A Conversation with Chippa Wilson

Coming to you poolside from the Swatch Nines event in Waco, Texas.

The first profile I ever wrote was on Chippa Wilson. He was a relatively unknown talent from Cabarita Beach, Australia who had just released a wild edit that showcased his ridiculous technical and progressive approach before following it up with the now pretty classic film by Riley Blakeway called “Now.”  

We did the profile in Hossegor and I wrote it like a movie script starring an unlikely talent who had gold eyes. Andy Irons surfed with us once and commented on how excited he always was to watch Chippa take off on a wave — noting that he just never knew what he was gonna do on it. That session featured Jordy Smith, Andy Irons, Chippa Wilson and most of the World Tour at the time and I swear everyone out ended up with a clip in a famous movie.  

Yesterday I called Chippa because I heard he was poolside at the Swatch Nines Waco event — a circus freakshow of surfing, BMX, skating, cool kids and acrobatics by the pool.

In the last 24 hours it’s led to two of the wildest airs ever done in a pool. Chippa’s Waco roommate Hughie Vaughan launched a stalefish flip thing that went viral and then last night Matt Meola added a twist to it. Both pretty wild.  

We called Chippa to remind him we’re overdue for a margarita at Reno Room and to get a survey of the scene and see what he’s been up.—Travis Ferré

Inherent Bummer You've been making the rounds at these wave pool events. What's your take on all that? It looks like a lot of fun.

Chippa Wilson: Yeah, that's the whole thing for me. It's like, if you're invited, you're hitting perfect ramps and outside the pool you're just hanging out with all your mates you haven't seen in a while. So yeah, you got to go.

Tell us what's going on at the Nines right now — who you're hanging out with and what's happening.

So there's a lot happening. We're at this Nines event at Waco and me and Hughie [Vaughan] are bunked up in a room, and that little kid has just been going nuts. Pretty good watching him, he’s insane. We're out here trying to bring LED death loops and things and doing boardslides and there are skaters and BMXers launching off flywheel ramps everywhere. It’s fucking nuts.

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Chippa.

Jimmicane, Chip's boards, Matt Meola, Greyson Fletcher

Hughie is staying with you, which must've inspired him to break the internet yesterday. What was that all about?