By Jake Howard
From the mountains to the sea, Sunny Walder loves it all. The 11-year-old Dana Point rising star is not only ripping spots such as Salt Creek and Lower Trestles, she is also one of the top ranked snowboarders in the country. Just last March, she won a slopestyle event in Mammoth—and she’s just getting started.
This summer, Sunny has been making the most of the surf we’ve had and will be barreling into sixth grade at Niguel Hills Middle School in Laguna Niguel in a couple of weeks.
“I feel like I have always been surfing,” said Sunny, when asked when she first started riding waves.
Learning at Doheny and Salt Creek with her parents, she’s been ripping lately and is eager for the upcoming big-wave season to kick off.
“She loves charging bigger days when the waves are triple overhead for her,” her father, Bryce, explained.
“I like getting a good turn or a steep drop on a big wave; it makes me feel like I am flying,” Sunny said.
And when asked about where she sees surfing taking her in the next 10 years, the theme remains the same.
“Surfing massively huge waves,” she said.
Whether it’s going big on the mountain or in the water, Sunny’s fired up to push her limits and continue to challenge herself. It’s a wonderful thing. Keep it up, Sunny!
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