Which World Title Contender Is Riding A Board Off The Rack In Lemoore?

“Up until a week ago, Julian Wilson had never been to the Surf Ranch in Lemoore,” reads the JS Surfboards blog.

Which is pretty crazy, right?

Surely Julian would have been invited to surf the pool multiple times at this stage in his career, meaning that he’s one of the few individuals to actively deny a session at Slater’s pool in its near-three-year existence. But let’s see where this is going.

Back to JS:

“With plenty of motivation from a completely new CT format, world title points on the line, and a high performance playground unlike anywhere else, he packed his boardbag full of regular shorties and a few spicy options in our new tech, and left early enough to try anything he wanted in the wavepool before the rest of the circus got to town.

“Right from Julian’s first warm-up, his favourite board was a HYFI Air 17. The construction’s extra speed and pop matches the wave perfectly, plus, JW was always going to be looking at the ramps more than any other section.

“After a full day of testing, Jules understandably wanted to try a few more HYFIs, so we asked our USA sales manager Dayton Silva [author’s note: who is an exceptional surfer in his own right!] to bring in some stock boards and see which one felt best:

“’Late last Friday night I scrummaged through the warehouse and grabbed 5 different boards I thought Julian might like,’ revealed Dayton. ‘All stock HYFI that would have ended up at a store here in So Cal. Turns out that one of the 5’11” Air 17 Xs in that bunch felt really good under his feet. It was kind of surprising because it was actually a bit wider and thicker than the other HYFI he brought to the pool. So then on Sunday they met me back down here at the warehouse and traded back the ones in other dimensions for three more of that exact magic one. It’s pretty cool to see our same boards that the everyday surfer can get from the shops are up to the standards of the world’s best!'”

Jules rides the HYFI Air 17X at 5’11” x 19 1/8” x 2 7/16” x 28.6L. Get yours here.

Yes, that is very cool indeed. All these years we’ve been led to believe, perhaps fairly, that no mere mortal could make a pro’s board go.

They’re too narrow. Too thin. Too sensitive. 

Alas, Julian Wilson, a 2018 World Title contender, is riding the boards of us to relative success in Lemoore!

After his two opening runs, Julian sits at number six on the Surf Ranch Pro leaderboard, of which the top eight advance to the finals. Should nothing go horribly wrong tomorrow, that will likely be his destiny. 

And here’s a look at what some of our other favorite JS surfers are toting in the pond (in case you like what you’ve seen):

Joel Parkinson (6’0” / 83kg) 

Monsta 8 
6’0” x 18 7/8” x 2 3/8” x 28.2L 

Blak Box 3 
5’9” x 19 5/8” x 2 7/16” x 29.9L

Mikey Wright (6’0” / 75kg) 

Monsta 8 
6’0” x 18 3/4” x 2 5/16” x 27.2L 

HYFI Monsta 8 
6’0” x 18 3/4” x 2 5/16” x 26.9L

Ace Buchan (5’9″ / 73kg)

Monsta 8 
5’10” x 18 5/8” x 2 5/16” x 26L 

HYFI Monsta 8 
5’10” x 18 5/8” x 2 5/16” x 25.5L 

Jeremy Flores (5’9” / 70kg) 

Monsta 8 
5’9 1/2” x 18 1/4” x 2 1/4” x 24.9L 

HYFI Monsta 8 
5’9” x 18 3/8” x 2 1/4” x 24.4L