Alexandre Wolthers
Foton bildspelet: 1 till 5 av Christian Nerdrum & 7-8 av Rafael Calsinski
Alexandre Wolthers värld är fylld av kontraster. Han lever med en fot i Brasiliens varma vågor och en fot i Danmarks något kyligare klimat. Ibland sitter han med vänner och gäster på sitt SurfVilla Brazil och ibland är han bänkad på en föreläsning på Copenhagen Business School. Oavsett var Alexandre befinner sig är han en longboardsurfare av världsklass.
Alexandre, can you please tell us a little bit about where you grew up and your connection to Denmark?
I grew up in a city called Santos, located only two hours from the big city of São Paulo. Santos has the largest harbor in South America, and there are plenty of good waves around. My parents were both born in Denmark, however, my father was raised between Scandinavia and Brazil. They moved permanently to Brazil only a couple of months before I was born because of the coffee business. Since then I’ve spent virtually every summer in Denmark visiting my family.
How much time have you spent in Denmark since you started to surf?
I´ve been living full-time in Denmark since 2006, when I started my degree at Copenhagen Business School. At first I had no idea you could surf in Denmark, especially not in Sjaelland. It was a big surprise to see Gilleleje pumping on a late summer swell back then. It doesn’t happen that often, but occasionally the North coast of Sjaelland has some epic days with no one out. It was really hard to adapt myself from surfing 5 times a week to surfing twice a month. But I´ve learned how to appreciate other things and since I moved to Denmark I travelled a lot and got to know many places I would otherwise never get to know.
You´ve been runner-up champ in Brazil (junior longboard), top ten in Europe (pro longboard) and Danish Champ (shortboard)! Are you thinking about continuing this career?
I’ve always been pretty competitive and love doing comps and all that. But it’s pretty much impossible to make a living out of Longboarding. Longboarders don’t receive the deserved recognition. Despite being the category that most grows in surfing, there´s basically no investment being done on the sport. My goals, however, have never been to live entirely from competitions. I plan on making a living from surfing, but not necessarily only from comps.
Are setting goals important for your surfing and if so what are your goals?
Yeah, I find that setting goals is probably the best way to evolve my surfing and my life in general. Competition wise, I definitely want to qualify for the World Longboard Tour and eventually reach on the top of that ranking. At the moment I´m in Brazil getting ready for two qualifying contests for next year´s tour. I also want to represent Denmark in the European tour and hopefully be the first Dane to win that. Otherwise I hope to travel as much as possible to learn different cultures and get to know a lot of different people.
There´s a lot of surfers in Brazil, was there a lot of competition in the water when you grew up surfing?
Yeah, there were definitely lots of surfers on the beaches around home. Brazilians are known for being very competitive and aggressive in the water. Even though sometimes it can get annoying over here and you have to hassle for waves, the same happens in places like Australia, Hawaii and even Sweden. With time you learn how to earn your space in the water and get your waves. Luckily, the place I surf the most is quite a secret spot and crowds are not a big factor. Surfing is only growing, so I guess we just have to learn how to share the waves and show respect.
Do you think Brazilian longboarders in general have a different surfing style compared to American and Australian longboarders?
I believe that the lack of point break waves in the country has made many Brazilians surf with more aggression which sometimes may affect one´s style and flow. However, that doesn’t mean that all Brazilians are like that. You see guys like Eduardo Bagé and Roger Barros surfing the nose with perfection and flow while hitting the lip as hard as anyone else. There is certainly no level difference between Brazilians and surfers from other nations. In fact, Brazil has today the strongest team on the World Longboard Tour.
Describe your own surfing style.
I surf a lot according to my mood. 80% of the time I´ll go out on my longboard because I love being able to calmly walk to the nose and then do a quick turn. Lately I’ve been surfing a lot on my 5’11” Viking quad fin. I like to mix it up a little. Whichever craft I´m using, I just try to flow as much as I can and surf with the wave and not against it.
Do you consider surfing a sport or an art? Or something else?
That’s a tricky question. Surfing I definitely more than a sport; I see it as a mix between a spiritual thing and an art. There is so much good energy in the ocean that classifying surf simply as a sport would not be fare. I have never done anything else that would bring me peace of mind, good energy and would allow me to express myself the way I want as surfing does.
What´s your favorite maneuver?
Getting barreled and hanging 10. Still trying to do both at once…
Favourite type of wave?
Even though I love literally any type of wave, my favorite wave would be a long point break with barrel sections. 6 feet, offshore, warm water and no one out.
Your uncle, Christian Wolthers, was probably the first ever to surf in Denmark. Did he introduce you to the surf in Denmark?
