What kind of boards will be popular in the 2010s?
Excerpt from an interview with MAYHEM from USA-SIMA (surfing industry information).
FEATURED SHAPER: MATT BIOLOS
A passionate conversation with the King of Summer
We recently ran a feature excerpt from an article about Matt Biolos, who was US Surfing magazine's Shaper of the Year a few years ago, and we delved into the history of Mayhem (...lost surfboards) and Biolos's approach to surfboard design.
What we don't feature is Matt Biolos' unquestioned dominance of summer (aka small wave) surfboards. At a time when everyone else was blindly following Kelly's lead, Biolos was honing his designs, exemplified by an aggressive young surfer named Chris Ward.
The end result of his experiments with Ward was the Round Nose Fish (RNF), a board that replaced traditional board designs and offered surfers a more realistic, fun, and trajectory-changing experience. The resurgence of the Fish sparked a renaissance in shortboard design that is currently underway.
Now we're here talking to Matt, the King of Summer, about his legacy - old tech and specs that can't be completely abandoned, even as new ones emerge.
Of course, we also talked about his latest crop of notable surfers, from Kolohe to Carissa and Taj.
This group is once again taking LOST to new heights... now year-round, not just in the summer.
Since you led the Phish resurgence in the late '90s, surfers are always looking to your latest catalog lineup every summer. Do you still see yourself as a leading pioneer of small wave boards?
MATT BIOLOS:
That's a very leading question, and I think someone else would probably give you a better answer than me.
But I'm passionate about coming up with new ideas to make surfing even more fun on small waves.
Because,
1) There are more times when the waves are very small (lacking power) than when they are good.
2) When the waves are small, it's not too crowded.
That's why if you have a good board, it's easier to surf in smaller, more crowded waves.
You've been shaping an incredible number of world touring surfers lately.
Tell us how working with them influences your overall product line philosophy.
MATT BIOLOS:
Well, traditionally our most popular models have been inspired and inspired by working with them.
The first RNF was created when 15-year-old Chris Ward was asked to create a "fish."
The first basic version of Rocket is Schoenbeschen.
The Scorcher, Sub Scorcher, and Sub Driver were all original designs by Kolohe (Andino) (and Dino [his dad]).
Of all the pro surfers you've worked with, can you name your favorites? At least two.
MATT BIOLOS:
That's fine. It's no secret that I am who I am today because of Chris Ward and Corey Lopez.
Without them and Xie (Lopez), I would probably be less known than hundreds of other shapers. I was fortunate to take advantage of opportunities I could address and put capital into them that many others never finish, even after years.
Over the years, Schoenbeschen has given me feedback—the good, the bad, the harsh reality—helping me learn and become more confident.
Kolohe is my favorite surfer of all time. Working with him and Dino over the last few years has been the most rewarding experience of my career. Honestly, he influences my high performance surfboard designs more than anyone else right now.
Since creating the boards for Kolohe, Taj, Carissa, and Coco,
Have you noticed that the trends in customer orders are influenced by the board types these surfers are using?
MATT BIOLOS:
Kolohe: Of course. As I said above, it has had a significant impact on the LOST model lineup and sales.
It depends on the board I worked on with Andino sometimes, and this is the best.
But in fact, Carissa was the first female surfer to create a personal board that attracted the interest of male surfers.
Since my relationship with Taj became public again and he won at Snapper Rock, I've been getting a lot of questions from other pros, surf shops and everyday surfers saying, "I want something Taj made for me."
What's your favorite small wave board from the 2012 LOST model lineup?
MATT BIOLOS:
V2 - Rocket. This is not a special model for tiny waves.
For true high performance in small to medium waves, the V2-Rocket is my favorite.
If fish defined the 1990s and quads the 2000s, what boards will be popular in the 2010s?
MATT BIOLOS:
Not only professional surfers and young surfers,
This is a high performance tri-fin shortboard that is perfect for casual surfers!
Apparently so!!!
We recently ran a feature excerpt from an article about Matt Biolos, who was US Surfing magazine's Shaper of the Year a few years ago, and we delved into the history of Mayhem (...lost surfboards) and Biolos's approach to surfboard design.
What we don't feature is Matt Biolos' unquestioned dominance of summer (aka small wave) surfboards. At a time when everyone else was blindly following Kelly's lead, Biolos was honing his designs, exemplified by an aggressive young surfer named Chris Ward.
The end result of his experiments with Ward was the Round Nose Fish (RNF), a board that replaced traditional board designs and offered surfers a more realistic, fun, and trajectory-changing experience. The resurgence of the Fish sparked a renaissance in shortboard design that is currently underway.
Now we're here talking to Matt, the King of Summer, about his legacy - old tech and specs that can't be completely abandoned, even as new ones emerge.
Of course, we also talked about his latest crop of notable surfers, from Kolohe to Carissa and Taj.
This group is once again taking LOST to new heights... now year-round, not just in the summer.
Since you led the Phish resurgence in the late '90s, surfers are always looking to your latest catalog lineup every summer. Do you still see yourself as a leading pioneer of small wave boards?
MATT BIOLOS:
That's a very leading question, and I think someone else would probably give you a better answer than me.
But I'm passionate about coming up with new ideas to make surfing even more fun on small waves.
Because,
1) There are more times when the waves are very small (lacking power) than when they are good.
2) When the waves are small, it's not too crowded.
That's why if you have a good board, it's easier to surf in smaller, more crowded waves.
You've been shaping an incredible number of world touring surfers lately.
Tell us how working with them influences your overall product line philosophy.
MATT BIOLOS:
Well, traditionally our most popular models have been inspired and inspired by working with them.
The first RNF was created when 15-year-old Chris Ward was asked to create a "fish."
The first basic version of Rocket is Schoenbeschen.
The Scorcher, Sub Scorcher, and Sub Driver were all original designs by Kolohe (Andino) (and Dino [his dad]).
Of all the pro surfers you've worked with, can you name your favorites? At least two.
MATT BIOLOS:
That's fine. It's no secret that I am who I am today because of Chris Ward and Corey Lopez.
Without them and Xie (Lopez), I would probably be less known than hundreds of other shapers. I was fortunate to take advantage of opportunities I could address and put capital into them that many others never finish, even after years.
Over the years, Schoenbeschen has given me feedback—the good, the bad, the harsh reality—helping me learn and become more confident.
Kolohe is my favorite surfer of all time. Working with him and Dino over the last few years has been the most rewarding experience of my career. Honestly, he influences my high performance surfboard designs more than anyone else right now.
Since creating the boards for Kolohe, Taj, Carissa, and Coco,
Have you noticed that the trends in customer orders are influenced by the board types these surfers are using?
MATT BIOLOS:
Kolohe: Of course. As I said above, it has had a significant impact on the LOST model lineup and sales.
It depends on the board I worked on with Andino sometimes, and this is the best.
But in fact, Carissa was the first female surfer to create a personal board that attracted the interest of male surfers.
Since my relationship with Taj became public again and he won at Snapper Rock, I've been getting a lot of questions from other pros, surf shops and everyday surfers saying, "I want something Taj made for me."
What's your favorite small wave board from the 2012 LOST model lineup?
MATT BIOLOS:
V2 - Rocket. This is not a special model for tiny waves.
For true high performance in small to medium waves, the V2-Rocket is my favorite.
If fish defined the 1990s and quads the 2000s, what boards will be popular in the 2010s?
MATT BIOLOS:
Not only professional surfers and young surfers,
This is a high performance tri-fin shortboard that is perfect for casual surfers!
Apparently so!!!