Snips, Cortez Bank. Photo: Murray/A-Frame

Talk about a PR makeover. Snips somehow went from unsightly, unloved, somewhat anal 80’s tour journeyman nicknamed after a root vegetable to a god-like big wave hellman. He won the XXL and set a then Guinness World Record in 2008 at Cortes Bank for the size of the mountainous hunk of Pacific ocean Gerlach towed him into, all done with a measured air of calculated risk rather than any loose cannon mad man grasp for glory. While he and Gerr got along like oil and water back in their competitive days, the apparent chemistry of their tow surfing partnership powered them to the forefront of the naughties big wave scene. Today, Parsons coaches and mentors Brother Andino around the world on tour, and probably knows and understands the pro game about as well as anybody alive.