Extremehorizon Surfing Blog

Most surfers will know their surf history and heritage especially as the roots of modern surfing are less than a century old. However the classic stories and memorable events to have been chronicled thus far have been confined to a fairly restrictive number of key events in the evolution of our sport and most of these are from a  Hawaiian/US-centric perspective. Incredible stories from Waimea, Makaha, Peahi, Mavericks etc abound but have been repeated in almost every non-fiction surfing book ever published. However there’s a much wider surfing folklore and heritage being created daily beyond the mainstream which are just as valid. Surfers are pushing boundries and discoveries in the wildest of locations which is why the release of the new book “Cliffs of Insanity” is such a refreshing proposition.

Cliffs of Insanity

The book written by award winning Irish Times Journalist Keith Duggan, shines a light on a small community of surfers carving out a life immersed in the cold forboding Atlantic waters of Western Ireland where insane slabs and monster waves as impressive as any on the planet are being surfed and documented. The book is beautifully crafted and delves into the life of some of the leading figures in Irish surfing including the main protagonists Fergal Smith and photographer Mickey Smith following their exploits in and around County Clare and the waves called “Aileens” and “Rileys”. Duggans writing captures and evokes the rugged and remote Irish backdrop transporting the reader to place beyond the surfing stereotypes, pretensions and commercialism to locations and surfers which are the very definition of “Keeping it real”.

Ireland and her surfers deserve to be placed higher in the world of big wave and progressive surfing and no doubt one day will be. The likes of Fergal, Mickey, Richie and the boys are creating a solid foundation for a legacy which will resonate for years to come, so I’ve nothing but praise for Duggan bringing a book like “Cliffs of Insanity” to a print – grab a copy!

Publishers Synopsis 

Published by Transworld Ireland on 27^th September 2012. RRP £14.99

Keith Duggan tells the story of a devoted group of surfers in County Clare whose lives revolve around the pursuit of Ireland’s wildest waves. This beautifully illustrated book centres around the countless hours in the freezing water trying to read the ocean for those few awe-inspiring seconds when they master a wave. Cliffs of Insanity is about a way of life that flies in the face of everything championed in Ireland over the last decade. It is a book about community, friendship and a passionate pursuit told by an award winning journalist. 

The O’Neill Coldwater Classic, Stop No. 9 of 10 on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), completed Rounds 3 and 4 yesterday, with the ASP World Title Race and requalification campaigns heating up at Steamer Lane.

Flores

Up first today will be Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, against Alejo Muniz (BRA), 22, in Heat 1 of Round 5. Event organizers will reconvene at 6:15am local time for a possible 6:45 start

Event organizers at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal have called competition off for the day, opting to wait for improved conditions before commencing the event. Stop No. 8 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will play a vital role in both the hunt for the 2012 ASP World Title as well as the requalification campaigns of the world’s best surfers.

Peniche Portugal

“Clean conditions this morning but not enough swell to begin competition,” Rich Porta, ASP International Head Judge, said. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning to make another call.” Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:45am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start. Magic Seaweed, official forecaster for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, are calling for:

- NNW swell for the weekend looking likely for head+ surf.
- Large storm system sending pulses of more westerly swell for next week with a very very mixed, but positive, longer range outlook.

When competition commences, up first will be Adriano de Souza (BRA), 25, Brett Simpson (USA), 27, and Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 30, in the opening heat of Round 1. The Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be webcast LIVE via live.ripcurl.com

RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Brett Simpson (USA), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW), Kai Otton (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA), Damien Hobgood (USA), Dillon Perillo (USA)
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kolohe Andino (USA), Pierre Valentin Laborde (FRA)
Heat 7: Owen Wright (AUS), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 11: Jordy Smith (ZAF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Julian Wilson (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT)

The WCT tour madness once again descends on European shores and Hossegor delivers with heavy barrels and riders getting beat downs, 10 point rides and snapped boards. Enjoy the highlights below:

Northcore Europe recently produced a review of the Volkswagen T5 California camper van after taking one on a trip to Cornwall. These T5′s are such cool surf buses. Check out the vid review below:

White Wholesale Ltd, UK distributors of Toes On The Nose are proud to announce the signing of current British Longboard Champion Ben Haworth to their team. The Californian based longboard brand has been reintroduced to the UK during 2012 leading to a full range being available from January 2013.

Northcore team rider Ben Howarth joins Toes on the Nose

Ben fits perfectly with Toes on The Nose, a brand which has its roots in core surfing, primarily longboarding boasting international team riders such as Kai Sallas and world no.1 Lindsay Steinriede. 

Based in North Devon Ben will be able to work closely alongside the team to develop and improve brand awareness and growth throughout the UK surf industry.

The Billabong Pro Tahiti will host the ASP Top 34 for the 5th of 10 stops on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, and with swell forecast for opening day, it’s likely that the world’s best surfers will do battle as early as tomorrow. Michel Bourez (PYF), 26, current No. 17 on the 2012 ASP WCT ratings, is one of the heavy favorites at Teahupo’o in any conditions, but the powerful Tahitian

“For me, I treat this event like any other,” Bourez said. “Sure, there is an advantage to growing up here and having an event here. I’m comfortable out at Teahupo’o, but the guys in the Top 34 are all very good. Every heat is a challenge and I’m taking every round seriously.” Bourez will take on Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, and Adam Melling (AUS), 27, in Round 1 of competition.

