau, that was fun, what a challenging session, 40+ knots offshore with no exit. I lucky to be out with the experience of Jeremy @starboardnewzealand Special thanks to the local community and photogs 📷🎥 that hobbled together this footage. Waiting for the next one… @northfoils Vert 4’2 UHM80 SF530 C650 S125 taken in Mangawhai Heads Surf Beach by @mikeraper
46
6 months ago
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Love how the world slows down sometimes, those mental snapshots locked in forever. Every time I'm out, I'm learning something new, the pumpibility V's the carve and then the glide. A balancing act, literally. Love this sport This is the feeling of limitlessness. This is how we ride. @mikeraper This is North Foils. #RunFlyBe #NorthFoils #Run #Fly #Be #NorthNovaWing #NorthSonar #WingSurf #FoilSurfing #WingSurfing #HydroFoil #SurfFoil #HydroFoilSurfing #NorthFoiling #WeAreNorth #ItCalls #North #Freedom #Surfing #Waves #Sunset #Storm #Ocean 📸 @steffo_avocado taken in Mangawhai Heads by @mikeraper
16
5 years ago
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Ep. 144 is live! On this episode of the Foil Life Podcast, Luc Moore sits down with Mike Raper (newly appointed Global Brand Director at Foil Drive) and Nico Hopp (Hoppline) to talk about the foil assist revolution, why the product still feels like “surfers for surfers,” and where powered foiling, downwinding and beginner access are heading next. We recap Mike’s reset after leaving North and a 2024 brain hemorrhage, months chasing swell and wind between New Zealand and Australia, and the decision to come back into the industry with Paul Martin, Ben Jamieson and the Foil Drive crew. Nico brings the European demo-and-camp view: heat-dome summers, Baltic sessions, tool-less Mini Pod swaps, Fusion racing, and how fast first-timers progress when they get days on the water instead of a 20-minute demo. The conversation covers efficiency and testing without waiting for wind, Jerry Lopez finding empty lineup waves at 77, Fusion / Max / Slim as different tools rather than one product, camps that turn into all-day foil-drive clinics, downwind racing where you’re faster off the trigger than on it, second-hand units that still last, and why assist is another quiver item instead of a replacement for wing, prone or pump. Link in bio! by @mikeraper
3
a month ago
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Mike Raper needs no intro. Thirty years in the watersports industry, the guy who has built brands from the ground up and knows what it takes to move something to the next level. I personally know Mike from North, we have worked close on some small projects in the past that I really enjoyed. Having him as our inside man at Foil Drive feels pretty good, we like having people on the inside! We catch up on what life looked like after North, and what brought him to Foil Drive. More importantly, what his role means for where Foil Drive is heading. This is just a bit of gear chat, more about vision, growth, and what happens when someone with Mike’s experience steps into a brand that’s already doing something nobody else is doing. Thanks Mike! See you at AWSI buddy! Come grab a shirt to go along with that hat you look so good in! 🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust: taken in Kite Puerto Rico by @mikeraper
2
a month ago
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After eight extraordinary years, my chapter with North came to an end earlier this year. In 2018, we started with a trademark, an idea, a blank sheet and zero revenue. What followed was the ride of a lifetime: building an experienced NZ team and growing North into an industry leading global business. As an executive and shareholder, I was deeply invested. We relaunched North into kiteboarding, followed by foiling in 2020. It was a baptism of fire, building the brand, products, team and global network at full speed. NZ was the perfect R&D playground, with year-round wind and surf. We created the iconic Orbit, Reach, Navigator Pro, Atmos & Flex, then the Sonar foil system, Nova, Mode Pro, ShiftLock, Midi, BOOST, Vert, DropBox, Rover PW and Foil Drive Integrated mast. With North Sails Textiles, we also introduced N-Weave45 and N-Max2 airframes. Engineered. Refined. Intuitive. We celebrated Red Bull King of the Air podiums, supporting the industry and event for years as its Official Sponsor. To our legendary team riders: your talent, courage and feedback brought our story to life. There were unforgettable launches, photoshoots, dawn sessions, victories, failures, breakthroughs and plenty of laughter. Losing Thies, our former CEO, in early 2024 changed us profoundly. Our relationship was built on trust, shared ambition and his extraordinary knowledge. His loss changed North’s rhythm in ways that were personal and impossible to replace. To all my colleagues, riders, ambassadors, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and schools: thank you. To our North community: thank you for trusting and challenging us. To my family: thank you for the travel, long days and missed weekends. None of this was possible without you. Following a restructure, North chose a fresh European-based team. It was not how I expected this chapter to close, but I remain proud of what we created. When the elements call, we must go. It Calls. For eight unforgettable years, we answered. What a ride. Thank you, WeAreNorth. I’m looking forward to applying everything I learned at NeilPryde, Cabrinha and North to an emerging category with enormous global potential. I’ll share more very soon. taken in Auckland Region by @mikeraper
189
2 months ago
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Fun summer sessions, so much water time, body broken. Testing new front wings, this big boy can roll, rail to rail is soo easy…. Thanks @eastcoastfoiltraining_nz 🎥 @northfoils @foildrive @mysticboarding taken in Mangawhai Heads by @mikeraper
24
9 months ago
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Stoked we have another queen and another podium. So so proud of the team and all that they have achieved, both the design staff and the riders. Was fun to celebrate another KOTA Red Bull event as a sponsor with Max and the crew. taken in Bloubergstrand by @mikeraper
20
10 months ago
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In Case 56, Walt and I sit down with Mike Raper, North’s Brand Director — and yes, I give him a hard time for being too good at promoting the North lineup. The man is proudly dialed into every product, every update, and every detail… and honestly, rightfully so. We run through a quick overview of what North has been up to, some of the standouts in the current range, and how the brand continues to push design and performance forward. Mike’s schedule during AWSI is chaos, so we’re stoked we managed to sneak him in for a van chat between meetings and demos. Short, fun, and full of North energy. 🎙️ Sponsored by Kite Puerto Rico + the N1 Surf Shop. Support the podcast by subscribing, dropping a 5⭐ review, and grabbing your gear from someone you trust: www.KitePuertoRico.com Boost Trench and FD masts in stock. 📲 Follow along: @TheXFoils #XFoils #Case56 #MikeRaper #NorthFoils #NorthKiteboarding #FoilTalk #AWSI #FoilDesign #Wingfoil #Kitefoil #N1SurfShop taken in N1 Surf Shop by @mikeraper
2
a year ago
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NORTH @ AWSI 2025 Check out our youtube channel (link in BIO) for all the new 2026 NORTH foil and kite gear presentations. . . . #northfoils #northkiteboarding #foillifepodcast #awsi #awsi2025 taken in Hood River, Oregon by @mikeraper
11
a year ago
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Mikes back - after a pretty horrendous time in his life - but as positive and upbeat as ever! We had a great chat with Mike back back at the start of our mighty podcasting careers and we’ve kept in touch. He had a terrible health scare in 2024 and we’re very glad to hear of his recovery and journey back to tip top shape. We recorded before Christmas, so its great to see some of what we discussed re. the parawing come to life since then. Fingers crossed Mike makes it to AWSI this year so we can finally share a beer! by @mikeraper
8
a year ago
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Anisocoria is a condition characterized by an unequal size of the eyes’ pupils. David Bowie was probably the most famous. Out and about in Lisboa Portugal 🇵🇹 and had the opportunity to take a high rez pic of my different sized eyes, thought I’d share. Better day by day, thanks again for all the support. “The eyes are the window to your soul.” William Shakespeare. #losboa #lxmarket #davidbowie by @mikeraper
10
2 years ago
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