January 2009 Archives

This week while the rest of the "extreme" world focused their attention on Shaun White, Travis Rice and all the other snow monkeys at X Games, our own Maya Gabeira snuck into the Red Bull headquarters in LA to sit down with the ESPN crew and help put together an upcoming spot for the online show e60. And while everybody in the office was actually trying to get some work done, Maya was stealing hearts and parading around in her wetsuit. Stay tuned, we'll let you know when the show goes live.

Michel Bourez, 23, second Tahitian ever to enter the ASP Top 45 elite circle, will head for the Gold Coast of Australia in a month to surf his first Dream Tour event as a fulltime touring competitor. Bourez, who will be part of an unprecedent 7-Man European contingent on this year's ASP World Tour, is seen as one of the best newcomers and is expected to cause some serious damage against the big names. Here is a post he sends from French Polynesia.

"Since the win at the ASP WQS 6-Star Prime Reef Hawaiian Pro, so many things have changed in my life and it seems like everything is different now. There has been big talks with sponsors, I feel like people see me differently now but above all is the fact I have achieved my dream by qualifying for the ASP World Tour. I am going to compete against surfing's best athletes and I now have the possibility of winning a world title. How is that!

Get ready to celebrate, as 2009 marks the Surfrider Foundation's 25th Anniversary. Founded in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation has grown from a handful of surfers in Malibu to a worldwide organization with over 50,000 members and 90 grassroots chapters. With several hundred coastal victories under its belt, Surfrider Foundation has become the world's leading non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection of our oceans, waves and beaches.

A quick scan of the frontrunners at the 2009 Billabong XXL Nominees and it would appear that Maya Gaberia is up to old tricks. Rewarded with the Billabong Girl's Best Overall Performance Award at the 2008 Billabong XXL Awards for the show she put on at gigantic Teahupoo, this time around she's getting the nod for her stunt at Phantoms in Hawaii this winter. With her tow partner and friend Carlos Burle, the two grabbed a Red Bull ski, snuck out to the outer reef with a photographer, and you can tell by the photo, bagged a couple big, big waves. Funny how while eyes were focused on Pipeline and Sunset a session like this was going down. "There were some good waves out there," she'd say later that night at dinner. "You know, Carlos has so much experience here, I'm just so fortunate that he's sharing with me and we get to do this together. To get to ride waves like this, it's a dream come true."

To see all the nominees for the 2009 Billabong XXL Awards click here. 

Last weekend over one hundred six- to sixteen-year-olds from Lima and Trujilo, Peru, gathered for the Sofia Mulanovich Red Bull Pimp the Board. The function's always a huge hit, and a great excuse for all the girls to come down to the beach and get their hands dirty. With all the artistic inspiration to choose from this year Sofia had a hard time choosing only one winner, so she chose eight designs tol be painted on real boards that she will keep in her private collection.

We all know Ross Clarke-Jones has a screw or two loose, but when him and partner-in-crime Tom Carroll made their way out into seething Tasmanian seas and actually thought whipping each other into the stormy, angry Shipstern's Bluff was a good idea it became all too apparent how crazy he really is. This week evidence of the turbulent session is featured on Surfermag.com, and if you have the time I highly suggest checking out the photos. And if that's not enough for you, this past fall Ross was featured on 60 Minutes, and the video from that is not only revealing, it's downright terrifying.

See Ross Clarke-Jones on SurferMag.com

Watch Ross Clarke-Jones on 60 Minutes

As this week progresses that west swell that's looming out there in the Pacific is becoming less and less secret. There's cries of the Eddie running in Hawaii, and Lord only knows what's going to happen once the waves hit spots like Maverick's and Todos. So, as you chart the progress of this swell over the next few days, make a point to also check out Surfline's final, year-end 20 Under 20 rankings. This year four of Red Bull's brightest talents made the list. New to the Red Bull family, Jordy Smith finished third in the final rankings, Red Bull Rising star Wiggolly Dantes finished in the 7th slot, and injury or no injury, Julian Wilson finished a comfortable 10th. South Africa's Rudy Palmbloom rounded the rankings out, sliding into 17th. As if that's not enough, with surfers like Carissa Moore, Kolohe Andino and Evan Geiselman waiting in the wings, it's looking like the Red Bull crew's going to have some prominance on this list for years to come. Check out Surfline's 20 Under 20.

