Interview with Chris 'Guts' Griffiths for Wavelength Magazine

A very well known name and face in Welsh surfing is Gower's Chris 'Guts' Griffiths. Chris has played a big part in Welsh surfing as he charged through the 80s and 90s and still continues to do so. Famed for his ability to ride a long board like it’s a 6'1" Chris has competed well on long and short boards with a powerful and radical turns combined with a smooth classic style. Today Chris lives and shapes boards on the Gower

PP: When did you get nicknamed Guts, who was responsible and why?
Gary Lewis coined the nickname for my excessive behavior on my first ever trip away with the Welsh team ! Everthing I did ,I did to excess .I seem to have expanded its meaning during my career by getting a few good results in big surf too!

PP: When did you start surfing and at what age?
I was 10 years old and my first proper sessions of surfing were all done at Llangennith

PP: Where was your stomping ground, what was it like and who else were standouts there and then, any role models?
Although I was born in Swansea, my parents moved inland when I was 7 or eight to a town in the rhymney valleys called Caerphilly which is famous for its quality cheese and certainally not for its quality waves . We did however have a caravan at Llangennith though, so weekends and the school holidays were spent there cramming in as much water time as possible!! There were 3 major role models for me as a kid desperatly trying to surf .The first was a neighbour of ours at Llangennith called Ken Liverton who had an old zippy sticks that he kindly lent me until I could save the money to buy a board of my own.

The second was my chemistry teacher at school called Rob Duncan who was the only other surfer in Caerphilly at that time .He was a really cool guy who made his own boards ,wetsuits and even wax in his garage .He used to take me surfing with him to Porthcawl during the winter when my parents wern't going to Langennith . In my book he was the coolest teacher there was !!

The third and by no means least influential role model for me was Pete Jones (PJ) This guy was a almost god like to all the groms of my era . He was a better surfer than we could ever imagine being . He had been to Hawaii and surfed in monster waves at the Smirnoff contest at Sunset , he was 10 times Welsh Champion , Brithsh champion ,He'd even been a champion of Europe . the guy could proboubly walk on water too if he'd wanted too. What made him all the more impressive was he was a cool aproachable guy who talked to us as if we were his equal even though we were undoubtedly iratating little kids . What a legend

PP: Tell us about your victories in competitive surfing and where has surfing taken you?
I have had several highlights that really stand out for me in my career. The first would have to be winning my first Welsh title.( a dozen Welsh titles have followed split between longboard and masters shortboard divisions) . My first British title (9 in total)was a great moment for me too as I beat Rodney Sumpter who was one of the best longboarders of his era in the world

I won the European pro tour in both 97 and 99 and had a top 5 year end ranking in the ASP in 96

PP: Tell us about your boards, any future pro’s riding them?
I have made boards for amongst others, Beau Young (world champ),MIchael Demont (world amateur champ)andSam Bleakley (3 times European amateur champ)

My surf team at present consists of Jersey longboard stylist Joe Davies , British team members Beth Mason and Gwen Spurlock ,and Welsh team rider Adam Reimnitz.They are all doing great and winning plenty of trophies and a couple of them certainally have potential to go all the way

PP: What are your thoughts on the Welsh surfing scene today?
I think it is just starting to enter a bit of a purple patch . The young kids in particular are very impressive and there is a crew of 15 or 20 of them that do all the British contests together and push each other all the time which is brilliant. What has helped a lot of these youngsters develop is the coaching they have recieved from the Welsh Surfing Federation who have put a lot of time and resourses into their Junior development over the last few years and we are really seeing all that good work starting to pay dividends.

PP: Where would your ideal surf trip be, who would it be with and what would your mode of transport be?
I haved just come back from my ideal surf trip which was a boat trip to Indo with a bunch of mates of mine from Australia and the US. Two weeks of classic surfing in 4 to 10 ft surf with just my friends to share it with -it doesnt get any better than that!!!!