Transworld's got a nifty and pithy interview with Mick Fanning, your 2008 ASP World Champion.

Newschoolers has an outstanding interview with Sammy Carlson, way better than the one we got to do with him over at Icer Air (the bar was loud, and it's always awkward meeting someone for the first time and then trying to interview them. It feels a smidgen creepy to ask someone questions when you have a general understanding of them and their careers and are shining a bright light in their face in the middle of a party when they don't have the slightest clue who you are, but whatever).

At any rate, go read the interview and realize that if you have a problem with Sammy Carlson, the problem is actually with you.  

Mickael Deschenaux has a new blog over at the Ninthward site.  You should read it.

You were looking for it, Surfline's got Mick Fanning vs. Kai Otton finals video from Brazil.  Fanning had already won the world championship by this point, but he still charges.  Video's not great, and I can't get audio to work, but hey: it's four minutes out of your day that you would waste anyway. Right here.

Ah... so if you ever wanted to check out where Bruce Irons lives, ogle his fabulous cars and see his... ah... how should I put this?  His tremendous-looking girlfriend brushing her teeth, you should probably check out this ditty of an interview over at Stab.

Electric Surf Movie. Looks dope. Watch teaser here.

Cool video over on skifilm.com about Hatveit building and hitting that cool road gap from last season. Great follow cams provided by his brother, high-quality video, pretty good stuff, if a little short on the action.  Link is here.  Don't say I never gave you anything.

Enough with the god damn energy drink stickers.  Just stop it.

for Heavenly to rethink their marketing strategy.  Just a thought.

It was about a year ago that we ventured up to the second annual Icer Air, and this evening we will pack into a rented minivan and burn up I-5 for the third installment.  Last year was a splendid time, and this year I expect the same.  I can still recall picking myself off the bathroom floor of our room at the W around 8 am and staggering down to the waterfront for the day's festivities.  Around 10 am I decided it was time for more beer and that is what lead us to the picture above, which I happened to stumble upon today.  Aissam and I found our way into J5's dressing room and pillaged their cooler of Red Stripes before they arrived.  They only had a six pack in there, so we grabbed some Doritos as well. Aissam posed for this photo in front of their modest buffet on the way out.  
This year, Black Star is playing...although they aren't calling them Black Star, I don't know why.  I don't know what will be in their cooler, but I intend to find out in the name of investigative reporting. (I managed to get backstage with Talib Kweli at the Mountain Dew party at X Games this year.  There wasn't a whole lot going on...  they were all watching goofy white guys grinding on goofy white chicks on the dancefloor via a backstage monitor.  Everybody would break out into cheers when a dude would get his arm around a girl or start sniffing her neck, it was pretty amusing... but there were no drinks.)