Butter: Sage Erickson’s Light And Frisky Australian Quiver

Sage’s magnificent affection has shone across the pages of Stab for years. She’s starred in Sex and Demin, A Soft Night and Wild on the Beach.  

Though, it isn’t just the Californian’s penchant for melting digital hearts that holds our adoration, aside from being a pleasure to work with, Sage has an alluring warm personality.

Articulate, confident, unafraid to try something new, at 27, Sage is at the pinnacle of her competitive career – in the top 10 and hungry for more. Come CT stop #1 Sage will be seeded in 8th position.

Before leaving California for Oz, Sage popped into her local Channel Islands showroom on Anacapa St, in Santa Barbara, to pick up eight new butter knives that’ll be accompanying her to the Roxy Pro, all variations on her standard – 5/8 X 18 3/8 X 2 1/4 – 24.2 litres.

For the majority of us, this might be a two-to-three year supply. For Sage, this quiver represents barely half of what she’ll require for the competitive year ahead. 

With the Roxy Pro looming and the fall out of Cyclone Gati, Stab caught up with Sage to talk about what’s under her feet, her goals and how she feels about being a role model to a younger generation of competitive female surfers.

Stab: Sage, run us through this lovely new quiver?

Sage: Winter at home has been below par for waves, and the swell on the Gold Coast is perfect to test new equipment. I picked up eight boards the day I left for Australia. It’s always refreshing to receive a new canvas of blades going into the Australian leg.

My general dimensions are – 5/8 X 18 3/8 X 2 1/4 – 24.2 litres 

Though, I’m pretty private with the entirety of my quiver. To be honest I wasn’t completely involved in the tweaks on this new run. There’s something so motivating when testing a board not based off what it’s consumed by, but what it allows me to do on a wave.

Is there anything new in this batch that you’re excited to get in the brine?

This year we thinned out my rails throughout the whole board. Last year, I had a lot of volume and thickness creating soft edges. This year, I’m feeling a lot more dynamic or at least I’m striving to be! This improved sharpness in my boards is going to keep me on my toes but allow for a lot more precision in my turns.

How hard have you been working with Channel Islands for this Australian set? 

Honestly, it’s such a blessing having the Channel Islands headquarters so close to home. My version of working on my boards is surfing pumping Rincon with all the boys out.

I get to surf with the marketing guys, glassers, sanders, and my team manager. They get to watch me surf, learn my personality and really see where I’m struggling. I trust their adjustments more than my own opinion really.

How much, if any, do you pay attention to what the other girls on tour are riding?

A little here and there. I’m always curious about thickness really. Bigger boards make for bigger turns, so I think it’s a little bit of a cheat sheet on tour. I feel like Tatiana rides a lot bigger boards then what her body type shows. She has the power to turn them which seems to work.

Carissa rode tiny fins when we were younger allowing her to spin in all sorts of ways. It’s been refreshing to see her step up and encourage the power of her surfing. She always seems to be riding boards at least two to three inches bigger than everybody else.

It seems Tyler rides a lot of round tails, she rips and stays uber low throughout her whole waves. The rounded tail bites a lot harder than a squash tail. Her body stature can handle that!

As you can see I don’t know much about their techniques but board design is on my mind at all times!

Who, on tour has the most dialled quiver? Who works on their boards the most?

I would say probably, Lakey Peterson. She’s always finding time to work on it with Mike Parsons. Fins, boards, magic boards, the lot. She’s the most consistent 9 point-getter on tour. That speaks for something.

What are your thoughts on Epoxy?

Coming from California I’m a fan of epoxy. They are frisky, light and have a lot of speed in average conditions. They always make you feel like you’re ripping! In competition, I’m not sure if they can compare to a regular shortboard as far as critical and sharpness through huge turns though. You have to look alive and have high energy on a wave but you need to capitalize on major maneuvers not entirely focusing on flow and/or speed.

How many boards do you order at a time for an event?

I start with about eight brand new ones then replicate the magic finds from the original batch. I average about 15 to 17 boards per year. Which isn’t a lot compared to others. Someone like Jordy Smith may order up in the 60 range. Simplicity is the best option in my life. I have a lot going on in my head, so choosing the best board out of 10 is better for me than 30.

I’m so thankful and fortunate for what I’ve been given by Channel Islands. Any more than that I would start to feel selfish. I understand I’m a professional but I never use that as an excuse to demand more than what is needed.

What about your preparation for the Gold Coast?

My new quiver feels so light and frisky! I had a huge opportunity to finish the year off in the top five, but I stumbled towards the end. This new set of boards feel magic, I can’t wait to try them on the Gold Coast!

How similar is your quiver for the Gold Coast compared to Santa Barbara’s fabled right points?

I love a longer, thicker board on the points at home. Paddle power to navigate the crowd and length to feel the wave down the line. Personally, many have critiqued me on tour for not being low enough because I love a good stand tall. For me, it’s about style and ease, then force and grit.

Growing up watching Kim Meyer glide down the point at Rincon really left a lasting impression on grace and beauty. It’s taken me a long time to balance the beauty in competitive surfing – as well as surfing with no expectation in a free surf.

Are there any common mistakes you think young women potentially make when ordering boards?

In life, there’s so many different dynamics your learning about and experiencing. Board dimensions are a small part of it. In my opinion, I do better based off of feeling not written details. I understand that goes hand in hand. What is written on the board is shaped so, therefore, creating the feeling. Sometimes as a young girl it’s easier if we let the professionals shape what suits our body type at the time and can give little insights like needing more board or length for paddling. You’ll feel huge differences in the way the board works just by those changes. So not really, I think younger girls are the same in this as everybody.

Sage’s General Dimensions: 5’8″ x 18 3/8 x 2 1/4 24.2L 

New Quiver:

5’8″ x 18 3/8 x 2 1/4 24.6L Fever
5’8″ x 18 3/8 x 2 1/4 24.6L Fever Rounded Pin 
5’8″ x 18 3/8 x 2 1/4 24L Proton
5’8″ x 18 3/8 x 2 1/4 24L Proton
5’8″ x 18 3/8 x 2 1/4 24.6L Fever
5’8″ x 18 3/8 x 2 1/4 24.6L Fever