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From the late 1980’s, up until the late 2000’s, being a professional surfer in Santa Cruz was a legitimate career path. Sure, you had to have skill, a strong work ethic and enough charisma to secure corporate sponsorships, but there was enough money floating around during those years that a host of local surfers were able to forgo higher education and 9-5 jobs to live as handsomely paid pro surfers. Just look at the successful careers of guys like Jason “Ratboy” Collins, Adam Replogle, and Daryl “Flea” Virostko, just to name a few.

After the global economic collapse of 2008, however, things got a little sketchy. Iconic pro’s began to lose backing from brands and global competition for resources began to skyrocket. Unless you were someone like Nat Young, whose insane free surfing and competitive prowess earned him a place at the top of the global ranks for many years, making it big as a successful pro surfer became an unrealistic pursuit.

For guys like Tyler Fox, whose blistering surfing skill and ability to wrangle gargantuan rides at Mavericks would have seen him coasting by as a career pro in years past, this unpleasant truth came as a big wake up call. To pivot, he began a photo sharing website, Santa Cruz Waves, where surfers of all skill level could pay a small fee for snapshots from their session, taken by Fox and a variety of other local photographers. It wasn’t long until the site began to acquire significant traction and traffic.

Encouraged by his success, Fox decided to leverage his connections and momentum to turn Santa Cruz Waves into a print magazine. For nearly a decade, Fox and the crew at Waves put out a quality, bi-monthly magazine that spotlighted local athletes, artists, activists and move-makers. Through it all, Fox kept surfing at the highest level, even securing two finals appearances at the Mavericks Big Wave events in Half Moon Bay.

Despite shutting the doors at Santa Cruz Waves a few years ago, Fox has continued to stay busy as an activist, entrepreneur, and businessman. He got hitched, built a tiny home, and adopted a sweet pooch, proving that success can be found outside the glamour of professional surfing.

In this episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, I was fortunate to have Fox come by the pad to discuss life— growing up in Aptos, giving professional surfing a fair shake, falling in love with big waves, the formation of Santa Cruz Waves, meeting his wife, as well as the ways in which he keeps his body and mind in tip-top condition. We also touched on the wave of up-and-coming surfers in the area and his involvement in the Santa Cruz Boardriders Club.

It was another juicy chat, and I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to pick his mind. So, quit wasting time! Another flavorful serving of Split Peak Soup is just a click away!

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Think about all the conversations you have throughout the course of the day. Unless you were at silent meditation retreat or alone in some remote, off-grid location, it’s safe to say you made contact with, and interacted with, a number of other individuals. How many of these encounters yielded anything deeper than a customary greeting or surface level life, love, health, or happiness update? Conversations such as these have utility, but leave a lot of meat on the bone.

So what? It’s not like we are trying to learn the mail-man’s deepest, darkest, fears, but according to local writer, podcaster, and big-wave surfer Kyle Thiermann, there are some relationships in our lives that would benefit from some more carefully cultivated conversations. Namely, our parents.

In his book, “One Last Question Before You Go,” Thiermann points to the interview as a container, one where clear questions can get pointed answers in a distinct atmosphere, one free of distraction where no subject is off the table. The idea for the book arose after he had his father, Eric, on as a guest on his podcast. He was so blown away by the amount of things that he learned in that discussion that he decided to devote a few years of his life to explore this theme in-depth.

As Thiermann’s friend, and a fellow writer, I was thrilled to have the young author over for this latest serving of Split Peak Soup. Our discussion touched on the origins of his book, the merits of the “interview”, things he learned about his parents along the way, his writing process, getting published, his book tour, and a whole lot more.

Thiermann is a bright guy, and his enthusiasm for his craft and curiosity towards life made him a superb guest.

Enjoy!

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There is sometimes an unflattering, and often undeserved, stereotype of older surfboard shapers: that they are cantankerous and jaded old grumps limping through their shaping bays like lame prize horses, their brains frazzled from long-term exposure to hazardous resin, foam and fiberglass (that, or from all the acid they dropped in the ’60s and ’70s).

Seventy-six year-old boardmaker and longboarder Michel Junod is none of that. He’s robust, clever, grateful and just plain stoked on life, even in the face of a market that is primarily focused on brand name, mass-produced shortboards and fishes. He has a winning business model—making people happy—that’s worked for him for nearly six decades.

“People are stoked when they get a custom surfboard,” Junod says. “I’m known as a guy you can come to for a fun, custom board.”

In this episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, I had the pleasure to sit down with this humble craftsman for an extended chat about his experience building surfboards.

In the interview, we touched on a number of of topics, ranging from his humble beginnings as a beach rat in Santa Monica, introduction to shaping by surf icon Carl “Tinker” West, his time spent honing his craft in Santa Cruz and the North Shore of Oahu, the value of a working relationship with a custom surfboard builder, and the challenges of surfing into old age.

We also discussed his move to Arizona in 2021, and how he’s been able to continue operating his business hundreds of miles away from the Pacific Ocean.

It was a real treat sitting down with Junod, a longtime friend and true legend of surfing. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a snack, get cozy, and prepare for another nutritious serving of SPLIT PEAK SOUP!!!!!