So tiny that you won’t even know it’s there.
Christmas came early for me this year, in the form of a hockey puck – but not quite as big. Los Angeles, as usual, was as flat as a pancake, so I was forced to agitatedly watch the surf forecast for the slightest hint of swell to come in so that I could give this gadget a go. When a small pulse of swell finally ticked the buoys, it was on like Donkey Kong.
For those who are unaware, Trace is a small mount that sticks on to your board, not inserted in your chest like Iron Man’s power source. Surfboards, skateboards, snowboards, SUPs, skis, and kiteboards – as long as it has a flat surface, it’ll work.
While surfing, Trace measures and maps your number of waves, speed, length of ride, number of turns, biggest turn, distance paddled, calories burned, number of airs, and time in the air. All you have to do is download the app, sync it to your smartphone and you’re out there.
This is my first session with Trace in North Los Angeles.
Share your stats, follow your friends and visualize your progress.
What is extra special about Trace is that it auto-edits your GoPro, iPhone, and Android footage by integrating it with Trace to find your rides and cut out the boring stuff. Trace then color corrects your footage, adds your stats to then give you pro quality highlights without any effort. You can share your stats, see how your friends are doing and compare them to your own, as well as the Trace community around you. Above all, Trace truly made me want to improve my surfing. I wanted to go faster and further. I wanted to catch more waves and surf longer. I wanted to.. I wanted to do a damn air!
Side note: Ever wonder how judges determine whether a wave is 3-hundredths of a point better than another? Me either. But just imagine if this sort of technology could be used in competition. If Trace could deliver real-time statistics, surfing could move in a more objectively scored sport, ultimately furthering judge’s credibility and silencing their critics. I’m talking real-life, tangible evidence that explains why someone was scored the way they were. For example, two seemingly identical air reverses could be differentiated simply by their speed, degree of rotation and airtime. It’s just a thought.
