Ryan Burch On Why He Won’t Shape A Log For Kelly Slater, Asymmetrical Surfboards And The Pursuit Of Happiness

Ryan Burch is the connective tissue between the alt-left and high-performance surfing. He’s a true innovator who shattered the perception of which odd-ball shapes perform in waves traditionally reserved for hi-fi thrusters.

During a shoot at San Onofre–where Ryan attempted to ride four boards on one wave to no avail–we sat down with him in the back of his van and asked a few pointed questions.

We wanted to know why he took out a foam block and just how he surfed it with aplomb. We asked him what he thought of Craig Anderson’s famed 5’4” Hypto session in maxing Kandui. We prodded on that section in Volcom’s Psychic Migrations where he made proverbial mincemeat out of a juicy left on a rainbow painted fish.

We asked who he’s refused to shape boards for, and surprisingly he said Kelly Slater but only because he requested a longboard. We asked about the balance between speed and control, and why he took so goddamn long to respond to our Electric Acid Surfboard Test with Dane Reynolds request. Turns out the fire to build a craft for the project was only lit once someone tipped him off that our mystery surfer was, in fact, Dane.

Ryan is a unique mind and an increasingly relevant figure in today’s surfing zeitgeist. His experimentations and successes with the asymmetrical surfboard have the potential to push the future of board design as far as most significant developments of a three-finned thruster.

Hit play above for our first video-centric Stab Interview featuring the renaissance man, Sir Ryan Burch.