Skip Frye

Skip Frye (b. Harry Richard Frye September 7, 1941 in San Diego, California) is a surfer, board shaper, and environmental activist. Skip attended Mission Bay High School and began his professional surfing career in 1958. His first board was a balsa board shaped by legend Mike Diffenderfer. Skip rode professionally for G&S; surfboards and eventually created his own model for them in 1967. Skip captured national titles and represented the United St... more

Skip Frye (b. Harry Richard Frye September 7, 1941 in San Diego, California) is a surfer, board shaper, and environmental activist. Skip attended Mission Bay High School and began his professional surfing career in 1958. His first board was a balsa board shaped by legend Mike Diffenderfer. Skip rode professionally for G&S; surfboards and eventually created his own model for them in 1967. Skip captured national titles and represented the United States team internationally in 1966. Frye has appeared on many magazine covers including Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (1969, with model Jamee Becker), The Surfer's Journal, Surfing, and Surfer Magazine. Skip is known for his gliding, fluid style as well as some of the most in-demand surfboards in the world. He is perhaps, best recognized by his iconic logo, a set of wings commonly referred to as "Frye Wings." Though once he was in a rough patch in the 70s and couldn't even afford to buy laminates so he started signing his wings in pencil.... less