Chris Christenson (surfboard shaper)

Last updated
Chris Christenson
Born (1973-05-14) May 14, 1973 (age 50)
Whittier, California
Education Point Loma Nazarene University
Occupation Surfboard shaper
Years active25+
Known forSurfboard Shaping, Surfing, Snowboarding, designing surfboards and other products in the Action Sports industry
Notable work Greg Long's two-time big wave world champion
Website http://christensonsurfboards.com/

Chris Christenson (born May 14, 1973, Whittier, CA) is an American surfboard shaper, craftsman, and outdoor enthusiast.

Contents

Background

Born and raised in Southern California, Chris' passion for surfing began at a young age. When Chris wasn't surfing the local beach breaks between Seal Beach and Newport Beach, he was exploring the snow at his grandparents' cabin in the San Bernardino mountains, or was teeing up on the Long Beach Navy golf course. Growing up, Chris would often watch his next door neighbor shape surfboards in his garage, but it wasn't until Chris was 18 and on a golf/academic scholarship at Point Loma Nazarene University that he bought his first surfboard blank, borrowed his neighbor's tools, and shaped his first board – a moment that would forever propel him down a path of most resistance.

Shaping career

In 1992, Chris' shaping career began with a six-year apprenticeship to shaping legend, Dick Brewer (1936-2022). It was perfecting the skill of shaping boards under Brewer, and the influence of his then neighbor, Skip Frye, that solidified Chris' abilities to design and shape any size surfboard, which would later open the door to shaping big wave guns for the world's best big wave surfers. Chris' boards were ridden by legendary big wave surfer Greg Long through two big wave world titles, [1] wins at the 2008 Mavericks surf contest [2] and 2009 Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave contest, [3] and multiple XXL awards. Ian Walsh took home the 2018 Ride of the Year and Tube of the Year at the WSL Big Wave Awards [4] for a massive wave he rode on a Christenson board to win the Pe’ahi Challenge in 2017. A reputation for being a punk rock, forward thinker, [5] with a connection to the past, Chris shapes everything from daggers to fish shapes for an elite customer base that includes top surfers worldwide to pro baseball and football stars, rock musicians and surfers on all sorts of waves and with unique style who appreciate handcrafted design. Christenson Surfboards currently offers 30 different models, [6] along with endless custom designs created by Chris.

In 2012, Chris acquired Moonlight Glassing, [7] which is now located next to Christenson Surfboards in San Marcos, CA. Moonlight Glassing is a legendary shop in the southern California surfboard crafting world. Christenson boards are glassed at Moonlight along with dozens of other shapers' surfboards.

Snow-Surf Crossover

Chris' passion for the outdoors is as deep-rooted as it can be in Southern California. When he wasn't in school or surfing, Chris spent every free moment of his childhood at his grandparents' cabin in the San Bernardino mountains. Feeling the congruity between snowboarding and surfing, Chris' passion didn't end on the mountain. Through the surf industry and snowboarding, Chris became close friends with famed big mountain rider, Jeremy Jones. Based on their love of backcountry snowboarding and surfing, Chris and Jeremy began a collaboration to create a snowboard that captured the congruence of snowboarding and surfing. Born of Chris and Jeremy's surf/design partnership was the well-received 'storm chaser' - a swallowtail with a surfboard rocker and the ability for tight turns on groomers or in the deepest powder. [8] From the first collaboration board in 2012, the Jones / Christenson partnership has grown to include eight models including the binding-less Mountain Surfer, Mind Expander, Ultra Mind Expander, Mind Expander Twin, Storm Chaser, and Lone Wolf. There are also split board models available for both the Storm Chaser and Mind Expander.

Partnerships and Product Collaborations

Chris partners with a wide range of sport and lifestyle brands including Electric Visual, [9] Captain Fin Company, [10] FCS, Axxe Wetsuits, [11] 32, Etnies, Yow and Jones Snowboards. Brands work with Chris both as a rider, but also as a craftsman with an eye for style and design to create unique products for surf and snow including his signature 32 snowboarding boot [12] and signature model surfboard fin designs with Captain Fin and FCS.

