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!
Billabong hosted the 2012 City Squared Skate event in Melbourne, Australia. Shot on the new Red Camera with frame rates up to 700 Frames, you don't miss a moment of the action. Some really good skating and look out for Durban born skater, Tommy Fynn, coming in second and ripping!
32 Australian street-skateboarding specialists gathered in Melbourne to claim Stop #1 on the SbA (Skateboarding Australia) Pro/Am Invitational Tour -- Billabong's City Squared presented by Xperia Sony Smartphone.
The custom built obstacle was daunting to say the least. Riders had to negotiate a purpose-built 'gap to ledge' feature that could be attacked from several approaches, mixing creativity and burly raw street skateboarding. The build was inspired by Melbourne's urban street spots - combining two hubba's either side of the gap to bank with a box in the middle which resembled a sub electrical box at 1.8 meters high.
Check out Blake Harris,Tommy Fynn, Reece Warren, Marty Girotto, Sam Winter, Tim Williams, Dennis Durrant, Mitch Robertom, Pat Dandy, Kieran Reilly and all the pros doing their thing in this clip
Got sent this video by an avid BMX fan and was not disappointed. Ryan "Biz" Jordan caning his home town in California. This is some crazy street and jib footage from the team at Verde BMX! Enjoy...
While the snowboarders have had their mass market success stories when it comes to film, most notably Travis Rice and his double success with both "That's it, That's All" and "the Art of Flight", the skiing community have had to wait until now for their big movie. Watching the trailer i could not help but draw similarities between Rice's works and this, but having said that, why not use a proven winning formula. That formula being amazing landscape and chopper shots, utilizing Phantom Camera shots throughout and of course a kick ass soundtrack. Quiksilver and Candide Thovex have found the formula and made it work. "Few Words" looks epic in scope and magnitude and I for one cannot wait to watch it.
Quiksilver Presents Candide Thovex's first feature-length film FEW WORDS.
This long anticipated movie has finally become a reality for Candide Thovex , while we take a look back at his youth and early days skiing Candide shows you what it took to get to this point in his career, winning X-games gold's and breaking his back before winning the free-ride world tour. Now embarking on a mission spending 2 winters and summers filming and traveling over the world to get the best conditions possible Matt Pain and crew have captured Candide in his element and the stunning nature surrounding.
Few Words will Premier in October in Paris with a world tour to follow in a city near you.
Frank Solomon, Anthony Raynard & Jadyson Costa - Champion line up!
This show was so packed with Action Sports Athletes, I almost did not know who to ask what. First off we dedicated the show and 2 tracks to David, who died tragically last week in a shark attack. We also discussed the current shark debate with all the guests. First up were Jadyson Costa, the current welterweight EFC Africa Champion, Anthony Raynard, SA MX Champion and Frank Solomon, big wave surfer. All three were of the opinion that the other three were more hardcore and this led to some good laughs. Anthony came to promote the SA National Motorcross champs this weekend in Melkbos. Later Frank and I were joined by free surfer, Andrew "Roosta" Lange and we ended off the show with Roosta and his partner in music, Craig, as the "Non-violent fisherman" played us out with a great Led Zeppelin cover. Enjoy the show!
Download the Podcast here - Podcast Show 31
(Right Click and Save as.)
There are some gnarly entries for this year's XXL Biggest Wave category. The two irish entries are definately super big and heavy waves, but neither of them was ridden out. The entries from Spain are both big, but pretty flat and lumpy kind of waves. My vote goes to the Oz entry from Damien Warr. that is a huge wave and he even gets the cover up at the end. Who do you think should take it?
The first Red Bull XFighters event, of the year, rolled into the Arabian State of Dubai for more manic FMX from the World's best. Take a look at the 5 best tricks from the event with Levi Sherwood taking the "Best Trick" award.
While I did not know David very well, we certainly spent some time together in the Llandudno line up over the years. He always struck me as such a happy guy and the stoke for riding waves literally beamed out of him. As wave riders in South Africa, we all know the risk we take surfing these beautiful waves, yet it still shocks us to our core when one of our own is taken from us. While many will use this to blame the sharks, we have to all honestly accept that we are in their world and this will not change. Instead we must all celebrate the life that was taken from us to early and keep loving the sport and the family that the ocean has given us. It makes me so proud to be part of the waterman fraternity in Cape Town when I see how many people came out to the paddle out at Camps Bay on Saturday, for David's Memorial. Bodyboarders, surfers, swimmers and even the odd SUP. This is what it means to be a family of ocean users and in a way it is sad that a tragic event like this is what it takes to bring us all together. So honor David and the many other wave riders we have lost by keeping the stoke, respecting your fellow wave riders and making the most of our incredible oceans and the waves we love! We are all children of the waves.
