Thursday Tuneage

Blissful electro-folkpop by Faded Paper Figures

It takes a while to pour a pint of Guinness..

But check out how long it takes to make an ad about it!

Booger Gets Busted 2

I may have struck on Blog Gold.

This is the joke that just keeps on giving.. Hahahahahahahaha!

At The Barest Hint Of Snow..

We headed up the Wicklow Mountains in search of a few turns. And after a decent hike, found a little gully full of wind blown fresh stuff to ease the need for a few more days at least. Big trip to Switzerland coming up, ski lifts will now be appreciated.

Booger Gets Busted

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Practical Genius In Hamburg

As an ardent architectural anti-modernist (or post-modernist, or post-post-modernist, or however far past the modernist road sign we are these days) it makes it all the more impressive to see the old blended with the new like the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, designed by Swiss architecture bureau Herzog & de Meuron. It just proves my point that it's possible to blend both if we are not lazy about it.

Practical Solutions To Sea Faring Problems

Dreamt genius by Irish gal Fushia

Tropical Deja Vu

This picture reminds me of driving though the primeval silence of pre dawn in Sumbawa, on the way to Periscopes, driving down a dirt track with just the lights of the boys on their scooters bouncing around like fireflies in a soft breeze in the distance to guide me through the palm groves.

We paddled out through the mercury sea in near darkness to watch the sun erupt from the palm fronds and mountains in a blaze of red; to two dudes allready sitting on the peak; to snag an early few glassy ones, and then to get in a battle royal with some bodyboarders before the ridiculously early onshores kicked in.

Truth be told, the drive, and the images this picture represent were the best bits. Cliche as it is, often the journey is better than the destination. It's not so much the memory but the sensation, and the feeling of complete freedom that lingers.

And Just Cause It's The Weekend

Style Vrs Spin

As the Winter Olympics continue to brighten up the dark months the amazing Halfpipe comp has been simply incredible to watch over the past two nights, with Shaun White reinventing the wheel by spinning and twisting it more than anyone has ever done before. But watching the Girls last night brought me to a conclusion, I reckon the less spin, the more style. Yup, the girls might not Tomahawk, but I reckon anything over 900 just starts to look forced. The grace of the more simple trick was exemplified by Japanese rider Kazuhiro Kokubo when he busted a sweet McTwist in his run. But the girls, led by Torah were so good to watch to a woman. Sometimes less is more. How good are the Winter Olympics!?

Snowboard Cross is the new Pole Vaulting

Ever notice how the pole vault makes compelling viewing at the Olympics? Well, fuck that, Snowboard Cross has it all, action, unpredictability, drama, skill, big ass jumps what more could you want?! (and one of the girls wears a GOLD helmet, A GOLD HELMET!) It's like Gladiator crossed with Mad Max, on snow.

Happy Valentines

Spread the Love kids

Worse Buzz, but the show goes on

Bad news turns worse as the Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili dies following his crash. Here's hoping it's the last event of it's kind in the games.

Bad Buzz

Hours before the Vancouver Winter Olympics are set to start it looks like Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili has, at best, been seriously injured during a practice run. It put's Lindsey Vonn's dodgy shin into perspective, but also begs the question are these games cursed from the off?

This is the third or fourth crash reported from the Whistler track this week (ominously all from leading contenders in the sport), which is reputed as the fastest in the world and which must now, have a serious question mark over it's 5 ringed head safety wise. Add this to the lack of snow at the snowboarding venue Cypress Mountain, and too much snow, and fog in Whistler and the odds are stacking up against the games. Here's hoping the slider is ok, and that the games go well from here.

And So I Watch You From Afar

The past week has been one of the most painful to watch from the comfort of the surfcam in recent times. Middle pics show what happens when low pressure meet high cliffs, more Mickey Mayhem out West. The rest is what you find when you spend a week thinking, and not surfing. Soon, soon..

Overview

Back at Sea

Beautiful surf pics from (excellently titled) Fuck Yeah Surf

Today, we got vandalised..

Someone clearly feels strongly that my house mates and I have been dabbling in soft drugs...

If this doesn't make you want to pack your bags...

Then I don't know what will. Cheesy captions aside, I'm just about ready to set sail, and head South.

Random Random

Out There, People are doing the things we're thinking about...

Lahinch surf report today, and my buddy Hank, far from where we met in Nicaragua, earning his turns on some snow capped peak or other, high up, in the North West of America. Damm Study...

Friday Folk (sorta)

I tried to find something that would alliterate with Friday as a substitute for the no show of Thursday Tuneage this week, so folk is where it fell, but Im not sure if Laura Veirs is really folk.

There are so many genre's of music these days, all you gotta do is pick a random word and whack it with rock or folk and bob's your uncle you've got a whole new genre to take over! So, the lovely, listless, darkness of Laura's music, shall be known as FridayFolk (as in reference to Friday, I'm in Love by The Cure, alluding to the inherent darkness nestled between the joyful branches that form her musical tree) ( obviously).

Found it difficult to choose from the great album, but here's one for a night by the fire, or a bus ride on a blue skied winter's day.

July Flame by Laura Veirs

Things to dream about when doing things you don't dream about...

Surf by PC Progress. Volcano powder by Niseko.

Meanwhile, out West

Fergal Smith and the boys are picking up the pace after a mellow start to the surfing year.

It happens to the best of us..

Shaun White makes friends with the lip of the half pipe during the Winter X games. Ouch.

Sometimes when it's cold and I'm surfing I...

Funky Advice from the dudes at Korduroy TV. Check out their site for lots more cool practical solutions to everyday surfing conundrums. Embrace the recession, DIY will set us free!

Surf Sufficient- De/Funk/ify your Wetsuit from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.