Filmography

For the 2010 film Grey Whale Sessions, [13] Chris joins musician Garret "G. Love" Dutton, surfer Keith Malloy, and artist Tyler Warren on a trip south of the border, where Chris surfs his 12,000 board shaped. In 2016's Distance Between Dreams [14] from Red Bull Media House, Chris appears in the film working with Ian Walsh on designing and then crafting boards to take on the biggest wave on Maui, Jaws. Chris co-stars in Teton Gravity Research's 2018 film Life Of Glide, [15] designing snowboards with Jeremy Jones, surfing, snowboarding and meeting with legendary southern California surfboard shaper and one of Chris' mentors Skip Frye.

Outside the Shaping Bay

In 2010 and 2013, Chris successfully competed in the Molokai 2 Oahu paddle world championship – a formidable 32-mile Kaiwi Channel that separates the islands of Molokai and Oahu. Chris races on the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, Hell on Wheels and California Vintage Motocross circuits. Having golfed in High School on the Junior PGA, including a few second place finishes to Tiger Woods, Chris went on to play in college and maintains a 4.7 handicap today.

Current Life

Chris currently splits his time between North County San Diego, Cocoa Beach, FL and Swall Meadows, CA, near Bishop, CA. When Chris isn't working, you will find him racing vintage motorcycles, golfing at his home golf course, surfing the local breaks of North San Diego County, or heading north on 395 to his cabin in the eastern Sierra mountains.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfing</span> Sport of riding waves

Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer, uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found on ocean shores, but can also be found in standing waves in the open ocean, in lakes, in rivers in the form of a tidal bore, or in wave pools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfboard</span> Platform board used in the sport of surfing

A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as papa he'e nalu in the Hawaiian language, and were usually made of wood from local trees, such as koa. They were often over 460 cm (15 ft) in length and extremely heavy. Major advances over the years include the addition of one or more fins (skegs) on the bottom rear of the board to improve directional stability, and numerous improvements in materials and shape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Slater</span> American surfer (born 1972)

Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer, best known for being crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. Slater is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time, and holds 56 Championship Tour victories. Slater is also the oldest surfer still active on the World Surf League, winning his 8th Billabong Pipeline Masters title at age 49.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big wave surfing</span> Surfing waves at least 20 ft high

Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as the technique the surfer uses to reach the wave. A larger, longer board allows a rider to paddle fast enough to catch the wave and has the advantage of being more stable, but it also limits maneuverability and surfing speed.

Tom Hugh Morey, also known by the moniker "Y", was a musician, engineer, surfboard shaper, and surfer responsible for several technological innovations that have heavily influenced modern developments in surfing equipment design.

Greg Noll was an American pioneer of big wave surfing and a prominent longboard shaper. Nicknamed "Da Bull" by Phil Edwards in reference to his physique and way of charging down the face of a wave, he was on the U.S. lifeguard team that introduced Malibu boards to Australia around the time of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He produced a "legendary" series of five Search for Surf films.

Patrick Shane Dorian, or "Shane", is an American surfer from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He spent 11 years touring on the World Championship Tour as a professional surfer. Dorian quit competition surfing in 2003 to focus on big waves. He is currently a big wave surfer and one of the best in the world at big wave riding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skip Frye</span> American surfer

Skip Frye is an American surfer, surfboard designer and shaper, and environmental activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Anderson</span> Australian surfer (born 1954)

Simon Anderson is an Australian competitive surfer, surfboard shaper, and writer. He is credited with the 1980 invention of a three-fin surfboard design, called the "thruster".

Gerry Lopez, aka Mr. Pipeline, is an American surfer, shaper, journalist and film actor.

