Enter a world of magic and mystery, in my own head, where surfing and snowboarding are considered real jobs! Amazing feats of daring and skill are performed every day - and that's just getting the footage onto film!
Media anarchist, film guru, surf addict and web video blogger!
I finally got Lord Bryson (Royden) into studio, thanks to his new shoe sponsor, Vans. Warbot from Vans also joined us and of course the lovely guys and gal from the very talented, Bilderberg Motel. With Lord Bryson on the show (He won an event in Scotland and was given the Title), we were always going to talk surfing. Also listened to 3 of the new Bilderberg Motel tracks and looked ahead to this weekend's, Up the Creek Festival. Some lucky chaps won a pair of new sneaks each from Vans.
The flying tomato, Shaun White, proves that he is the best Pipe rider in the world at X Games 2012, with a perfect 100 point ride. This took the gold for Shaun which also meant he took the first ever X Games Winter Five Peats. (Meaning he has won the Superpipe Gold 5 times now.) Those not clued up on Snowboarding may wonder why he got a perfect score for this run. Its simple, huge elevation (Take a look how far out the Pipe he is on his first setup air.), two perfect double corks (Meaning he is rotating off axis) and an absolutely flawless run, with no wobbles or sketches. The man is the king! For more X Games madness check out their YouTube.
Costa Rican, Carlos Munoz on his way to a 10 Point Ride. (Photo: ASP)
Another day and another tube fest from the North Shore. Costa Rican youngster, Carlos Munoz, came out of nowhere to get a 10 point ride and impress the Pipe community. Chris Ward was back from injury and charging both Backdoor and Pipeline. For the South Africans, Rudy Palmboom Jnr secured a well deserved 2nd place to proceed to Round 3, where he joins Brandon Jackson and Shaun Joubert. The 2 Saffers find them selves in the same Round 3 heat, so we can only hope they lock out the other 2 guys and proceed to round 4. For more on the contest go to the Volcom Pipe Pro or the ASP Website.
These guys need to add some tunes and editing to their video, but some great behind the scenes footage and interviews...
Winter X Games 2012 has been full of huge results and momentous occasions, but this must be one of the biggest! The first ever Front Flip on a Snowmobile in competition, by Heath Frisby, won him a Gold Medal. I will have all the highlights from the Games during the week for you!
Well known surfer and blogger, Wok, recently lost his lady to a well known cricket player in SA. He wanted to show the rest of us just how sneaky and devious those cricketers can be, so he made a re-enactment of how it all went down - in his own head. This is bloody marvelous and funny. (Please note no cricket players were harmed in the making of this spoof.)
The Trials and Round 1 of competition went down at macking Pipeline, with warped, monster tubes and massive wipeouts going down. The carnage went on until the organizers realized it was getting to big and wild and they called it off for the day. Check out long time Pipe Master, Derek Ho getting absolutely guillotined! Pipeline took no prisoners!
Ok dirt fans, get ready for this. The teaser starts a little slow, but trust me, just hang on, it will be worth it!
The awesome new Motocross movie "Moto 3" by The Assignment Moving Picture Co! Featured Riders: Ryan Villopoto, Ken Roczen, Justin Barcia, Taylor Robert, Shane Watts, Jeffrey Herlings, Adam Cianciarulo, Kyle Redmond, Cody Webb, Destry Abbott, Colton Haaker, Ryan Sipes, Kevin Rookstool and so many more...
Rolling Retro Smiles - 2012 was amazing! (Photo: Kolesky/Nikon/Lexar)
I am sitting at my desk, 4 days after the event and I can't help but smile. The photos, the video, the messages from people who came, the write ups on all the other blogs and websites and of course my pure and joyous memories of the day (Those not addled by all the beer consumed.), all lead up to one simple conclusion - Rolling Retro is the most fun and awesome day on the SA Surf calendar and boy I am proud to be a part of it.
