(You’re welcome you rotten kids)
I’m not young or old but a thought just struck me that might be of interest.
Mortality.
Going down a mine shaft, a firery, crewing an Aleutian crab boat, an LAPD cop? Risky jobs, sure but Surfing 12-15’ pipe for a living is right up there for sheer danger.
At what point do we reconsider?
I used to enjoy pushing myself to my limit*. Now I just enjoy dodging fear.
A mate of mine, a very good snowboarder and a fellow grommet team member’s dad. Went down a green run carrying a backpack with a water bottle in it. For reasons unexplained he went over a medium jump backwards (dodging someone?)
18 fractures in 11 ribs. 10% chance of survival. Has since improved (thank Twillsy) and has narrowly escaped death or permanent disability.
On to Kohl Christensen. I’ve been following this guy’s career for years. Same vintage as Kelly. A perennial Wave of the Winter guy. Amazing surfer.
We’re all WOTW guys in our own right, I suppose. In our own fields or great passions but when is it time to put on the brakes a bit?
I’ve got two young kids that constantly piss me off and impress me occasionally.
I’d do anything for them.
I’ve lead a reckless and selfish life and still do. Not as extreme as Kohl, or Chesser, or Brock, or Jay but just as risky and frivolous in different ways that might even horrify the above mentioned.
But I want to be around for my kids.
Divorce, booze, depression, temptation, addiction, selfishness, can lead even the strongest of us astray.
Forget oxy, Stoli, coke (sniff here) a nice Malbec or 6, adrenaline is as dangerous a drug as any of ’em.
As our skill sets decline should not our desire to be doing double back flips or pulling into close outs at 12-15’ pipe decline also?
I’m doing my bit.
(You’re welcome you rotten kids)
Respectfully
R. Matic
*yawn.
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Good stuff, Mr Matic.
I reckon it’s much less about recklessness and being gung ho. It’s having an open mind not centred on your own little tiny world, and acting with integrity in that world. Standing up for others, doing hard things we don’t want to do, but must be done. Like spending xmas with your father-in-law.
Doing the fun scary stuff, and pushing your limits, may make you better at these things, if you know your motivation and aren’t acting on some desire to get slapped on the back by your peers.
In ripe old’ish age, I’m working really fcuken hard on the first bit, and trying to push my surfing and skiing – with varying success.
It looks like Kohl Christensen is on the way to a full recovery. I hope so.
courage is facing and overcoming what scares you. large surf is scary.
dont confuse heroism with courage. they sometimes go together, but not always.
agreed, they’re very different.
What a singer. Holding company was a shit band though. Average cover band at best.
come on RM who’s your story avatar ?
Ha! That’s noted bass player, Ghengis Kahn Huli!
Can’t see any CTers out at big perfect pipe lately.
Doesn’t even look even look crowded.
JOB killing it!
No Toledo even? Or Kanoa?
Maybe they’re all at home, enjoying a break from the tour and travelling.
What CTers live on Oahu? Jordy, Seth, JJF. Others?
You just gotta keep gong till you cant!! that’s EVERYTHING – that means a bit of selfishness for sure but if your not then can’t help those around you anyway.
Fit and flexible is key
As for surfing I will go as long as possible then turn into a bodysurfer and can wheel me to edge in wheelchair if necessary and hope as long as possible snowboarding too!!
I know quite a few older dudes that still charge big/and gnarly waves but they’re freaks. I’m slowly working my way towards freakdom.
Takes courage to comment on BG
Freddie King ?
Hint A.L snr.
Damn you. Now I’m fully twisted on it. Don’t tell me. I’ll figure it out. I assume snr means senior? It’s prolly someone obvious. What genre?
Ha! yes senior. Think jazz, fusion etc..
Absolutely beautiful
A true master. Good sleuthing Huli!
Some blokes never have it, some hang it up in the 30s, some their 40s, etc etc, while others never do. It’s the individual that has to justify their reasons and live with their decision.
I hope kohl recovers swiftly and strong, and next season nails the wave of the winter.
The thing I’ve most noticed over time is most of the things in life that masquerade as acts of Courage really aren’t. This is incredibly true of riding big surf. It looks like courage but really it’s just a kick in the pants. It requires judgement, awareness and a calculation of risk, then you take off and whoooo!
Courage is doing what’s right even though it’s going to hurt ya. It happens everywhere, all around us, every day, and we don’t see it because it’s usually not that visible.
excellent definition NC.
well I don’t get spun by big surf in the slightest but I’ve failed my own definition of courage on numerous occasions.
v important point, nick. physical risk in pursuit of sport/thrills is interesting, but not the same.
re: original premise, it occurred to me that every man on this earth has done many many stupid and reckless things. mostly in our youth, but not exclusively. some people are lucky enough to escape ruin despite all the dumb shit we’ve done, while many others are destroyed.
pure Fate, nothing to do with skill or smarts or clean living.
And by only taking half that tab at a time.
Good point. Being kinda smart in the way you’re doing stupid shit
Nice take NC
Like having the courage to believe in jesus.
End times, scomo knows what’s up
https://youtu.be/kliQSsD_npo
… or My Little Ponies.
Hey man 2 hours ago I was swayed onto the death climate bandwagon by science geeks
But have just realized there are no 2000 year old science books like the bible.
It’s the reckoning bitch
Better fess up or burn up.
Love you Jesus fuken Christ.
Is there any science you believe in Bex? Your iPhone? Internet? Car? Doctor? Aero plane, surfboard? Physics? Just asking.
Well people don’t believe in allah cause you can’t see him.
But you can’t see radio waves either,
I’m not mad. Just disappointed. Go to your room.
Good story
Keep it up!
