INTERVIEW : GUILLAUME SORTON !!!

The Incredible 9’8 Pink PU Custom Longboard Made In La France, completed Guillaume’s Quiver. He shares with us his love of beautiful Shapes. 

Can you please introduce yourself?

My name is Guillaume Sorton, I am 42 years old and I am a Physics Teacher at Jean Hay College in Marennes (17) going on 4 years (hello to my students…). I have always been attracted to the ocean since I was a child, but living in Poitiers, I could only enjoy the sea during the summer holidays. In the early 90s, I came across an issue of Surf Session Magazine with Kelly Slater on the cover, and then I thought to myself, Wow, I want to do this… But not easy when no one in your entourage knows anything about it. I started with Skim Boarding, then Windsurfing and finally Surfing in 1995. Very quickly I tried to do as many activities as possible in the water: Classic Longboard, Shortboard, SUP, Alaia, Bodysurf, OC1 Canoe and recently Surf Foil. I like the Hawaiian Philosophy of the Waterman where you have to be versatile in the water.

“The purchase of a Board is essentially based on the Shape I am looking for and then the finishes. There must be a crush, something that catches my eye.”

What are your criteria before buying a Board?

The purchase of a Board is essentially based on the Shape I am looking for and then the finishes. There must be a crush, something that catches my eye. For me the ideal in a Quiver is to have at least 2 Boards: a Shortboard and a Longboard. I’ve never been able to choose between the two. For the Shortboard I have a penchant for Quad mounting with a wide front. I have a 5’6 Catch that I love. The next one will certainly be the Fork in 5’6. For the Longboard I like a very Classic Shape: a Nose Rider with beautiful concave under the nose, square tail and very round rail with a Single Fin Pivot. I like polyester for Longboards because the Boards are a little heavier and it’s ideal in classic to have a certain inertia.

Can you present us your current quiver?

For some time now the Quiver, thanks to GONG, has expanded a little. . Pampa 9’6 PU : for waves around one meter and winter retreat spots. . Incredible 9’8 PU Made In La France : The ideal Board for summer sessions to work on cross steps and hang tens. Again in the one meter waves. In winter she almost never goes out. . Catch 5’6 EPS : when there is more than 1,2m, I like to surf small Boards. The Catch is ideal for having fun and for Rollers. . Pie 5’11 PU : Also when the waves are more than 1,2m long but for slightly softer and longer waves. Nice speed and curves. I sometimes take it out in the winter also on the fallback spots. . Carter 9’ PU : This is the Board I use the most in winter. Small or big swell, it goes everywhere and allows you to leave well before the wave breaks. It’s comfortable when the water is cold. . Foil Matata 3CS 5’0 + Allvator 65 L : This is the discovery of the year. Thanks to my buddy Cedric. It has increased the number of sessions throughout the year for several reasons: the possibility of doing so in conditions that are not favourable to Surfing and a new challenge even if the progress is slow, but with each session we understand a little something extra. . SUP 10’6 : it is not very useful at the moment. . 2 alaia 7’ in homemade paulownia : sometimes on the end of a session to laugh, because it slides hard and all in drift. Fun guaranteed. . WOO féline OC1 : The canoe is a great activity that I started in V6 (6 rowers), then I continued alone. The water bodies near my home are ideal for strolling, working on cardio or surfing reef waves alone. . Palme Da Fin : the essential for the Bodysurfer. I love Bodysurfing because we are as close as possible to the wave and the sensations are great. A lover of beautiful shapes, I have other boards from different brands that allow me to surf in different conditions.

You fell in love with a unique custom board from GONG, the Incredible 9’8 PU Pink. Why did you buy this board?

I used to have Californian Longboards for a long time, but the prices have become completely unreasonable. I had been looking for several years to buy an IT 10′ WCKF but the width (64cm) had always slowed me down. Yet I was a fan of the shape: Square tail, blunt nose, stalled in the back, a bit like Tyler Hatzikian’s Riddler, that amazing Shape I first saw on “One California Day”.

“I carefully followed its manufacture. She was just beautiful….”

  Three years ago I ordered a Pampa in 9’6 out of curiosity. I really found a great value for money. I really enjoyed surfing this Board but it wasn’t a purely classic Longboard. On his side the L’Ours started to shape an Incredible custom Sunset Meteor in the workshops of GONG. I carefully followed its manufacture. She was just beautiful…. Then came the Incredible 9’8 EPS the alternative with a width of around 23”. I ordered it right away. Beautiful Board with this wooden tail. She turned many heads on the beach and changed people’s vision of GONG. Unfortunately it was a little light compared to what I like to surf in a Classic Log. I then hesitated to order one of the 4 Incredible 9’8 PU tinted resin, but I had just bought the EPS one. I finally sold the Incredible EPS and took the plunge at the end of the summer to order the Incredible 9’8 Pink PU custom and I don’t regret it. It has all the criteria I was looking for. Fast rowing with little rocker, the bottom is easy, the cross stepping are safe and she is very stable on the noses.

“I installed a 10 FCS II Hatchet, I really love the feeling.” 

 

You started Surf Foil too. Why?

I started surf foiling a year ago now thanks to my buddy Cedric. It was first of all out of curiosity. The first session was catastrophic: nothing to do with surfing, two different worlds. On the second session I managed to catch an endless wave. It was a revelation : the flight, the gliding without friction and without noise, the new dimension of height to be managed. As a result, Santa brought me a new toy.

“We look at the spots from a new angle and it’s really great.”

  The following sessions were very laborious (fall after fall) but allowed us to be in the water when it was not surfable and to have a new challenge. We started to explore places that were not surfable but ideal for the Foil. We look at the spots from a new angle and it’s really great. It has considerably increased the number of sessions and what a satisfaction it is to be only two in the water when all the other spots are either not surfable or overcrowded.

What prompted you to join the GONG Ambassador Program?

For the Ambassador aspect, I had already considered applying when I started SUPing in 2007. But in the end it didn’t happen. The GONG range has expanded enormously and fulfilled all my expectations. In Charente Maritime, we could only see very few GONG Boards and especially in surfing. I liked the spirit of transparency in the manufacturing process, there is no such marketing disconnected from any reality. I wanted to defend these values and show that the Boards were of equal quality, with honest prices that allow you to enjoy yourself without a whole monthly salary going into a Board. I am all the more delighted as the range expands year after year. So I can continue to be in the water as much as possible on different supports to continue this Waterman lifestyle. I hope to play my part as best I can 😉 You can find the list of our Ambassadors here.