Jungle

Here is a mat for Nicholas Wolken and it's one I've really enjoyed building!

Nico is a well known and very talented snowboarder, co-owner of Korua Shapes Snowboards and a very good surfer. He has been surfing a mat for a few years too and very well. He has an RFT and I have built him a Nouveau Racer named San-B for the juicy days, which has seen some heavy waves.

Last year (or maybe the year before), Nico borrowed an RB-JMC named Caligula from Andrew Buck. Andrew is significantly shorter than Nico so obviously the mat he borrowed was... Well... Short!

Nonetheless, Nico was impressed with the speed and glide and ordered himself an RFT2 (the stock version of the RB-JMC) to have a mat that fit him, but then got a deposit in for a custom. So that left us with a question... What to build?!

We considered a few options. Maybe a Chino Racer to add some variety to the all-rounder part of the quiver? Maybe a Rubber Bucky to have a big ol' glider. But after some deliberation the answer because obvious. An RB-JMC Ultralight!

As a 70/40 Super-Free-Breather, this mat feels, and is very delicate. The criminally light grip job only adds to this with this mat being extremodonculously sensitive. I love the slow drifting levitation of these builds. Rarely pulled out of the bag, save for those rare glassy, dry hair, running peeler, under head high days. In those conditions the sensation is incredible! We added 1/4" to the length just to add a bit of lift at the tail. With Nico's other mats, that's some quiver!

And the name of this mat? Jungle

Nico has a trip to Oz planned. He says:

“Hey G,

Really excited to get grooved in on Jungle . Hoping Australia delivers this August — we’ll be taking it on a full East Coast road trip. Mostly, I’m just looking forward to sharing the experience with some fellow mat enthusiasts. Can’t wait to see what it feels like!”

— Nicolas Wolken

I'm really excited to hear about the adventures of Jungle and Nico. Have fun Nico and big up the Jungle massive!

Cheers

G

San B

Here's a mat named San-B built for Nicolas Wolken. Many of you may know Nico already as a professional snowboarder, Patagonia Ambassador and co-founder of Korua Shapes snowboards. As well as being a hugely talented snowboarder, he is an excellent surfer and has developed a love for the mat.

Nico says:

“I grew up in the Swiss Alps with snowboarding as a big influence, but my interest in surfing was sparked when my Australian Grandma sent me and my brothers a surfing VHS. Although I pretty much only got to surf during summer vacations. I’ve always been in to activities that offer a different sensation from snowboarding so I liked climbing and when I saw the movie “Come hell or high water” by Chris Malloy, it really got me interested in body surfing.

I spent a couple of summers trying to figure it out which was a blast. Then a few years ago I met Rasta at a Patagonia Ambassador summit in California. I already admired his board surfing and saw him ride a surf mat. The waves were small but long and he was just flying down the line having the best time. I couldn’t believe my eyes, the speed he generated just blew my mind! He was getting the best and longest waves jumping over people! He actually let me and others have a go but I didn’t get it instantly. However after witnessing his surfing I knew I had to figure this out as it looked so fun!”

— Nicolas Wolken

Since then Nico has scored a couple of mats, most recently a G-Mat RFT which he has ridden a few times now and has become his favourite ride. He had already got on the list for a custom when he bought the RFT so was already clear on what he wanted... Something for the juice! A Nouveau Racer was the obvious choice and is a perfect quiver mate for the RFT.

Nico was keen on a mat that cuts-back into the pocket and turns off the bottom so we went for positive elastic rocker. The internal venting is restricted to make San-B more wheezy which along with the 200d deck will keep the mat relatively stable when things get hectic!

As for the colour... A nod to snow and the Yin to the RFTs Yang.

I'm looking forward to seeing what goes on with Nico and San-B. Have fun!

Cheers

G