A large part of the success must go down to my home and beach of Llandudno. There are very few places where you have such beautiful surroundings, the amazing Lifesaving Club and waves that do not suck! The people, the rad peeps, who came out in their droves, dressed to the hilt and ready to have a good time - they helped to. Then there was the weather, baking hot, hardly a breath of wind and of course the freaky warm water that saw many people surfing in boardshorts and costumes. All of these lead me to one inexplicable conclusion - the Rolling Retro is blessed!
I don't think I have ever seen so many people enjoying the stoke of surfing together for one day in one place. It was hard not to though. With over 40 classic retro surfboards from Vudu Surf to choose from, a heat with just you and your mates being allowed to dominate the line up and gorgeous people everywhere, this was a day made for enjoyment!
Huge thanks must go to the team who assisted with making this event a reality again. Namely Robby McDonald and the Vudu Surf team, Cheo and Arno from RVCA, Roosta, Debi, Amy, Caylin, Sally, Gavin, the Llandusno Lifesavers and community, Dene Botha, Seth and the Red Bull Team, Warbot for the beats, all the photographers and journalists, Paul and troy with theGoodLife and of course you guys, the people who came and made the day what it was. (If I have forgotten anyone, please forgive me!)
Sponsors: Vudu Surf, RVCA, Red Bull, theGoodLife, Hurricane, Backsberg, Indo Sole, Wet Sac, Reef Wetsuits, Mrs Palmers
We are seriously looking forward to more great events in the future and of course the return of the Rolling Retro in 2013.
Enjoy the photos:
Jordy Smith doing what he does best - Ripping! (Photo: Kolesky/Nikon/Lexar)
The viewing Gallery at LDD Lifesaving Club (Photo: Kolesky/Nikon/Lexar)
With the launch of the Cape Town Tattoo Expo this week, I had Allan and Manuela Grey on the show to give us the lowdown on the Expo and all the associated entertainment. We also announced the winners of the Tattoo Expo Competition live on air.
After the Tattoo Expo we moved onto surfing and the Rolling Retro surf day. My guests were Craig and Ryan Butcher from Hurricane Surf. We covered the contest scene, the surf industry in general and how lucky Craig is to live in France...
Dustin from Skull candy was with me the whole show and helped me keep it in order... haha.
The Fool showing everyone how it is done in 2011. (Photo: Winston)
There was a time in the evolution of surfing culture that stands out above all others. It was a time that spanned 3 decades, from "Free Love", oceanic Longboards and family waves , to rock & roll and Single Fin charging and finally synthesizer music, Luminescent everything and Twin Fins. Yes these were the Retro days of surfing through the 60's, 70's and 80's. Most of us cannot remember those years, though we fondly know of them through the media and tales from our salty and much older surf brethren. But the good news is that for one day every year those years return to us. For one day we can be what our parents were in their hedonistic youth, for one day we can all Roll Retro!
The boards are more important than Roosta, Royden and myself... (Photo: Winston)
Last year saw over 500 people come join in the fun of the Rolling Retro surf day at LLandudno and over 5000 beers consumed. Families, groms, girls, woman, boys, men and even those rare creatures, the Pro Surfer. No one was judged, there were no first or even last places. Everyone got to surf their dream Retro surfboard and everyone walked away with a prize. This year is no different and this Saturday we will once again experience the past, while having an absolute party and good times.
Robby McDonald of Vudu Surf brings around 40 retro boards from his collection to the beach, so fear not if you dont own a retro board. We do however hope that you will bring your own boards if you have them, as we love to see old boards.
Roosta doing weird and wonderful things on a very old board. (Photo: Winston)
Prizes for the Day:
- Best Wave (Male, Female & Grom)
- Best Dressed (Male & Female)
- Best Retro Bikini
- Best Retro Board
- Best Retro Wetsuit
and a couple more throughout the day!
The event is at the Llandudno Lifesaving Club, while the prize giving and after party will be held at the Suikerbossie above Hout Bay and Llandudno. The Lifeguards will have food, cold drinks and sweets for sale and the Club Bar will be open.
