Hanging toes and heels

"Hanging toes" refers to the style of riding a longboard with your toes hanging off the front. There are two reasons for it. It feels like flying. And the board moves faster across sections of the wave. You’re like superman--only wearing boardshorts or a bikini instead of a cape.

You coast across the glassy curls that rise up, tumble and peel across the beach. You feel the exhilaration of velocity. You see the beach and other surfers in the water. Perched on the nose of the board, you are king or queen of it all—just for a moment. As the wave dies, you relinquish your crown to the next noserider. It’s a beauty pageant for adrenaline junkies.

Hanging heels is much more difficult. Therefore has increased style. There is an actual purpose for the move. And that is to face the wave while riding. This is said to show ultimate respect to it. It’s kind of like missionary position. You’re looking straight at the wave, showing how much you care ;)

One of the tricks to hanging toes is to have the right board. There are two main types of longboards and everything in between. “Noseriders” are for just that, riding the nose. “Performance” longboards are for tighter and more radical turning. I don’t mean to use the word “radical” in a condescending way. Generally, everyone should spend time trying both styles.

A good noseriding surfboard is between 9’0-10’. For me, I like 9’6” because I think it’s good middle ground for noseriding and performance. Using a single fin is by far the most stylish, but the tri-fin setup gives you more riding options. There’s a ton of different boards out there, and the good news is, most of them are fun.

Longboarding is all about style. I love riding these classic shapes from the 50’s and 60’s. They take me back to a time when things were bitchin'. When drop-top convertibles were stacked up with surfboards. When the coast wasn't so crowded and all the great surf spots were just being discovered.

Let it all go. Feel the glide of a by-gone era. Hang your toes over the edge of a longboard.