Surfin’ UK

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s really nothing new. A hip underground sport embraced by a few hearty rebels suddenly becomes mainstream. What was once cool and cutting edge is now available to any loser with a few bucks in his pocket. Trendy sportswear and equipment springs forth, fashion trends develop, and corporate sponsors hop on board. Pioneers of the sport can only look on in horror as the masses embrace it and utterly destroy the hip image it once held.

Surf’s up blokes!

It seems that surfing is finally going mainstream back in the UK. After years of just a few souls braving the region’s cold waters, membership in the British Surfing Association has suddenly increase 400% in the last five years. And, not everyone is happy about it. Here is an interesting take by a somewhat bitter surfer (it seems) as the sport begins to explode in England and lose its hip cachet.

Sound a bit familiar, dudes?

Ten Best Surf Locations

by Neil Woodburn on

Narrowing down the “Ten Best” of anything in the travel world is always bound to be controversial. When we posted one for beaches a few months ago, we received hundreds of emails from readers aghast over their own personal favorites that were missing from the list.

Well, today, we will try to do the same with the Top Ten Surf Spots.

USA Today recently asked this question of surfer Rob Barber, who is also an editor at Carve Surfing Magazine.

I was still a bit surprised at the list he came up with, such as the Bay of Biscay in France, but since I’ve only surfed a couple of times in my life, I guess I should keep my mouth shut and let the experts chime in. Check it out here.

Go Sledging

by Erik Olsen on

We’re always on the lookout for new outdoor sports and activities to bring your attention to. Here’s a piece on a new sport called river sledging. River sledging is kind of like boogie boarding, and kind of like white water rafting….and it’s also a bit like sledding. So mix these things together and throw in a bit of New Zealand craziness and you’ve got river sledging.

Looks like several Kiwi companies are offering opportunities to sledge on the rivers of New Zealand, and now doubt it’s coming or has already come to the US. Looks like you have to wear a helmet because you might get pummeled by dangerous boulders, but it also looks damn fun. Leave it to the kiwis to come up with a sport like this…they are the ones, after all, who came up with Zorbing.

Surf Video

by Erik Olsen on

Nothing like Surfing on the Web, know what I mean? No, no ,I’m not talking about noodling around your friend’s MySpace site. I’m actually talking about surfing. You see, Surfer Magazine has got a ton of sweet surfing video online just waiting for your lunchtime attention. Available in both Quicktime and Windows Media ,the clips are well-produced and in some cases awe-inspiring. They’ve done a great job organizing them here and making available an array of great footage. In particular check out Ultimate Sessions: The Greatest Moments in Surf Movie History. If that doesn’t make you feel lousy abot surfing at your computer rather than in Hawaii right now, I’m not sure what will.

Winter Surf

by Erik Olsen on

We take you back now, dear readers, to a time not long ago when snow blanketed the earth…or at least the Northeast, and fierce winter gales rippled across the Eastern Seaboard, dumping tons of snow across the region. And what did some people do that day? Not the ones huddled together in the comfy warmth of their homes, siting by open fireplaces and sipping soothing alcoholic drinks? No, I’m talking about the ones who decided to go surfing.

Surfing, on the day of the biggest blizzard of the year? Yes, believe it or not, too, that day was said to be one of the finest days of surf in a long, long time. And so that is what dedicated surfers anywhere must do when the waves are tasty. So check out this video of the surf that day last winter during the blizzard of 2006.