The Wire by Firewire Surfboards

Latest Episodes:

ep. #33 - Tomo talks cymatics, the universe, esoteric ideas and obscure scientists Oct 03, 2018

Show notes

Energy = Mass x Speed of Light Squared. This was Einstein's big idea. And while you might not be the type stay up at night researching this type of thing, Tomo is very much that type of person.

This episode covers Tomo's interests in physics, the universe, esoteric ideas, and obscure scientists. But you'll also hear provocative thoughts on surfboard design that counter a lot of traditional wisdom. Because that's what Tomo does - counter the norm with elevated surfboard performance and heightened sensations while surfing waves.

Enjoy.

ep. #32 - The Board that Spent Two Years in Kelly Slater's Shed. Aug 31, 2018

Show notes

Shaping since 1996, Dan Mann made his first board for Kelly Slater in 2015. Then it sat in a San Clemente shed. For 24 months. Until....

ep. #31 - Mark Price interviewed by Kamea Chayne from Green Dreamer Aug 30, 2018

Show notes

Mark Price is the CEO of Firewire Surfboards. Kamea Chayne is the host of Green Dreamer - a podcast for creatives, visionaries and entrepreneurs dreaming of a sustainable future.

This episode covers much with Mark, such as:

- What first got Mark into sustainability.

- The process of manufacturing conventional surfboards versus ECOBOARDs.

- Mark's greatest personal challenge in growing Firewire from a startup.

- What Mark believes allowed people to break through their initial resistance to riding eco-boards.

- What Mark believes has been key to Firewire going from startup to becoming a global brand.

- The most common struggles facing Eco-Entrepreneurs and how to overcome them.

- How sustainably-driven startups and small companies can compete against large corporations that already dominate.

For more on this episode, visit GreenDreamer.com. And to see Mark surfing the Slater Designs Cymatic, visit firewiresurfboards.com/the-wire.

ep. #30 - Timmy Reyes is Wrestling with Mother Nature Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

"I love conditions" Says Timmy Reyes; "Whether it's a one-foot glassy beautiful day with a little peeler... that gives me as much joy as a twenty-foot day... glassy and peeling.... its the same to me."

On a one foot day Timmy prefers the Go Fish. On a twenty foot day, he likes the Hydronaut.

Timmy also likes freezing water, scary waves, the Northwest and Wrestling with Mother Nature; the phrase he uses to describe his experiences in larger waves like Jaws and Puerto Escondido. Above all he likes Chuy Reyna, the Man in the Van from the last episode, so Chuy joins us in this episode.

ep. #29 - The Man in the (demo) Van: Chuy Reyna Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

If you grew up in California in the 80's or 90's you saw Chuy Reyna on TV. In magazines. In surf videos like Blazing Boards alongside Mark Occhilupo.

If you're growing up today in California you've seen him beachside with more surfboards than you've ever seen fit inside a Mercedes Sprinter.

He's the man in the van and to put it bluntly in pidgeon - 'Chu surf mo' bettaa dan u' today and yesterday and probably for a lot of tomorrow's to come. He's 50 and his turns look as fun today as they looked in 88'.

In addition to managing Firewire's Demo program in the United States, Chuy also stays on the front lines of product development alongside Rob Machado, Daniel Thomson, and Kelly Slater.

He's talented at fine-tuning shapes and surfboard building technologies because he hasn't just surfed every surfboard shape and surfboard building technology in Firewire's history, he also surfs at the most important level of talent when it comes to deciding what surfboards will land at surf shop racks and which ones won't - he shreds hard enough to hang in a lineup with professionals, but he's not a freak, he's normal. He bridges the gap between everyday surfers and sponsored surfers, and his opinions matter to everyday folks. That's why he's the man in the (demo) van.

The Wire ep. #28 - Behind the Scenes at Surf Ranch Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

It's not physically possible to fit each of you who read this inside the Surf Ranch gates at the same time, but we still wish you had been with us on April 10th in Lemoore.

By now you've most likely seen the result of our time there with Kelly and the Surf Ranch crew. The video we made just reached 100,000 views on YouTube and it shows Kelly riding both he LFT Gamma and Helium Gamma.

To celebrate the recent 100k benchmark, we thought it would be fun to share some stories and stoke with you from such a fun day of watching Kelly surf and also surfing the wave ourselves.

We share our thoughts on the best boards for surf ranch, subtleties of the wave that first-time surfers there will find useful, our garden pavers that were installed while we were there, Jordy Smith on an Omni and a Cymatic, and more.

ep. #27 - How a Swedish surfer crafted the Slater Designs leash. Jun 06, 2018

Show notes

To invent something is to take nothing and turn it into something.

To innovate is to take that something and significantly improve it.

The surfboard leash was invented by Jack O'neill's son Pat, a Californian. And it's most recent innovation has been crafted by Jan Pearson, a Swede - he is from, and currently lives in, Sweden, where he surfs often, in a part of the world bordered by Finland and Norway, often dodging blocks of ice like crowds of surfers. It is fucking cold in his corder of the world. But there are waves. Fun ones.

In Jan's travels to surf destinations that don't involve dodging mini glaciers that can destroy boards and bodies, he noticed that while other parts of the planet didn't have ice cubes in the lineup they did contain other things that float. These things could not kill you, but they could kill animals and Jan imagined, could eventually threaten humanity.

It was plastic that he saw. Trash. Other waste. And it inspired him to found Revolwe.

Jan used his new company as a laboratory for innovation. He started with surfboard bags, water bottles and other accessories.

He saw each product as an opportunity to innovate through reduced environmental impact, and what impressed us was his leg rope.

Press play to join us.

ep. #26 - Art is Everything, Bigger than Life Itself. A Conversation with John Van Hamersveld May 31, 2018

Show notes

John Van Hamersveld designed The Endless Summer poster - very likely the most iconic graphic design ever produced in surfing - an enormous cultural achievement that was only the first rung of many on a ladder that has since led him to become one of the most recognizable graphic artists ever.

John has designed album artwork for The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Eric Clapton. He has also worked with artists of the day like Asher Roth. His art is seen throughout surfing, for example on posters promoting the Pipe Masters by Billabong.

Today he crafts murals for cities. He designs sunglasses for Electric Eyewear. He lives in a gorgeous home in Palos Verdes overlooking a stretch of ocean so storied that it has stayed locked tight under local reign for decades.

In this episode of The Wire podcast, we get inside John's head as he uses words to describe what's on his mind, a rare break from so elegantly conveying his thoughts through art, which you'll find examples of in the show notes for this episode.

ep. #25 - Irish Isolation with Dan Mann (who also froze in Poland) Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

Deep Shaper talk. Thoughts on Craftsmanship. And freezing in Poland followed by getting stranded in Dublin. Dan Mann has had a wild week, and we dig deep into it in this episode.

ep. #24 - Kevin Whilden on how Climate Change impacts surfing Jan 16, 2018

Show notes

Kevin Whilden is a scientist with a Masters Degree in Geology and a lifelong interest in how the world works. Today he is partnered with Michael Stewart at Sustainable Surf, overseeing a host of programs like Deep Blue Events, an initiative directed at helping surfing's largest brands lower their carbon footprint at surfings most respected events, and The ECOBOARD project, a collaborative effort with over 150 surfboard brands dedicated to lowering the environmental impacts of surfboard production. This episode covers much about climate change and its impact on surfing, but it also covers much more, for example, your opportunity to win a Slater Designs surfboard of your choosing by filling out The Deep Blue Survey in this episode's show notes. Our favorite part is about four minutes in when Keven details the time he spent in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Enjoy!

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