Ellis Ericson: Two weeks in Bali

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

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

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 9:14am

Very nice hipster style surfing , a magic cutback at 2.10 mins
and a little dig a Egan.

benski's picture
benski's picture
benski Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 9:18am

A few frames took me back to the man of the year.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 9:45am

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.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 9:55am

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.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 9:48am

Is he the same Ellis that was the 'Woody and Ellis' duo in that Parko vid, Free as a Dog?

Lovely drop-in too.

yocal's picture
yocal's picture
yocal Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 2:08pm
zenagain wrote:

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?

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 9:58am

Every turn that board did looked to catch or grab somewhere where the entry curve transitioned into the mid rocker/rail line.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 6:09pm

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.

velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno's picture
velocityjohnno Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 10:31am

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.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 2:11pm

yeah James Wood was dropped. Works at the Emery surfshop in Byron. Still rips at Lennox.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Wednesday, 26 Mar 2014 at 2:55pm

.

mowgli's picture
mowgli's picture
mowgli Friday, 28 Mar 2014 at 8:58am

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.

saltman's picture
saltman's picture
saltman Friday, 28 Mar 2014 at 9:27am

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

wellymon's picture
wellymon's picture
wellymon Friday, 28 Mar 2014 at 11:15am

Its about the hair as well Saltman.

Can't forget the hair.....

Geez the rails he was shaping were a little square.

saltman's picture
saltman's picture
saltman Friday, 28 Mar 2014 at 11:35am

I have been trying to forget about the hair and beards

lagos's picture
lagos's picture
lagos Monday, 31 Mar 2014 at 4:02pm

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

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Monday, 31 Mar 2014 at 5:02pm

Scream across the face at Jbay ............ala Heath Joske Jbay thruster 'TF' soul arch
that was cool.

saltman's picture
saltman's picture
saltman Tuesday, 1 Apr 2014 at 9:30am

UDO - yes that was lovely to watch - Stu how about posting that Joske video for some context?