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6:31
Meet the Board That’s “Like Pre-Marital Sex with CBD Infused”
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There are many ways to describe a magic surfboard. A well-shaped surf craft could be labeled as “responsive”, “drivey” or “good on rail”. But according to Gulf Coaster Sterling Spencer, a really great board could also be characterized as being “like pre-marital sex with CBD infused”. For this episode of “Quivers”, the series that lets us peek inside our favorite surfers’ boardbags, we enlisted videographer Michael Witt to interview Spencer at his home in Pensacola, Florida about his go-to roster of shred sleds (there was a bit of confusion as to whether or not Witt was there to film “MTV Cribs” but that was quickly sorted out). As you might imagine, Spencer has collected quite an eclectic lineup of small-wave boards that match the windswell-driven conditions of the Gulf Coast. Press play to hear Spencer break down his arsenal of Chris Christenson and Wade Tokoro surfboards (dimensions of each listed below) and then take a few moments to watch our other episodes featuring Craig Anderson, Torren Martyn, Chippa Wilson and more. “CC Fish” by Christenson Surfboards 5’2 x20 1/2 x2 ¾ “Nautilus” by Christenson Surfboards 6’6 21x 2 3/4 x2 5/8 “Hole Shot” by Christenson Surfboards 5’8×19 1/2 x 2 5/16 “Ocean Racer” by Christenson Surfboards 4’11 x 20 x 2 3/8 “The Coffin” by Dark Arts Surf 4’11 20 1/4 2 3/8 Wade Tokoro Surfboards 5’11 x 18 1/4 x 2 1/8 “Lane Splitter” by Christenson Surfboards 5’1 x 18 3/4’’ x 2 5/16’’ “Chris Craft Glider” by Christenson Surfboards 11’ x 22 1/2” x 3 1/8” “Surfer Rosa” by Christenson Surfboards 5’4 x 20’’ x 2 3/8’’ [Editor’s Note: This video was originally published in 2020]
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5:14
Check Out the Highly Unorthodox Quiver of the World’s Most Progressive Aerialist
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“I don’t know how to talk about a surfboard, for real,” laughs Chippa Wilson, in the above episode of “Quivers”. Fortunately for Wilson, his freakish ability on a surfboard means he’s allowed to let his surfing do all of the talking. Whether he’s riding a shortboard, a performance soft top or standing on a boogie board, Wilson is able to ride a wave like nobody else in the world. When it comes to his go-to shortboards, Wilson is loyal to his local shaper. He’s been riding a 5’6″ from MH Surfboards for the last 16 years. But, as you’ll see in the clip above, Wilson’s quiver is far from standard and also includes a 6’0″ channel-bottomed Simon Jones gun (a “Rhino Chaser”, as Wilson calls it), as well as a couple variations of soft tops–some with fins, and some without. Press play and find out how Wilson’s unorthodox quiver has helped him become on of the most progressive surfers on earth. [Editor’s Note: This video was originally published in 2019]
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2:32
Watch Dane Reynolds Surf the Strangest Boards You’ve Ever Seen
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“It’s so bizarre and goes sideways so oddly that it’s actually kind of fun,” says Dane Reynolds, of one of the very bizarre and very sideways-going boards he shaped and surfed in the video above. A couple of years ago, Dane was selected to be a guest shaper for the Duct Tape Festival in Huntington Beach. But rather than craft a functional piece of equipment that he’s actually capable of shaping (Dane has spent ample time in a shaping bay mowing down self-shapes), the Ventura native decided to get a little experimental. “I’m going to make something with really bizarre lines that just doesn’t look like it should even be a surfboard,” Dane told us in the making of this video. DR’s Frankenstein experimentation resulted in two oddball pieces of foam and fiberglass, all sharp edges and 90-degree angles. Shortly after the glassing was completed, Dane took his creations for a spin alongside pro skater/surfer Curren Caples. Despite the boards many inherent flaws, Dane and Curren were still able to rip the bag out of the misfit shapes. Click play above to hear Dane’s analysis of the strange (yet ultimately fun) shapes. [Ed’s Note: This feature has been updated from its original appearance during the 2019 Duct Tape Festival]
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5:29
Meet Wrenna Delgado: Mother, Big-Wave Charger and Waimea Bay Local
