Looking straight down the stringer to see the bend of the concave. Feeling the sharpness of the tail rail. Checking the lines of the rocker. Running your hands across the smooth surface that will be pocked with heal , knee and pressure dents after the first session.
Ahhh, even after owning dozens of surfboards, there’s still nothing like the stoke I get when that fresh, white brand new surfboard. And this just happened to me for the first time in awhile this week when I picked up an Aloha AF1 Pro (6’4 x 18 ¾ x 2 3/8) from Surf & Adventure. Check it out: http://www.surfindustries.com/surfboards/aloha_pro.php
The summer of 2008 was the last time a fresh stick came into my possession, so I’ve been deprived of that feeling for just more than a year and a half. Before that, the bulk of my quiver was comprised of lightly used pro boards I got from WRV roadman Drew Wynn, my longtime best friend and roommate.
So that makes this latest addition even more special. If I were 12 years old again, I would have slept with it in my bed. Seriously, does that make me weird that I used to do that?
I love all of the rituals of getting a new stick shred-ready: placing the traction just right on the tail, screwing in those fins, getting the perfect wax bumps on the deck. All the while, I’m still checking the concave, the sharpness and the rocker as if it’s changed.
I wonder if any pros feel this connection between themselves and their new additions. One part of me wants to believe that they would, since any professional needs to be intimately familiar with the tools of their trade. Conversely, it happens to them so often that they literally may be viewed as nothing more as utilitarian – the means to an end.
Shoot, does it matter? I’ll always geek out over this stuff because I’m obsessed.
I’m also amped because this is the beginning of me hitting the reset button on building a quiver. This board will serve as the highest-performance board for waves bigger than waist high. I currently have a 6’0 x 20 ½ x 2 ½ quad fish for below waist, but as of now that’s it. A step-up for heavy/big surf is also needed, as well as a shorter board of medium width for steep faces – like a battail quad.
That’s what makes our sport so unique. Unlike skateboarding, wakeboarding or even snowboarding (to some extent); our riding surface changes by the day, the tide, the hour, the minute and/or the wave. The varying conditions, sizes and shapes of these surfaces really do require an arsenal of surfboards – hence the origin of the term “quiver,” which is also used to describe a bundle of arrows.
Having various options also increases the longevity for each board you own, so while throwing down loot on multiple surfboards is definitely a short-term hit; it all evens out in the long run.
And it’ll keep you ready for whatever Mother Nature throws your way. After all, in surfing – as in life – the more options you have, the more chances you’ll have at success.
-John CSB
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Great White North.
When work and other obligations allow, that’s where I’ll most likely be alongside fellow wintertime charger Jausch of S&A.
Big deal, right? People always head “Down South” for that extra juice VB nearly always lacks.
Let’s get this out of the way now: about 90 percent of the Virginia’s Eastern Shore is protected by uninhabited – and this unconnected and unpaved – barrier spits and islands that are much more jagged than the likes of Sandbridge, the northern Outer Banks and Hatteras Island. That geography creates a jackpot of coves, sandy points and beach breaks: a full-on buffet for anyone… with access to a boat or jetski, or is willing to hike or paddle long distances. A handful of VB heads have some spots wired, but they aren’t talking. Interested parties should do a Google Earth search and see what looks good.
But why drop $17 in tolls to get waves when the drive south is free? The answer lies in local geography. Look at a map: VB lies in a little nook further west than the surrounding coastline, facing east-northeast. This cuts down our exposure to both steep north swells and south/southwest swells. But the Shore faces east-southeast, and protrudes further out to sea. Its angle receives all the steep stuff that misses VB – as well as everything we normally get. Additionally, some of these spots offer world-class breaks.
Another great draw of that beach direction is its ability to make north-northwest winds – which make VB a sideshore mess – into a nearly 45-degree offshore wind. During the winter months, these blows often follow low-pressure systems, so while VB looks like a washing machine; our northern neighbors are scoring much, much cleaner conditions.
After a tedious drive through snow-packed, icy roads; we arrived at our spot only to find an impassible situation. Upon turning around to scout another option, we ran into a couple of surfers from Portsmouth who had the same ideas as us. They became our traveling partners for the day, and everyone got stoked on that.
Those guys – Duke and his buddy (sorry bro, can’t remember your name) – had checked another spot on our radar, so we decided to see what was good. After another sketchy drive and doing what had to be done to get to there, we were rewarded with head-high, textured-but-clean peaks; most of which peeling left.
Needless to say, it was a short session due to sub-freezing temperatures and a heavy offshore wind, but we scored some solid surf. All it took was a little intuition, a whole lot of effort and every piece of rubber we could muster between us.
If anyone reading this decides to scout some spots of their own, PLEASE do so with CAUTION. The various inlets can create strong rip currents; and you got to make sure you’re hydrated and packing the appropriate gear to make either a long paddle, walk or both to tap into your own secret sandbar.
Or you can hunt down someone with a boat and go exploring. Either way, the Eastern Shore and the rest of the Delmarva coast offers limitless wave potential when VB is probably lacking.
- John CSB.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Deep Freeze
Could this water get any colder?
While the answer is yes – scientifically speaking – never once in my 14 years of surfing can I remember the water being 38 degrees in Virginia Beach.
