SUNDAY JOINT, 9-24-2017: SURF RANCH, BOB PIKE

Hey All,

Kelly and his wave machine sure did suck the oxygen from the room last week, and you gotta credit the old fella for still owning the surf-world narrative. Kelly’s pool, for me, is a major disturbance in the Matrix. Surfing is a strange and singular activity, with one foot in the world of sport and the other in some kind of D&D-like semi-fantasy world of our own creation. With the pool, I think we're on the verge of trading magic for perfection. But that’s just one opinion; my own personal Matrix. A lot of people are stoked and excited about what happened last week, and even if I don’t share those feelings, I understand the buzz. In any event, I do think that a hundred years from now, whoever writes the updated History of Surfing will divide the sport into two basic time periods: BP (before pool), and AP (after).

“Flight of the Larrikin,” the History of Surfing section I posted on Monday, takes place mostly in the ’50s and early ’60s, and sets up Australia’s upcoming rocket-like rise to surfing prominence. Snow McAlister added his sweet and humorous voice to Above the Roar, while Nick Carroll offered a short profile on Bob Pike, who Nick describes as “the first and greatest Australian big-wave rider.” Don't believe him? Have a look at the pic below. Pike lived for those moments, he was full-speed-ahead, elbow-to-elbow with Noll and Curren and Trent. (If you haven't seen this video of Pike going over the falls at Pipe back in the earlies, have a look, it’s horrifying.)

See you next week!

Matt