Sick of Pipe

i feel you bro. thats why modern collective is one of my favorite movies of all time. riding pipe looks the same every time. its about the mix...airs and cutbacks

 

I wont lie, watching Lopez arched back getting sprayed out of pipe is one of the reasons I started surfing, but I am bored with most videos that are jammed down our throats these days. I guess I am getting old but I am into documentery style films that tell real stories about people who just happen to have a love of surfing. I recommend two: Sliding Liberia and a new one by Vince Madeiros called Rio Breaks.

 

I HATED modern collective. It was one trick waves the whole way. I want to see the whole ride and barrels or linking multiple turns from the takeoff. Pumping and boosting an air off a closeout is cool but not every wave.

 

how many people actually started surfing cause of slater or some sponsored rider? i acutally just started cause i saw guys out there shredding. never will know who it was but they inspired my life

 

Who inspired me??

The old standup/boogie scene in Bethany with Colin and some of the other guys. Seeing that as a 10 yr old really gets ur mind going.

 

Surfing now a days is all about aerials/grabs, or in basic terms, "skateboarding maneuvers" . I don't understand it. If i wanted to do an aerial i would grab my skateboard and go do it. Surfing isn't about being able to be the 1st person to do a backflip or some crazy double grab or whatever. Surfing is about the love, passion, enjoyment, and connection to the ocean. Granted that I'm only 22 and many see me as "naive or unexperienced" but Surfing has lost it's true meaning, and the Members that surf for the true, real, original reasons will out surf any of the new age aggro aerialists. Watch any of the most memorable and loved surfers of all time. Gerry, Mark Richards, Rabbit. All those guys can carve/snap/feel the energy of the wave. The new generation will be forgotten as soon as they end their career because no one cares about backflip thingys, People remember watching someone get pitted, coming out, carving the top and being one with the wave. People remember beauty in the ride and not the laceration of it.

As far as the Pipe situtaion, From my perspective, Pipe is the ultimate wave as far as danger and ability to control/tame the wave. I personally don't like watching pipe contests because as stated, it's the same thing over and over again. However, If i were to be in the lineup at pipe, and was actually respected by the Hawaiians enough to be able to be in the line-up, then that is a huge accomplishment and i would be stoked out of my mind.

 

Ur so hip bro. I agree with you tho. What ever happened to sunny garcia destroying big sunset with huge hacks and a good final bowl section. Big boards and good waves instead of DUMPSTERDIVERBRAS riding 2 ft waves and being HIP.

Modern hip collective. Who does cutbacks and snaps these days. Its all about fins free bra. I see alot of kids doing air 360s brfore they learn big turns. Scary.

HIP. And the smaller board.....the cooler you are.
Rant....

 

The best part about it all, is that most of those kids that have dumpster divers or lost rockets or CI fishcuit, etc. had their parents buy this $700 it for them and will never appreciate it.


My favorite board in my quiver is a 5'10 M.T.B. Singlefin shaped in 1975. Got it as a gift for my 18th birthday. Iit's still got the original fin on it, and the Leash attachment is in the Fin slot in the bottom. It's pre-plug

 

Mark Occhilupo b_tches!

 

Agreed one hundred thousand percent

 

surfing since '75. Surfing goes in cycles. Late seventies was "power surfing". Early eighties brought the punk / new wave scene, polka dots, bright colors, twin fins and "amped", spastic surfing. Later eighties to early nineties brought the Thruster, Curran, muted colors and power turns back to surfing. Mid nineties to 21st century brought Slater, ultrathin potato chip boards that did more sliding than carving, and ushered in full aerials and skateboard like maneuvers.

Surfing will again return to long, hard drawn out turns and lines with powerful moves revolving around the barrel, with surfers taking a more conventional and conservative path.

It's all cyclical.

 

I have to agree with the opinions expressed. i found that korduroytv is a great website. it has tons of vids and articles with all varieties of surfing, not just the competition sites and surfers over and over.

 

Yea. Oiginally surfing was supposed to be the longest ride on the biggest wave close to the "curl".

 

I agree with pretty much everyone's comments to an extent. I will say that Pipe is a fantastic wave, and it is a monumental accomplishment to get a barrel there. Something that we should do in our lifetimes. The wolfpak isnt always there. You can sit out for 3 hours and pick off a shoulder and get rewarded for a barrel, but I DEFINATELY agree that it is boring to watch. I was even board with that Off the Wall article on surfline. Same sh**. Some dude tucked back 30 yards inside a barrel, half the photos were actually closeouts...

But as far as surfings proggresion etc, I tend to disagree with more traditionalist ideas. Although surfing goes in cycles, the ability to perform tricks and turns on critical sections of waves was never available to anyone until the thruster and shortboards were ironed out...