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When she was only 21 years old, Wrenna Delgado started charging Waimea Bay, with sights perpetually trained on the winter’s biggest swells. But when she got pregnant with her daughter Evie over three years ago, her priorities shifted (to read more about Delgado’s transition into motherhood here) and she started to view her big-wave pursuits through a different lens. With the Red Bull Magnitude women’s big-wave video contest in full swing, Red Bull sat down the hard-charging North Shore resident to talk about her background, her experience as a mother and how her long-term goal is to be an inspiration for both her daughter and for female big-wave surfers everywhere. Click play and follow more of the contest’s competitors here. New Video Contest Will Crown the Top Female Big-Wave Surfers This Winter Red Bull Magnitude offers some of the world's best chargers a chance at $40K
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0:58
New Video Contest Will Crown the Top Female Big-Wave Surfers This Winter
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This was set to be an important winter for women’s big-wave surfing. The skill, experience and numbers of women charging heavy water–combined with a movement for true equality around the world–is the ideal combo swell for females in the sport. Red Bull had announced Queen of the Bay–the first all-women big-wave event–at the famed Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, to be run “on-call” through the fall. A global pandemic had other plans. At the end of the summer, event directors made the decision to pull the plug out of safety concerns. Not to be deterred, organizers went back to the drawing board and came back with an alternative event–Red Bull Magnitude–a submission-based contest to retain the opportunity for women to compete in big waves this winter. The 5 Most Pivotal Moments of the Decade in Women’s Surfing According to Laura Enever Red Bull selected two dozen female chargers and invited them to push their own limits with a $40,000 purse on the line and film crews stationed in Hawaii–specifically on-call to shoot the contestants when the Pacific Ocean says it’s time. “This is a new kind of contest, and one that I think is uniquely positioned to highlight the best up-and-comers in the world of surfing,” says North Shore surfer Makani Adric, who has been surfing Waimea Bay since she was 16 years old. “The reality is that limitations around traditional big-wave contests don’t really allow them to show who might be surfing at the highest level for an entire season – rather, they only showcase one moment in time and make it hard for newcomers to get noticed. This opens all that up and changes the game.” Photo Credit: Courtesy of Red Bull Among the higher-profile competitors are Keala Kennelly and Paige Alms. Kennelly is a former World Tour surfer who has pioneered sizeable surf around the globe for the last ten years, while Alms won both the Red Bull Big Wave Awards Women’s Biggest Paddle-In of the Year and the Jaws Big Wave Championship last year. But there are also a handful of underground chargers who will have the opportunity to take the $25,000 Overall Performance, as well as Runner-Up, Best Ride and Biggest Wave category ($5,000 each). How Bianca Valenti Became the Face of the Fight for Equal Pay in Surfing When it comes to gender equity in big-wave surfing, Valenti isn’t one to back down Notably absent from the list is Maya Gabeira, who has dedicated herself to riding superhuman waves at Nazaré, in Portugal. The judges are three-time Surfer Poll winner, …
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11:49
Do You Think You Could Rip a Transition-Era Skip Frye?
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On paper, the above “Shed Sessions” installment looked to be a recipe for success. A Skip Frye-shaped, JoJo Roper-repaired transition-era Gordon & Smith selected by “Shed Sessions” impresario and Bird’s Surf Shed owner Eric “Bird” Huffman and earmarked for SoCal stylemaster Devon Howard–what could go wrong? While that’s surely an unimpeachable crew of San Diegans, Howard’s virgin San Clemente test-drive got off to a shaky start, the 8’3” x 23 ¼” craft causing the typically stoic stylemaster fits and leading him to call the vee-bottomed relic, “hands-down, the worst surfboard I’ve ever ridden in my life.” Yet, if Howard’s surfing on the obscure vessel proved anything, it’s that his version of kooking it is an average surfer’s version of style and grace. Howard’s “Shed Sessions” also proves him a truly flexible thinker, one rearing for a challenge. With Huffman in tow, Howard visits Frye, hoping the man whose hands shaped the board will help Howard take control of its proverbial wheel. When asked for his thoughts on the board, Frye’s priceless answer reminds us why time spent in the bay with your local master craftsman is always time well spent. Click play to watch Howard look pretty good riding a board he found pretty challenging. [Ed’s Note: this episode was originally published in 2020]