But if you want in on these waves that have a habit of showing up every weekend, you got to be ready to grin and bear it. (continued below)
On the subject of winter-surf, check out Surf & Adventure Co. team rider Tyler Balak charging cold Hatteras alongside VB's Raven Lundy:
(continued from above) Since the flat spell ended, almost every session has gone down in ice-cold, all-around conditions as these storms have brought cold air temperatures. Outside of Frisco’s MLK Day swell and Monday, Jan. 25th’s south swell, getting out of the 30’s has been a tall order.
The sad truth is that Sunday’s afternoon session wasn’t the coldest this year – even with nine inches of snow on the ground and air temps in the upper 20s. You see, the sun was out and the wind was light. That water is a constant we all have to deal with.
Me, Jaush Alley and Reid Ganther – way out of his usual San Diego temperature environment – tackled those frosty conditions and were rewarded at first with some semi-clean waist- to chest-high chunksters at our “secret” Sandbridge spot. Halfway through the session, a much larger north swell filled in behind the northeast wind swell for some fast, peaky action.
Looking back at the snow-covered tops of houses and the deep drifts on the sand reminded me of some of the snow sessions I’ve been a part of in the past. The one that sticks out the most was about six years ago, when Hatteras Island was lashed by a storm that dropped 10 inches of snow. Of course, the low pulled off the coast and it’s head-high, peeling lefts had just the right amount of offshore grooming at the Lighthouse.
Me and my buds were game and charged to Hatteras, which had treacherous road conditions from the Bonner Bridge all the way to Buxton. There were actually icebergs in the sound that were jutting out as they collided. It really looked more like a moonscape than the Pamlico Sound.
We got some waves that day, but the wetsuits we had back then didn’t allow for a long enough session before we were sporting blue feet and hands. I still think about all the waves I would have scored if I had my current gear.
That also got me thinking about how far wetsuit technology has come in the past three years – even in the past two years, really. It was always a struggle to get into those non-flexible things, and the accessories left a lot to be desired.
Today’s high-end surfing wetsuits are a drastic departure even from the top-shelf stuff of five years ago. Improvements in thermal lining, flexibility and seam welding have made the 4/3 into a suit you can rock through the dead of winter without any discomfort.
In fact, the worst part of my sessions nowadays is the walk to and from the beach because of the wind and air temperatures. Sure, duck diving still sucks, but not quite as much as it used to. I do sacrifice some warmth for the vision allowed by the bonnet-style hood I wear, but I get much less of an ice headache with that than I used to with my old 5mm hood. And the polypropylene shirt I wear as my base layer actually feels hot against my skin. Keeping the core warm is everything in the winter.
Alright S&A blog readers, I wanna hear about your most intense snow surfing sessions, or the coldest sessions you have ever logged. Go! - John CSB
While the answer is yes – scientifically speaking – never once in my 14 years of surfing can I remember the water being 38 degrees in Virginia Beach.
But if you want in on these waves that have a habit of showing up every weekend, you got to be ready to grin and bear it. (continued below)
On the subject of winter-surf, check out Surf & Adventure Co. team rider Tyler Balak charging cold Hatteras alongside VB's Raven Lundy:
(continued from above) Since the flat spell ended, almost every session has gone down in ice-cold, all-around conditions as these storms have brought cold air temperatures. Outside of Frisco’s MLK Day swell and Monday, Jan. 25th’s south swell, getting out of the 30’s has been a tall order.
The sad truth is that Sunday’s afternoon session wasn’t the coldest this year – even with nine inches of snow on the ground and air temps in the upper 20s. You see, the sun was out and the wind was light. That water is a constant we all have to deal with.
Me, Jaush Alley and Reid Ganther – way out of his usual San Diego temperature environment – tackled those frosty conditions and were rewarded at first with some semi-clean waist- to chest-high chunksters at our “secret” Sandbridge spot. Halfway through the session, a much larger north swell filled in behind the northeast wind swell for some fast, peaky action.
Looking back at the snow-covered tops of houses and the deep drifts on the sand reminded me of some of the snow sessions I’ve been a part of in the past. The one that sticks out the most was about six years ago, when Hatteras Island was lashed by a storm that dropped 10 inches of snow. Of course, the low pulled off the coast and it’s head-high, peeling lefts had just the right amount of offshore grooming at the Lighthouse.
Me and my buds were game and charged to Hatteras, which had treacherous road conditions from the Bonner Bridge all the way to Buxton. There were actually icebergs in the sound that were jutting out as they collided. It really looked more like a moonscape than the Pamlico Sound.
We got some waves that day, but the wetsuits we had back then didn’t allow for a long enough session before we were sporting blue feet and hands. I still think about all the waves I would have scored if I had my current gear.
That also got me thinking about how far wetsuit technology has come in the past three years – even in the past two years, really. It was always a struggle to get into those non-flexible things, and the accessories left a lot to be desired.
Today’s high-end surfing wetsuits are a drastic departure even from the top-shelf stuff of five years ago. Improvements in thermal lining, flexibility and seam welding have made the 4/3 into a suit you can rock through the dead of winter without any discomfort.
In fact, the worst part of my sessions nowadays is the walk to and from the beach because of the wind and air temperatures. Sure, duck diving still sucks, but not quite as much as it used to. I do sacrifice some warmth for the vision allowed by the bonnet-style hood I wear, but I get much less of an ice headache with that than I used to with my old 5mm hood. And the polypropylene shirt I wear as my base layer actually feels hot against my skin. Keeping the core warm is everything in the winter.
Alright S&A blog readers, I wanna hear about your most intense snow surfing sessions, or the coldest sessions you have ever logged. Go! - John CSB
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