A Kelowna company was blown out of the water after a B.C. man, known for challenging himself and others, left them in his e-surfing wake.
Originally from Alberta but now from Kelowna, motivational speaker Chris Koch ventured onto Okanagan Lake recently to e-foil, a form of surfing with an electric propeller.
On what was a calm day on the lake, Koch quickly got the hang of e-foiling, and soon was gliding above the water.
Video of Koch’s day on the water is available on YouTube.
“Today was a really special day,” Taylor Coulthard of MSLR Electric E-Foil said after instructing Koch how to e-foil. “Chris was by far the fastest learner I’ve ever taken out. I was really impressed.
“It’s the first time I’ve done a lesson and my student took off on me and I couldn’t keep up to him. It was pretty fun.”
A remote is used to power the e-foil’s motor. Having no hands, the remote was strapped to his right arm, with Koch using his left arm to adjust the speed.
Koch said they discussed someone else running the remote, but said he needed to be able to regulate the speed on his own.
“I’m actually surprised how well it worked so quickly,” Koch said in a YouTube video. “It was awesome.”
Koch once hitchhiked from Alberta to Newfoundland, relying on the help of others. He’s also the subject of a 42-minute documentary.
MSLR Electric E-Foil CEO Carey Missler said Koch approached them on Instagram, “and we said, yeah, let’s go for it.”
Following the day on the lake, Missler said “watching Chris e-foil was one of the best experiences of my life.”
Added Coulthard, the company’s vice-president of operations: “Aside from the e-foiling, just hanging out with Chris for a day, and spending time with him, you’re just left naturally inspired.
“The guy just makes you feel like you need to do more or that you can be better in life. Just being in his presence, he naturally motivates you. He only thinks of yes; there’s no, ‘I can’t do it.’ He just does it. He’s incredible.”
MSLR Electric E-Foil is a Kelowna company that donates three per cent of its profits to the Canadian Mental Health Association.