NB: Llandudno is now a "Blue Flag" beach so be aware of the following: No dogs No drinking on the beach If you park illegally it is likely that you will be fined Increased law enforcement (keep it tidy please) Parking will be at a premium, so get there early, or you will be walking from up the hill.
Details of the Event and Common Questions:
Date: Saturday 21 January 2012
Entry: R100 (You will get a limited edition Rolling Retro TShirt & go into the draw for a Twin Fin replica, but only 100 places available.)
Registration: 9am at Llandudno Lifesaving Club
Heats start at 11am and continue to around 6pm.
Lifesaving Club will close at 7:30pm!
Prize Giving & After Party at Suikerbossie:
Prize Giving: 8pm
Entry: R50, includes a deluxe Boerie Roll or Veg Roll (If you entered the Retro, you will just pay R20 for the Boerie.)
Live Music and DJ Warbot till Midnight.
We HOPE you remain in your retro gear!
I first met Thalente a few years ago when we headed up to Dallas Oberholzer's Indigo Skate Camp for a crazy downhill comp in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. We went down to his shop at the North Beach skate park on Durban's beachfront and I was confronted by a very cheeky and extremely "talented" young black skater, who wanted to know who I was there to film. I introduced him to the crazy Austrians I was with and he ended up spending the next few days with us skating around Durban.
When we heard his story of running away from home and how he was living on the streets, we were very moved. But more than this tale of tragedy, was the huge amount of stoke this kid put out there, as well as gallons of confidence. I said then that this kid from the streets could have a massive future and Thalente did not disappoint. He skates really well and is super technical. He enjoys his life and spreads the stoke of skating wherever he goes. So enjoy this video and support local skaters and great initiatives like Indigo Skate Camp! http://www.indigoskatecamp.co.za/
With the build up to the Rolling Retro event this coming Saturday, I had Cheo Kraak, RVCA SA, Robby McDonald, Vudu Surf, Chad Du Toit and Jordy Smith on the show. We covered the Retro Surf comp, the North Shore season just passed, the upcoming 2012 ASP Surf Tour and the state of South African surfing. Had a good time, much red wine and beer was consumed and there were a couple of good laughs! Spike from Wavescape came along and gave us the green light with a good forecast for small waves and good weather.
Jeb Corliss is one of the best known base jumpers in the world. Some of his previous web videos have garnered thousands of views on Youtube. But, in a sport that pushes the boundaries of safety like this, you are never guaranteed of a safe landing. Yesterday, while filming on Table Mountain, he clipped the edge of a ledge while proximity flying over the mountain. Miraculously he survived, how is a question he will be asking himself for a very long time. When you watch the slow motion replay, try count how many times he flips and then realize how fast he was going when he impacted. I wish Jeff a speedy recovery and hope he will return to what he does best - namely freaking us mere mortals out!
So, it's officially 1 week to go till the 4th Cape Town International Tattoo Convention. The team behind the Convention have been putting in many hours to ensure a fantastic event and some of the best tattoo artists in SA will be there, as well as some international stars. I have not crossed the bridge of ink as yet, but it has been something I wanted to do for ages, so this year's Convention will act as my sounding board and I am pretty sure I will have decided on my first ink by the time it is finished.
If you have any interest in the art of Tattoo, art in general or just like hanging out with interesting and non-sheepish people, this will be an event you don't want to miss! The good news is that I have a bunch of prizes to give away and its really easy to win!
Twitter Competition: R1000 Tattoo voucher to be redeemed at the tattoo convention. All you have to is send me a picture of the Tattoo you want to get, or tell us about what you want. Tweet myself @KapteinKai and @CapeTattExpo12 with the Hashtag#Tattoo (I will announce the winner next week, Monday 23rd January, on my radio show - 8-10pm on www.2ov.fm)
Facebook Competition:VIP ticket to the tattoo convention,a Deluxe shave at Barnet Fair, a Bottle of Sailor Jerry Rum and2 x after party tickets to Assembly. All you have to do is post a picture of your favorite Tattoo on our Facebook Page - theGoodLife (I will announce the winner next week, Monday 23 January, on my radio show - 8-10pm on www.2ov.fm)
Southern Ink Xposure - the biggest tattoo event in the southern hemisphere, is only one week away from opening its doors and organisers are promising another world class event celebrating global tattoo culture.
