Legends: STEVE WALDEN

Known by many as the "Father of the Modern Longboard," Southern California native Steve Walden was only thirteen when he shaped his first surfboard in 1961. Eight years later, he opened his first surfboard manufacturing facility and retail store in Huntington Beach, California. Steve operated it for three years before moving to the North Shore of Oahu at the age of 24. There, he made a name for himself as a progressive longboard shaper; while the rest of the surfing world was concentrating on shorter, single-fin boards, Walden continued to refine his longboard shapes. Over the years, he has ghost shaped for such well-known names as Channel Islands, Hawaiian Island Creations, Lightning Bolt, Local Motion, and Surfboards by Greek. However, it was always his own designs that set Steve apart from other shapers.

In the early ‘80s, Walden moved back to California, where he introduced his hugely successful Magic Model. It’s innovative rocker configuration, turned down rails, and Turbo Hull bottom contour made it super-fast. With arguably the most advanced high-performance longboards available at the time, Steve was well positioned to capitalize on the resurgence of longboarding that happened in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

Still a prolific shaper, Walden estimates he has personally shaped more than 20,000 surfboards. In 2004, he teamed up with Global Surf Industries to distribute his boards and expand the Walden Surfboards brand worldwide. These days, when he's not in his shaping room, Steve is still surfing. Although he competed occasionally as a teenager, his main focus during his 20s was on developing his surfboard business. At about age 30, Steve returned to contest surfing, and has been a regular on the winner's stand ever since. He still holds the record for the longest noseride in competition history, with an epic 25.5 second ride. Steve Walden - still shaping innovative surfboards and SUP boards, and still a well-respected surfer.

- Thanks to Mark Anders for this Steve Walden profile