Mason Ho, Behind the Burner, Rockpiles

Stab fav Mason Ho, pictured here (on the inside), is good at dropping in. He’s got it down to a fine art. Kelly Slater’s even been burned by Mason. He don’t discriminate. In fact, Stab did an interview with Mason a while back, entirely about the art of the burn. Here’s a little taste of it: The Sportswriter: What line do you take; obviously dropping straight down the face would result in a collision?
 Mason: Frick, you draw a higher line where you’re going extra fast and then you get the bigger, high-speed manoeuvre right in front of their face. The Sportswriter: Are some surfers good sports? Does the man or woman behind ever hoot your theatrics? Mason: It used to happen all the time when I was younger. But, I haven’t had one for a while because I got good at burning guys. Y’can read more about that by clicking the link below. But for now, enjoy the irony of the photo above: It’s king of the burn, Mason Ho… getting burned. By a boogie boarder. Calamity! Photog James ‘Jimmicane’ Wilson captured this beauty of a shot, on a borrowed camera no less. Jimmicane had the poor fortune of his North Shore house being broken into and his photography gear being stolen. He wandered down and sat in front of Rockpiles this morning for the early session: “Wasn’t too good, but it was picking up more swell than most places and in between raging wind binges there were a few tubes. Better than watching the Sunset contest run double beach at Kammies and Vals. Mason went out Rockpiles with chris ward and his friend hamburger after he lost his heat at Vals, which is surprising because he grew up surfing that place.” Is losing a heat and being shut down a small taste of karma, for one who’s shown his hind cheek to so many? Or an unhappy coincidence? You be the judge.