Shaping surfboards in the desert

Forrest Minchinton was raised by the desert. Growing up in Huntington Beach, CA, Forrest and his surfboard shaper dad Mike took every chance they got to head out to the Mojave desert. There, on a remote compound constructed from objects lost and found, Forrest learned to ride motorcycles, shape surfboards, and see the world through a different lens.

The Compound resembles a scene from Mad Max: a ramshackle outpost of scattered structures and curated debris. Forrest and his dad call it the “what-you-got construction” style, inspired by the scavenger aesthetic of Baja, California. Everything on this high-desert property has a story. Some from previous lifetimes when the property was an illegal grow operation. Others salvaged from back alleys of Huntington Beach or yard sales between here and nowhere.

From a young age, Forrest spent half his year in Costa Rica surfing and the rest in California riding. But over time, his two-wheel obsession consumed him. He rode, mostly alone. He rode a lot. Pushing his limits across the empty wastelands. Progressing for no one to notice.

Forrest shapes surfboards in the Desert, while the desert shapes him.

Click here to read more about this amazing video and the story behind it.

Photos by Harry Mark, Aaron Brimhall & Drew Martin