As-salāmu ʿalaykum my gritty brother. What if Scomoz converted from happy clapp’n to the might of Islam? Sharia law for all aussies? The beach would look way less fun in summer.
That’s right.
Count your blessings
It’s Better the God you know.
It’s weird isn’t it? That almost always, the culture that you are brought up in, is the culture that you keep.
But you can hear them ?
Poor old Bible got left behind by the Scientific Revolution some 500 years ago ? ask Galileo …poor bugger having to make out he still believed that sun rotates around the earth just so it didn’t annoy the accountants from the inter subjective entity ,My mate Jesus .
Infinity by it’s own nature is not a fact
Infinity used to make surfboards …. now they make SUPs . If you would like the earth to be at the center of the universe and only 4000 years old , I ain’t going to tell you that Santa (Cruz ) doesn’t exist either … freedom of religion brother
Just pointing out the frailty of human knowledge.
If you think I’m a bible basher I question your previously highly regarded perception
No champ , like myself , you are more likely to be bashing the bishop ….giggles
Found out this morning that Copernicus, who came up with the idea 90 odd years before old G-man, actually had papal approval for his theory. Turned out Galileo was born in the wrong time.
Can you have the courage to not keep boring us about it all?
OMG.
sorry I thought you’d gone.
I came back to see if maybe the comments section had become a place of silly banter again without the same blunt political message being hammered through the keyboard over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
It hasn’t.
Maybe it escapes you that the articles kick it off.
Having known some of the Northern California big wave guys over the years, it has always been interesting to me how they seemingly don’t have the same filters of family preservations/self-preservation of normal people, until suddenly one day they wake up and do. The “retirement” tends to come suddenly. They’re just over it.
I used to jump off bridges until suddenly they scared the shit out of me.
Wanna buy some special shorts to help you out with that problem?
I know exactly what you are talking about. now I have to slap myself s few times before jumping.
Nature dictates the young bloke must risk his life constantly through war,sport,drugs.music career,etc.
It’s so the hotties will breed with him and make good kids.
Simple evolution.
Pretty heteronormative view of this crazy dance, Bexy. How do you explain Caitlyn Jenner? And I reckon Jen See could give a shit less about surfline man, and would rather bone the geek in the corner who can present vulnerable emotions and discuss literature. In other words, she’s be all over Wiggs like stink on shit.
Nature allows for 10 % weirdos
Not on the WSL tennis tour, at least.
Kelly
Ace buchan
Solo bailey
Theres your 10 %
Just hit an age milestone and off to do the scariest shit of my life in March. Pray for Dogsnuts.
Dear God
Scare the shit outta dogsnuts I’n March.
The end.
That’s the scariest punctuation I’ve seen in a long time.
What the hell are you smoking?
I had to give up smoking cause its dangerous.
Good, it stinks.
Apart from good weed.
Which also stinks.
But is good.
Care to share details?
When it’s all over and I haven’t embarrassed myself or died perhaps.
you getting married?
Haha, very good!
I’m still determined to learn to do few airs before I hit 50.
Being out of the water for almost a year with this and that is not going to help me.
My wife announced once again last night that she and the kids would be better off without me, so if I die on a big (any) day there’ll be no loss to them.
I’ll be buying the Metallica x Artificial Intelligence shorts soon so I can headbang my way into pushing myself over that 2′ ledge at the local close-out burger beachy.
BTW: Thanks Ric.
Life is just one heavy experience after another. Hang in there cb.
Tell me about it.
Be pretty boring if it was all peeled-grapes and Daddy’s money eh?
Looking forward to you releasing a few jaunty ditties here on BG…?
Recording late January. ’10 Sock’ is on the list.
Look out Bernie Taupin!
Let her try it for a while.
Might be a good tonic for both of you
She has no interest in surfing, or boardshorts that play chip-tune versions of heavy metal before opening a flap to allow you to shit in the line-up.
I mean living sans CB for a while, couple of weeks.
I did it and the bitch didn’t even text me.
It was awesome.
Came back and fucked the shit out of her
It’s been great ever since
Hey my shorts just came in the mail!
This is what happens when I put them on and think about my mornings Oat Bran (FTW!!!) intake:
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Whooo! it’s getting a bit breezy in the back as they open and close all by them selves!
Artificial Intelligence is cooooooooooool!!!!!!
Wow.
Sorry, I tend to over-share.
Fucking hell CB – im with Bex fuck em – lets go up coast and test some shark devices at dawn and dusk
Yeah.
Mebe not.
I’ll convince myself to go in big waves, but I can’t stand the idea of bitey sharks.
perhaps its time to remove the picture of the penis fish from fridge door.
Airs are over rated (and bad for old knees and ankles) , having done a few over the last 40 years ….but the big carve on the face at full speed taken right back to the whitewash can still be achieved way into …. the mid 50s… at least ? I used to get pissed off if I fell off once a month …. then once every session …. to finally being over the moon if I can surf one wave on a two week holiday to my full aging potential ….. Don’t set the bar to high is possibly the path to aging Surfing enlightenment ?
Ps All wives worth having should tell their men “ we’d be better off without you “ . I always tell my wife when she decides to sprout these thoughts “ If you leave me , can I come too “
Only 3 weeks out the water and could barely make the drop at my local beachie yesterday (good swell)… get out there as often as you can and keep the rust off the gears.
There comes a time when most of us feel the need to pull back a bit. I’m sure we’ve all done things that we are pretty glad we don’t have to do again. I loved the experience of surviving and surfing the larger waves ‘back in the day’, but am happy to recognise that was the past and watch on as others get amongst it. Part of it is family, part of it is a post-viral condition which leaves me short of breath and chest discomfort. Even were I in top physical shape, I’m not that keen on large waves unless the conditions are pretty much under control. I’ve got teenage kids to nurture through their knuckleheadedness…