Surf

The joys of living on the lakeshore. However, don't kid yourself. The air temp was 22 degrees and the water was maybe 40. Worth it? A wise man once told me, nothing is as cold as "the icy fingers of regret." Above is the said wise man enjoying his choice to paddle out. Those fingers always warm back up, but the regret of missing out on great waves with all your friends will haunt you for years to come. Thanks for the inspiration wise man!

Could it snow 16

Could it snow 16″??

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Friendly Ghost of the Great Lakes

These photos taken with the fish eye lens highlight the eccentric lines of the Bob Simmons design. Looks pretty cool so far, I will be pumped to get the little dude out in the lake soon. Nice work Justin!

Kiteboarding Stoke

Fuel for the kiteboarders soul! I guess if it's going to be warm then bring on the heat.

Dreaming of Perfect Pond Hockey

I just wanted show off some of the perfect ice we had at the St. Ignace tournament this year. Pretty unbelievable, although after the first few games the ice looked all chewed up. I'm really glad we got out there early on Friday morning to take few photos. Pretty sure these conditions will be hard to replicate in the future.

The warm weather feels great but there is a sadness to the warmth for me. Those great times of winter, with perfect snow and ice, sunny days, are all but a distant memory. Great times in the winter of 2009-2010. It was way too short for me, but I guess all good things must come to an end. Bring on the wind and waves!

Bobby has been born from Burly Surfboards

Here is my new mini simmons all ready for a glass job. I will head out to Justin's place sometime soon, and we will pick a color. I am stoked to get that little dude in the water this spring. Bring on a big north soon! I can't wait to get it on some of those up north point breaks.

Intergalatic Human Sled Dog Race

Here are a few pics shot by Carol Cooper, I think you can see what you missed. Winterfest Grand Haven is not something to be missed. I will be anxiously waiting next years event.

Out of Place

Hey crew!

Check out these guys from Cleveland! Their movie "Out of Place" will be showing at the Santa Barbara Independent Film Festival. It won an award at the New York Film Festival. It portraits the culture of surfing in Cleveland Ohio. Pretty cool. I think we need to get a showing of the flick here in Grand Haven.

http://outofplacemovie.com/

Hydronamic Planning Hulls

Here is a few shots of Richard Kenvin on his mini-simmons hydrodynamic planning hull "Casper". His new film "Hydronamica" explores the early designs of finned rail surfboards. I can't wait to pick this one up when it's finished.

Cold Water Paradise

Winter surfing is usually met with the following remark. "You are crazy! Don't you get cold?" I consistently reply, "You would be amazed at how warm we actually are." It still doesn't seem to relieve the persons fear for our safety, but that is probably just fine. I like to have someone worrying about us. Each year I grow fonder of "surfing in the snow" as some call it. The world seems different from out there. Deserted beaches, snow covered houses, and pavilions that look abandoned for good. There's a peace that comes from this experience, which is hard to put into words. Then the waves are cleaner, more powerful, and the entire experience feels more like an adventure. I guess that's why some of us still venture out this time of year. To feel that sense of adventure that is so lacking in our modern day lives. So, as we inch along each morning in our tin cans sipping our disposable coffees on the way to our jobs. It's good to know that there still is a little adventure to be found in our backyard, even if most people would say. "You are crazy!"

Here are a few photos from a facebook friend up in Alaska. I can't imagine a more beautiful setting for the pursuit of winter surfing. Cold water searchers enjoy!