Breaking Ice

My computer is covered in orange post-its, dosed in black permanent sharpie. My sink is full of dishes and my apartment is in a hurricane of confusion and filth. In a strange and unexplainable way I’m now in my happy place. It’s the final turn in my final edit for Breaking Ice, the long cut.

I’ve veered from the blog for almost a week. A week that included a stint of 30 hours without sleep, being lost in the woods in Tantallon and watching over sized muscle-heads beat each other senseless. I even got paid for it. An interesting career I’ve chosen indeed. And after finishing these unorthodox assignments it’s been back to my layer of creative confusion I call home to go to war with surf on film. That being said I am happy to announce that within two weeks Breaking Ice will be heading to a post house for final color correction, final audio mix and then hopefully I can put this beast to rest. Never question my commitment to the cause, the culture that some of us are trying to preserve. The east coast surf culture that I was welcomed into almost three years ago. This is my gift back to you, so enjoy. I’ll see you in the water.

A quick update from our good friends Andrew Hunter & The Gatherers. Face from the bands debut album Victory at Sea has been added to the East Coast Countdown. That means that with your help AH&G could crack the top ten. If you haven’t heard the track visit myspace.com/andrewhuntermusic.

Go to eastcoastcountdown.com and vote for Face before Sunday. Vote as many times as you can before your fingers become blistered and bloody from pecking away at your keyboard. Listen in on Sunday to see if they make it and if you hear Face contact the band, and let them know it was your vote that put them over the top. Demand a t-shirt for your troubles and tell them you read this here. Grab me a t-shirt while you’re at it!

Cheers

Mike

[Owen Wright : photo Kirstin Wilson]

Owen Wright (Culburra, NSW) is surfing’s undisputed high-flyer after taking down the greatest-ever line-up of aerialists at the Boost Mobile Surf Sho presented by Nokia at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast today, walking away with his largest pay day ever. The eighteen year old Aussie put the contest out of reach with a near perfect aerial, scoring a 9.93 out of ten.

“With a couple of minutes remaining the perfect ramp popped up and I sealed the deal. When I landed it I hoped no one landed anything bigger cause all the guys were capable of pulling a big move off. It feels great to win it.”

To read more on the days events visit Global Surf News

I’m back behind the steering wheel with my foot on the gas. Those responsible for my iMAC debauckle have been sought out and persecuted. Justice served… they won’t be causing us any more trouble.

I must admit I’ve been slow on the rebound. It’s been tough getting back to writing. Luckily I came across a great website www.seaschool.org. And as it turns out, Gorillas In The Fog Director, Breaking Ice Cameraman, Pat Bannister is giving seminars on surfboard shaping. Is there anything this guy can’t do? Here’s the ad:

Build Your Own Surfboard in a WEEK!

Come and learn the art of shaping a surfboard with us and have it ready for summer waves! Taught by Patrick Bannister, this course will take you through the steps of the process to create your own professional-quality surfboard.
Introduction session at Sea School office, 2057 Gottingen Street, Halifax, Thursday June 5th, 6-8:30pm
All other sessions at Bloomfield Center, 2786 Agricola Street, Halifax
June 14th & 15th, 9am-5pm
June 16th-20th, 5:30-9pm
June 21st & 22nd, 9am-5pm
$700

I’ll be back in fine form tomorrow with my interview with Andrew Hunter of Andrew Hunter & the Gatherers.

Mike

[Photo courtesy FFF]

March 29th marked the 3rd annual Nor-Easter Surf Classic at White Point Lodge presented by Billabong and SANS. Who better to give us a quick wrap up than our man from FistFullaFives Steve Smith. Here’s what he had to say:

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photo courtesy SBC Surf magazine

I was out early the other morning, hunting around Halifax for a video camera. After losing faith in all appliances electronic I found myself wandering onto Blowers Street and into Dacane’s Surf Shop. Owner/operator and surf local Lance Moore was inside. I yelled as I made my way forward. I interrupted his reading but he seemed happy enough to see me. I had some questions about a used board I found for sale and he assured me the price was right.

I asked what he was reading and he passed me the new edition of SBC Surf, Canada’s surfing magazine. It just hit the stands. I started scanning through, and Lance grabbed it from my hands. He flipped it two thirds of the way through and there it was. Malcolm Johnson, SBC Surf Editor had caught the premiere of Breaking Ice: The Birth of a Canadian Surf Culture, and found fit to find a place in his magazine for his thoughts on my documentary.

 

When the lights went down for Breaking Ice, more than a few squares in the audience must’ve wondered what had hit them-their festival screen had suddenly been given over to wipeouts and cutbacks and noserides and freezing arse winter waves, all of it narrated by middle-aged men who, though seemingly normal, had built their lives around the outwardly insane pursuit of surfing in conditions cold enough to glaze inches of ice onto the rocks. Breaking Ice ended to a thunderous round of applause…”

Call it an ego boost, excitement or even a bit of vanity, but it’s always good to know others appreciate your work. I haven’t wiped the grin from my face yet.

The magazine is gorgeous. Great photography, well thought out articles, including pieces from local surfers Nico Manos and Neal Durling and an article on Maine transplant Dean Petty. To say the east coast of Canada is represented in this magazine is an under statement. Keep it up Malcolm, and hopefully instead of twice a year you can do this thing once a month.

I was fast asleep after a night of partying with Lionel Richie and Natalie Cole when the call came in from SANS president John Fluke.

A group of sixty or so determined surfers had made the voyage to White Point Lodge on the south shore of Nova Scotia for the third annual Billabong Nor’Easter Surf Classic. Although there was nothing too staggering about the results of this frozen water surf contest, the spin offs were very important especially for the ISA junior boys Canadian contingent.

Now, here are your results:

More…
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The snow is still falling, the roads are icy and unsafe and the elderly are in the throws of terrible fits of arthritis. The beginning of spring has come and graced the Maritimes with it’s sunny disposition. But the blustery conditions may hold for a decent swell at White Point tomorrow for the Billabong Nor’Easter Surf Classic. That’s right. It’s a go. Obvious by the green traffic light cutout glowing proudly on the SANS website.

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photograph Cam Scott and www.coastalbc.com

I’ve been catching up on some past articles dealing with localism in places like Santa Cruz, Jordan River and the Hawaii Islands. I started to think about all of the stories I’ve heard about localism here in Nova Scotia. First it was the local fishermen in the 60′s and 70′s looking to scare off the first generation of Nova Scotia surfers. They stayed, bought up land and settled in. This place has been growing ever since.

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Hey everyone,

I need to let you in on a trailer for a new surf film I came across at Apple’s Movie Trailer Page called Surf Wise directed by Doug Pray. I love a good highlight reel but I love a great story even more. I think it may very well be the best surf film of the year. Here’s a little bit about it. Check out the trailer when you have a moment.

Like many American outsider-adventurers, Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz set out to realize a utopian dream. Abandoning a successful medical practice, he sought self-fulfillment by taking up the nomadic life of a surfer. But unlike other American searchers like Thoreau or Kerouac, Paskowitz took his wife and nine children along for the ride, all eleven of them living in a 24 foot camper. Together, they lived a life that would be unfathomable to most, but enviable to anyone who ever relinquished their dreams to a straight job. The Paskowitz Family proved that America may be running out of frontiers, but it hasn’t run out of frontiersman.

Cheers

Mike

[source: apple.com/trailers]