(Excerpted and translated from an interview in STAB Magazine)
If you'd been stuck in a hole for a few weeks during the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast, you'd never have truly felt that West OZ's victory was...LOST MAYHEM board.
When a famous surfer changes his equipment, it's big news.
When Taj Burrow's exclusive contract with FireWire came to an end, it didn't go unnoticed by the surf industry when he was riding a Mayhem board in less than ideal snapper waves.
Last year, Mick Farming, while a Harley professional, also caused a stir in the surfing industry when he refrained from using his regular DHD board and instead used a Southern California MAYHEM board.
But for pro surfers, experimenting and trying new board designs or new shapers is just a way to think outside the box, or to break some of their own habits, or maybe just find a way to improve their approach to the competition.
For us, if we want to be like the pro surfers, we want to know what kind of board they're riding because we want to surf properly like them.
If you're interested in learning more about what makes professional surfers tick, then Matt "Mayhem" Biolos' blog is a must-read. It details the boards he builds for these successful surfers.
Matt flew to Australia, spent time in the Gold Coast and Sydney, and is now finally back in Southern California. He had some time to talk, so we finally got in touch with the man of the moment.
【Please tell us about the places you visited over there.】
I was only there for two weeks. My main purpose for this visit to Australia was to support our team rider Kolohe Andino on his first World Tour, but he was eliminated before I arrived.
The second reason for my visit was to shape as many boards as possible for the Australian market (not just pros) who wanted custom LOST boards. I shaped exactly 100 boards, 14 of which were for pros.
Chili is in charge of LOST surfboards in Australia, and I worked at his factory. It's great to be able to work with someone like him. We can exchange opinions (knowledge) and get each other excited.
What was it like watching Taj win the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper on a board you built?
Yes, it was amazing, but it was very stressful!
The three heats on the final day were nail-biting after Taj beat everyone in rounds 2, 3, and 4. It was the first time I'd been on the beach watching one of my surfers win a WT contest on a board I'd built since Shane Beschen at the Coke Classic in '98, and Shane Beschen was there with me watching Taj win.
How long have you been working with Taj? There was an article a few years ago about him riding a Mayhem board in San Clemente. Is that true?
I'd made boards for him off and on in the past—going back to when he was riding Webber, and I worked with Webber a lot during that time. Our collaboration began anew in September before the 2010 Lowers contest. Taj showed up early for the contest, hung out with Kolohe, tried out some of Kolohe's boards, and ordered some. We were working on a few batches, and because of our relationship with Firewire, we decided to work on Firewire versions using my designs. However, I wasn't as good as Nev at translating his requests into files, and the boards I made weren't as good as Nev's.
But then last summer, around the US Open, something interesting happened. They started to get interested and started calling me more. In September, I made a few more boards for Lowers, and then just before the Australian Open, Taj called me and said he was a tough rider and wanted me to make him three or four new, awesome boards. He sent me the details and said, "If I get it right, I'll ride them on Snapper."
When I check out your blog, it seems like you often feature famous surfers riding your boards, especially when they're in good form.
It's a great way to constantly evaluate your work. I love working with Julian. He's a no-nonsense guy, very honest and passionate. He's not just on the "best surfers" list, he's also very professional with his boards.
Mick rode my board at Trestles and just had a bit of fun. He'd been riding Darren Andree's boards (DHD) exclusively for a long time, but last year wasn't up to par, so it was a good time to stop, look around, see what the kids were riding, and freshen up his moves. When he saw Kolohe's board, he was probably surprised it had enough volume! He took to it with ease and was in good spirits again. He and Darren are back in business, chatting away.
"I'm so happy that Kolohe is surprising everyone by becoming the best surfer in the world. People are curious to know what he's riding and how it works. Darren had been trying to keep Mick's boards low volume for a while, but Kolohe sparked the idea."
Taj, Mick and Julian have also just upgraded their boards.
Now, is there anyone else out there who would like to try out my board?
I want you to experience real results and I want to help you move in the right direction.
MAYHEM says...
The LOST Surfboard Order Fair will start tomorrow, the 20th, for a limited time, with three special benefits.
We recommend ordering custom orders from Lost MAYHEM!
