Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2016 i Tracks

"It's all rider-funded, we don't have any big corporate dollars behind us. It's Dane and I and two skaters we're good mates with." That's Craig Anderson explaining to Kirk Owers that he and a couple of friends intend to launch a brand with a distinctly non-corporate vibe. What will become of this quadrilateral relationship? The Dane in the equation is of course Dane Reynolds. That's two surfers who suckled on the teet of Quiksilver for most of their careers. Now they have flown the coup in search of independence and creative freedom. We want them to rise up and build an authentic brand, which blossoms in the absence of corporate values, but will they? It's one of surfing's biggest 'watch this space scenarios'. To get a better insight into where…

The far southern edge of the world is a beautiful place. The snow-capped Southern Alps of New Zealand tower high along multiple miles of remote coastline boarding the Tasman Ocean. These mountains provide the backdrop for the 2.6 million hectare world heritage Fiordland National Park – one of the great natural areas of the world. Two of the world’s largest tectonic plates, the Australian Indonesian Plate, which stretches as far afield as the Himalayas and Pacific Ocean (which border California) collide in the Fiordland. These two plates grind together with gigantic pressure creating the world’s most active fault line a mere six kilometres behind our home. They’ve forced the mountains high into the air, which have then been shaped by glacial ice ages and tens of thousands of years of…

1. Rip Curl | Mirage MF Ultimate | $119.99 Someone who has done as many laps of the Superbank as Mick Fanning needs a top quality pair of boardies! The run-around rash at that place can be brutal! That’s why Mick wears the MF Ultimate! Featuring piece dye fabric with sublimation, welded seams and a ghost waistband, they’re MF approved! ripcurl.com.au 2. Rip Curl | Mirage Fusion| $89.99 Rip Curl never put a foot wrong with their boardies and this year is no exception. The Mirage Fusion Features the impressive Surf Grip waistband technology – a 360-degree internal waistband pattern which fuse the boardshort to the body for ultimate comfort and performance. ripcurl.com.au 3. Globe | Dion Trace Boardshort | $79.99 Globe always seem to have a knack for squeezing…

COME ON OZZIE! WORDS LUKE KENNEDY PHOTO: JOHN RESPONDEK Those of you lamenting the onset of middle age would be best advised to look closely at this shot of Ozzie Wright plundering the skies. Check the projection, the flawless form and the synergy with craft all at play in this moment. Admittedly not everyone is as gifted as Ozzie, but shots like this are undeniably a source of hope for those who are wading through the obstacles of middle age. Ozzie is a father, artist, aerialist, rockstar and entrepreneur, and he’s been pulling off the lip stunts like this for more than twenty years. When Tracks got in contact with the evergreen renaissance surfer he was in Brazil, adding another layer of cultural experience to his tapestry of travels. Quizzed…

Kimi Werner is a former USA spearfishing champion and an accomplished freediver and adventurer. Throughout her illustrious life she has had many encounters with sharks of all kinds including an unforgettable experience with a Great White Shark. She shared some of her insights with Tracks recently including some pretty daunting advice which we suggest you take or leave it as you see fit. "When I first started spearfishing and a shark would come and steal my fish it would scare me so much I would just back off and let it take whatever it wanted. That was my go-to response. The shark would take my fish but then it would often stick around and get aggro. After a while I got used to seeing sharks and I slowly became more…

As a general rule the contract arrangements of professional surfers are best considered infrequently if at all. But when Newcastle's Craig Anderson began stripping Quiksilver logos from his quiver last December it felt like something bigger was afoot. Only months before stablemate Dane Reynolds had been at the same task. Kelly Slater famously parted ways with the iconic brand only the previous year. Between them the trio have been rocking the threads and promoting the brand for some 51 years. For all intents and purposes they were Quiksilver. After years of financial difficulty, the once dominant company filed for bankruptcy last year. Its former stars, three of the biggest names in surfing, haven't moved on to a different major. And not just because precious few could afford them. Undeterred by…

  “It was one of the scariest flights I've ever had for sure. About 20 minutes before we took off, my Mum called from her home near the airport and she was saying how there was a big storm and it was hailing and there was ridiculous winds and everything was getting blown over and I think we just took off before it hit..”Soli Bailey “We had some weather! But when it passed and the sun came out, it looked like one of the most beautiful parts of Australia you could ever hope to see. The vibrancy of the green fields, and the striking blue of the ocean combined to produce stunning scenery.”Connor O'Leary “When we were driving in that fvst morning, the anticipation levels were pretty high.…

When the Rip Curl Search Tactical Unit said to, "Standby, you're going … anywhere," it sounded like carte blanche, an open cheque to find waves planet-wide. The fact that the swell we were targeting had come and gone by the time we left Australia was more a matter of logistical friction than lack of planning. My histrionic "dag nabbit" type exclamation was a thin attempt at disguising the fact that I wasn't fazed about our failed rendezvous with a done and dusted swell. For mine, surgical strikes are clinical and soul-less anyway. They aren't real travel at all, they lack romance; they're like paying for sex. I much prefer going out and just hunting for surf, the more so for the sake of story telling. Besides, if it's guaranteed, it's…

On the east coast of NSW our seasonal changes come in subtle shifts. During the winter, a few duck dives in a row might herald an ice-cream headache. A biting sou’wester might reach us from the Snowies, making the post-surf car park change a little more uncomfortable than usual. But generally speaking, we get through it without booties, gloves and hood. We’ve no icy roads to travel, no glacial winds to bear, unlike those to the far north or the far south. Rather than a big spring melt, the seasonal change here is signalled by flowering natives and shifting winds. And the surfing species is in tune with this change perhaps more so than other groups. We are invariably at the mercy of the elements, and look to patterns in…

Jarra coasted down the steep, winding hill that lead from his place to Chunders – his local beachie – knuckles like tiny glaciers and his nostrils burning in the chilly August air. When he reached the dunes Rory was already there, rubbing his palms together in defence of the cold. ‘How’s it looking?’ ‘Worth a paddle!’ They squinted in the pre-dawn darkness. Jarra could see ridges of white foam, perhaps a channel to the left. ‘Out there!’ They struggled into their wetsuits and ran down to the water without waiting for Lennie. Jarra braced for the cold before pushing through a cresting shore dumper, his skin tingling as water washed through his wetsuit. Rory came up beside him, and they raced each other to the peak. Jarra turned and paddled…