From humble beginnings in Hawaii to the newest face on the North Kiteboarding International Team, Karlie Thoma is living life her own way! In this Insight feature, Jen Tyler catches up with this Maui-based daredevil. Get to know all about Karlie and what inspires her in this exclusive IKSURFMAG interview!

Karlie, it's great to meet you and congratulations on your recent move to North Kiteboarding! Can you share with us the story of how you joined their team?

Thanks so much! I got with North through Jesse Richman; he put me in touch with Alex Vliege, and we spoke about what I was doing on the water and where I wanted to take it. After that, everything just lined up! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could be a professional athlete. Everything I've done up until this point had been out of pure passion and love for just doing crazy and gnarly s#!t!

I definitely would do it anyway, but it's cool having North and Mystic backing me up. I'm out there on social media; I say what I want and do what I want, and they fully support that.

What was it like growing up in Maui? Were you born there?

Maui is pretty rad! I would say I was a tomboy. I loved doing whatever the boys were doing. I got into sports like soccer, hockey, basketball, kitesurfing, pretty much everything! I felt like a little bit of an outcast when I was younger, just because I was a young girl doing all these different sports, and I didn't have many friends to do them with. But yeah, it kind of shaped me into the person I am today. 

What's your earliest childhood memory?

Hmm… probably at the skatepark when I was about eight years old, dropping into the halfpipe! 

Who inspired you to first get into kiteboarding, and who do you still look up to today?

I started kiteboarding because my dad rented out a room to two Swiss kitesurfers visiting Maui for the summer. One day, I went down to the beach with them, and I was like, "I want to learn that!" So we went to the Naish shop and got me a 3m kite and a super big harness. They taught me to kitesurf and got a discounted rate on the room. That's how it all began! 

Someone I look up to would probably have to be my friend, John Mackay. He's just a super awesome, super chilled guy. He motivates me to try new things out on the water, and his style is just so relaxed and controlled.

With nicknames like Gnarlie and Scarlie, you must have some insane tales to tell! Have you ever been in a situation where you thought, "Am I going to make it out of this one"?

I am feeling that right now! Of course, I want to push my limits in every sport that I do, but with all these injuries and surgeries, I'm a bit hesitant now of the consequences.

Do these injuries impact your riding today or make you more mindful while kiteboarding?

I get in a gnarly headspace when I'm injured, and it takes me a long time to get out of it. I am struggling with the thought of knowing where exactly I want to take all these different sports. I'm trying to find that line still - I really am, but it's kind of like a double-edged sword, for sure.

Tell us about your front roll – fish pull – megaloop! 

So before I tried that trick, I was doing megaloops, and 360 grabs, kind of like that old school style. So, one day, I thought to myself, I want to send it and try it. I figured the fish pull would loop the kite a lot quicker, so I just sent it with that thought in mind! I've had some gnarly, gnarly crashes with that one; you can see one on my Instagram probably falling from over 30 feet. The kite did not catch me, but I'm trying to throw in some rotations in the mix. 

It's terrifying, though, because there's no such thing as "safe to send it" in big air - you have got to huck and hope for the best! 

Living relatively close to Jesse Richman, do you and Jesse session together often? Have you known each other since you were kids?

So, Jesse and I used to ride Naish previously, sort of like Maui-sponsored. I grew up seeing him, but we were on entirely different sides of the beach in Kanaha. Jesse was down at the Pro Pool, and I was up at Old Man's Beach. Occasionally, I would go down to Pro Pool and check out the scene, but all my friends were at Old Man's, so I mainly just stayed up there. Over the years, Jesse and I have done many product shoots, and we just finished up a product shoot with North back in December. He's a cool guy.

Can you talk us through your North quiver? Favourite piece of equipment?

My go-to is a 7m Reach with 22 or 24m lines and the Astra 129, but I'm dabbling with the 132 now. I think it's super great for looping and probably my favourite piece of equipment.

Just skimming through your IG page, you consistently push past gender stigmas; it's inspirational, and we love that about you! Your open-minded and fearless approach to life makes you a strong role model for young women. What led you to become such a fierce advocate?

I don't know where it comes from - I just grew up loving to push boundaries. I remember as a kid seeing a boy doing something, and my immediate response would be, I can do that! So I would consistently do that until I did it. That's just how my life has been.

I feel like I'm very focused and driven, especially in sports, because it's evident that someone's been working on something, just by how they are on the water. So I want to continue to dedicate my life to that, with or without sponsors. 

Women can do anything the guys are doing, and I just want to hold this vital energy for women and speak my mind. Just be yourself and who you are, and the right people and the right things will follow.

Do you participate in Maui Kite Fest every year?

Yes, I do - I've done all their competitions! It's an incredible little event on Maui. There are few competitions here in the USA, so it's cool to have one organised by all the people in Maui and to see our little community coming together.

Are you and your mum still running 'Ohana in Paradise'?

When I got this sponsorship, I decided to put my licence inactive and really give it my best shot. It's a dream come true that I didn't know I had! I want to focus on being on the water and getting my mind and body healthy and prepared for anything. So I'm putting real estate on the side for now. 

Karlie, it's been awesome! Thanks again for the interview. Any upcoming exciting plans you'd like to share with us? 

Not yet! I'm kind of figuring out in my head where I want to take all these different sports and where my body will let me take them. So that's something I still got to think through quite a bit, but I will let you know when I know. Thank you so much for getting in touch with me, Jen!

Videos

Karlie Thoma joins North!
Mystic Welcomes Karlie Thoma
By Jen Tyler
Italian/Egyptian Jen Tyler grew up on the sandy beaches of the Red Sea and has been on the IKSURFMAG & Tonic Mag team since 2017.

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