220ft Snowmobile Jump in Sweden - Daniel Bodin 2013

Its a bird, no its a plan, no its a crazy Swede called Daniel Bodin... (Photo: Red Bull)

This is seriously nuts! Watch profesional snowmobiler Daniel Bodin jump 220ft (67 Meters) off a ski jump in Sweden.

John John Florence - Departure Delayed

There may be a sticker change on his boards soon, but the surfing stays the same!

The most talked about surfer in decades has just signed a 10 year deal with Hurley that had the surf world abuzz. But let's be honest, it does not matter who he surfs for, when he surfs this good! Check out some of the most mental airial surfing ever with his brothers and mates in Hawaii...

Departure Delayed from John John Florence on Vimeo.

When Waves are Caverns - Giant West Oz Slab

The boys in West Oz have been charging this slab underground for a while now. You will have probably seen some more famous guys with footage, but these are the "Locals". They charge hard and take absolute beatings on some of them. Prepare to drop jaw...


Roar Power from Darren McCagh on Vimeo.

XGames 2012 - Day 2, Massive Rally Cross Crash

Toomas Heikkinen crashes big during a RallyCross practice session. Talk about needing some extra speed to clear the jump.

 

Massive Cloubreak Free Surf on Day 6 - Volcom Pro Fiji 2012

Bede Durbidge winning the 1st of only 2 heats surfed on Day 6. After this the Free Surf began... (Photo:ASP)

The massive swell arrived as expected, but the contest only lasted 2 heats, with Bede and Kai Otton winning the heats and moving into Round 3. The ASP made the call to wait for today to start Round 3, which will probably go down at Restaurants. Once the tour had puled out, the hordes of big wave charges were out there, with some of the more core Tour surfers joining the fray in solid 15ft Cloudbreak. Luckily the contest left the live feed running and we got to watch a rare free surf in giant waves. Enjoy the video...

 

XXL Ride of the year Nominees 2012

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.

Have a look and let me know your thoughts!

Meet Big Wave Hellman, Ryan Hipwood

Not scared of a massive keg then mate!

Ryan Hipwood is one of the new breed of Ozzy Big Wave Hellman. He basically spends his life chasing rather large swells around to tow and paddle into very scary waves. Some of his exploits at massive Cloudbreak and the secret slab in West Oz, almost beggar belief. I might have soiled my wetsuit in his position to be frankly honest...

Mick Fanning and thumping P-Pass

Mick Fanning warmed up for the Quik Pro with some serious tubes at P-Pass. He makes it look so easy, but believe me, those are some deadly dangerous tubes! 

Mutant Pipeline on Day 3 of the Volcom Pipe Pro 2012

Monster Pipe Tubes were the call for the day! Balram Stack from NY charging... (Photo: ASP)

 Day 3 of the Pipe Pro and it was one third carnage to two thirds mutant tubes! The Saffers woke up to monster Pipeline and the chirps were flying thick and fast on twitter and FB between the North Shore and South Africa. We had three guys in Round 3, Shaun Joubert, Brandon Jackson and Rudy Palmboom. None made it through the round, but watching their heats it was easy to see they tried their best. The waves were huge, scary and all over the show and none of the boys let team SA down. Personally, I would have been terrified just sitting on the beach, where a number of spectators got washed into the shore break! The final day will be posted as soon as the web video goes live.

Carnage and Mayhem at Day 1 of the Pipe Masters

John John Florence on the first 10 Point ride of the contest. (Photo: ASP)

It has been a long time since Pipeline delivered like this on the first day of competition. Many professional egos were damaged by the 10-12ft death pits on offer. The local Pipe chargers took most of the wins, but our very own Travis Logie managed to sneak past Bruce Irons in round 1 and Tiago Pires in Round 2 to find himself in Round 3 and with a shot of making sure he re-qualifies for the tour next year. The locals were the standouts though, with amazing performances by John John, Evan Valier and Jamie O'Brian. The top ASP surfers still have to enter the line up as they only start in Round 3. Some of them must have been pretty relieved to sit out Day 1.

Almost more impressive than the surfing and waves was the carnage in the lineup. Wide rogue sets, massive free falls and plenty of broken men and boards. This was "Real" Hawaii!



John John Florence was the man to lock down the only 10 of the day. The current Triple Crown leader making the old guard very nervous with his seemingly relaxed approach to these massive tubes.



I am looking forward to Day 2!

The ASP Press release:
BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Thursday, December 8, 2011) – The opening day of the Billabong Pipe Masters witnessed historic 10-to-15 foot (4-5 metre) surf at the iconic Hawaiian barrel of the Banzai Pipeline to complete Rounds 1 and 2 of competition in arguably the biggest surf in the event’s history.

The Billabong Pipe Masters, the final stop on the 2011 ASP World Title Series, not only represents a crucial event for ASP Top 34 surfers looking to requalify for the 2012 season, but also marks the third jewel of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown.

John John Florence (HAW), 19, navigated the massive Pipeline lineup with ease to eliminate Maui native Kai Barger (HAW), 22, in a commanding Round 2 performance while securing the first perfect 10-point ride of Billabong Pipe Masters competition.

“I got that barrel right off of the takeoff and it pinched and I couldn’t see anything,” Florence said. “It was really sketchy and then I pulled in to that other barrel. It was fun. The waves were firing. It’s the best Pipe has been in so long. There are so many waves that people don’t really see. There are ones going underneath and wide ones, they’re just everywhere.”

Florence, current leader on the Vans Triple Crown ratings, furthered his lead over the field by advancing out of Round 2 and was admittedly relieved to get off to a strong start at the Billabong Pipe Masters.