Teahupoo

Owen Wright (AUS), 22, current ASP WCT No. 9 and last year’s event Runner-Up, score major hero points last year, squaring off against 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 40, in maxing conditions at Teahupo’o.

“Without doubt I am intimidated by Teahupoo,” Wright said. “I still get butterflies every time I’m contemplating taking off. It’s a crazy wave and there is always an element of risk, but I have practised my whole life surfing heavy waves down the South Coast in preparation, so I am as ready as I can be. My preparation for Tahiti this year has been pretty strong. I spent a good amount of time along the Bukit Peninsula in Bali working on my Tahiti boards with my shaper Parrish Byrne. We saw a few swells backing up and thought it was an ideal chance to iron out any chinks in the boards and get me prepared for Tahiti.”

Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for longer period, inconsistent/lully SW swell filling in through the afternoon with 5-6’ faces and occasional max sets up to 7-8’. Local, shorter period south windswell in the mix to give the surf a jumbled up and somewhat stormy feel.

Event organizers will convene tomorrow morning 17th Aug at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start. When competition commences, up first will be John John Florence (HAW), 19, Miguel Pupo (BRA), 20, and Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 26, in the opening heat of Round 1.

The second stop on the Big Wave World Tour, the Billabong Pico Alto 2012, Presented by Sony Xperia Smartphone, has been given the green light. This is a very special year for the Billabong Pico Alto event because it marks the tenth anniversary of the prestigious contest.

Big Wave Tour

Tuesday, 14th of August, the contest will be held 43 kilometers south of Lima, Peru at Punta Hermosa.  Contest day is forecasted to have surf in the 30+foot range and will have optimal ocean conditions.

The event has become a spectacle for visitors and fans alike to witness the world’s best big wave riders on the tall open walls of Pico Alto.

The decision to run the event was made by Billabong Peru with the support of Mark Sponsler of Stormsurf and Kevin Wallis of Surfline.

The current best big wave surfers in the world will be descending on Peru for the one day event.  Global surf personalities such as Peter Mel (USA) defending event Champion and current BWWT Champion, Jamie Sterling (Hawaii) 2010 BWWT Champion, Carlos Burle (Brazil) 2009 BWWT Champion, Greg Long (USA), Danilo Couto (Brazil) & Grant “Twiggy” Baker (South Africa) Billabong XXL Award winners and many more come to Lima to face the giant waves of Pico Alto and it’s local favorites.

Among the local competitors we will see standout Peruvian surfers Rafael Velarde, Gabriel Villaran, Sebastian de Romana, Javier Swayne and many others.

Gary Linden, Legendary shaper and Director of the Big Wave World Tour states:  “Thanks to good swell period and direction, Pico Alto is forecasted to provide excellent waves for the event.  With all logistics ready we are excited for the second stop on the Big Wave World Tour for 2012/2013.”

These international and national competitors will be fighting it out for a prize purse of $20,00 USD and a special award for the biggest wave caught during the event presented by Nixon.

The world of surfing doesn’t lack for films produced about waves, surfers, the surf lifestyle, surf history and everything in between and this is understandable as there are few more photogenic and exiting topics to make movies about. However there’s only so many variations on the theme, so that often footage, interviews, surf history etc just gets repackaged under a different name so we’ve seen it all before. It’s becoming more and more difficult for film makers to produce something fresh and interesting especially in a documentary format but this is exactly what the makers of “Going Vertical” have acheived.

The film focus’s on the shortboard revolution and although a lot of the usual interview suspects are in there (Noll, Warshaw, Slater, Lopez etc) there are also some new faces, new archive footage and a fresh look at the development of surfing and board design over the years. The main players are McTavish and Brewer and the film manages to capture the friction between them as conflicting claimants to the crown of the inventor of the shortboard. “Going Vertical” is a fantastically researched, shot and edited film and is a definate must for any surfer to watch and add to a collection. The release date is Aug 27th 2012. Grab a copy then!

Private equity firm TPG Capital has made a fresh takeover bid for Australian surfwear company Billabong International worth A$694 million ($712 million), Billabong said on Tuesday, just five months after its previous offer was knocked back. TPG has offered A$1.45 per share, the company said, which is a 32 percent premium to the last closing price of A$1.10.

A bargain at $712m?

If the deal were to succeed, it would be the second privatisation in Australia this year after the country’s largest buyout firm Pacific Equity Partners agreed a A$720 million takeover of business services firm Spotless in April.

Billabong said the offer was indicative, non-binding and conditional and the offer price may be refined after the buyout firm has seen Billabong’s books. Since TPG’s first approach, Billabong has sold half its of watch brand Nixon, issued a profit warning, hired a new chief executive and raised A$225 million in equity to reduce debt.

With the extra shares on issue, the latest offer is not directly comparable to TPG’s previous approach which was worth A$841 million. TPG had offered A$3.30 per share in February in a sweetened bid but Billabong rejected it, saying it did not reflect the company’s underlying value.

Billabong’s shares, which were trading around $6 a year ago, have slipped since it rejected the takeover offer and dived to a record low after its heavily discounted share sale in June. Billabong has seen sales decline in Europe, Canada and Australia as consumer confidence ebbs and as its brand has lost some of its cachet with young shoppers. It is closing 140 underperforming stores out of the group’s 670.