RIP David - May you ride the endless wave of perfection in the afterlife!
Welcome to the Friday Mix, where I give you the finest selection of Action Sports videos on the web for the week. First up we have a 19 year old waterman from Hawaii, Kai Lenny. This kid inspires me no end as he surfs, tows, kites and windsurfs massive Jaws, all in one day. This is the premier of his new Web Show, Positively Kai. (Pretty cool he shares my name to.)
Next up we go BMX with the "Wizard of Aus", Corey Bohan. After some serious injuries, he is on the road back to XGames and has his own Web Show so we can tag along. This is the teaser for the show, Wizard of Aus"...
Craig Anderson has to be one of my favorite surfers and is a really nice guy to boot! Born in South Africa and now living in Australia, he lives the free surfer life and travels the world surfing perfect waves.
Aaron Hadlow is the best at what he does, but now he is developing new technologies to enable him to grow the sport of Kite Boarding. Introducing rails and jibs to the technical riding disciplines. Check it out...
Every year a pack of BMX and FMX stars head down south to the land of the Long White Cloud - that would be NZ - for the Farm Jam. It looks like a fun event and always produces loads of good footage. This year they got rained out, but that did not stop the Unit boys from riding hard!
Featuring Dew Tour winner Kyle Baldock, along with BMX dirt legends Mike 'Hucker' Clark, TJ Ellis, Jed Mildon, Andrew Ahumada and many more, the 2012 Unit Farm Jam went down recently in the deep south of New Zealand.
Presented by Unit Clothing, the Farm Jam is located on the picturesque Frew Farm. The Frew brothers have spent years carving the amazing one-of-a-kind dirt courses out of the rolling green hillsides that surround their family home, and love to invite riders from all around the world to experience it with them.
Imagine endless rolling hills, your own digging machinery, private fishing spots, bikes and a heap of good friends to share it with!
Take a trip with Kyle, Hucker, TJ and the rest of the crew as they let loose on the secluded farm. Not just a regular contest, the Farm Jam is an experience.
In my bid to introduce you to the most gorgeous athletes in our world, I stumbled upon this insanely hot surfer girl from the States. Gentleman, meet Anastasia Ashley. It has to be said she can surf. check the video if you carrent believe me!
Jordy Smith giving me the lowdown on tour life. (Photo: Tyrone Bradley)
I was hoping for a big show on my 30th one and lucky for me Red Bull came to the party. I was joined by surf star, Jordy Smith, who talked rather candidly about all things to do with the ASP World Tour. Tom and Horatio from "Search Projects", who paraglided from the northern tip of Africa to Cape Town, gave us the lowdown on modern Paraglide and what it is like to fly with the wind over Africa. Tyrone Bradley, Red Bull photographer, put in a few chirps and drank red wine. Hope you enjoy the show...
Download the Podcast here - PODCAST SHOW 30
(Right Click and Save As)
The five nominees for the Monster Paddle category of the 2012 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented for your evaluation: Ken "Skindog" Collins at Maverick's, Danilo Couto at Jaws, Shane Dorian at Jaws, Jamie Mitchell at Todos Santos and Dave Wassel at Jaws. For more details and to view all the still photos see the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.
Personally, my vote goes to Shane Dorian. His wave is massive, he makes a crazy take off and rides it out. Ken, Danilo and Dave's waves are great, but they don't make them. The outside shot is Jamie Mitchell on one of the biggest waves to ever get ridden at Todos for sure! Which wave is your choice?
Jamie O'Brien lives the life we all dream of on the North Shore. He has plenty of haters, but one thing no one can deny is that he is the boss when it comes to Pipeline and Backdoor. Watch as he casually does 2 surfboard step offs, rides switch foot and generally toys with waves the rest of us might not even surf. Then check as him and his mates take you camping North Shore style on the Big Island and get up to all sorts of mayhem and trouble. Enjoy episodes 6 and 7 of, Who is JOB 2.0...
The insanely hot, Erica Hosseini, posing for Stab Magazine.
