Interview - Paige Alms

Who are you and where are you from?

Paige Alms, active water enthusiast, big wave surfer and foil frother. I was born in Victoria, BC, Canada and grew up on Maui since I was 9, where I live now.

How did you first get started with foiling?

A few years ago here on Maui, I was watching a few friends playing around with foils and it honestly looked so strange. I wasn’t like “Oh I can’t wait to try that”. But I love a challenge, I love new ways of being able to play in the ocean, and so, I gave it a try. The struggle was real in the beginning. My fiancé’ Sean and I had only a few little tips here and there, and were on way too small of foils. I almost gave up on it, but then something clicked. After winning the Jaws event in 2018, I only foiled, no surfing, for 5 weeks straight. Honestly been pretty addicted ever since. Lift Foils from the beginning!!

What was your original setup?

I think Nick had sent us some of his original kite/surf foils, I want to say they were 100’s or 150/170s.

What’s your preferred surf foil setups now?

I use the Surf v2 150 with the 34 tail almost exclusively for prone foiling with a 32 inch mast. For winging, if there’s waves I’m on the older 150 surf wing or the Surf V2 100 depending on how big it is, with a 36 mast. If no waves, I’m on the 120 High Aspect!

Any tips and tricks for those getting into the sport?

I think learning behind a ski (or an eFoil) has a huge advantage. You can skip days of torture by doing an hour with friends who are good at coaching. If you don’t have access to either, just going with friends who are willing to help give you pointers. Don’t give up!

What do you feel has been your biggest achievement out on the water?

I guess winning the Jaws event 3x…

What brought you to Lift, and what do you like about the brand?

Nick is awesome and the foils speak for themselves.

What excites you for the future of foiling?

Using smaller and smaller foils.

Follow paige at @paigealms on Instagram