Category: Action

head high surf and dock slider session

After fun time at Joe Joe’s going away party it proved a little difficult to get going this morning. I took Major on a walk in the morning to check the surf. It was firing! It was head high and bigger. I surfed at Mac Oca for about 2 hours on my short board, It was a fantastic session. I had a half dozen really fun waves. I stayed out there until I couldn’t feel my feet anymore.

I came in for lunch and a quick nap. Then it was off the REAL to go for a kite session as the SW wind picked up towards the end of my surf. I pumped up my new 14m 2009 Havoc and got into my new 145 WLF and headed out for a quick session in the Slick. It was great to get out and ride a little wake style in sub 20 knot winds. Once the wind really picked up it was difficult to land really hard on the new board. Its so flat it just likes to bounce when I land.

Jason, Brandon, Nick and Scotty headed out for a sunset dock slider session. I grabbed a couple shots and then called it a day.

April 19, 2009
Lighthouse Kite and Buxton Skate

We had a very busy day at work today. Jason Sam and I headed down to the Lighthouse towards the end of the day hoping to sneak in a session. It was blowing 30 knots from the North and some very large waves rolling in. There was so much water moving the guys up 8m kites in 30-35 knot winds with surfboards and still could not make it up wind. They packed it up and we headed over to the skate bowl.

Jason and Steve’s friend Ed was back in town. He helped Steve put Mojo’s together last year, and it turns out he is a terrific skater. Ed and Jason skated the bowl with a few of the local kids, while I took a couple photos.

More photos HERE.
Check out Slezy’s post on the day HERE.

April 17, 2009
Windy SW Kite Session

It was well WINDY yesterday. It was about 23 knots in the morning then quickly ramping up to 35-40. Brian Smith, Jason Slezak and Brandon Scheid headed out at my lunch to go for a boost session on 5m kites. I took a couple pictures of the boys boosting.

I headed back down to Frisco to hang out with the MI crew after work. I got in a really fun Kitesurf session just south of the Pier. It was all going well until I dropped my kite in the surf and had to ditch my board. I dragged back into the beach put down my kite and ran up the beach looking for my board. It some how made it through/under the Pier unscathed!

After watching a rather disappointing game I headed down to the Pier to take a couple photos, and then got up for the sunrise.

April 7, 2009
Sunset Photo Shoot

Today was busy, as everyone at work was getting ready for the REAL/ Watermen’s Retreat Open House. It was a good turnout with Mojo Collins playing again on the back deck. It was really windy all day. I was able to grab a quick lunchtime boost session in my shorty!

As the sunset of a great day was about to go down, I grabbed my camera for the first time in a week and took a couple shots. Brandon Scheid and Matt Nuzzo were still out on the water riding in the back yard of REAL.

April 4, 2009
SLC ’09 Snowkite Trip Day 6

Today was suppose to be rest day. There was little wind, so we decided to “take it easy”. Taking it easy as part of the LF Crew is far different than most would think. The day started off a little later around 10am. We then packed the crew up to go to Wolf Mountain to go snowboarding.

It was a smaller mountain with only two lifts, but some fun snow and a great group of friends made it an amazing session. We took laps down one of the hills to the park and hit the kickers and the rails, and did it all over again all morning and afternoon. Jason Slezak and Petter Johnsen were throwing down on the kicker. The snow was soft and a little slushy making it great for trying new tricks.

We ran back to the condos to change for our appointment at the Flowrider. The Flowrider is a standing wave that you surf or boogie board on. Tyler hooked it up with a free and closed session. It was a blast. Everyone had a great time shreading and taking the best wipeouts on the trip.

To end off the day of relaxation we headed to I Fly Utah to go indoor skydiving. The crew had the best time. After a short class on how to fly it was go time. Everyone got two one-minute rides in the tunnel. The staff then put on a bit of a show, pretty much blowing our minds soaring up and down the tunnel with ease.

We grabbed a quick dinner across the street and headed back to the condo. We did a quick review of the photos from the day and had some great laughs and then headed to bed.

Check out the full trip here: Day1, Day2, Day3, Day4, Day5, Day6, Day7, Day8, Day9.

March 19, 2009
SLC ’09 Snowkite Trip Day 5

We had a nice relaxing morning having a killer breakfast. Tekko, Jason and Julien headed out to go scout out around the valley for a cool place to session and shoot. They came back about an hour later with a killer location. We headed out there and rigged. It was pretty light wind for a while steadily picking up. We were able to get some good shots out of the adventure, and some even better ideas for later.

We headed back to the condo for lunch made by the Canadians. The crew packed up and we headed up to the mountain. It was nuking when we arrived. We decided that since there was no cat today that we would all rig up kites and kite to the shoot location, shoot then kite back home. It was a great idea in theory, but proved more difficult than most of us thought, especially with the 75 lbs of photo gear. We started the session at the top of the hill the event was held at. We shot some full rig Liquid Force kite shots. Then Petter was jibbing a tree. That shot turned out to be one of the best of the day.

