In The Mix 30 secs with Thurston

In: In The Mix by doclach 0 Comments Wed 11th May '11

Tags: Thurston , Jarrod Gibson , ID boards , video competition

Glen Thurston's ability to charge big waves is without question. With a new board company bringing on Gibbo as shaper, the tall man with a tan is aiming for quality rigs. I'm always checking out new core technology, so couldn't resist asking about the F6, as well as the new viddy comp Thursto has tee'd up.

Interview by Doc. Shots courtesy Mickey Edwards &  ID boards 

FZ: Hey Glen, you're trialling a new core - the freedom 6 (F6). How is it running for you?

GT: F6 is our most premium grade of Beaded PP, So far so good, my boards have been really responsive, which im stoked on. I'm getting alot higher in the air then i have experienced in the past. But there's so many good boards out there, i guess the difference is we have Jarrod perfecting the boards so we can then focus on building the sport and the people.

Projection - always a vital quality in a core. there have been a lot of attempts to get PE based boards gaining more projection , with varying results from different companies. What is the projection (that springy return after it's flexed) like in the f6?

GT: F6 has a really tight recoil, so tight in fact you might simply find it to be really stiff to begin with, however as you wear your board in like any good piece of equipment you will find the projection to match if not better the current recoil in your high end Beaded PP's across the board.

Jarrod Gibson knows his stuff when it comes to shaping. Apart from developmental prototypes, are you riding stock boards when we see photos of you or are you getting customs done, as many pro's do when they're representing a brand? Also have you ridden one of Jarrod's Paulownia boards just to mix things up?

GT: Currently all the boards i have ridden are made by Jarrod in our factory O/S. We have invested time and finance into Jarrod to help fine tune, re-develop and even alter production methods within our factory O/S to provide and increased level of quality across the board for everyone. Im just amazed it wasn't done earlier, but none the less Jarrod and I feel the production replication now will exceed the quality of any existing bodyboards to date. So in answer to your question we feel our stock boards will better the custom shaping methods of the future. I havent had the chance to ride one of these talked about wooden delights, might have to hit him up for one haha, were both so busy at the moment.

You've put together a great video competition. There are still a few days for people to enter and also to vote. Can you give us a quick rundown on the competition and where the concept came from?

GT: Yeh for sure, the concept was basically a re-development of the Agent eighteen/inverted photo competition previous to ours. I saw the opportunity to encourage creativity and allow kids to showcase their surfing to each other in a friendly controlled environment. It was a great way to get the word out about ID boards and work with the kids that are actively giving it a go. Its amazing to be involved with the all levels of the sport and the "30 second psych" was exactly that, get involved, get out there and go for it.

What are some of the clips that are inspiring you at the moment?

GT: I really like this one clip in particular submitted by a 37 year old champion, love to encourage and promote this lifestyle in all the older crew. And barrel riding is scientifically proven be one of the greatest sources of negative ions you can expose yourself to. So it makes sense to ride the tube on a boog.

http://vimeo.com/22954038

http://vimeo.com/22704890

Two clips that i liked, one for the Older crew and one for the international potential out there!

Thanks for your time Glen.