Jeff Clark is one of the most noteworthy big-wave surfers, famous for surfing Mavericks alone for 15 years before it was widely discovered by the big-wave surfing community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of surfing</span> Aspect of history

The riding of waves has likely existed since humans began swimming in the ocean. In this sense, bodysurfing is the oldest type of wave-catching. Undoubtedly ancient sailors learned how to ride wave energy on many styles of early boats. Archaeological evidence even suggests that ancient cultures of Peru surfed on reed watercraft for fishing and recreation up to five thousand years ago. However, standing up on what is now called a surfboard is a relatively recent innovation developed by the Polynesians. The influences for modern surfing can be directly traced to the surfers of pre-contact Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfboard shaper</span>

A surfboard shaper is someone who designs and builds surfboards. The process of surfboard shaping has evolved over the years, and the shaper often tailors his or her work to meet the requirements of a client or a certain wave. Surfboard shapers can be independent or work in collaboration with mass-production companies.

The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship is named in honor of the "Father of Modern Surfing", Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku. The contest began in 1965 by invitation only at Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oʻahu until it was replaced by the Billabong Pro in 1985. The championship was the first surfing event to be broadcast on a regular basis by ABC's Wide World of Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Long (surfer)</span> American surfer (born 1983)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfboard fin</span>

A surfboard fin or skeg is a hydrofoil mounted at the tail of a surfboard or similar board to improve directional stability and control through foot-steering. Fins can provide lateral lift opposed to the water and stabilize the board's trajectory, allowing the surfer to control direction by varying their side-to-side weight distribution. The introduction of fins in the 1930s revolutionized surfing and board design. Surfboard fins may be arrayed in different numbers and configurations, and many different shapes, sizes, and materials are and have been made and used.

Sean Mattison is an American former professional surfer and current professional surf coach, most known for designing "The Nubster", a fifth surfboard fin. Mattison is also the designer of his own alternative high performance surfboards and surfboard fins named Von-Sol.

Donald Moke Takayama was an American professional surfer and surfboard shaper. Originally a longboard surfer, Takayama won the Master's division of the United States Surfing Champions in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Hawaiian born, Takayama learned to surf at Waikiki Beach and moved to California in the mid-1950s. Takayama died of complications from heart surgery; he is survived by his wife and four daughters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfing in the United States</span>

Surfing in the United States is a popular hobby in coastal areas, and more recently due to the invention of wave pools, inland regions of the country. It contributes to a lifestyle and culture in which millions participate and which millions more have an interest. USA surfing is the governing body for the sport of surfing in the United States, with surf leagues such as the World Surf League available in the country. Surfing can be traced back to 17th Century Hawaii and has evolved over time into the professional sport it is today, with surfing being included for the first time in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

References

  1. ↑ "Greg Long Crowned Big Wave Tour Champion" . Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  2. ↑ "Greg Long". Titans of Mavericks. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  3. ↑ Thomas, Pete (December 8, 2009). "San Clemente's Greg Long Wins Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Contest in Epic Waimea Surf". Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times Blogs.
  4. ↑ "Ian Walsh Dominates Big Wave Awards". Stab Mag. 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  5. ↑ "CHRIS CHRISTENSON: SHAPER SPOTLIGHT | Surfline San Diego | SURFLINE.COM". www.surfline.com. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  6. ↑ "Christenson". Christenson. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  7. ↑ "Surfy Alert: Moonlight Glassing & Christenson Surfboards combine forces and merge!". Surfy Surfy. 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  8. ↑ "Jones Snowboards".
  9. ↑ Electric California (2014) "Electric: Ambassadors: Chris Christenson." Electric California. Retrieved September 16, 2014
  10. ↑ Captain Fin Co. (2014). “Christenson Products” Captain Fin Co. Retrieved September 16, 2014
  11. ↑ "AXXE Wetsuits - Kook". Archived from the original on 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  12. ↑ Chris Christenson talks Bandito Boot , retrieved 2022-05-31
  13. ↑ "The Grey Whale Sessions". Outside Online. 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  14. ↑ Bruce, Rob, Distance Between Dreams (Documentary, Action, Adventure), Freeride Entertainment, Red Bull Media House, retrieved 2022-05-30
  15. ↑ Research, Teton Gravity. "Life of Glide - A Film By Teton Gravity Research". www.tetongravity.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
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