Welcome to the Friday Mix, where I bring you the best online videos from the week. Today we start with the insanely good looking trailer for the new Dirt Bike film, Strength in Numbers, by Anthill Films. We keep with trailers and the new surf film, Immersion, by Tim Bonython Films. Then it is the insanely hot surfer, Erica Hosseini, in her shoot for Stab Magazine. Lastly I present you with FMX madness from the new film about Czech FMX rider, Libor Podmol. The dude is nuts. Look out for Saffer, Jay Moriarty, giving his opinion! Enjoy the mix and have a great weekend!
Ok, I really don't know what to say about this video, other than it looks like a bunch of Pro BMX guys having fun on a farm with some Porn Stars. Good Times...
The crew at Isenseven are back with a new Film, "Fools Gold". These guys have been responsible for some of my favorite snowboard films through the years and judging by the trailer here, "Fools Gold" is going to be great! With the snow season fast approaching in South Africa, this will be a great video to get your amp on for a trip to Afriski and Lesotho!
Fool's Gold. Yup, that's the name of our 2012 feature length blockbuster film.
A few of our boys have left us, a few guys re-joined and a few new faces will appear this year. But never the less, it's a great mix of the bestest team ever and we hope you love each rider the way we do. Although, they sometimes can be annoying.
Watch our crew hit jumps, hit rails, hit faces and hit hits all over the world, captured on our crispy HD cameras for your viewing pleasure (or pain...)
Fool's Gold will be available September 2012 at your local boardshop and iTunes worldwide. Boom!
ISENSEVEN presents "FOOL'S GOLD"
A film by Alex Schiller, Tom Elliott and Vincent Urban
Edit: Vincent Urban
Motion Graphics: Alex Schiller
Principal Cinematography: Tom Elliott, Alex Schiller, Maxi Seefried
Additional Footage: Julian Pintarelli, Martin Venier, Dominik Fellmann, Karsten Boysen, Elmar Bossard, Priit Paluma, Michel Schmidhalter
Production Assistant: Flo Schöftenhuber
MUSIC:
Wildlife
"Stand In The Water"
From the album "Strike Hard, Young Diamond"
wildlifemusic.ca/
Get their album on iTunes here:
itunes.apple.com/ca/album/strike-hard-young-diamond/id405923301
Featuring Alex Tank, Benny Urban, Tobi Strauss, Fips Strauss, Peter König, Tom Klocker, Luka Jeromel, Marco Smolla, Colin Frei, David Bertschinger Karg, Kevin Bäckström, Ludwig Lejkner, Wojtek Pawlusiak, Dani Rajcsanyi, Christophe Schmidt and some other friendly faces.
This film is supported by Pleasure Snowboard Magazin, Head Snowboards, Burton, Forum, Nitro, Nike, Oakley, Airblaster, Zimtstern, Ride, Vans, Planet-Sports.com, DC, Volcom, Bataleon and Snowstyle.
The Easter Show was great with EFC Africa fighters James "Jambo" Le Roux and Jaydson Costa in studio to discuss their upcoming title fights at EFC Africa 13 at Grand West Casino on Friday 13th April. I will be attending the event and we will have feedback on next week's show. Was great to find out both fighters surf! Robby MacDonald was with me to talk about the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, the Quiksilver Pro Junior in Durban and the Billabong Grom Games in PE over the Easter Weekend. We also had a surprise skype call from Roland Schoeman from his flight back to SA from the States, to come compete in the SA Olympic swimming trials.
Download the Podcast here - Podcast Show 29
(Right click and Save as.)
The votes are in, the judges have made their calls and the 2012 Innersection Video winner is, Albee Layer, from Maui. The guys from Maui have been dominating this competition and one wonders if they got Taylor Steele a holiday home on the Island? Jamie O'Brien came in a close second and I have to admit to thinking his entry was better! The footage from giant, Nias, alone was enough to win me over. But, congrats to Albee, I am sure he must be one stoked dude!
Marc Mathews heading for the caning of his life at "The Right".
As the XXL Awards sneak ever closer I continue my previews of the nominations and this week we look at the "Verizon Wipeout Awards". There are some horrific wipes in this batch, with Teahupoo serving up ywo of the nominations and they are absolute horror wipes. Jaws and Shipstern's Bluff both have 1 nomination a piece and they will make your toes curl while watching in sick fascination. However, in my opinion the wipe of the year must go to Marc Mathews for his absolutely crazy wipe at the even crazier wave of "The Right". I don't even want to imagine what it must have felt like to be swallowed by that warping, mutant beast of a wave! What are your thoughts...
Gaming was added to the mix this week on Captain Kai's World with Glenn, from 4 Elements Gaming. He brought his resident online gaming guru and we talked online gaming, platforms and of course the latest games, promoting the new "SSX" snowboarding game. The first Monday of every month will now play host to a Gaming review.