Continuing to raise the bar of a world class, week-long event that celebrates all that is good about global tattoo culture in a uniquely South African setting, the fourth Southern Ink Xposure tattoo convention will open its doors to Cape Town on January 24th, 2012.
Kicking off the week-long celebration of the ancient art of tattooing, the Loft Studios in Bree Street will launch the fourth Cape Town International Tattoo Convention event with the opening of three art exhibitions. Body Of Work – a mixed-media exhibition that explores and reinterprets the tattoo (and in particular, traditional tattoo motifs) as a contemporary art form. Helmets – some of the country’s best tattoo artists have added their art to some custom-designed motorcycle helmets. These one-of-a-kind artworks will be auctioned after the convention with all proceeds going to a chosen charity. Tattoo-themed Putt-Putt course – an art installation that has taken the concept of the traditional miniature golf course and turned it on its head. Each uniquely conceived and constructed hole on this functional Putt-Putt course carries its own “old school” tattoo theme. Themes such as “True Love”, “Mexican Skull”, “Man’s Ruin”, sailor tattoos and others will feature.
For the remainder of the weekend, the Cape Town International Tattoo Convention will again give thousands of South Africans and travellers from abroad the opportunity to get inked by some of the world’s most in-demand tattoo artists, at a hygienic, safe, friendly and entertainment-filled event. 70 booths, 20 vendors, floor shows featuring Burlesque dancing, acrobatic displays, sword-swallowing, live music and more, the Putt-Putt course, and a few more special surprises besides, will keep the curious and the tattoo-hungry completely entertained while the artists get down to work.
Making this event the biggest international tattoo convention on the continent, tattoo artists from some fifteen different countries this year, among them the USA, Spain, , the UK, France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Argentina, Kenya, Canada, with a strong showing of our own South African talent, will be in attendance amounting to almost 100 artists in total!
Attendees can look forward to thrilling in the artworks of big-name tattoo legends such as Robert Hernandez (Sp), La Astrid (Nor), Benjamin Moss (US), , Manuela Gray (SA), Jay Jay (SWE), Rev. Simon White (SA), Joe Johns (USA), Tyler Murphy (SA), Milo Marcer (SA), Derek Baker (SA), Gordon Claus (Ger), (SA), Laura Juan (SP), , Thomas Alvarado (US) and Tom Yak (US).
Being more than “just a tattoo convention”, S.I.X 2012 aims to again paint the town in multi-chromatic hues with art exhibitions and live music events storming different and diverse venues across the city.
Johannesburg rock kings the Shadowclub will be holding stage at The Assembly (Saturday 28th) in a bid for “Death Or Glory”, playing alongside aKING, Dead Lucky and The Pits. One lucky party goer will take home a Fender guitar courtesy of Paul Bothner Music.
On Friday night, bands The Great Apes, Wolftown, and rockabilly rousers Them Tornados will further add to the soundtrack of what promises to be an unforgettable weekend of good music, and awesome tattoos at the Hold Fast party staged at the Harley-Davidson clubhouse in Zonnebloem.
Tickets are available for either the full weekend (R250 p/p) or on a single day pass (R100 P/P), available from Computicket outlets and at the following tattoo parlours in Cape Town: Wildfire Tattoos (Long Street & Canal Walk); Metal Machine (city); Sins of Style (city); Mob Inc Tattoo Bistro (Sea Point); Body Architects (Claremont)!
The events’ Twitter and Facebook groups and pages will be keeping fans up to date with the latest developments and additions in the lead up to, and during, the convention opening.
The convention’s website www.capetattooconvention.co.za also contains a wealth of information for those looking to book their next tattoo, or merely find out who, where, what and why.