“There is definitely a lot of pressure to do well with all of my friends and family here,” Florence said. “I want to do well. I was pretty nervous before that first heat and I’m glad I got it out of the way.”

Evan Valiere (HAW), 28, who is competing in the Billabong Pipe Masters as a Hawaiian Wildcard, drove through several Pipe barrels on his forehand to deliver the day’s highest heat-total, a remarkable 18.16, out of 20, in his opening heat and eventually went on to solidify a Round 2 victory as well.

“There were only a couple of waves ridden, but the ones I got felt good for sure,” Valiere said. “It’s just so big. There are a lot of waves coming in on the inside, but it’s not like you’re going on those. When you’re out there, it takes a lot longer to get the ones you want. That 9.33 just felt really good. The takeoff always takes longer than you think and once you get to the bottom, you just set your line. Pipeline is the best feeling in the world.”

Valiere was another native to contribute to the Hawaiian giant-killing spree of the opening rounds, eliminating ASP Top 34 members Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 30, and Brazilian rookie Miguel Pupo (BRA), 19, to secure his position in Round 3.

“It’s unfortunate, I really think Fred’s an incredible surfer,” Valiere said after his Round 1 win. “I definitely did not want him in my heat out here this morning because I knew he was going to be a major threat. I was just fortunate to get my waves. If Freddy wants to get back on tour he’ll get back and do it.”

Ian Walsh (HAW), 28, was impressive in his 2011 Billabong Pipe Masters debut, eliminating ASP World Tour surfers Kai Otton (AUS), 31, and Bede Durbidge (AUS), 28, while threading the needle on a massive barrel of his own for one of the day’s highest scores, 9.70 out of 10, to advance through to Round 3.

“I got pounded and that wave came and it had such a steep tee pee wave on the point that when I took off I was really late,” Walsh said. “I had a similar feeling to the wave I didn’t make before and I got pounded. I let go of my rail and it sucked back before it spit and I almost didn’t make it. When I came out I just had that ecstatic feeling.”

Walsh, who is renowned for his big-wave capabilities, was elated to have big Pipeline conditions on offer for this year’s event.

“You forget you’re even in a heat, you’re just psyched that you’re getting barreled,” Walsh said. “This is the real Pipe Masters. It’s so fun to watch and it’s entertaining for us to surf.”

Adam Melling (AUS), 26, current No. 2 on the Vans Triple Crown ratings, was one international competitor to escape the wrath of the event locals by defeating Mason Ho (HAW), 23, in Round 2 of competition.

“It’s pretty exciting to be in second and have John John just in front of me,” Melling said. “Seeing the way he surfed out there today I’d say it’s not going to be easy to beat him. I’m just excited to be out there and making heats.”

Kieren Perrow (AUS), 34, current No. 25 on the ASP World Ranking and runner-up in last year’s Billabong Pipe Masters, is in need of a result at Pipeline to requalify for the 2012 ASP World Tour and is hungry to finish on the podium again this year.

“I was really nervous before that heat because I need to do well here to stay on tour,” Perrow said. “As the comp goes on it’s going to get harder for sure and the guys out there at the moment are pushing the level. I’m just going to go out there and try and get my waves and see if that puts me in first. Hopefully I can go one better than last year.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am local time for a possible Round 3 start at 8am.

For all of the LIVE Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons action log on to www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2011

For additional information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

Billabong Pipe Masters Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Marcus Hickman (HAW) 16.50 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 9.30
Heat 2: Evan Valiere (HAW) 16.50 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 3.70
Heat 3: Ian Walsh (HAW) 16.06 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.17
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 18.07 def. Kai Barger (HAW) 14.67
Heat 5: Aamion Goodwin (HAW) 2.20 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 2.13
Heat 6: Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 5.33 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 2.83
Heat 7: Shane Dorian (HAW) 10.50 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 1.90
Heat 8: Adam Melling (AUS) 9.64 def. Mason Ho (HAW) 8.84
Heat 9: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.50 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 5.90
Heat 10: Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.20 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 6.57
Heat 11: Travis Logie (ZAF) 5.80 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 5.67
Heat 12: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.70 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.27

Billabong Pipe Masters Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Marcus Hickman (HAW) 13.67 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9.46
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 6.50 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 0.60
Heat 3: Evan Valiere (HAW) 18.16 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 6.00
Heat 4: Travis Logie (ZAF) 3.57 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 2.70
Heat 5: Ian Walsh (HAW) 13.00 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 11.63
Heat 6: Kai Barger (HAW) 9.93 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 6.33
Heat 7: Aamion Goodwin (HAW) 10.34 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 2.84
Heat 8: Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 14.77 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 3.24
Heat 9: Kolohe Andino (USA) 5.27 def. Laurie Towner (AUS) 1.17
Heat 10: Shane Dorian (HAW) 6.40 def. Willian Cardoso (BRA) 1.94
Heat 11: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 4.76 def. Jack Freestone (AUS) 2.63
Heat 12: Mason Ho (HAW) 9.00 def. Hank Gaskell (AUS) 3.93

Upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Aamion Goodwin (HAW)
Heat 2: Kalani Chapman (HAW) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Jamie O’Brien (HAW)
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Marcus Hickman (HAW)
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Evan Valiere (HAW)
Heat 10: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Shane Dorian (HAW)
Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Ian Walsh (HAW)

Dirtpipe - BMX dirt riding on a giant scale!

BMX goes HUGE!

I had to watch this twice, just to make sure it was real! How crazy is this course they built? I mean usually it's the Americans who cant help but build the largest craziest stuff, but this time out the Aussies take the prize! We really need to start doing something similar here in SA, we have the terrain and the riders - er hem, Red Bull! Enjoy!

Thanks to SkullCandy TV for the link, check em out on Youtube - Skull Candy TV