Shaper Hall of Fame

Steve Lis in 1973, with one of his original fish designs.

It seems fitting that many of surfing’s most visionary prophets often began their paths toward enlightenment on their knees. Much like design guru and kneeboarding virtuoso George Greenough, San Diego’s Steve Lis also felt more connected to the surf when kneeling down, whipping turns and getting barreled like few standup surfers can. Born in 1951, Lis began exploring the possibilities of wooden bellyboards and , eventually winning the 1966 Paipo World Championships. The event took place at his home break. While Greenough’s POV documentation of flawless Australian pointbreak tube rides radically expanded his public profile at the time, Lis haunted California’s southernmost reefs in relative anonymity while contributing to what many a surf historian would consider one of the most progressive and influential design innovations of the late ’60s.