Gero was born on mainland Germany but soon made the move to the island of Sylt to pursue his dream of a Windsufing and Surfing Lifestyle. To finance his dream he initially repaired boards during the summer at Paradise Customs Sylt.
During those years Gero built his reputation as a progressive shaper, especially for small wave and longboards, designing boards that would allow their owners to get the most out of those sloppier Northern Sea swells.
His winters he spent travelling to the world’s best surf regions, where he also continued collecting extensive surfing and shaping experience in Hawaii, Australia, Indonesia, Morocco and Central America.
Since 1996, his friendship and close collaboration with at that time WQS rider Thomas Lange allowed Gero to apply his international shaping experience and wave knowledge to develop high performance shortboards, and an entire range of boards for different users and wave conditions.
Gero moved to Peniche in 1996, to be able to shape and surf all year round. It is here where the idea of Fatum is consolidated and takes name and form.
The ability to surf the diverse waves in this area, collaborate and receive feedback from local and travelling surfers influenced the shapes Fatum created since then and now are carried in its portfolio.
Today Gero possesses a blend of exquisite knowledge of less conventional shapes such as fishes, malibus, longboards and quads, but also the
experience with high performance short boards as a result of his work with team riders such as Leon Glatzer and Antonio Duarte.
Gero believes in a straightforward approach to board-design:
“Give every surfer the best possible board.