A lot of today’s pros are known for something other than their riding. Maybe they’re the rocker, the fisherman, the gym rat, the comedian, or something else. Not Josh Twelker, though. The kid-turned-style-magnate from the dirty waters of the California Delta is best known for and defined by his riding; and if you ask that suits him just fine. Since his earliest photos and web clips in ‘09/’10, Josh has garnered attention because of his attention to the details in his riding. What’s incredible is how much attention his riding now commands just over a half decade later. His video parts are revered and awaited upon in anticipation because people have to come to expect the unexpected. While good style is subjective from one rider and viewer to the next, there isn’t a single person who has ever said Josh Twelker doesn’t have it.

Since his first photo in 2010 Josh has gone on to grace the cover of this magazine four times, most recently in the last issue doing an insanely awesome doubles session with his best bud Trever Maur. To get the amount of coverage a rider like Josh does you either have to be really good, really well connected, or both. Josh falls squarely into the really good category. In the past six years he’s gone from the kid with good style to the pro at the forefront of the style movement. All you have to do for evidence is a quick Google search and watch his web edits and video sections in chronological order. The progression has been incredible and it came together in a year like no other for Josh. With the release of Dog Dayz, his part in Real Wake, winning Less Than 5 at the votes of his fellow competitors, and all of the editorial coverage, Josh has had a year many other pros would kill for. What really set it all apart was that everything was done with his signature style while simultaneously taking his riding to the next level. The precision and control Josh rides with can be easy to miss sometimes because it’s almost too subtle and too smooth. Watch his Real Wake section and Dog Dayz part a few times and slow them down if you need to; you’ll suddenly notice a lot more switch tricks, late grabs, and legit pokes than you did the first time through. Those subtleties in riding don’t come easily – if they did every pro rider would do them – but the truth is Josh is one of the very few who can, and he’s the only one who can make it look as good as he does.

Video by Trever Maur
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