Eithan Osborne boosted his way to a 20K paycheck for pulling the highest air at the “Stab High” event this past weekend. Hosted at the BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas, it was the world’s first wave pool aerial competition. Atop a Neck Beard 2 with SPINE-TEK, the 18-year-old from Ventura, CA also blazed through the super stacked field of surfing’s best aerialists, finishing a very respectable fourth overall.

Photos By Jimmy Metyko“Our crew at CI had a really good feeling Eithan was going have a discernible edge over the field on a Neck Beard 2 for the Stab High event, especially because he ordered it with SPINE-TEK,” says CI Lead Designer Britt Merrick. “We knew that combo—its unique air board shape with the insane pop you get from SPINE-TEK’s reflex technology—was going to be deadly. Winning 20K for the highest air and being a major standout through the entire event was such a stoker, and it really validates the paring of that shape with that new technology.”This progressive air event was co-commentated by Bobby Martinez, who snuck in a few waves on Eithan’s winning Neck Beard 2. “I tried Eithan’s board for a few waves after the final was over,” says Bobby. “It looked so good for airs. Was super fun, kinda like being a real wide skateboard that’s easy to ride.”Ethan’s blade of choice is CI’s latest collaborative design with Dane Reynolds—the Neck Beard 2. From Dane’s performance on the newly updated shape in Stab’s film “The Electric Acid Surfboard Test” to that of Eithan’s in this event, we are pretty damn pumped on how the board flies! “We recently did some little tweaks to Neck Beard 2 that we’re really excited about,” explain Britt. “Like making it single concave throughout, widening the tail a tad and doing a minor rocker adjustment. All in all, it just made an already epic board that much better.”“First off, I just love the way the chop tail looks on the Neck Beard 2,” explains Stab High’s Highest Air winner Eithan. “But it isn’t just about the looks that make it rad. Its wider tail helps you go faster, land airs easier and it’s just so loose you can turn it wherever and whenever you want. For the Stab High event, I wanted another edge aside from just getting the best shape possible. That’s why I ordered a Neck Beard 2 built with SPINE-TEK. I seriously never felt a board pop so easily.”