Ellis Ericson: Two weeks in Bali
Ellis Ericson, eh? Here's a fella who'll never cop accolades about being cutting edge, who's never touted as a progressive with a huge repertoire of moves, and he runs the risk of walking in other people's footprints thereby leaving none of his own when history comes and turns the page.
But! Right now old Ellis has got a pretty fine act. He shapes boards that suit his squat and forward-weighted style, travels to exotic locales on a whim, and he's got a cashed up backer into the bargain.
This vid is worth the watch if only for Ellis' feet forward tube stalls (check 1.07 for the first of many).
Comments
Very nice hipster style surfing , a magic cutback at 2.10 mins
and a little dig a Egan.
A few frames took me back to the man of the year.
Fun vid to watch but good god those boards look fuking horrible: catchy, grabby, won't flow smoothly through the rail turn. Totally retrograde.
Kid should watch Stormriders and get on the early thruster trip ....watch Wayne Lynch at Gnaraloo.
Yep. His style affectation is growing on me, however if he wants to spruik the virtues of his shaping there's a wave or two at Keramas that I would've left out of that vid. The board clearly didn't initiate and flow through the turns in question, had to be forced into a two stage turn to recover.
Is he the same Ellis that was the 'Woody and Ellis' duo in that Parko vid, Free as a Dog?
Lovely drop-in too.
Yeah I noticed this Zen,
Back then they were shaping him to be more of a WCT surfer, pretty sure the bong dropped James Wood?
Every turn that board did looked to catch or grab somewhere where the entry curve transitioned into the mid rocker/rail line.
Yeah I just don't get it and I was there. They were rubbish then as they are now. Modern boards are so good you can't compare the two. As you said the rocker/rail line is all wrong. No problem with more volume just get there rest right. They should be learning off the old shapers as to what does and doesn't work and fit their ideas around some basics. The old guys really have been there and done that.
One good thing about the vid is that the surfing is almost totally on the rail, where it belongs. No chop hopping, or pumping the fins. Still vertical backhand in that little beachy, and a 360 for good measure. The cutties are particularly eye pleasing.
Another good thing is they are surfing a volume that 90% of surfers could. Even the early thrusters had this volume style, which somehow went missing later.
yeah James Wood was dropped. Works at the Emery surfshop in Byron. Still rips at Lennox.
.
His comments re. crowds reminded me of "you're not stuck in traffic, you are traffic"
And to whinge about people waiting for it to turn on and then heading out when it does? Like, how dare they?!.... I imagine he was doing the exact same thing when he formed this position.
..then again, at least he's trying to look for other spots.
Agree with the comments re the boards.
Honestly the Keramas surfing is pretty ordinary to watch, the fatter beach break stuff is fairly nice
Just returned from Bali and seems he has sprouted a legion of hipster seppos - poo stancing on ugly thick single fins, dropping in, and generally being a nuisance. But oh sooo cool
Its about the hair as well Saltman.
Can't forget the hair.....
Geez the rails he was shaping were a little square.
I have been trying to forget about the hair and beards
yeah good to see the young crew having a go at stuff the old guard of our surfing did in the seventies and eighties
looks like fun being able to try out his own shapes in such fun little waves. he makes riding those old school boards look easy. i'll take the modern day board any day much easier and more forgiving to ride.
while those old shapes look cool they go like crap unless your a very talented surfer.
i would love to see ellis on one of those boards screaming along the face at jeffery's bay a'la derek hynd and his amazing quiver he had there in the 90's .
did note though that facial hair is compulsory when riding these boards
i don't have an on trend beard so three fins for me
all good fun that's the key
Scream across the face at Jbay ............ala Heath Joske Jbay thruster 'TF' soul arch
that was cool.
UDO - yes that was lovely to watch - Stu how about posting that Joske video for some context?