RVSD April 2012 : Page 56

56 | the RADAR | trends Back to cool chris clark inside Shaper Studios, where he’s teaching the art of shaping surfboards The Bro-Down! From the first board-shaping school to the must-wear accessory, we know where the action is. | By Shelby Stanger | | Photography by Jessica Sample | The art of hand-shaping surfboards is being threatened by machines. shaper studios is changing that. The Mission Valley shaping school (and event space) is allowing everyday surfers the chance to glass and paint what they ride. We drop in on owner Chris Clark, who says the studio is luring everyone from pros and groms to surf companies and bands like Foster the People (shaperstudios. com). “It’s impossible to compare surfboard shaping to anything else,” says Clark, an SDSU MBA student and entrepreneur who is creating a unique blend of retail and DIY manufacturing at Shaper Studios. “Surfing is only half of surfing. The other half is making your own surfboard. When people leave here with a board they can ride, that they made with their own hands, it changes surfing and their experience with the sport forever.” But what about people who are power-tool-phobic? taught a 12-year-old girl to use a planer (a power tool with sharp blades). So it’s not just a bro fest? No way! We just did a series with French pro Margaux Arramon-Tucoo. We entered a film of her shaping at a local film festival. Surfboards are some of the most toxic toys. We use Marko recyclable EPS We are with you the whole time. We just foam. We also use epoxy resins, which are odorless and have zero VOCs. It doesn’t smell in here so you can even glass your board without wearing a mask. continued ... | April 2012

The Radar Trends

Shelby Stanger

The Bro-Down! From the first board-shaping school to the must-wear accessory, we know where the action is. The art of hand-shaping surfboards is being threatened by machines. Shaper studios is changing that. The Mission Valley shaping school (and event space) is allowing everyday surfers the chance to glass and paint what they ride. We drop in on owner Chris Clark, who says the studio is luring everyone from pros and groms to surf companies and bands like Foster the People (shaperstudios.Com). “It’s impossible to compare surfboard shaping to anything else,” says Clark, an SDSU MBA student and entrepreneur who is creating a unique blend of retail and DIY manufacturing at Shaper Studios. “Surfing is only half of surfing. The other half is making your own surfboard. When people leave here with a board they can ride, that they made with their own hands, it changes surfing and their experience with the sport forever.” But what about people who are power-tool-phobic? We are with you the whole time. We just taught a 12-year-old girl to use a planer (a power tool with sharp blades). So it’s not just a bro fest? No way! We just did a series with French pro Margaux Arramon-Tucoo. We entered a film of her shaping at a local film festival. Surfboards are some of the most toxic toys. We use Marko recyclable EPS foam. We also use epoxy resins, which are odorless and have zero VOCs. It doesn’t smell in here so you can even glass your board without wearing a mask. The art of shaping? Building your own board gives you a new appreciation for professional shapers. People build surfboards because they love to do it. They will never get paid what they are worth to the sport. Once you know how to shape, you can come in anytime and use our shaping bays. Any unique designs? Someone made a chessboard so they can play on their board on camping trips. There was a Lil Wayne-inspired design with the rapper on it. A newly married couple made one for guests to sign, then glassed it. Party central? We hold movie premieres, charity nights and shaping demo nights, and we make our own videos and sell retail goods. You can only surf so many waves. There are many ways to experience surfing because it is more a lifestyle than it is a sport. Burn Notice When Carlsbad-based Firewire surfboards introduced new flex technology into the surfboard market in 2006, not everyone was excited. “It was disruptive technology,” says CEO Mark Price, a former VP at Reef. Firewire’s unique sandwich construction and parabolic balsawood rails allow the surfboard to flex. Most boards are rigid. “It allows for a tighter turning radius and added ‘twang’ between turns, much like snowboards and parabolic skis perform.” Five years later, the brand is making giant waves. It landed the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, added top pro surfers like Taj Burrow to its team and is sold in more than 30 countries. “Within the next three to five years, we believe almost all surfboards will flex as companies bring their own version of the technology into the market,” Wilson says. “It puts us in a perfect position to keep growing.” firewiresurfboards.com Sock Options Brixton brought hats to the action sports world. Nixon brought watches and headphones. Now, a new company, Stance, is bringing vibrant socks to the marketplace. The brand just won Breakthrough Brand of the Year by SIMA (the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association). “There was nothing out there to express individual style and creativity in action sports through socks,” says Stance President John Wilson, who lives in Rancho Santa Fe. Like many action sports brands, the company is working with fellow tastemakers, surfers, skateboarders and artists. It already has collaborations with the art phenom Kid Creature, Captain Fin Company, Analog, Lakai and more. “I think we are able to take the creativity these individuals and brands are about and mesh them into a creative space on a sock,” Wilson says. Stance also makes performance socks and socks with “gripper cush,” material that provides better traction for skateboarding and snowboarding. The socks are available at K-5, Hansen’s, Clairemont Surf, Sun Diego, Surf Diva, Mitch’s and stance.Com.

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