“It’s just a great standard small board; performance board.
It’s kind of like, putting years and years of design into a board that just feels good under my feet. Right away.”
—Kelly Slater on The Helium Gamma.
The Helium Gamma is part of the Firewire and Slater Designs lineup we carry at Kalon — and it’s a board with some genuinely interesting construction.
The Build
From Slater Designs: “We crafted this shape using an ultra-light foam core, and an ultra-light (but durable) aerospace composite deckskin so that the deck feels soft beneath your feet without leaving footwells. We built a Springer into the deck for ultimate pop in the lip, and we crafted a brand new rail blending a mix of both paulownia wood and balsa wood, because we wanted speed on-rail and quick rebound when exiting turns.”
The Firewire Surfboards Store added: “The Gamma is Kelly’s 2017 utility shortboard. Though Kelly has worked with several great shapers this past year on an array of different shapes, it was his excitement with the speed and quick direction changes provided by this personal design that held his intrigue. His interest in CAD board design, modifying variables, and testing and retesting has led to the development of an incredible all-around shortboard.
With a single concave bottom and slight vee behind the back fin, this board is extremely fast and drivey. The vee out the back makes for quick rail-to-rail transitions. Within the high-performance shortboard range this would be considered a medium rocker with a medium to even a slightly pinched rail. The distinct hip on the Gamma gives it a tighter turning radius, allowing it to be ridden in a shorter, wider set of dims as well as the common performance shortboard dims. This board excels in a broad range of waves and conditions.”
At Kalon
The Helium Gamma sits in our quiver as a high-performance option for guests who have the skill to appreciate what it does. The ultra-light construction is immediately noticeable — it feels fast and responsive in a way that’s different from heavier boards. Our coaches will match it to guests who are ready for it, particularly on days when the waves have some push and you want speed through your turns.
If you’re thinking about board selection more broadly — what volume you need, why bigger isn’t always worse, and how we match boards to guests — check out What Surfboard Should I Buy?
Explore the rest of the Slater Designs lineup we carry: Sci-Fi · Banana · Omni · Eco Traction Pads