Rawlins was back to discuss the new AMA Supercross Champion, ABSA Cape Epic and the start of the 2nd World Tour surf event, the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach.
Download the Show 28 Podcast here - Show 28 Podcast (Right Click, Save as)
Ian Walsh making a play at big Pipeline during the Masters. (Photo: ASP)
For the 2011-2012 Winter Season, Surfline and Nike put up $25'000 for the "Wave of the Winter". This was a pretty big carrot for the crew on Oahu and saw many go for broke moments over the course of the winter. Check out the winning wave, that went down at Off the Wall, as apposed to Pipe or Backdoor - its a mental tube! A great 20 minute surf movie.
Yes happy snow fans of the deep south of Africa, summer draws to a close and the winter approaches. Judging by the last few winters and the insanely hot summer, I am calling a winter of dumps and Pow! So to get you into the mood, here is a great little edit from last year's Quiksnow SA Champs, by our man, Lebo. I cannot recommend enough, how good Afriski has become and what a great time can be had at the Quiksnow weekend. Book soon, places are minimal.
Travis Pastrana enters his new challenge in 2012 entering the Nascar Championship for the full season. In order for us mere mortals to understand the dynamics of this achievement and to take us behind the scenes of his new passion, Travis, along with Red Bull, have started a new bi-weekly web show. Personally, I am pretty excited to keep track of this as the world's best known action sports star takes on the biggest names in US motor racing. Travis has never buggered around, so I am pretty confident he will rock Nascar. Check out Episode 1...
Ryan Hipwood on one serious Cloudbreak Nomination!
The 2012 "Ride of the Year" nominations are in for the XXL Awards. My choice for this year is the wave above, Ryan Hipwood, at massive paddle Cloudbreak. That has to be one of the biggest grab rail tubes ever and it had the timer running for a solid amount of time. Greg Long's huge tube at Puerto was also solid and Jeff Rowley's Jaws Bomb was pretty amazing.
Interestingly, the 2 Tow nominations don't really deserve to be there in my opinion. While Nathan Fletcher's massive tube at Teahupoo is simply insane, he did not ride it out. Surely the "Ride of the Year" winner needs to be a made wave? Garret McNamara's giant wave in Portugal, while huge, looks pretty slow and flat. (This is the opinion of a couple of big wave chargers I have questioned on the subject.) It may have had the wave height, but it was not a great wave.
Current Tour leader, Taj Burrows, showing how dangerous he can be at Bells. (Photo: ASP)
Who will ring the famous Bell in 2012? After a manic start to the year at Snapper, with some who had been raved about, failing miserably, and others who had been written off, doing well, it is now a tough call to say who should win Bells. The shifty and difficult point break (Though it looks so perfect in those photos.) plays solidly into the hands of the Natural Footers and the poor Goofy guys will be at a severe disadvantage.
Taj took the win and the number 1 slot at Snapper and he will be difficult to beat at Bells. He is surfing fast, loose and hard - all of which will score well at the Rip Curl Pro. He also has the confidence of the number 1 seed, so watch out for Taj.
Bells looks amazing, bu it can be a deceptive arena for the surfers. (Photo: ASP)
Joel Parkinson is the defending champion and always surfs well at Bells, where his smooth, power lines are tailored for the wrapping point waves. Mick Fanning is also always going to be dangerous at Bells. At this point, there is speculation on whether the "Freak", Kelly Slater will arrive or not. Your guess is as good as mine. If he does, add him to the list of could easily win Bells.
Then we have the younger guns. Jordy Smith is looking in great form after Snapper and being 3rd on the rankings will help with the confidence. (Just hope his Dad's snoring does not keep him from waking refreshed!) Bells suits the Jordy package and with 2, 3rds already there, he is ready to step up and ring the Bell. John John Florence, fresh off a huge win at the Margaret river 6 Star, will also be brimming with confidence. If the surf goes to "Point Break" sizes then the youngster from Hawaii will certainly be the one you don't want in your heats.
My outside shot, Josh Kerr. If the waves are super clean, this guy could ring the Bell. He has been surfing really well the last 6 months on tour and is due a win. He has it all from the power lines to the air. Don't be surprised if Kerr and Bells ring each other!
ASP Press Release: BELLS BEACH, Victoria/Australia (Monday, April 2, 2012) – The
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Ranger will commence its
waiting period tomorrow and the Southern Ocean is poised to deliver
excellent conditions for the world’s best surfers to do battle in.