Jason and Julien were down setting up a picnic table off one of the table tops. The setup was pretty cool, as they hit the kicker and used the table as a down rail. The guys sessioned that for a while. Then Jason and I headed over to do some lip tricks on one of the other table tops as the light really started to fade.

Then the fun part started, getting home. Everyone headed out as Jason and I were finishing up the last shoot. Jason gave me a launch and we headed back to the parking lot. We headed down the first valley and then started up the next uphill as the wind totally shut off on us. We waited a few and luckily the wind came back. It was really crazy riding back with no light as you couldn’t see any definition in the snow. We finally made it back to the parking lot. We packed up the gear and crawled to the cars. But our first expedition was a success.

We headed back to the condos and everyone b lined it to the hot tub. Then it was time for cooking dinner and editing photos. It wasn’t until midnight that dinner was ready. We ate and then crashed.

Check out the full trip here: Day1, Day2, Day3, Day4, Day5, Day6, Day7, Day8, Day9.

March 18, 2009
SLC ’09 Snowkite Trip Day 4

Today started off with a great breakfast at Jason’s friends house that we spent the night at. It was a rough morning being sore from all the hiking the previous day, and the endless hours editing photos and posting on the interwebs. We then found the courage to head back over to meet up with the crew at the condos and then cook breakfast number two. After a little more photo editing, we packed up and headed up to the mountain.

As we pulled up we were stoked to see it was windy. The crew headed down to the event location and I headed out for a quick session before everyone got going. Jason somehow managed to get another kite stuck in a tree, but he redeemed himself by riding well in the kiter-cross event, though Aaron Sales gave him a run for his money.

Then it was the free ride event. We all headed to the flat bar and sessioned it for a while, then headed to a kicker and then to some flat land wake style. Jason, Petter and Jake were just killing it. Petter throwing 270 on 360 then out. Jake did massive kite loops and slezy was stezy on the rails.

We took a bit of a break then headed back up the hill to session and shoot the spine. It was a really fun session as we had Adam Koch, Gavin Butler and myself shooting together. Aaron, Jake, Jason and Petter sessioned with me for a bit on the spine. We then headed up to the BEST rail that the boys set up during our break from kiting. The guys rode hard as the light faded out into the night.

Petter, Tekko and Jason kited back to the car while I waited for Jake for a snowmobile ride back to the top. On the last hill he gunned it and I fell off the back with my photopack and a snowboard strapped to it and a 16m kite in my lap.

We finally made it home to a fantastically prepared meal by the Llew and Kristy. Then it was editing time and off to bed. I was extremely stoked on how the shots from the day turned out. Over 1,000 images taken and about 20 keepers I was so excited that the long day of work/play turned out so well.

Check out the full trip here: Day1, Day2, Day3, Day4, Day5, Day6, Day7, Day8, Day9.

March 17, 2009
Todi USA Header

Todi USA recently picked up a couple images for their homepage. Todi is an athletic footwear company. They are marketed towards athletes. The shoes look nice and I hear are quite comfortable. The two shots they choose are a surfing and kiteboarding image. The ktieboarding shot of Evan was taken in The Slick. The thick barrel surfing shot was taken at the First Jetty at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

January 22, 2009
0809 Trip Day 14 | Maui

I bet you already know how we started the day out…? Yes the coffee shop. But i actually got up a little early to take some pictures and scored a couple good ones. After the coffee shop we headed to DHL to pick up a couple new Standup Paddleboards that got shipped to Julien. We didn’t have a lot of room in the bed of the truck before, now were just pushing it.

We headed over to Kite Beach for a little. Julien put his new boards together and I took a couple shots. The conditions were not great. It was pretty off shore and not much of a wave, of course I didn’t bring my binding the one day we could have rode flat water.

We then headed to Mauricio’s place. He let me borrow his 11’ Jimmy Lewis SUP, and then drove us up to Hookipa to do a SUP downwinder. We paddled out just before sunset. We spent about an hour at Hookipa on the left break catching a couple fun waves. It was blowing at least 20 knots which made things a bit more difficult.

As the sun backed behind the mountains, the full moon started to glow stronger as we paddled down the coast. It was paddle by moon light the rest of the way to the beach near Morris’ house. We grabbed the truck, returned the SUP and headed home.

For all the pictures for Day 14, Click HERE.

0809 Trip Log:
Day1, Day2, Day3, Day4, Day5, Day6, Day7, Day9, Day10, Day11, Day12, Day13, Day14, Day15, Day16, Day17, Day18, Day19, Day20, Day21, Day22

January 9, 2009