The Bu Bu

Karissa and I drove through Malibu back in 2007, noting all of the enormous hillside homes, shitty little stores and plethora of Porsche's. But the point wasn't working when we were there, and honestly, I wasn't all that interested. This time, however, we made a point to visit the point. Which just so happened to be working. And while I've been known to avoid surfing backside, that lil' inside break at the Bu looked pretty damn delicious; albeit crowded and full of kooks. But that's Malibu, and had I not already shipped my stick back to Seattle, I probably would have paddled out for some fun ones. Next time.

Tip Tops & No Tails

Inspired by the snaggle-toothed sepulatoids at Stoke Harvester, we've decided to try and sell some t-shirts through Teespring. Printed on American Apparel, these glorious grey goodies are guaranteed to make you more amazing, as well as prevent the attachment of a tail. Ten shirts. Ten days. $15.

The Emporium of Postmodern Activities

The dudes at Deus are doing a damn fine job of cultivating a culture. Lets call it 'surf inspired moto madness.' Inside their operation(s) you'll find assorted apparel, custom surfboards and hand built bikes - and everything in between. They've got three locations: The House of Simple Pleasures in Sydney, Australia, the Temple of Enthusiasm on the Indonesian island of Bali, and the Emporium of Postmodern Activities, located in a brand new building on Venice Blvd. Which is where we went. To watch the Moto GP race and shoot the shit with a few of our friends after eating breakfast near the beach.

The usual suspects were in attendance - my good buddy Grant (creative director turned dual-sport daredevil), a mustached man some people call Stefan (aka Deus USA Dude #1), our mutual mate, Sean (who somehow managed to survive this shit), and Joe and Flora, two CanaNewMerican filmmakers who've decided to live in the desert. It was Sunday, so there were plenty of other people. Some came to see Rossi wreck, others were there to ogle the apparel, drink coffee and stare at screens. An eclectic mix, that's for sure. The store itself is stellar. With all kinds of cool clothing, framed photos and asymmetrical shapes. So if you're in the LA area, I highly recommend you take some time to see their shop.

Seaside Surf Swap

If you're in the OR area, stop by the Seaside Surf Shop tomorrow, Saturday, June 15th, for their fifth annual surfy swap. Plate lunch is just $5 and it sounds like everything in their shop will be on sale.

Uppers, Lowers & Middles

Big waves don't bother me. I've surfed shit I probably shouldn't have, on boards that were way too big. I guess I'm just not interested in surfing a shorter stick. Well, maybe a Mini Simmons - but not now. So when that southwest swell showed up in Southern California, I was a little bummed I'm not a member of the Tiny Twig Tribe. It was epic, to say the least. We knew it would be. Which is why we took a trip to Trestles. You could see the swell from the street. Huge walls of water, rising and peeling and crashing along the coastline. It took about twenty minutes to walk from where we parked to where we watched. There were hundreds, yes, HUNDREDS of people in the water. Insane. But of all those that were out there, only a handful could actually catch anything. There's so much show in So-Cal. Everyone wants to be seen surfing - whether you're good at it seems to matter a lot less. Anyhow. It was interesting, albeit a little boring. Big waves produce the same style in almost everyone: survival. Big drop, bottom turn, rail grab and then out the other end. Follow the link for a few more photos from our time at Trestles.

Clovis Donizetti

Clovis Donizetti from Biarritz, France, shares his thoughts on surfing big sticks. As seen on OXBOW.

Cardiff-by-the-Sea

Aside from last week, I'd surfed in Southern California just once, in 2007, when Karissa and I drove from Seattle to San Diego, stopping along the way to watch waves and eat tasty tacos. And while I had heard of places like Huntington Beach and Malibu twelve-hundred times, I really had no idea where we should surf. Because picking the right place to paddle out is a lot like finding good food in an unknown area. There's all sorts of shit. Too many taco stands! And although it'd be a lot easier if someone showed you where to score a few slides; where's the fun in that?! So before we landed in the LBC, I Google'd every goddamn spot from upper LA to the southern part of San Diego, trying to find the best place to surf my new stick, a nine eight noserider.

