It’s been freezing at the beach. Long enough to dump quite a bit of snow and then keep it around for a couple of days.  The ocean has had small glassy waves.  So, if you can handle the wet suit change and your cheeks and nose falling off, it’s been great surf weather.

So what’s a kid to do with a new Russo Surfboard?

Jon loves the new board. It’s a 9’1” board, 22 1/2 inches wide, a little over 3’’ wide. Shaped and Glassed by Rob Russo. It’s a custom design, based on all of the buoyancy that he enjoyed from his Surftec soft top board. Rob spent a lot of time talking to Jon and watching him in the water. The black stripes are Carbon for strength. Jon has a weird way of getting to the outside, going either up and over the waves or turtle rolls. He needs a board that won’t break if he catches a lip. Today, with these smaller waves, he just goes up and over.

He’s tried other glass and epoxy longboards. He’s complained all the way home in the car about what he didn’t like. He’s even tried other Russo boards that were custom made for other people. He complained, and jumped back on the surftec. A few of us were worried he’d never give a glassed board a fair shake.  I have to admit that I was pretty worried when Rob jumped in to the challenge to create a board that was an extension of Jon. Would he like it? Jon determined that he’d love it, or learn to ride it and then love it.

Jon ran out to the surf, with the help of a handle custom designed for Jon’s arm, paddled out quickly and got in the line up. The boys knew that it was Jon’s new board, so they let him have the swells. He paddled, popped right up, and turned down the line, board slicing through the water, instead of dropping to the bottom of the wave. He charged. He charged over and over, snaking waves from the lineup.  Over and over.

At one point, he was going right, then I saw his facial expression change, he shifted his shoulders and hips, and turned a 180 and went down the lane to the left. He was so shocked that he weaved the board in and out and lost the wave. He says the board is like an extension of his thoughts. What ever he thought, and moved, the board just did. Turned, and quickly. He says not to share, that he’d be embarrassed, but he doesn’t read my blog so – He says that it is amazing how easy this board is to control, compared to the soft top. He doesn’t want to hear 50 I told ya so’s from his surf buddies. He realizes that the design of this board couldn’t be more perfect for his style of surfing.

Huge smiles all the way around. He was floating on cloud nine when he got out of the water today. We are so thankful. So grateful. So glad to be a part of Russo Surfboards!

Quite a few surfers drove by, took a peek at the swells, trying to get the inspiration to get into the frigid waters with the freezing air. That’s one thing Jon is good for, stoking up the boys to come out and play. On this day, we were thankful for two surfers, Mattie Starr and Nathan M. for inviting Jon to join them. Then we found a bonus of his friend Ross out in the water.  So you can see, we’re not the only crazy snow surfers.

Afterwards there is the swapping of stories, big smiles, and the desire to hit it again later in the day.

Thanks for watching.  A big thank you to Russo Surfboards for the best custom shaped and glassed board around.  We are convinced. Custom is the way to go!