Show Notes
Greg Drexler from Boardriding Maui joins the show for a deep dive into style, simplicity, and the evolution of wind-powered foiling. We get into Greg’s roots in windsurfing and kiting, the design philosophy behind BRM, the early days of parawings, why the new S3 became the benchmark, and how stripping gear down to its essence can unlock more freedom on the water. This one is a great look inside the mind of a designer who has helped shape kites, wings, and now parawings with a focus on feel, function, and keeping the stoke alive.
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Edo Tanas joins the show after an incredible Hawaiian race season capped by his third straight Molokai 2 Oahu victory. We dig into the training, mindset and equipment development behind his season, including his move to Slingshot, how his approach to fitness and recovery has evolved, and the changing technique and gear at the highest level of downwind racing. Edo also tells the wild story of his Hawaiian island-chain project—foiling from the Big Island to Maui, Maui to Oahu and Oahu to Kauai on back-to-back days, including a seven-hour stretch on foil and some genuinely sketchy moments alone in the open ocean. Then we break down this year’s brutal M2O, where Edo struggled to even get on foil at the start, watched the field disappear, and methodically worked his way back through the pack to take the win. It’s a great conversation about racing, risk, efficiency, confidence, and just how quickly downwind foiling continues to evolve.
Zeke Lau joins the Progression Project fresh off completing Hawaii's full downwind race circuit, recounting the brutal, glassy-conditions M2O where he battled cramps and serious doubt before fighting through to the finish; the conversation ranges from channel-crossing safety and gear choices to how returning to "beginner" status in foiling has reshaped his perspective on ego, fear, and joy in the water.
On this episode of the Progression Project, I sit down with Olympic BMX racer and Subi Riders founder Mark Willers (subiriders) Mark's journey took him from representing New Zealand at two Olympic Games to reimagining what foiling could become by combining it with the sport he knows best—BMX. We dive into the highs and lows of chasing an Olympic dream, the mindset required to perform at the highest level, and how that same obsession with progression led him to invent an entirely new way to ride on foil. It's a conversation about creativity, innovation, resilience, and what happens when you stop asking what exists and start building what doesn't.
In this episode of the Progression Project, I sit down with Guillaume Collin (@gcolin.impact), an adaptive surfer, wing foiler, and engineer from the south of France. After a glider accident in 2015 left him paraplegic, Guillaume shares his journey of recovery, acceptance, and rebuilding his life around what’s still possible. We talk about how surfing and foiling brought him back to flow, freedom, and joy, along with the challenges and creativity behind adapting gear to ride at a high level. This is a conversation about resilience, perspective, and finding a new path forward.
This episode is a deep dive into the current progression of foiling with one of the sport’s most exciting young riders, Mala'e Mcelheny @malae_mcelheny). We talk about how riding has evolved toward speed, flow, and strapless carving, and how downwind foiling is reshaping style across every discipline. The conversation covers everything from race strategy for Molokai to Oahu, gear choices and foil design feel, to wild open-ocean missions in heavy conditions. We also get into how today’s top riders are blending surf, winging, parawing, and downwind into a single skillset, and what that means for the future of the sport. It’s a look at where foiling is right now, where it’s going, and how the next generation is pushing it all forward.