Looking Sideways: 10 Things
Looking Sideways: 10 Things
Here are the ten things I thought were worth sharing this week
1. I’m just back from a ridiculously fun trip to the Maldives, during which I turned my phone off and had a few weeks off from all things podcast and newsletter, although I did still release a few episodes I’d recorded before the trip. Click here to listen to a frank and fearless chat about mental health with the great Sue Izzo, here for a brilliant chat with Torren Martyn about Lost Track Atlantic, and here for a special bonus episode with UK surf legend and friend of the podcast Chris Hines.
2. I must admit, I found the latest flare-up of the ongoing Terje Haakonsen brouhaha to be profoundly depressing on about ten different levels. As usual when I’m trying to understand my own position on an issue, I’ve been doing some writing and a lot of reading. As part of the latter, I found this piece on how the LGBTQ+ community can view the appropriation of the rainbow flag to be particularly interesting and illuminating. Click here to read it.
3. I’m honoured to have been asked once again to be a member of the selection committee for the 2022 Natural Selection Tour. Once again, I’ll be working with Travis Rice, event organiser Liam Griffin, and US industry stalwarts Pat Bridges and Mary Walsh to choose the riders that will compete in the biggest contest in snowboarding. My fellow selection committee member Pat is the latest guest on The Bomb Hole - watch the full 4 hour (!) epic above.
4. Crowdfunder alert 1! A group of my pals from South Devon (led by the legendary Paddy, above) have come together to create Outside Devon, a community hub and cafe in Bantham, Devon which is due to open in spring 2022. The team are currently crowdfunding to raise cash for an on-site skate bowl, a project which will transform the local area - click here to help make this one a reality.
5. Crowdfunder alert 2! My friend Patrick ‘Brusti’ Armbruster is a true legend of European snowboarding. He’s dedicated his life to documenting the scene and community, whether as a pioneering photographer, or through his visionary work with Absinthe. And now he’s pouring all that love, passion, creativity and experience into ‘Barely made it’, a new book which I’ve got no doubt will be THE definitive document of that era. Brusti is raising funds for this right now - click here to support this project. And if you not yet listened to my episode 43 conversation with Brusti click here. If you grew up with European snowboarding in the 90s and 00s, it’ll be right up your boulevard.
6. Crowdfunder alert 3! My friend Mathieu Ros has hatched a scheme to bring Backcountry Magazine to Europe, beginning with a French-language edition. Mat is one of those industry legends who has been fighting the good fight for years - to support this project, click here.
7. After badgering him for five years, I finally convinced UK skate photography legend Wig Worland to come on the show. That one is coming soon, but in the meantime Wig just released a zine called Negative Research which is available here. An essential document from one of the UK’s finest - click here to support this one.
8. Pleasure Magazine is one of the true stalwarts of the European snowboarding scene, and for 21/22 they have revamped things and brought out an English issue. Love snowboarding? Then click here to support one of the last original European print mags left standing.
9. I highly recommend the latest SMiLE Interview with Chris Pulman, an affecting and important conversation about skateboarding and mental health. Watch it above.
10. My inaugural Type 2 guest, big wave surfer Greg Long, is a thoughtful advocate for big wave safety. In this typically erudite contribution to Patagonia’s Cleanest Line blog, he explores the Big Wave Safety Paradox. Click here to read it.