Mason Ho Discusses His Pops, Mike Packing Backdoor Bombs At 59

We love the Ho’s. From Derek to Mike, Mase to Coco, they’re a lineage of Hawaiian prowess with an exceptional reputation at Pipeline. Derek’s the 1993 World Champ, two-time Pipe Master and four-time Triple Crown Winner. Mike’s a two-time Triple Crown Winner and has one Pipe Master victory (which he won with a broken arm, cast and all). Mason, next Dane Reynolds is everyone’s fav free surfer, who when it’s time to put the jersey on, especially at Pipeline is the glistening sun on a dying day. You’ll recall his perfect ten that vanished from the internet last year, due to the best claim the WSL saw in 2015. But, you may have forgotten that immediately after that, he pulled into his next wave switch. And then went on to win the heat, and finish in the semis. And Coco’s currently 13th on the Women’s CT and took the 2009 Rookie of the Year honours. It’s safe to say; they’re one of the North Shore’s most notable bloodlines. 

Wait for it. Video: Rory Pringle

Yesterday morning, we saw Michael packing this preseason bomb at Backdoor and naturally rang Mase to get his take on his dad still braving big days at Pipe, at 59-years-old. “He’s got full issues man,” he laughs. “Like the good issues though. I don’t know if it’s a problem or what. But all I know is I’m not that big of a legend. Me and Coco try to talk him out of going sometimes. On this day (Sunday) I told him, dad, don’t bother, it’s big and shitty. But if we tell him not to do it, he’ll just want to do it more. I wasn’t even going to go out, it wasn’t good. I didn’t surf until late in the evening. And when I did, I broke my leash and couldn’t get back in, it sucked me out to the second reef and I had to swim around.” 

No need to wonder where Mason gets it from. Here he is last weekend on an absolute demon. Photo: Brian Bielmann

“On Friday it was flat, I was boogie boarding knee high Rockies,” says Mason. “Then by the next morning it was cranking, but wasn’t good yet, it was almost too big. Up until lunchtime it was a Sunset day. There was too much sand at Pipe, but it cleared out so fast. I don’t know what the deal was, but it was the fastest I’ve ever seen the sand clear. I was sitting there watching barrels go by and one guy out with all the boogies. So I had to paddle out and ruin his session,” he laughs. “Then it just turned into perfect Pipe. It was crazy I had already gotten some of the best barrels I’ve ever gotten out there. And my dad got some mental ones too. All the sudden it was like boom!”  

You can hear it in Mason’s voice; he gets nervous when his old man’s charging Pipe like a sprightly 24-year-old. “I don’t know how he does it,” he tells us. “He has the diet of a 13-year-old, just eats like waffles and cereal and shit. Then on Sunday, when it wasn’t nearly as good as the day before he went out because nobody else was going to. Then he just went looney!” 

Last December, Michael, while prepping Mason’s boards for the Pipe Masters told us, “I’m 58, but I guarantee Slater will be doing this at 68, he’ll take it for another ten years, it’s going to be unreal,” he laughs. “It’s a good thing. Surfing keeps you young.”