The evolution ofSMORGASBOARDER

Founded by two mates, Mark and Dave, Smorgasboarder started over a bite to eat and a few beers over several months, not continuously of course. The self-proclaimed better surfer of the two, Dave, picks up the story and fills us in on how the mag came to be.

At the time, and this was around 2009, surf media was primarily divided into two camps – shortboarders and longboarders – with all being heavily focused on the pro surfing community.

Now, don’t get us wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the pro surfing movement. All of the mags back then were doing a sterling job of expertly tailoring their content towards meeting the needs of their core audience – predominantly males under 25 for the shortboard titles and men over 50 for the longboard mags.

We identified what we perceived to be a gap in the market, and simply figured, why offer up more of the same?

Our intent from the outset was to produce a surf lifestyle magazine that appealed to all ages and sexes within the grassroots surf community – one that focused on all types of surfcraft from shortboards to longboards, retro shapes, finless creations, and everything else in between.

That was where the name came from. Hey mate, are you a shortboarder or a longboarder?

I’m a Smorgasboarder
– anything and everything.

Ride the right board for the conditions, including snowboards, skateboards, wakeboards… you name it.

I guess when we refer to the grassroots surf community, if we’re honest, we’re selfishly writing a magazine for ourselves. Despite the fact that, in our minds, we surf like Kelly Slater, the reality is that Mark and I don’t. I mean, Mark really sucks. I suck too but not nearly as much. Mark is the true definition of a starfish surfing.

So, the stark reality is that most of us aren’t pro surfers and will never be. We surf for enjoyment. We surf to catch up with friends and family. We surf to unwind and relax. We surf to make the most of our lives. We just love surfing for what it is. So, we wanted to produce a publication for people who purely love to surf for the fun of it.

As our conversations progressed, we became more determined to publish the kind of down-to-earth surf magazine that could be picked up and read countless times over the course of a few months and not just a five-minute flick.

A magazine of substance with plenty of in-depth reads and not just pretty pictures. A magazine that was as informative as it was engaging.

To this end, we focused our editorial endeavour towards several key areas of surf gear, travel, people, and topical issues. And so it is, some 15 years later, our coverage is still to these four main pillars. We’re obsessed with surfboard design. We love nothing more than trying to firstly comprehend the principles behind a said design, what performance characteristics it is intended to deliver, and then relaying our understanding to our audience. It is one of the great privileges of producing our magazine – talking with so many extremely talented surfboard shapers.

When it comes to surf, or even snow travel, we want to go in-depth. We’re not talking about a flippant page or two. We’re talking some 20 to 30 pages. Now who else, online or print, dedicates that kind of coverage to a desire travel destination?

We not only explore the local surf breaks and their appeal and suitability to certain skill levels, but also how to get there, great little pitstops along the way, where to stay, where to eat, where’s best for a coffee or a refreshing ale, and what else to do aside form surf.

On the interview side of things, we strive to feature interesting people who love to surf, whether they’re musicians, photographers, chefs, business entrepreneurs, sports stars, artists, or even everyday people with a fascinating story to tell. Again, there are only so many stories you can read about Kelly Slater despite the fact he is an incredible surfer. There are so many other interesting people out there with stories to tell who also love to surf.

Finally, we’re not afraid to express our views or address what some might consider controversial topics that we feel we need to encourage educated debate around.

We are constantly amazed by the audience our humble publication has attracted in the past and continues to attract, and how we have somehow transcended all age, sex, and socio-demographic boundaries.

Yep, in an age where you’d be hard-pressed to get anything more than a click of a ‘like’ button, a thumbs up, or a shakkas, we’re regularly bombarded with emails, letters (yes they still exist, with stamps and all), loads of reader photos, and even drop-ins (the good kind where someone simply drops by the office to say g’day) – real life communication from everyone extending from CEOs of ASX Top 50 companies to five-year-old groms.

We consider ourselves fortunate and love that we appeal to so many people from different walks of life, from the weekend warriors through to the surf-obsessed.

Smorgasboarder is a magazine for everyday people who love to surf like you and me, and even some like Mark too.

Enjoy and please, please get involved. It is your mag.