When you hear the phrase “Drifting Sol” what comes to mind?
When I hear the phrase ‘Drifting Sol’ I think of someone who has decided to throw caution to the wind and set off on an adventure, the idea of ‘drifting’ makes me think of someone carefree who’s always happy to allow the wind to fill his or her sails & happy with any destination or direction that wind blows them in.
You seem to spread the good vibes wherever you roam. So we’re pretty stoked that you are in Nepal at their time of need. What is the situation like on the ground?
It’s really a crazy set of events that occurred to put me here on the ground in Nepal at this time of need, I was actually here on a solo trek when the Earthquake hit. It’s devastating the results in the Mountainous regions of Northern Nepal, the continuing & unrelenting visions of destruction can be testing to see & hard to escape but when I see the local people banding together to get through this crisis I immediately pull myself together & jump in & help where & however I can!
The Drifting Sol community are supporting your relief efforts in Nepal through the “GiveALittle” charity, a Himalayan Trust initially set up by Sir Edmund Hillary. That is one hell of a legacy. What do you imagine your legacy will be…?
Such a deep question, I think all I could hope for as my legacy is to be remembered as someone who tried to change the mindset of people in business, I’d love to see a shift towards a more socially or environmentally way to trade. Since being involved in Smile & working within a socially conscious business model I can’t help but try to promote its benefits to would be business owners. I’d also like to be remembered as someone who followed their dreams & heart, never laying down to the pressures of ‘fears’ disguised as practicality.
When you’re not roaming the Himalayas you’re based in Bali and building your own business, Smile Clothing. Tell the crew more about Smile and how they can get involved.
Smile Clothing is a passion project owned and operated by a group of friends from Australia, we saw an opportunity to combine many things we loved into a simple business plan & have been working to expand this business and promote sustainable business practices since. For every garment Smile Clothing sell, we will donate a School Uniform or T-Shirt to child in need. One for One. The practice of combining giving into our business model has been a successful way that we’ve been able to help thousands of children worldwide. To see more of our work you can pop online to www.smileclothing.co where you can find our shop, videos of clothing drops past, media releases & information on upcoming events & clothing releases.
The premise to our purpose here is to foster more conscious, authentic and soulful living. Any tips for the punters out there hoping to live a life worth living?
Follow your Heart, Soul & Passions… Not your wallet… Money & material possessions will fade & rot in the end but what you hold in your heart will stay with you for your lifetime!
Any conscious and crazy Himalayan sayings or quotes you’d like to sign off with…?!?
The only thing I would say to anyone interested in a Himalayan adventure is to accept tea, you’ll be offered tea daily & it’s a sign of respect & love from a local to offer you tea & a sign of respect & love back to share one (or many) with them. Sit down, relax & sip your tea, you’ll have a friend for life before you finish your first cup! Oh, and as a side note, this last devastating earthquake will rock the economic state of rural Nepal. You can change that by coming back, adventuring, start a trek through the Himalayas, meet these amazing people & walk alongside the tallest mountains in the world! You may never get a chance to walk these trails so empty!!!
You’re a hard man to chase down. Nepal, Oz, NZ, Bali… Any standout sessions over the past 12 months that just ooozed “soul” and left you wanting more?
‘Stand out sessions’… I’m always blown away by small things; road trips, bad camping experiences, bogged cars, cold vans, wet wetsuits… The list goes on & on, but in order of memorable experiences I would say any session that was shared with friends smiling or laughing, whether surfing, climbing, trekking, attending gigs or whatever, if I’m with my buds & we’re smiling and sharing our passions, I’m stoked!!!
