Summer is around the corner, I am working Mon to Fri, my bike is back for $20-$50 I was right stupid bike shop thought it would be more Ha!- And lots of hiking/camping, the summer should be great.
Speaking of summer and the fact that Tracy was able to do a little surfing in Costa Rica last week, I decided to write a blog about one of the top surfers who has broken all sorts of barriers and has been one of the best innovators for the sport, and someone that we have followed in several films. Can’t help but wish I was born in a mountainous region by the ocean
Laird John Zerfas grew up in the surfers’ paradise of Hawaii. His mother was a surfer herself and wanted her children to enjoy the sport of surfing. Laird began surfing at the end of a board at the age of 2. After several years of living in the area Laird met big wave surf legend Bill Hamilton. As a young boy Laird introduced Bill to his mother -later they would wed and hence the legend of Laird Hamilton.
Laird was determined at an early age to live life to the extreme. His father, Bill, took laird to the 60-foot Waimea falls looked down once and jumped in, he was 8. Laird was an accomplished surfer by his early 20s, but like his father did not believe that organized competition was the true measure of a surfer and that it was more of an art.
"Contests are less about the one big wave," he says, "than about your performances. Surfing is about your body of work. It's about art. I would snap if I was letting someone other than the audience determine my fate. How does a musician judge his thing? By how many people love his music?"
Laird decided to take surfing in a differnent direction. He was determined to be of body and mind of old school surfers that were well rounded and could handle any situation in big surf. He trained relegiously and discovered new methods of training in the water and out, for example his stand up paddle board (see pic) where he would go out for epic paddles and as a result his 6’3” 215lbs frame proves it -wait maybe that’s why tracy likes him so much why not he has the perfect build.
He started it all in the early 80s by being the first surfer to perfrom a 360’ loop on a board
-while straped in of course. After completeing this task Laird and a few friends decided that with the strap they could hit bigger and bigger waves. They were known as the ‘Strapt’ crew. Quickly Larid saw the possibilities of getting out to bigger and more insane surfs. The crew started with rubber boats that were just not fast enough and quickly went into jet-ski and created tow-insurfing were the surfer is pulled into the top of the wave. The waves are so immense that there is no way that a person could paddle themselves into them.
How big are the waves getting? Larid has now not only learned how to survive these waves but can carve through 70 foot waves. These waves can sink ships. He has also been filmed while being towed in by a helicopter. It wasn’t until 2000 when attempting the most dangerous surf area in the world off of Tahiti that he was truly recognized as the best big wave surfer living and possibly of all time. The ride made the cover of Surfer magazine, accompanied by the caption: "oh my god..." (see pic).
Truly an inspiration for what the body and mind can do when concentration, determination, physical ability and innovation are all pushed to the limit. Laird now has been in many films “Riding Giants” is probably my favorite. His latest -that I would like to see which supposedly has some epic surfing- is called “All aboard the crazy train”, also several documentaries, and “Iconoclasts” with long time surfer Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam.
He is also married to model and pro-volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and lives in a great place in Hawaii. Life can’t get much better for a beach bum, but then again it just goes to show you what you could do if you are determined enough to push yourself in your talents and passions.
Forts -
Speaking of summer and the fact that Tracy was able to do a little surfing in Costa Rica last week, I decided to write a blog about one of the top surfers who has broken all sorts of barriers and has been one of the best innovators for the sport, and someone that we have followed in several films. Can’t help but wish I was born in a mountainous region by the ocean
Laird John Zerfas grew up in the surfers’ paradise of Hawaii. His mother was a surfer herself and wanted her children to enjoy the sport of surfing. Laird began surfing at the end of a board at the age of 2. After several years of living in the area Laird met big wave surf legend Bill Hamilton. As a young boy Laird introduced Bill to his mother -later they would wed and hence the legend of Laird Hamilton.
Laird was determined at an early age to live life to the extreme. His father, Bill, took laird to the 60-foot Waimea falls looked down once and jumped in, he was 8. Laird was an accomplished surfer by his early 20s, but like his father did not believe that organized competition was the true measure of a surfer and that it was more of an art.
"Contests are less about the one big wave," he says, "than about your performances. Surfing is about your body of work. It's about art. I would snap if I was letting someone other than the audience determine my fate. How does a musician judge his thing? By how many people love his music?"
Laird decided to take surfing in a differnent direction. He was determined to be of body and mind of old school surfers that were well rounded and could handle any situation in big surf. He trained relegiously and discovered new methods of training in the water and out, for example his stand up paddle board (see pic) where he would go out for epic paddles and as a result his 6’3” 215lbs frame proves it -wait maybe that’s why tracy likes him so much why not he has the perfect build.
He started it all in the early 80s by being the first surfer to perfrom a 360’ loop on a board
-while straped in of course. After completeing this task Laird and a few friends decided that with the strap they could hit bigger and bigger waves. They were known as the ‘Strapt’ crew. Quickly Larid saw the possibilities of getting out to bigger and more insane surfs. The crew started with rubber boats that were just not fast enough and quickly went into jet-ski and created tow-insurfing were the surfer is pulled into the top of the wave. The waves are so immense that there is no way that a person could paddle themselves into them.
How big are the waves getting? Larid has now not only learned how to survive these waves but can carve through 70 foot waves. These waves can sink ships. He has also been filmed while being towed in by a helicopter. It wasn’t until 2000 when attempting the most dangerous surf area in the world off of Tahiti that he was truly recognized as the best big wave surfer living and possibly of all time. The ride made the cover of Surfer magazine, accompanied by the caption: "oh my god..." (see pic).
Truly an inspiration for what the body and mind can do when concentration, determination, physical ability and innovation are all pushed to the limit. Laird now has been in many films “Riding Giants” is probably my favorite. His latest -that I would like to see which supposedly has some epic surfing- is called “All aboard the crazy train”, also several documentaries, and “Iconoclasts” with long time surfer Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam.
He is also married to model and pro-volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and lives in a great place in Hawaii. Life can’t get much better for a beach bum, but then again it just goes to show you what you could do if you are determined enough to push yourself in your talents and passions.
Forts -
2 comments:
Here is a decent clip of some of laird and his buddies at the office...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Too many dudes without shirts in your post, otherwise, good entry!
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