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TRISTAN
"RED DOG" WELCH
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Dogtown
snappage
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LA
is arguably the ultimate in the urban surfing experience,
and at the top is Dogtown. Most surfers know about
Dogtown (Venice-Santa Monica) - if they don’t,
then they should. The area has produced some of
the heaviest chargers in surfing and skateboarding,
including Tristan “Red Dog” Welch. We
caught up with Tristan in his south Santa Monica
apartment to get a local perspective on Dogtown
surfing then and today. If you have surfed enough
in the area, then you have probably seen Tristan
pulling into monster Breakwater barrels or floating
El Porto curtains. His charging has led to two-page
spreads in Surfer magazine and was featured in Surfers,
the book.
Tell us a little about yourself – how old
are you? Where did you grow up? Where do you surf?
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Charging
gigantic Venice
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I
am 34 years and I grew up here in Santa Monica,
I have been here since ’73. I have been surfing
25 years, since I was 9. I grew in Santa Monica
and learned to surf where POP used to be, after
the winter of ‘84 there were still left-over
pilings in the lineup as I was learning to surf.
The sand bars were gone, so it was a new generation
of kids learning how to surf there. But we were
taught the ropes by all of the older POP guys. You
really had to stay on your feet out there. The older
guys kept us straight in the water, but they did
it out of love. Back then, during the 80’s,
there was a rivalry between Santa Monica and Venice
at the Breakwater. As a young kid, I remember going
down to the Breakwater and seeing people get beat
up or slapped or have their tires slashed. It could
be rough. But after a while, people started getting
used to your face and you could earn your way into
the line up. Breakwater only breaks when it is big,
so if you don’t live here or put some significant
time out there, then you are not going to get any
waves- it is just a fact. When the breakwater gets
big, the takeoff zone is small, so you need to know
someone or have to be good to be able to get waves.
Otherwise, you go into the rocks, There are people
out there who are not from around here, but they
get the scraps. But it’s not like it used
to be, back when people got beat up, now it’s
more mellow. El Porto is a good place, but there
is a lot of people there. Breakwater is near my
house so that’s where I surf. Winter El Porto
is a little better but it has the crowds.
What boards do you ride and who are your sponsors?
Scott Anderson has been shaping my boards for 15
years, and we work well together. He has my model
dialed in and we have been using the same thing
for 10 years. Just ask for the Red Dog model, a
pintail anywhere from 6.0’ to 8.0’.
I ride for Black Flys sunglasses and Scott Anderson
boards.
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Carving
up Venice
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Dogtown has a reputation for being a heavy place.
Do you think the tough reputation is deserved? Has
it mellowed or is it heavier since you first started
surfing there?
It was a lot heavier 15 to 20 years ago as far as
who could surf out there, but there are still Dogtown
locals who live here and protect their waves, but
they don’t really go so far as throwing rocks
and stealing bikes anymore. Venice is pretty tight
knit when there is a good wave or sandbar, so the
good ones will already be spoken for. The younger
guys might yell at people and fight, but if you
are respectful and wait your turn, you will get
something. Now when you start showing disrespect,
then something will happen. Back in the day, people
would get slapped just for looking at the line up.
A buddy of mine once slapped some dudes just for
checking it out! There is nothing wrong with localizing
to a certain extent; not serious stuff, but people
do have to learn the ropes, they can’t just
move here and surf the Breakwater. There has been
a lot of Hollywood moving in here right now. Everyone
has a surfboard – its like snowboarding! People
need to realize that they have to go learn somewhere
down the beach, away from everyone else. Now Abbot
Kinney is like Melrose and West Hollywood. I remember
when it was run down and filled with homeless drunks!
Hollywood has come in and bought a lot of the soul
from Venice and Santa Monica and now a local surfer
can barely make ends meet to live here. Now it is
overrun by lawyers and movie stars with surfboards!
My wife and I are going to make sure my kids live
near the beach and grow up in Dogtown. They are
going to be surfing here and going down to the beach
no matter what. No one is going to move me out of
my town.
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Applying
the brakes
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Good
points, the same thing happens at El Porto, people
don’t know what they can handle or the etiquette
of surfing. It can make the line-up crazy and dangerous.
People don’t realize that experienced surfers
take their surfing very seriously, so when someone
is trying to get your waves, then it can
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in
some meaty Mexican barrel
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become
a really bad situation – beginners don’t
realize that. Its not just beginner kooks, it’s
also the guys with just a few years of surfing experience.
You have to surf the big days and pull into the
close outs. Earn respect from people and the ocean.
You shouldn’t be out there if you don’t
have skill. Sit down the beach a little bit and
not on the shoulder of Breakwater or snaking people.
So someone decides to go surf Dogtown, what advice
do you have for them?
Don’t do it (laughs). The waves are no good,
there is too many people and the locals are heavy
and gnarly (laughs). Go surf Sunset or Topanga.
You have been around – what other places have
you surfed?
I have spent about 15 seasons in Hawaii –
I go at least go once a year to the North Shore.
My good friend Shawn Briley lets me stay with him.
We have been good friends since he was like 15 years
old. Beyond Hawaii, I have been to Mexico, Costa
Rica, and Tahiti. I also go to Oxnard. There is
no crowd up there. Last year, El Porto was sick.
The left that was at the base of the hill (45th
St.) was going off, it was great, but it was hard
to get waves. Everyone out there was ripping.
Who are some of the stand out surfers and groms
right now in Dogtown?
From the area, there is Rick Massey, Satch Kongdon,
Justin Schwartz, Leif, Jaime, Randy, Bagel, Shane,
Ralpheal, and who am I forgetting…Randy Wright.
Other than Dogtown, what are your favorite spots
in LA?
Oxnard and El Porto
Last words?
Beginners: to get respect you have to earn respect
– know the rules and don’t snake.
Interview by Jorge Vazquez
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