Yeah, he and my dad were probably the first to surf in Denmark. They would always tell me and my brothers stories about epic conditions in Hornbeak on the late 70´s. I never really bought those stories until 2006, when I moved permanently to Denmark. It was actually a shock to see waves in on the North Coast of Sjaelland, and even bigger shock to see that there were some guys out. There I met the boys from the Medister Surf Team, who later on showed me all the spots around.
Tell us a little about his company Viking Surfboards.
Viking Surfboards was founded in 1973 by my dad and uncle, John and Christian Wolthers. When they started Viking Surfboards, surfing was still a relatively unknown sport in Brazil. My uncle would shape most of the boards while my dad was making sure people would buy them. They did that for approximately 10 years, when they chose to enter the coffee business which was way bigger than the surf business. However, in 2001 my uncle, Christian, re-activated the company and is now selling Viking´s all over the world, including Scandinavia.
What´s in your quiver?
I have a couple of 9’1”s, round-pin that I use for contests. They are very light but still have a good of nose area. I also have a 5’11” Viking quad fish and 7’0” evolution. They are really good to keep me open minded and motivated. I´ve also been using a really old and heavy Ben Aipa 9’4” single fin, it’s perfect for nose riding on small waves.
How do you choose between riding a longboard or a shortboard?
Sometimes I bring two or three different boards to the beach and surf a little with each. I’ll spend most of the time on the longboard, which is what a like riding the most. But sometimes I’ll get a little stuck and ride the shorter ones. Other times I like to body-surf… It depends on my mood, really.
Why do you think there are relatively few longboarders compared to shortboarders in Scandinavia despite us often having small and not so powerful surfing conditions?
The media has a lot to do with that. Some people still think that longboarding is a thing for old people but the truth is that on a longboard you can do so much more on a wave. You can get speed and do radical turns – an even airs – that shortboarders do, while being able to walk to the nose and surf waves from 1’ to 20’. It´s funny, because I see so many people in Scandinavia buying fish boards when they are really searching for that glide that a longboard brings on the wave. I believe that when longboarding starts getting more investment and media, maybe younger kids will start riding longboards more often and people´s perspective on it will change. This is already happening in places like California and France, so it’s probably a matter of time before we see more longboarders in Scandinavia.
Can you give some advice to surfers in Denmark and Scandinavian countries regarding what kind of longboard that´s most useful in our waves?
I would say a wide board between 9’1” and 9’6” would be the best for the often small and slow Scandinavian surf conditions. When the waves are like that, I´m 100% sure that people would have much more fun riding a longboard than being stuck on their 6 footers. But I have also seen days that in Norway that were definitely better for shortboarding, so the best advice I could give would be to have as many different boards as possible on the quiver.
Let´s talk about your business SurfVilla Brazil. Please describe the concept for us.
SurfVilla Brazil is the surf-tourism firm that I have recently opened with my Norwegian friend Daniel Tomter. Our goal is to bring people from Scandinavia and Europe as a whole to surf and party in Brazil. Over the years I have received a lot of friends from Denmark and I love seeing how stoke they get from being here. So we´re using our local knowledge and connection with Scandinavia to show the best Brazil has to offer. The concept is to have daily activities that range from surf classes/coaching, to tours in the jungle, to partying at the best places in Brazil. For more information check www.surfvillabrazil.com.
How is the surf in the area?
It´s epic! Even though most spots are beach breaks, conditions can be perfect. The region of São Sebastião which is where SurfVilla is located and where I spend most of my time here in Brazil has around 15 beaches with every type of wave, from fat and slow to hollow and gnarly. São Sebastião mostly a weekend destination for some people living in São Paulo city, so the forest in this area is very well preserved and there isn´t much more than empty beaches and incredible places.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Running SurfVilla Brazil while being able to live between Denmark and Brazil and travelling as much as possible.
How do you measure success?
I measure my own personal success by how well I´ve achieved the goals I set myself and the path I’ve taken to achieve them. Being able to do what you love will sooner or later bring you success. I believe that the key in being successful is to set challenging yet attainable goals, while always remaining focused on what you want to achieve.
What percentage of surfing and the need to go surfing creates Alexandre Wolthers?
Surfing brings me balance. Without that I can be a pain in the ass, so I guess 100%.
Finally, is it OK to pump a longboard, or is it a straight road to hell?
Sure, it’s just as ok as hanging 5 on a shortboard. Why not?
Intevju: Tony Kammari / Nordic Surfers Mag
Publicerad i Nordic Surfers Mag #6