Wally Froiseth (December 21, 1919-) |
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Tailslides weren't always cool. Nowadays, it's a prerequisite to being a hot surfer. Don't throw tail, and you're a relic, doomed to rot in the school of old. But in 1930s Hawaii, "sliding ass," as they called it, was nothing but a nuisance. Most surfers can't hold an edge with a modern longboard. Imagine dropping into a steep wave riding your front door, which isn't too far from those early planks -- if you add another 100 pounds. One day, while surfing on Oahu's East Side, Wally Froiseth and friends slid ass one too many times, and in one angry swipe, created the predecessor to the big-wave gun.
Froiseth arrived in Hawaii as an adventurous 6-year-old in 1925 and was given his first board two years later. Intrigued by big surf, he paddled out to Castle in Waikiki at age 11 to take a look. He quickly got pounded, discovered it wasn't so bad and ended up surfing the place. He soon met up with innovator Tom Blake, who became a strong influence and good friend. Along with Fran Heath and John Kelly, Froiseth is credited with the development of the Hot Curl surfboard -- the first board designed with big waves in mind. Today's squaretails are square in name only; in those days, it was the real thing, making it nearly impossible to ride anywhere but straight in. Froiseth and crew were looking for speed, so they chopped off the sides of the tail to give it more bite. With minor refinements, such as slight vee for calculated drag, the idea worked, so they set out around Oahu in search of bigger waves to put their Hot Curls to the test. They surfed sizable Makaha in the '30s and pioneered much of the North Shore along with Whitey Harrison and Gene Smith. Spots didn't even have names at that point; they simply saw a wave and surfed it. Froiseth's influence did not end there. He was married to George Downing's aunt during the '40s and teenaged Downing moved in with him and acquired his appetite for big surf. A trip to the mainland in 1948, with his stories of riding legendary bluebirds, led the first crop of Californian big-wave legends to the Islands. He went on to help revive the ancient Polynesian act of open-ocean canoe voyaging and direct one of the sport's earliest lasting events, the Makaha Invitational. He currently resides in Hawaii with his wife, Alice. -- Jason Borte, October 2000 Click here to find all the Wally Froiseth photos and editorial on Surfline.
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