From Max

 

                                                          Max, River Surfing In Munich

 

 Dear Paul,

Last week I finally made my way down to The Tusked Beast's cave in SF. It was nice to meet
Jonathan - an incredibly humble and interesting man. During our conversation he reminded me that you are always happy to hear feedback on the mats. Thinking about it, I can't remember ever sharing with you my feelings about riding your mats here in Spain. The environment here is not mat-unfriendly, but the mat community is small to non-existent. Approaching a humble decade of matriding I can still only count the mat surfers I know around here on one hand. Nevertheless, mat surfing has become an integral part of my life. An average week these days is around 15 hours on a mat.  

My feedback on the mats is most likely redundant to you, but since we do live in circles, what the heck - here you go:

Out of all mats, the Standard and the Omni get surfed the most. Big days are mostly Standard days but with a certain amount of uncertainty about where I will be heading I prefer to pack the Omni because it goes well in just about anything. Since the Omni feels much like a slightly larger Standard with just a bit less hold and responsiveness I pack it for days where maximum hold and minimal volume are not essential. Wearing thicker neoprene in winter I often graduate towards the Omni. 

I used to only take out the larger mats on the smaller days, but I remember one day in particular when I only had my XL at hand. Perfectly clean day with mild offshore winds at a break near my home in Spain. The wave I am talking about is a slow breaking wave on the flatter side. That day, the size of most sets was solid overhead. I could not believe how well the XL went. Hold was not a problem and the extra volume and size felt really good. Despite the size of the surf I ended up with a rather low inflation level – the mat almost completely deflated. I recall quite a few sessions in decent surf where my larger mats worked surprisingly well - despite the strain of getting out the back. In certain conditions more air moving around in a mat can feel really good. As fun as the large mats can be in the right wave they are just terrible in steep waves of even medium size. Slow, slippery and not very responsive. I have somewhat stopped judging mat selection merely by the size of the surf, I found steepness and speed of the wave to be an equally important factor.  

Something I pondered quite a bit is that when the surf is very very small my XL stops working, where the a smaller Fatty would still work. One explanation I came up with is that I like to go with very low inflation on these super small days, but when the air in a large mat gets under a certain threshold it gets very difficult to manipulate the rail and rocker. A slightly smaller mat in that case can usually be better handled at these low inflation levels. I guess my general feeling is that I do not like to go super low on inflation with the larger mats.

By the way, I seldomly end up checking my inflation levels by the ''degree-method.'' I prefer to get the inflation level down to where I am still able to get the inside rail firmly inflated by body positioning and manual compression. I use that approach for all mat models, usually very little adjustment is needed from there. This way the larger mats end up with slightly firmer angles and the smaller mats slightly more deflated. It feels like the larger the mat, the less impact compression and positioning has on the shape of the mat. I am guessing this is a big part of why we find mats with smaller volumes more responsive.

For unknown reasons the Lotus has flown under my radar until you mentioned it during my last order. After one good go out I already wish I had ordered at least another one. Hold is just superb at no expense of speed. The Lotus just flies! One hell of a mat! Can't wait to get the Lotus going on the next big swell.

Having the ability to choose between different mats is quite a luxury. Most mat surfers would probably be fine if they only one mat to chose from. You can really surf any model mat in just about anything. There are quite a few cool - and a hand full of rather sketchy - river waves around my former home in Germany, and even there the mats work. Some might say that matting a river wave will never unleash the full potential of a surfmat. There is no where to go, no "down the line". And they are right. But it is still heaps of fun and quite an experience to ride them in sweet water from time to time. Same stoke, if you ask me.  

There are quite a few river waves I surf around Europe including the Eisbach river waves. Something that all sweet water waves seem to have in common is that building up down the line speed is immensely difficult and turning ends up being mandatory in almost every river wave I know. Positioning on the mat and strategic turning are crucial. For inflation levels on a river, I generally use a lot less air than I would for the same size wave in the ocean. I always end up riding the waves quite high. If you lose speed and glide the water coming at you will suck you right up and out of the wave. Remember that unlike in the ocean water is moving against you in a river, so every bit of slip and slide that keeps you tracking downhill is helpful. The Omni at low inflation levels is my favourite river mat. The major downside of river matting is that dropping into the wave from above drastically decreases the life span of a mat. Killed an Omni in about three weeks at the Eisbach river. Anyone who attempts to surf a river would really want to focus on dropping into the wave gently.

