Time to Step Up
We have more than gifts around Christmas trees to unwrap during the festive season. The northern hemisphere takes winter surf as seriously as it does its reindeers, elves, and sledding.
Swell direction, windspeed, and water temperature are the givers, producing heavier, bigger, and longer-lasting surf in the colder months.
Spots that otherwise hold bumps perfect for toddlers and floaties come to life between December and March with long lines, powerful enough to make one re-think that summer board. Only those who’ve tried to sneak in on pride know that board choice isn’t a luxury, but rather a necessity, if the goal is riding, not hiding under, the ocean blanket of winter.
The idea of a step-up board comes as an answer for moving on crashing sky-scrapers, with the same kept confidence on that of summer mush.
Step-up boards are usually a bit longer than one’s regular choice, designed for stability with better paddling performance. Depending on surf-level the board carries 2-3 inches and 2-3 litres of extra length and volume than one’s daily ride.
Though winter spots come in all shapes and sizes from double-overhead beach breaks to slabby reef monsters, an all-around step-up provides the confidence to cut those paper-thin lines or land stomach-curling drops.
Dark Arts’ vacuum sealed carbon-fiber boards boast undeniable performance in strength, speed, and lightness. Our boards move faster, padding to catch a bomb or racing down the line chased by soup. These are vital qualities to keep under one’s feet when riding winter giants. From here, we consider shape.
Our collaboration with the most notable shapers in the world provides a wide-variety selection of boards for this highly anticipated season of the surf-calendar. Whether it’s Waimea Bay, Mavericks, or the back-yard break nobody’s ever heard of, we’ve got you covered for the big stuff.
Some of our favorite step-up boards to check out: