Slide Mag

Cone Alone...

I'd love to know how many cones there are in existence. How long the average cone lives for and how many roadworks they guard before they get pensioned off. Whoever owns the Cones-R-Us factory is one very rich man. I always wonder when driving on the motorway if every tenth one is filled with concrete, cos otherwise you could just blaze through them all for fun...

Hipstamatic Me Like...

Am digging this funky little retro photo app for the iPhone, can make the most mundane shot seem quite funky. Not much use in surf photography but I will try and remember to bust it out for some lifestyle/travel gear now and then. You can find it on iTunes and more info here. This here's Canary Wharf, where them bankers live, it's actually quite a nice place for a coffee -having something like five Starbucks- and is also home to an awesome Mexican takeaway... Am in the Big Smoke for the next few days, fingers crossed the long range charts for the Croyde event hold true cos it's looking epic.

Porthleven Notes...

"51-weeks out of the year Porthleven is not that great a place to live as a surfer. That other 1-week however…"
Sam Boex, The Wrestling Fields, Monday the 8th of February, 4.00p.m, shortly before going out to get tubed off his nut...

Super Saturday back in Feb was the biggest clean Lev’ your correspondent has seen in ten, underwhelming, frustrating years… Here's what a smattering of locals thought about it-

When was the last time it was that big and fruity?

-I was actually away (Sod’s Law!) but saw the footage. I’ve never seen it that big and lined up with offshore winds (although I am sure someone like Bernie or Pete have done). We get some pretty big swells at Lev’ with the big winter SW storms but the winds are never right and it’s not really surfable, not sure I would want it that like that very often though! Joe Grant

Mick Fanning's Backdoor...

Hit full screen to see the sequence in all its glory!

Taj Burrow Smokes Slater In The Pipe Final...

 
Taj Burrow has claimed his spot in the venerable fraternity that is the Pipe Masters. The surf may have been on the way out but Teebs was the man today, adapting from barrels early on to aerial flaring in the final. Kelly looked the dogs in the quarters and semi but it fell apart for him in the final and he didn't even break double figures...

Pipeline Timeline Part 2- Micktorious...

 

And it came to pass that Joel Parkinson came up against Gavin Gillette in heat 15 who got a 9 for one wave and would've got an 11 for this next one had he not just been clipped right at the last minute..

Pipeline Timeline Part 1- The Bit Before Mick O'Clock...

 

It’s about time they changed the name of this event to the Backdoor Masters cos today was all about Pipe’s twisted little sister. A blessing for the natural foots and  a pain in the arse for the goofys as B-Door isn’t as backside friendly as Pipe. Trouble is Backdoor Masters sounds like the name of a bad porn film of the pain in the arse variety… Anyhoose- big things occurred today here’s the goss’ laid out in pictures and words-

Half Day...

 

The comp finished off the second round before going on hold at lunchtime... There were still some nugs at Backdoor but not enough to be contestable. Seeing as there's a fat swell coming tonight it should be (as the Saffas would say) absolutely cooking bru on the morrow... Anyhoose. Here's some pictographs*

Pipe Pipe Line Line... So Good They Named It Twice?

 
After one day of relative relaxation after the madness of the Eddie event we're straight into the Pipe comp... Here's some nugs from Day 1-

Fourth Batch...

 

Third Batch...

 

Second Batch...

 

First Batch...

 

Don't You Open That...

 

Pheweee. Busy day on Da Rock- The O'Neill World Cup at Sunset finally finished its finals (congrats Parko) but I wasn't there I was down at Pipe shooting the celebrity B-Door sesh featuring a good chunk of the Top-45. One of those days you needs a handy cloning machine so you can be in two places at once. Everyone was mad to surf today before the humongous swell hits tonight and renders the North Shore a foamy mess of jizz and possibly causes structural damage...

Waimea Warm Up...

The North Shore has been getting pummeled by a 15ft@15 seconds swell today and Waimea has been cooking- not to mention insanely busy...  Sunset is a wash out so no comp on there meaning they have to run tomorrow morning- if the swell drops back enough for it not to be a seething cauldron of whitewater. Fingers crossed eh? So. To Wammy the bay of big boards, brutal beating and horrendous traffic. I think I'll let the photos do the talking...

Nate Dents Atlantic...

The judges called it the move of the season the UK Pro Tour. All I know is it's still raining in Newquay a day later...

Wheely Big Airs...

Peniche Pics A Plenty...

Busy day in Peniche today, first half of Round 1 got run but I was frothing on freesurfing before, during and after the event... The results of which can be seen here...

Dane, Kelly & Jordy Do Wheelies...

The Finals day of the Quik Pro may have been a yawn inducing hack attack but there were some glorious moments of aerial mastery... Here are three.

Reubs Rides The Nationals Express...

This weekend was dem British Nationals. An important event. Cos calling yourself 'British Champ' opens many doors and generally means you don't have to make tea for anyone anymore. It was at Fistral (quelle surprise- it should be at Thurso like it used to be!) and the surf was flat dribbly shite on Saturday (so small and poopy looking on the webcams that I didn't even bother going) but it built a bit for Sunday and was contestable, onshore, closey-outy, dribbley shite instead. In other words business as usual for British comps... Not that the dire surf prevented some serious schwacking, punting and gouging from going on.