All About Foiling Freaks

Who we are

Foiling Freaks was founded and built by Ian Lauder, a Pacific Northwest software developer and creative who has spent decades creating automated systems, websites, and capturing adventures on film outdoors.

In the early days of modern foiling, Ian was part of the original Sky Ski hydrofoil scene on Lake Sammamish: a tight local crew known as the Air Junkys. Back in the 90's, that group rode hard, experimented constantly, and spent time with the godfather of foiling, Mike Murphy, during the sport's formative years. Ian shot a lot of the original foiling photography for Sky Ski and the first foiling magazine - Flight Magazine by Tony Klarich.

Off the water, Ian's other life has been in the mountains. It's been a split extreme-sports rhythm for years: climb on the weekends, foil during the week. He is one of fewer than a hundred people to have scaled the tallest 100 peaks in the Pacific Northwest, and he has a long history of instruction as a rock, ice, and glacier climbing instructor for over 15 years.

Along the way: AI development, design work in Illustrator and Photoshop, years of photography, and many book and magazine publication credits, and producing media have given Ian the breadth of experience to produce this project.

The "we" in "who we are" is an acknowledgment of all the foiling freaks who have been part of the journey.

What Foiling Freaks is

Foiling Freaks is a hub for hydrofoil board sports designed to connect disciplines, people, and resources.

• Clear, organized discipline pages that cover every type of foiling board sport
• A growing directory of creators, brands, schools, and community resources
• Community features that help you find all the great content creators, tools, and forums

Why it exists

Foiling is one of the rare sports where progress is hard earned and feels like unlocking a new physics engine. It's also a sport where the learning curve can be steep, the information is scattered, and the "best" advice depends on conditions, equipment, and experience level.

What makes foiling special is the people: foilers helping foilers. The stoke is real, the advice is generous, and someone is always willing to talk you through a problem. Foiling Freaks aims to pull the great stuff already out there into one easy-to-find community hub.

• Find resources faster
• Learn with less trial-and-error
• Connect with the wider foiling world—across disciplines
• Celebrate the creative, wild personality that foiling attracts

When it started

The path to Foiling Freaks spans two parallel timelines: technology and foil—and a third that shaped the mindset behind it: mountaineering.

Tech timeline

• 1988: Began a career focused on software engineering and database systems
• 1997: Shifted heavily into website development and database-driven web systems
• Recent years: Built modern AI-driven automation and content systems

Foiling timeline

• 1996: First sit-down foil era—learning the hard way, then loving it forever
• 30 years on foil: crossing disciplines as the sport evolved
• 1990's Lake Sammamish: part of the original Sky Ski hydrofoil crew (the Air Junky era)
• Early days: riding and hanging out frequently with the godfather of foiling, Mike Murphy

Mountains timeline

• 15+ years: rock, ice, and glacier climbing instructor
• Peak quest: one of fewer than 100 people to have scaled the tallest 100 peaks in the Pacific Northwest
• Life rhythm: climbing weekends, foiling weekdays—two worlds that sharpen judgment, safety, and progression

Foiling Freaks is the "everything finally fits together" moment: engineering, databases, design, photography, and the long arc of foiling culture.

Where this is going

Foiling Freaks was born in the Pacific Northwest—where lakes, mountains, weather, and a stubborn love of outdoor sports create a perfect test lab for every kind of session.

The mission is global, though: build a site that works for a beginner discovering their first stable ride, and for a seasoned rider refining technique across conditions and gear.

Community features

Foiling Freaks is being built in phases. The first community layer starts simple and useful:

• Newsletter (double opt-in) for updates and new resources
• Foiling Pin Map so riders can mark a general location and see the global community

Future phases will add contributor publishing, member logins, and claimed page management so creators and organizations can help maintain their own presence—while keeping the site organized and trustworthy.

Visual storytelling

Foiling is visual. Progress is visual. And the history of the sport matters. Foiling Freaks leans into that—using photography, illustration, and video to make learning clearer and to document the culture as it evolves.

Past photography work includes major publication credits and long-term event/sport documentation, including serving as an official photographer for Seattle Seafair, documenting SkySkis during formative years, and later serving as a senior photographer for a hydrofoil publication.

Values & safety

• Inclusive by design: every discipline, every skill level
• Safety matters: real progress comes from repeatable, responsible sessions
• Respect the water: conditions change fast—judgment matters
• Credit creators: link out and support the people growing the sport

For important safety and liability information, please read the Disclaimers section on our policies page: /htm/policies.htm#disclaimers

Contact

Have a question, a resource to add, or something cool to contribute? Reach out: Contact Foiling Freaks