Eric Walden
Maker of Ugly noseriders exclusively for customers in Hawaii and the Pacific neighborhood.
Eric Walden moved to the island of Oahu, in the summer of 1999, and soon after was introduced to legendary surfing icon and shaper, Ben Aipa, who took notice of Eric’s talent and decided to mentor him in the art of making surfboards. For the next six years, Eric honed his shaping and board-building skills under the watchful eyes of Aipa before starting his own company (12th Floor Foam and Glass) with a good friend and master laminator, Brian Michler.
From 2006 – 2013, Eric split his time between California and Hawaii crafting boards under the Cooper designs label for highly respected surfboard builder Gene Cooper of Cooperfish surfboards, and iconic surfer/shaper Lance Carson, while continuing to help Aipa until his retirement.
Originally from southern California, Eric started surfing at the age of ten in Ocean Beach, San Diego. He favored the clean, lined-up point surf from Malibu to the powerful beach breaks at Blacks, to perfect his style and indulge his passion for classic equipment and smooth, powerful surfing.
Eric currently shapes under his label, Echo Whiskey Surfboards. He specializes in traditional single fin longboards and shortboards, with a focus on dynamic, clean lines, and custom resin colorwork.
Eric lives in Honolulu with his wife and daughter, and can typically be found surfing his favorite secret spot at Ala Moana “Bowls”, Waikiki, or somewhere on the south shore where it’s most inviting.
Eric is one of the finest shapers I’ve had the pleasure to work with. He is a masterful shaper and we are proud to have him on our team expressing his skills by making our Ugly line of noseriders exclusively for the Hawaii/Pacific region.