So on Monday morning, after acquiescing a friend's automobile, we drove past the pier at Huntington, skipped San Clemente and went all the way down to Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a sleepy little section of the Coast Highway, just south of Encinitas. After picking up my new board from the boys at Bing, we settled on a spot that people call Pipes... I think. It was pretty small, but sunny. I only surfed for a few hours, as Karissa was without a wave riding apparatus, requiring us to share a stick. Apparently a squirrel broke into our bag while I was in the water, nibbling on a loaf of bread we'd just bought. Somehow Karissa managed to snap a photo of the salty Sciuridae shortly after he'd escaped with a slice.

We stayed in the area for a few days, surfing different spots along that same stretch of sand. It was alright, even when it got windy in the afternoon. Encinitas is quite cool, I might add, and the chile pineapple margaritas at Las Olas are to die for. But when that southwest swell showed up - something like two feet at twenty two seconds - it got a little bit big for my new board. We scurried south, searching for something a little smaller. No such luck. Everywhere we went was windy. So after exhausting our options, we decided to skip the surfing and spend some time at Trestles watching people ride walls of water.

Nine Foot & Single

A few minutes of film from this year's 9'ft & Single competition in Canggu. Brought to you by Deus Bali.

Bing Surfboards

Bing makes beautiful boards. Everything from purple pigs to sexy single fins. Shaped by hand in sunny Southern California, Bing is a brand that's been around for awhile. Founded by Bing Copeland and Rick Stoner in 1959, the brand has transformed over time, however they've managed to maintain the two most important parts: quality and craftsmanship. Their current facility, an enormous warehouse dedicated to shaping and glassing surfboards, epitomizes my 'Made in America' mantra. Brand new boards line the walls when you walk in, ready to be shipped overseas. People in funny face masks are everywhere. The sound of spinning cylindrical things echoes through the hallways. It's an operation, building boards. One that requires a great deal of effort and enthusiasm.

We arrived around noon on Monday, because the boys at Bing spend their mornings surfing a spot near their house. Adam was the first one I found - limping around outside, bamboo cane keeping him upright (apparently he dropped a big barrel of resin on his foot a few days earlier). A classic California kid, Adam is everything you'd expect to see. Tan, kinda tall, wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, with his hair combed over like someone from the sixties. I introduced myself, shot the shit for a few and then followed Adam upstairs where I came into contact with Kyle, Margaret's right hand man. He showed me around the shop, starting with where Matt (Calvani) shapes surfboards. Honestly, I don't remember which way we went - start to finish or whether we skipped a few steps - but whichever way it was, I got a good idea of how it all happens, and how difficult it is to do.

When we returned to the room where all the boards await their box, Adam arrived with my brand new BN Lightweight. A beautiful board. Everything I'd imagined. We spoke about where to surf, which place had the best burrito, what it's like living across the street from wonderful waves and how hard it is to be a surfer in Seattle. They seemed stoked. And honestly, it wasn't until we pulled outta the parking lot that the significance of our visit really settled in. I mean, not many people get to see where something is shaped, where it comes to life - the process and the people. It was extraordinary. I just hope that the shitty photos I took while walking around will give you a feel for what they've got going on.

LORDE

What I've been listening to lately...

Gnar Gnar

Some people idolize athletes, wish-was-ing their way through life. Other people are more interested in movie stars, those people that pretend to be other people. I, on the other hand, am inspired by the eccentric, the odd, and the kind you can't contain. Like my friend Mike. He teaches math and makes weird science-fiction surf movies. Also known as Gnar Gnar, or Captain Blackstoke, Mike's about as cool as they come. Unassuming. Approachable. Some real salty swine.

I met Mike like I've met a lot of my friends... on the internet. In addition to making surf movies and teaching people PEMDAS, Mike runs a blog about pig shaped surfboards. He's also worked with Matt Calvani and Bing Surfboards to design something a little different, something from the late fifties - wide point aft, narrow nose, D fin, belly and weight. Ten Foot and Feral!

It's not often you get to eat a breakfast burrito with someone so inspiring - I might mention it had hash browns and avocado inside. He's the reason I bought my board, and the reason I'm still inspired by that time when surfing wasn't shredding. When glide and trim and big fuck-off bottom turns with the tip turned up were what you wanted. He's humble and doesn't seem to give two shits whether or not you agree with what he's got going on. I could say all sorts of stuff - maybe I've already said too much - but Mike made our entire time in sunny Southern California worthwhile. BLAST IT!

Tipping Cows

Nova Scotia noseriding with Dean Petty. Brought to you by Harrison Newman Jardine.