Thank you for everything Paul, for the happiness you brought to so many people by keeping 4GF going. I know on your side of the planet the mat community is good and growing. My point is, Paul, probably less than a hand full of people would still be mat surfing if it was not for you. You are a true beacon of hope and inspiration to today's surfing. You have brought mat surfing from the last century all the way to the state that it is in now. Serious surf matters will always be charging all kinds of waves no matter where they live. Stoked and happy and excited.

Thank you for the daily stoke Paul. I know I am not the only one! :)

Warmest greetings from the Northern Atlantic!

ML

4/20

 

Surfmatters Retrospective #5 From The Tusked Beast

  The Tusked Beast, known to the non-matting world as Jonathan Hess, is a ''multi-verse renaissance-person'' of many talents...from professional dog walking to library science to talented wave rider.  Jonathan has generously offered to cull through the past 14 years of Surfmatters and select his favorite postings...and add his personal thoughts. 

Diminishing Returns

For many of us, surfing keeps us sane and grounded in a hard, unforgiving world… very much like- well, let’s say exactly like- a religious faith. The ocean, the sun, the wind and the waves endure, even as everything else on land changes, often for the worse. We lucky people who “know” can always eventually return to this place of solace and rejuvenation.

You’ll have your own takeaway from this heartfelt, moving essay, written in 2009 by Paul when he was landlocked and caring for his mother. Mine is to cherish and be grateful for what surfing gives us, and for being relatively healthy and in a positive space, especially as I age and my physical realities become more challenging.

Thanks, Paul, for the mats… and for articulating emotional issues so beautifully.

(And the comments on the original posting add a lot to piece, I encourage you to use the link to read them).

https://surfmatters.blogspot.com/2009/02/diminishing-returns.html

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Theses two shots of George, taken 40 years apart, tell an interesting story. In the top shot he’s riding a Stripes Down Hodgeman in 1969 -- the best surf mat of that era, but a slug by today’s standards -- in virtually perfect, uncrowded surf. In the lower shot, he’s riding a state-of-the-art nylon mat a few days ago in what amounts to a slop wave on a slop day at a slop spot.

I had the same reaction as Dale S. when I first saw those shots of George taken a few days back at Wategoes. It seemed like a shame. Here’s one of the 10 best surfers from the past 100 years, and he isn’t able to express his art in waves that are anywhere near the quality that were once commonplace for him. The intensity of the local crowds have overwhelmed a man who is both in his mid 60’s, and who grew up riding excellent, uncrowded surf. It just isn’t in the cards for him to crack Lennox with 85 guys out in hopes of snagging a few good waves. Even if he succeeded, which he surely would, it wouldn’t be a meaningful experience for him.

So, in many ways, George is being true to what has always motivated him to surf. And that’s why I have so much respect for him as a person. Too many times I’ve pulled up to some out of the way break with him on a marginal day, waited 15 minutes for a rideable wave to barely break, then watched him tear off his civvies, pull on a wetsuit and run into the water. That’s the real reason why George Greenough, and anyone like him, is a great surfer. Whatever perfect surf he once rode -- and the incredible equipment he developed to ride it -- were a distant second to the experience of simply being in the ocean. The fact that he had these experiences growing up surfing in an idyllic place like Santa Barbara in the 50’s is just a footnote.

“Diminishing returns” describes the circumstance most of us are dealing with in terms of surfing and in life…especially if we’re over 50. But it’s all relative. I’m sitting up here in Walla Walla, Washington, of all places, caring for my mother who’s about to turn 91. My wife Gloria and I are watching a woman in dramatic decline. A woman who as recently as 3 years ago was taking care of her neighbors’ homes while they were away. It’s killing both Gloria and I to see her fade mentally and physically. And it’s killing me to do it in a place 5 hours from the ocean. I'd give anything to paddle out somewhere and catch a wave...any wave. But every single day here carries responsibility and has meaning. The next wave I ride, however mediocre, will probably the best wave of my life. The law of diminishing returns will be reversed, if only for a day.

When I saw Simon Perini’s shot of George on the beach with the mat I sent him 10 days earlier, I have to say, it was one of the most surrealistic moments of my entire life. I was a child when I first saw George burn across the wall between the Indicator and the Cove at Rincon on a mat. Now, here I am, some 45 years later, sending mats I made to the same guy. And my mother, who was there for my entire board/mat making experience, is now reduced to being my child, like so many aging parents. For a moment, when I saw that photo, I lost all sense of time. It was truly a case of, “Where did the last 45 years go???”