Surfing Alaska

by Neil Woodburn on

Novice surfers like myself regularly use the word crazy to describe two things in the surfing world; enormous waves and the lunatics who ride them.

I’ve just discovered a third opportunity to incorporate crazy into my surfer’s parlance: Surfing in Alaska.

This month’s Outside Magazine includes a typically excellent article highlighting six-time world-champion surfer Layne Beachley and a few of her partners in crime as they head north to catch some waves in the chilly waters of Alaska.

The gang rents out a house called Moose Mansion in the village of Yakutat (pop. 700) where the air and water temperatures run in the surprisingly warm fifties–still a far cry from the tropical locations these surfers usually find themselves. Even more of a disconnect is the scenery; Sitka spruce on the shore, salmon fishermen on the water, and a glacier in the distance.

Some marvelous country indeed, and the last place you’d expect to see a surfer bobbing in the water! And, yet the region is gaining in popularity as a surfing hotspot according to Surfer Magazine and even has its own surf shop appropriately called, Icy Waves.

Much of the Outside article, however, is dedicated to the land adventures of the group. But we do learn that the waves are decent sized but probably not worth the journey on their own. But the location, oh my, the location, most certainly is.

The Waves of Mundaka

by Erik Olsen on

A good buddy of mine, a guy I’ve known for like 25 years, is a big-time surfer. He’s filled with that intense passion that afflicts so many of his ilk. The passion is all about finding the perfect wave in the perfect place. Usually, that means a place that is NOT infested with other surfers, especially those who don’t surf well. I believe the term is gremmie.

And all over the world these little surf spots are both slowly being discovered and destroyed. more so the latter than the former. I suppose that is the nature of things. As a skier, I know what it’s like to lose a great hill to the trundling tards that have infested places like Mammoth.

Anyway, all this is to say that I stumbled upon this rather cool story in the Belfast Telegraph, not one of the online newspaper I check often. The piece is all about efforts by surfers to save a wee slice of beach in the Basque village of Mundaka in Spain. My friend knows this place. He’s been there before. The waves there are legendary, as they break with the perfect shape of, shall we say, a Greek goddess. But no longer. As you will read, the waves one day simply stopped rolling in as they had before. It is a tragic story, and one that just might bring tears to the eyes of surfers everywhere.

Deadwood on the Beach?

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s some rather interesting news from Hollywoodland. Looks like one of my favorite networks, HBO, creators of at least two of the best shows on television (Sopranos and Deadwood) are going to be producing a new program dedicated to surfing.

The network has greenlit 12 episodes of John From Cincinnati,” a “surf noir family drama” set in Southern California (where else?) that is the brainchild of “Deadwood” creator-exec producer David Milch. How Milch will manage to weave together California surf speak with the expletive-laden patois of Deadwood is anyone’s guess…as is, for that matter, the actual definition of “surf noir family drama”. That said, I eager await anything that comes from Milch’s creative mind. The premise of the new show has something to do with a guy named “John” who seeks surf lessons from a former surf champ whose life has been upended by a bad relationship and a messed up son named “Butchie”.

Sound cool or lame? Eager to see it or has Milch jumped the sharK? Want more details? OK, go here.

Teutonic Surfers

by Neil Woodburn on

When I say German, tell me the first thing that pops into your mind. Is it beer? Or perhaps BMW, World War II, Adolph Hitler, engineering, or even Oktoberfest. What about surfing?

Huh?

Surfing?!?!? Are you kidding me?

Well, it may be down at the bottom of a very long list, but the Germans have now embraced surfing. Well, sort of. There are no major breaks on the North Sea or Baltic Sea, but there is one on the Eisbach, a man-made tributary running through the landlocked city of Munich.

According to the LA Times, a singular, stationary wave is formed on the river by a combination of wooden boards and concrete. Riders don’t travel down stream as they would with a normal, rolling wave, but oddly remain in the same spot as the water rushes past them.

River surfing is still far from being mainstream in Germany, but it has generated enough interest that a Munich Surf Open has been held on the river for the last six years. The event even has a corporate sponsor: Quiksilver.

The obvious conclusion for this post involves some type of lame Surf Nazi joke. But we here at Gadling are above such sophomoric humor. I think.

Los Angeles: California’s Most Polluted Beaches

by Neil Woodburn on

With its golden sunshine and golden sands, California’s beaches have held a legendary place in the hearts of beach lovers.

Unfortunately, all that is golden is not necessarily good, especially in the Los Angeles area. Sure, one can sprawl on the sands of Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and Malibu and bake to a nice Coppertone brown, just don’t go in the water.

According to Heal the Bay, Los Angeles beaches are the dirtiest in the state. The non-profit environmental group regularly grades the state’s 450+ beaches and issues an “End of Summer Report Card” every year. This year, 29 of Los Angeles County’s 97 testing stations received an abysmal F grade. This includes the pier areas of Redondo Beach and Santa Monica, two very popular tourist locations. Santa Monica was also the focus of a five-week study to find the source of high “fecal bacteria” which was traced to a “leaky storm drain that ponds underneath the pier.” Ugh!

On the bright side, the beaches of San Francisco and Humboldt counties all received A’s. Ironically, they’re too damn cold for swimming so no one really cares.