The recent paddle session at Jaws, Maui, has the whole world fascinated. The videos have been doing the rounds and the youtube views multiplying. Our very own Twig and Kate were there for the action and while Kate filmed from the safety of the cliffs - no doubt holding her breath anyway, every time Twig got hammered - Twig was out there with the boys charging.
I caught up with him online and got his feedback on this historic session...
Cpt Kai: How big was it out there?
Twig: Pretty dam big to be paddling, but what made it worse was how strong the
offshore was and this is the most difficult wind to deal with in big
waves.
Cpt Kai: It looked pretty crowded - is this common in surf this size? Twig: It's becoming more and more common and that's why it's been a mission of
mine to move out from the more popular big wave spots trying to find
something new and less crowded. Saying that only, 10 real waves where
ridden that day and only 3-5 of them where completed so the crowd wasn't the issue, the wave was!!
Cpt Kai: How bad were the beatings?
Very bad, I saw so many guys tombstoning for what seemed like an
eternity, but because it was my first time out there paddling I was
pretty conservative and didn't get beaten to badly.
Cpt Kai: How were your waves?
Twig: I had three waves in 6 hours, one I shared with another surfer, one I
wiped out on the takeoff and one I took off behind the bowl and made it
so all in all it was a good day.
Cpt Kai: Is this a sign of things to come, less tow on the really big days, as more guys start paddling?
Twig: Yes, tow surfing is a dying sport and from here on out there will be
guys paddling every big swell at the known spots. We had a day at
Dungeons this year that we should have paddled but ended up towing and I
can't see that happening again. Cpt Kai: What was the biggest wave made that day?
Twig: Dave Wassel had the biggest wave and will probably be the new world
record holder, but he just went straight and Dorian had a huge one that
he made around the corner.
Cpt Kai: Where to next Twig?
Twig: Just traveling the world surfing and trying to find new uncrowded
areas to hang out and get some waves with a few close friends...
We hope you find those waves my man and good luck on your travels (Lucky Bastard, hehe).
This is simply terrifying to be absolutely honest. Yes, the 1000 Frames per second footage is beautiful and the music is trippy and amazing, but the bottom line is that the waves these guys were catching this day, are scary, horrible, mutant monster waves that would rather kill you than let you make them. So happy Friday 13th, get your freak on...
This day at Teahupoo- Aug 27th 2011 during the Billabong Pro waiting period is what many are calling the biggest and gnarliest Teahupoo ever ridden. Chris Bryan was fortunate enough to be there working for Billabong on a day that will go down in the history of big wave surfing. The French Navy labeled this day a double code red prohibiting and threatening to arrest anyone that entered the water.
Kelly Slater described the day by saying "witnessing this was a draining feeling being terrified for other people's lives all day long, it's life or death. Letting go of that rope one time can change your life and not many people will ever experience that in their life."
All images where shot by Chris Bryan using the Phantom HD Gold camera. To see more of Chris' work check out his website. WWW.CHRISBRYANFILMS.COM
Music: Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun' by M83.
by Chris Bryan
Travis Rice has made a career out of pushing the limits of Snowboarding. (Photo: Red Bull)
No snowboarding event has made me this excited ever! My only dissapointment is that we will not be getting the live broadcast here in South Africa. (You Seppos are a lucky bunch!) Travis Rice, tired of the politics and slow progression of modern competitive snowboarding, has created a giant backcountry snow park, which Red Bull have invited the World's best to come compete on. It is going to be outrageous...
Snowboarding legend Travis Rice spent most of his past winters traveling around the globe in the search of the best natural features to perform his breathtaking snowboarding stunts, as one can witness in his latest movie The Art of Flight. For Red Bull Supernatural it was time to switch the strategy and all the preparation and work for this
unique snowboarding competition was done during the summer time. The outcome is an ultimate backcountry snowboarding course with more than 100 man-made features located at the Baldface Lodge, Nelson, BC. From February 3-8, 18 of the world’s best snowboarders will be able to ride this dream come true during Red Bull Supernatural…
Day 2 of the Da Hui Backdoor Shootout and it was crazy out there! Pipeline seemed the more popular option, but one or two guys, like John John Florence, charged some monster Backdoor Pits. Check out Dust Payne eating crap on a Pipe monster and feel your nads crawl up into your scrotum! It is hard to believe that an event could have better waves than the Pipe Masters, but best believe it! This is PROPER Pipe and Backdoor...
