CJ is a known stylemaster, both on and off the water. Photo: etnies
Editor’s Note: This article is brought to you by our friends at etnies.
Mark “CJ” Nelson has had a surprisingly large impact on surfing and surf culture. With influential films such as Sprout, The Present and A Paradigm Shift, CJ was a massive part of the modern longboard revival. His nose-riding skills and fast footwork create a high-performance feel and demonstrates fully what one can achieve on nine feet of foam and fiberglass. Surprisingly (or not), a large part of CJ’s impact comes from his skateboarding roots.
Speed at full trim with CJ. Photo: etnies.
Born in Santa Cruz, Calif. and growing up in the nineties, influence from the skate scene was unavoidable. CJ channeled that into his progression in switch-stance longboarding and he credits his skateboard work ethic as well as the training he received from riding switch on the asphalt in helping him switch things up at the nose.
As such, it makes perfect sense that CJ has joined the star-studded roster of etnies athletes such as Olympic skateboarder Andy Anderson, and snowboard legends Jeremy Jones and Zeb Powell. Born of a rebellious time, etnies was founded in 1986 as the first skateboarder-owned and operated footwear and apparel brand, with former pro Pierre Andre Senizergues still at the helm today.
Giving back is a large part of the etnies ethos, from the large roster of professional athletes they support to their “Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree” campaign that supports reforestation efforts all over the world and has helped plant more than two million trees since the program was launched in 2011.
From previous collaborations with Firewire and others, it’s well known that CJ gets deeply involved in the work of brands he partners with. He bleeds creativity, so it will be interesting to see what the stylish noserider, artist, and surfboard designer will bring to the etnies world.
With that in mind, stay tuned, because a little bird has told us that there’ll be something special from CJ and etnies dropping this month.