Now, in 2011, I think it is an ABSOLUTE must to have the basic aerial tricks down. At least if you want to be a competitive surfer. You simply have to. A standard frontside, backside and fronside air reverse are a must in any bag of tricks and take a very long time to dial in... I cant do all these crazy skate grabs or anything like that. But a frontside air with a grab is just a standard frontside air... Once you get the hand of doing an air, you realize the the easiest way to stabalize the board in flight and actually land it is with a simple rail grab. Sh**, I usually grab rail before the board has every left the lip, that way you can keep coiled and its easier to land... That is not "skateboard" trickory, it is just simple physics. I know that airs are very skate influenced, but they are really unrelated.

And to anyone who works on airs a lot, you obviously know that "air sections" on ANY kind of wave dont just "present" themselves to you. You have to gain ridiculous speed, which is why in the videos, you only see the small clips. Its cause guys are intentionally dropping into closeout ramps for the sake of getting 2 or 3 pumps in on a hollow faces, getting just enough speed to rotate your body into an air... That is why a lot of people consider it, "ugly" or something... Its just ugly out of context sometimes....

I never go out anymore trying to do airs all day, but when im pumping super fast, clearing around sections and getting up mad speed on the face, there is only one acceptable trick to throw, and its an air. When you get a certain amount of speed up, it is a waste of torque and speed to just dig rail and throw a fan. Some guys make this an art form, so Im not against it, but if you hit the breaks while you are flying towards a closeout section, you are robbing yourself of some serious fun...

Still to this day, at age 30, I get NO better rewarding feeling when I surf then when I land an air. I was much better at it a few years ago, but still, I will take an air reverse over any barrel (unless we are talking pipe =))... Its just flat out more difficult.

The point is this: 90% of surfers simlpy cant do an air. Never have. Never will. I know beginners that surf and have accidentally got barrels. You will never, not in a million years propel yourself off the top of a wave, hold your center of gravity 5 feet off the lip and land clean and ride out of that. It doesnt just happen. It takes about 50 attempts at the right moment before you even get the feel for it....

So, I still insist that most people that hate on Airs just cant do em. Nothing wrong with it, but if you arent pulling them off, you dont understand how hard it is... There is no trickory about it. It is flat out plain skill.

I may disagree with this statement 5 years from now if I cant get my rails out of the water, but until then, I will defend all these young up and comers.... What they are doing really esclipses surfing in years past....

I guess I am just saying that, when taken in the proper context, airs are the best thing that has ever happened to surfing. 16 year old in grom contests are going Barrel to Air reverse, to 3 snaps, to cutback to one last air reverse on the inside scetion. I mean, kids who dont even get media hype are out linking up turns that would blow your mind....

So if you hate the air clips in certain videos, its just because its bad film making.

Its like in skating. If you dont land the trip, you CANNOT print the photo... Surf photographers and video guys cheat. They even cheat on tow ats and kick outs.... You never know. 3/4 of barrel shots in Mags are closeouts... But you look cool as sh** for a breif moment.

 

Zack, all these points are valid, but you left out one thing. It is such a session downer watching people trying to land tricks. Its like showing up to the skate park on a beautiful day to find a local ripper trying to land a bluntslide to fakey in the spleen bowl all day. It just a downer for everybody involved with the session. I have no problem with airs and pushing the envelope of what is possible in surfing (or skateboarding), just don't do it during a hot session. If you rip and land your tricks, you are the man. If you cant land it, stick to what is in your bag of tricks during a big session.

 

Funny you say this. I use to casually body board when I was a teenager (17 I think) and once and I saw this little kid (maybe 10 years old) on a surfboard and he was paddling all over the place and catching everything and did a 180 and landed it. The next day, I took my high school graduation money and bought my first surfboard. I wonder what that kid is doing now and if he only knew the impact he made on my life.

 

i could never get sick of watching the bonzai pipeline! Iv never surfed it but I snorkeled there in july and all I've got to say is holy Sh*t. As hard as iv eaten sand before, I dont even want to imagine a mouth full of that reef.

 

Yeah dude, you're sooo right. Progression is soooo lame. Pushing the limits of what's possible in any realm is clearly for posers. Achievement and accomplishment is for p*ssies. I mean, we should totally go back to riding 50 pound 10 foot balsa wood long boards in trunks so tight your balls turn white from lack of circulation. And while we're on the subject of how lame progression is, let's all get rid of our cell phones and the "Intrawebs" and go back to telegraphs. The automobile is pretty crappy too. And football players should probably go back to leather helmets and what's with them running so fast? If they want to run so fast, they should stick to track and field. Let's all grab our billy clubs and go down to the closest factory that takes advantage of mechanization and automation and just destroy it. Here's to the Luddites!!! Progression is soooo lame!!!

Let me guess, you wear tight jeans, a flip brim cap, and never go anywhere without a copy of vice magazine? I'll see you tonight on the lower east side!! Cat Power rules!!!

 

That was incredible!