The Silver Dragon seems quite an apt name for this river bore - except that the water is literally poo brown... Still, it looks pretty fun to ride and gets pretty meaty size wise. I really like the urban sky scape in the backgrounds. Check out how many giant cranes building skyscrapers you can check in the background during the video.
This was how I wanted to start the new year on air. I played some old school rock favorites and had a great bunch of guys in as guests. Craig Kolesky, fresh from the North Shore shooting with Jordy, Tyrone Rawlins, who brought his and a few other's predictions for the ASP Tour in 2012 and Kitesurfing legends and top riders, Aaron Hadlow and Ruben Lenten, who also brought some tunes. Pizza, beers, laughs and good discussions, like the secrets to flying international with 80kg of luggage.
At the start of this video, I was thinking, normal proximity video, pretty epic, but you know...
Then the guy enters the "Gorge" and misses a wire fence by inches, about 2m off of the ground. Its just ridiculous!
Soaring at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, Belgium BASE jumper Cedric Dumont has embarked on his latest conquest -- taming the 'Crack' gorge in Switzerland's beautiful Churfirsten mountains.
During his two minute descent Dumont is seen only meters from the rock face.
Glide over to http://redbull.co.za
Da Hui Presents the 7th Annual Da Hui Backdoor Shootout. This contest boasts the most participation of Hawai’i born surfers and with it’s unique ‘no- elimination’ judging format which involves three rounds of non- elimination, four man heats and only your best three waves scored – it’s any surfer’s game. So expect to see the best waveriders in the world competing for a shot at the Shootout title!
Day 1 delivered some amazing Pipe and Backdoor pits with John John Florence the standout. Also make sure to look for Bruce Iron's incredible Pipe bomb! The swell reports look good for the next few days, so keep your eyes pealed for more action from the North Shore...
Start your year off proper, with my "Best of 2011" Radio Show. Was the first time I did the show on my own, which I wont lie was a little harder than expected. But, having said that, I think it was really good and had my favorite tunes from 2011, along with the action sports highlights covered by Captain Kai's World. Enjoy!
Download the Podcast here - Podcast 17 (Right click and save as to download.)
Remember to listen to the show every week, btw 8-10pm, only on www.2ov.fm
Drop some of the best Wakeboarders in the business in the middle of the swamp with an Airboat, water cannon and lots of toys. This is what happens...
Drop four world-class wakeboarders and a reliable airboat into the misty swamps of Louisiana and let them rip.
JD Webb, Adam Errington, Brian Grubb and Parks Bonifay met up on the Tickfaw River in the the eerie swamps of Louisiana for the ultimate wakeboard playground that is, until, the gators wake up.
http://RedBull.com
Big wave surfer Jeff Rowley ‘paddles-in’ to historic 50-foot plus (15m+) waves at Peahi “Jaws” and becomes the first Australian to ride the waves without Jet Ski tow-in. Our very own Grant "Twig" Baker was there too and you can check some great photos at Surfline - HERE
Meet the new face of MX racing, Dean Wilson. This kid is on a rampage in the States, winning races all over the show. He recently spent a day at the track with Helicopter to shoot, this is the video. Check out the section at about 1:40min - totally nuts! He is flying...
Red Bull continue their No Limits, New Years eve stunts with both jumping their machines well over 350ft and at least 50ft in the air. Pretty amazing way to start the new year...
They did it! Levi LaVallee and Robbie Maddison make history as Levi jumps 412 feet on his snowmobile and Robbie jumps 378 feet on his motorcycle live on ESPN in San Diego.
