Do you wear a wet or a dry suit to surf?

Dry suits are used for diving, snorkelling and similar activities. A wetsuit will let the water in so that it can be heated by the body; it then creates a film of warm water to keep the body warm, which means I’m wet, but warm.

What else do you have in your wardrobe?

My wardrobe is full of comfortable clothes, a variety of surfing, climbing and hiking clothes. I’m not ‘brand-loyal’ to any make, but I do like Howies because they’re comfortable, look good and they have good work ethics. They use organic cotton and recycle their materials. They’re also a Welsh company of course, form Cardigan. For when I go mountaineering I also wear things from Mammoth, North Face and Rab. But I also wear plain stuff like hoodies from H&M or anything that’s comfortable.

Even though you love being out in the open air, you wear a suit every day in the office don’t you?

Yes I do. I work at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in the fundraising and development department which means I work a lot with sponsors.

Is there any conflict between the two sides of your life or do you enjoy the fact hat they are so different?

I think the difference is healthy, because there’s nothing better after a hard day or week in the office than to go down to the beach and switch off for half an hour and just surf or go hiking in the mountains – just to be out in the fresh air. It’s nice and soothing and gets you ready for the week ahead.

Why do you have all these special clothes for the different sports you do?

The clothes I wear to go hiking, climbing or running when its cold has to have different thickness of layers like this blue top. It’s made from Marino wool and is great for when you get wet as it keeps you warm, it also keeps sweat away from the body, keeping you dry and cool when it’s hot. There’s also something in the material that disguises bad odours when you sweat and because it’s a natural material it feels comfortable on the skin.

Which other companies make these kinds of clothes?

Helly Hansen has been making clothes like this for years. This top is a classic example of what runners wear, but I also wear it to go climbing as well. Again, it’s made of wool and keeps me warm.

Where did you get this light jacket from?

I bought this Rab jacket in Sheffield. It’s made from DuPont and polotech materials in layers which again is very comfortable and soft to touch. It’s quite fitted but thin and keeps sweat away from the body.

This looks like a warm jacket, where did you get this one from?

This is a Mountain Hardware jacket from America. It has a soft shell, and inside it’s like the fleeces everyone was wearing at one point. It’s thin and soft. It also made from Gore-Tex, a material that looks like punctured foil. It lets the body breathe and keeps you dry inside and out.

Why do you have a pair of tights in your wardrobe?

I wear these on the weekends or in the mornings when I go running. So again, they’re material that’s close to the body to keep you warm. I’ll wear these throughout the winter when it’s cold to train.

For what would you wear this top?

This is a nice Gore running jumper. Gore makes quite a few things including climbing, biking and running clothes. The technology crosses over from one thing to the other with its main objective being to keep the body warm and dry.

This coat looks lovely and warm.

It’s made of real duck and goose feathers and it’s really warm. I wear this at the beach a lot as it’s warm after I’ve been surfing in the winter.

There are big names that are connected to surfing and that are now well known brands. Do you buy their clothes at all?

Marketing and advertising within the surfing world has grown over the past few years and you now see names like Quicksilver and Ripcurl on the highstreet. Their main aim is to sell t-shirts and hoodies and I believe that they have diverted from where they started. A lot of the people they call ‘soul-surfers’, the ones that are in the sport for the experience and the enjoyment feel that they’ve sold out and should be giving something back to surfing instead of concentrating solely on their profit margin.

How do you feel about this?

If I’m honest, I sit on the fence with this one because I can sympathise with the sponsors – they have to make a profit, but if they also have the right ethics to back it up, then I feel it can be a good thing because they can lead by example.

Are your clothes and hobbies part of the same thing for you?

Yes. When I wear my suit, it reminds me that I have to work for a living – it gives me a focus in life. But once I put my flip-flops or something comfortable like a hoodie on, it reminds me of being in the great outdoors – it’s good for the soul to have a balance of both worlds.