Chris Christenson compares building big wave boards to building parachutes. “They have to work,” he says. But unlike parachutes that are technical, sure, but whose purpose is solely to save a falling human from certain death, a big wave craft needs both to work and perform.
The San Diego shaper’s been building big wave craft since the mid-90s. And in that time, he says, big wave surfing has changed more than any other aspect of surfing.
The relationship between Ian Walsh and Chris Christenson is one of symbiosis – two experts in their craft supporting one another’s pursuits, challenging one another to become better at what they do.
Last winter’s El Niño saw some of the world’s best big wave spots (and even some secret ones) lighting up with more frequency than ever before in recent memory. That allowed surfers and shapers like Walsh and Christenson to experiment with new variations in big wave equipment, discuss, make adjustments, and try again like never before.
In Walsh’s new film, Distance Between Dreams, the goal was to simultaneously push the limits of big wave surfing, and let viewers feel and experience the whole picture like never before. The surfer/shaper relationship is a part of it that isn’t often included in surf film.
“Every time I surf Jaws,” says Walsh, “Chris is the first person I talk to.”