Event No. 2 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip
Curl Pro Bells Beach will recommence the race for the ASP World Title
and the elite ASP Top 34 will do surf for the honor of ‘ringing the
bell’ by event’s end.
Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, current ASP World No. 1 and former Rip Curl Pro
Bells Beach winner (2007), is fresh off a victory at the season-opening
event on the Gold Coast and will look to consolidate his efforts this
week at Bells Beach.
“Coming off a win definitely helps in terms of confidence,” Burrow
said. “It’s impossible to commit to long-term projections so early in
the year, but I definitely want to back myself up with a good result
here.”
Coastalwatch Plus, official forecaster for the Rip Curl Pro Bells
Beach, are calling for the start of the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach to
be nothing short of excellent. The forecast broadly hinges on an active
storm track affecting the far southern Indian Ocean through to Western
Australian longitudes over the next week.
“I’ve never been much of a forecast guy,” Burrow said. “I usually
just try to approach each day ready to surf anything. From what I’ve
been hearing though, it sounds like we’re going to have a good week of
waves. I’ve been working on my boards and I think I’ve got some good
ones ready for Bells. Equipment is crucial as Bells is such a unique
wave.”
While Burrow currently sits atop the elite ASP World Championship
Tour ratings, the Western Australian admits that the depth of talent
within the ASP Top 34 is staggering.
“There are absolutely no easy draws on tour anymore,” Burrow said.
“It’s about as elite an ASP Top 34 as you can get and everyone is
capable of posting a win. It makes it really exciting to watch and
hopefully I can put in some good showings this week.”
Burrow will take on highly-touted rookie Kolohe Andino (USA), 18, and
trials winner Nic Muscroft (AUS), 29, in Round 1 of the Rip Curl Pro
Bells Beach.
When competition kicks off, up first will be Jordy Smith (ZAF), 24,
Kieren Perrow (AUS), 35, and Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 30, in Heat 1 of
Round 1.
Running in conjunction with the men’s event is the second stop on the
2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
presented by Ford Fiesta.
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, four-time ASP Women’s World Champion and
current ASP Women’s World No. 1, regained her frontrunner status last
month with a hometown win on the Gold Coast. The young natural-footer
claimed an unprecedented four ASP World Titles from her first four
attempts on tour, but last year fell to No. 3 as she was dethroned by
Hawaiian sensation Carissa Moore (HAW), 19.
“Winning any event on tour is a great feeling, but definitely winning
at home and at the opening event of the year is special,” Gilmore said.
“Compared with 2011, I’m in a much better place this season. I’m not
dealing with any injuries and I’m feeling a lot more relaxed. It’s
definitely a different kind of mindset that you experience when you’re
the frontrunner as opposed to chasing the frontrunner, and I think
that’s played in my favor to start the year off.”
A three-time past winner of the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach
(2007, 2008, 2010), Gilmore’s affinity with the wave will serve her well
this week as she takes on her fellow ASP Top 17 competitors.
“I’ve been surfing and competing at Bells for as long as I can
remember and it’s a special place in surfing,” Gilmore said. “I don’t
mean to sound redundant as everyone says this, but it truly is an
incredible natural amphitheater and when the waves are on, it’s one of
the most rippable spots on the planet. I think my style of surfing
definitely suits the walls at Bells and I just hope we get swell for the
event.”
While a percentage of pundits within the surf media questioned
Gilmore’s motivation and commitment to competition following her
dethroning last season, the progressive natural-footer has brushed such
criticism aside, reaffirming her desire to win and her perspective on
maturation.
“It’d be an easy thing to say that after winning the first event of
the year, my focus has returned, but that’s just not accurate,” Gilmore
said. “My focus never left the tour – I’ve always wanted to compete, and
I compete to win. The ASP Title is still the goal, it’s still a driving
force in my life – it’s just not the case that I have a singular goal
anymore. That said, all my efforts right now are geared towards
preparing for Bells and I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Gilmore will battle rookie Lakey Peterson (USA), 17, and wildcard Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), 17, in the opening round of competition.
Event organizers will convene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start.
The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will run from April 3 – 14, 2012 and will be webcast LIVE via http://live.ripcurl.com
The coolest event in Snowboarding finally made it onto American Television over the weekend and we can only hope, that somehow the show makes it to SA Screens. In the meantime here is the full web video to salivate over. Supernatural is the brain child of Red Bull and Travis Rice and takes the free riding from their films, such "the Art of Flight" into a terrain area for competition. Enjoy the video...
