Shane Borland is always in motion. He transitions between threading perfect pits in the surf, to throwing psycho airs on a skate ramp, then into a skate park, then into a wave pool, and back again. As long as he’s standing on a board and moving, he’s at home. That’s the kind of obsession we love at OTIS. Not just a narrow focus to do one thing, but a dedication to do anything that inspires you.
Shane has just joined the OTIS family and we couldn’t be happier. To celebrate, we caught up with him recently to chat about surfing, skating, growing up in California, and how he frames his freedom.
You started skating and surfing really young. What’s your first memory of riding a board of some kind?
“Yeah, I think I started surfing and skating basically at the same time, probably when I was about three years old. Maybe I jumped on a skateboard first.
My first memories of skating are at the First Point Malibu parking lot, just tic-tacking around the car park.
My first surfing memory... I don’t even know if it’s a real memory or if it’s because I’ve seen a clip of it, I don’t know if it was my first wave, but it was definitely one of them. I think I was about three, and it was actually in a movie called Reflections. It’s a pretty iconic Malibu movie with a lot of longboarding and stuff.
There’s a clip of my brother pushing me into a wave on the little inside reform at First Point. That’s always been engraved in my memory. It helps to have a clip of it, but yeah, that’s really my first memory.”
How much did your dad, brother and the ‘Dog Town’ culture around California shape your approach as you were growing up? Who are the crew you most looked up to?
“Yeah, my dad and brother definitely had a big influence on me growing up. My brother was six years older than me, so he was always the cool older brother. He was a really good surfer and skater from when I was very young, so I always wanted to do everything he did.
My dad grew up in Venice around the Dogtown era. I was always hearing his stories, and we always had the Dogtown documentary playing in the car. I’ve probably watched that movie more than anything else in my life, from when I was about three onwards. When I was around seven, I remember watching it over and over again.
I always looked up to guys like Jay Adams. Growing up surfing Malibu, I also surfed with Allen Sarlo. He was a good friend of my family, so I always knew him. He would push me into waves when I was young, and watching him shred First Point was always a huge inspiration.
The whole Dogtown crew was a big influence because of how they combined surfing and skating, they didn’t limit themselves to just one thing. Jay Adams was obviously always the go-to. Seeing his stuff in the Dogtown movie was a massive inspiration.”
A lot of surfers skate and vice versa, but not many get elite at both. What is it about you and other crew like you who manage to hit that level? Any defining traits you can pick out?
“Yeah, I’m not exactly sure what it is about me and some of the other guys and girls who have reached a similar level in both surfing and skating. I guess it’s because I started doing both at such a young age.
My dad and everyone around me never told me, ‘You’ve got to surf more,’ or, ‘You’ve got to skate more.’ My family always supported whatever I wanted to do, and we just did both. It helped that my brother did both as well. Growing up on the coast in California also made it pretty easy. I always had surf friends and skate friends, so I naturally spent time doing both.
When I was younger, I actually skated more. I caught the surf bug when I was around 12, but before that, it was mostly skating. I think building that foundation in my early years stayed with me. When I started surfing more, skating helped my surfing. I also kept skating and progressing at both. Once you reach a certain level, I think they start helping each other.
I don’t know if there’s one defining trait. I think it comes down to doing both from a young age and never trying too hard to focus on one or the other—I just did whatever I felt like doing. Some weeks I surfed all week, and other weeks I skated all week. It just depended. I suppose it was about finding a balance between the two.”
What about snowboarding? Does that fit into the mix for you as well?
How is it traveling with so many boards? How much do you take on a trip?
“Yeah, travelling with a lot of boards can be difficult, but for the most part, it’s just a matter of having a big board bag. On a typical surf trip, or really any trip, I’ll bring six surfboards in one large bag, as well as my skateboard.
I take a skateboard on basically every trip, even if it’s strictly a surf trip, because there’s normally something to skate. If I know I’ll be skating a lot, I’ll tape one or two extra decks to my complete skateboard. That way, I can still carry it on and skate through the airport, even with a couple of decks stacked and taped together.
It’s getting harder, though. More airlines are starting to have an issue with people carrying skateboards onboard, so sometimes they make you check them, which can be annoying. I’ve even put a complete skateboard in my surfboard bag before. It’s a little sketchy in terms of potentially dinging the surfboards, but I wrapped it well and it was fine.
Sometimes it can be a hassle, but for the most part, it’s pretty chill.”
What about other gear? What are your go-tos when making sure you have the right stuff that holds up to the full-tilt life you lead?
“Yeah, I don’t go too crazy with gear, but there are a couple of essentials. I always bring board straps for the car. You never know when you’ll need them, and they’re multipurpose if you ever need some kind of rope or strap.
I also always bring electrolytes to stay healthy and hydrated. Sometimes you’re sweating a tonne or spending all day in the sun, so it helps to have the right stuff with you.
Recently, I’ve started travelling with a car-port charger so I can stay charged up while I’m on the road. It’s useful and easy to bring. The main thing is always a speaker... you always need tunes.
As far as surfing and skating go, I’ll bring extra leashes and sometimes an extra skateboard deck, depending on the trip. A skateboard will normally last the whole trip, but it’s good to have a backup.
That’s about it. I don’t go too crazy with gear.”
What do you look for in sunglasses specifically and what are you wearing at the moment?
“When it comes to sunglasses and what I look for in a pair, it’s style first. I like something sleek that isn’t too big. I don’t necessarily have a big head, so I can’t rock anything oversized.
Since I started wearing OTIS, the scratch-resistant lenses have been huge for me because I can be pretty bad at looking after things. Travelling can also get tough—especially when you’re carrying multiple pairs, which is nice because sometimes you need a little quiver.
The scratch resistance is the biggest benefit I’ve found with OTIS sunglasses. I’d always scratch up every other pair I owned.
Lately, I’ve mainly been running the Blur. They fit really well, and I like the wraparound shape—it’s not too big or too small. I also like all the different colours and the overall look. I’ve been loving them. They’re pretty much the main pair I’ve worn since they came out.”
We talk about 'Framing Your Freedom' a bit at OTIS. When do you feel most free?
Finally, what’s on the cards for the next year for you? Anything you’re hoping to do, or places to go? What do you have your sights set on?
“Yeah, fuck, it’s been a pretty busy year so far. I’ve already done a few trips, I was in Ecuador, then Mexico and Chile, and now I’m in Indonesia. I’ve been here for almost a month.
I just got back from a filming trip in the Mentawais. I’m working on a new film project with Brixton, and I’m heading back to the Mentawais for another boat trip to do more filming and work on a few things.
Then there’s Stab High in November, as well as the Curren’s Cup - the surf-and-skate contest they held in Bali last year. This will be its second year.
That’s about all that’s on the cards right now, but you never know... a lot of shit always comes up. I have a hard time planning too far ahead because things are always popping up. For the most part, I just want to travel and film as much as I can this year so I can put out a few projects. I’ve also got those couple of contests, so hopefully they go well.
I’m just going to keep on keeping on, have a good time while I’m at it, and hopefully score some more good waves and do some skating.
I’m also putting on a skate jam with Uluwatu Surf Villas next week. There’ll be some bands playing and a big skate jam at the bowl there, so that should be fun.”