This fall Tim Boal was well on his way to qualifying for the ASP World Tour when he was sidelined by a broken foot. Lucky for Tim he was sitting high enough in the ratings that even with the injury he was able to qualify. And now, after over three months out of the water, Tim's finally paddled back out and is eagerly anticipating kicking off his 2009 rookie campaign on Australia's Gold Coast. But don't just take our word for it, here's Tim's take:

"The injury is getting better, I should be at 100% in two weeks. I have already surfed a few times and I am starting to train again to get my fitness level back to where it needs to be. Hopefully it all goes good in the next few weeks and I can be on the Goldy ready to go and I am looking forward to it.

It's been good and bad at the same time. It's been really good to get some time away from surfing but three months is a bit too long... I would have liked it to be a bit shorter but that is life and there is nothing you can do about it. It was good to think about something else, get back into books and other things that you need time for, so that was great. The bad side is that I was not able to train and surf so I kind of missed it.

So, by now you've mucked around with the Inside Tahiti feature on this site long enough to know how absolutely revolutionary it is. I mean really, where else can you control the view from inside a massive Teahupoo pit? And in recognition of the ground-breaking effort, the X Dance Action Sports Film Festival have officially included the Inside Tahiti film in this year's festival. Coming to the Off Broadway Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah, from January 16 through 20, Inside Tahiti joins a plethora of other surf, skate, ski, and snowboard films. For complete film festival details, including screening times, news, etc, visit www.X-Dance.com.

Starting this weekend, Travis Pastrana and crew are setting out on a lunatic's Carribean quest to begin the filming of Nitro Circus, his upcoming reality show on MTV. The tour de force will roll through Panama, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Lord knows where else. The stunt list reads more like a bucket list: besides Pastrana's regular act, it includes all kinds of crazy shit like B.A.S.E. jumping, cliff diving with the legendary Orlando Duque, MX riding with Tarah Gieger, and why not charge a few Puerto Rican pits with local hero Brian Toth while he's at it.

Watch Jamie O' Go Switch At Backdoor

Forget everything you know about surf movie making because it appears the book is being rewritten right now. This winter Jamie O'Brien and camera junkie Vincent Laforet (along with his production company Laforet Visuals) teamed up to produce a series of ridiculously crisp, ridiculously innovative video clips using an experimental, state-of-the-art camera system. If you're a camera junkie like Laforet and can make sense of all the equipment, Vincent was shooting with a Canon 800mm 5.6 coupled to a RED One Camera with a RedRock Micro lens support system. If you've got no idea what the hell that means, don't worry, just watch the video clips online and you'll get the picture...no pun intended.

Proving that you can't keep a good man down, Julian Wilson won the Von Zipper Trials at North Narrabeen to get himself a slot in the main event of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. After overcoming a bugger of a broken ankle, as of late Jules has been on an tear. The other day he won the Ocean & Earth Teen Rampage, and is in good form for the World Juniors.

"I felt really confident out there after a strong result last week," Wilson said. "The ankle felt good, my body felt a bit stiff, but all in all I can't complain."

Featured on Quiksilver.com, Bruce Irons sits down with Mark Healey to discuss what it was like to win the Eddie in 2004, what prompted him to pull into that ridiculous, deal-sealing close-out, and what his plans are in regards to defending his title. Check it...

Some things are just too ridiculous to pass up, and last night every drunk weirdo in Vegas at the Red Bull No Limits New Years beared blurry witness to one such moment...actually two such moments. Lets not beat around the bush here, Robbie Maddison is an absolute lunatic, and his 96-foot launch onto the faux Arc De Triomphe is prove positive. Then there's Rhys Millen with is backflipping truck. I'm not going to waste your time describing the madness, just follow the links and watch the footage, you'll wish you were in Vegas last night...assuming you don't already. Check out Red Bull No Limits New Year.