Anyone else get some today...?

[Ottime]

I think they would have been nice on upper dry creek when I was there in February. Firm smooth wind board. You just needed edge grip.

[Ottime]

It's raining in Newport as we speak. Baldy has gotten pounded since it closed, and it was having a good year, by Baldy standards, before that.

Typically we get a 9 day trip to Mammoth at the end of March, then 2-3 Mammoth weekends in April and 1-2 in May. In general I feel lucky if I'm able to get a Baldy day in April, this season it would probably go until the end of April.

Baldy is an interesting mountain. At the base one takes a lift, typically with the skis off, up to the restaurant, where skis are put on and the rest of the terrain is accessed. The runs down to the lot are insane when they are open. Thunder is Baldy's main peak, you would be amazed that terrain is in socal. But the runs down to the lot are just nuts, they are about 1500 vertical and they would be legit double diamonds at Mammoth. Not the gnarliest stuff, but imagine being able to ski terrain that is close to as steep as the avy chutes in socal. I have gotten some lot runs this year, any season where you get lot runs is a good one. Some of these storms have gotten down to the 5k level, so I would be the lot runs would be good to go again. It is pouring at my house right now. I think this would have gone down as one of the best Baldy seasons we have had in the 15 years I have lived here.

I can imagine. I’ve done some touring in SoCal that made me shocked I was in SoCal. It’s near that famous rock on the other side of San Jacinto from Palm
Springs. Starts with a T I think. Amazing cirque.

[Long duc dong]

I can imagine. I’ve done some touring in SoCal that made me shocked I was in SoCal. It’s near that famous rock on the other side of San Jacinto from Palm
Springs. Starts with a T I think. Amazing cirque.

The real issue in socal, which is to be expected, is the lack of consistent snowfall. The mountains in the area are actually quite steep in many cases, they just don't get a consistent snow pack. If Mt. Baldy averaged 200 inches a year, and the standard deviation was not too large, I'm not positive I would do a Mammoth ski lease. I probably still would, but I would use it for week long trips and maybe one weekend a month, not 2-3. If the runs down to the lot were open every weekend, well honestly it is almost like having chair 22 at Mammoth available 1.5 hours from Newport. I'm exaggerating, but not by as much as you might think.

Here is a photo of Telegraph peak from Baldy. The peak is the one in the background. I could not find a good one in the winter, so this is a summer shot.

https://www.mountain-forecast.com/sy...California.jpg

Even with the inconsistent snowpack, I can't tell you how many times I have stood at the top of the Thunder lift and gazed at that peak. In certain ways it reminds me of Granite Peak at Squaw, which was one of my favorite hikes when I lived there. The chutes at the top look a bit like Direct Chute, which I really miss skiing.

I'm sure someone here has skied it. At least, I hope so. If I had the requisite backcountry skills, given the years I spent in Tahoe it is sad that I don't, I would love to go after it. I hear about people hitting Baden Powell all the time, I don't hear as much about Telegraph.

There are plenty of other peaks that look like that. A more consistent snowpack down here would be nuts.

[jackstraw]

They opened SC back up. Hopefully it won't get too crowded.

[Long duc dong]

56th in Newport looks really fun right now. The peaks right north of the actual jetty peak are working too, which they have often not been in recent years. I have not been out in weeks, If I could find a peak 100 yards from anyone I might, but we don't have enough definitive info on how this thing travels through water for me to feel safe, or ethical.

As is to be expected, people are NOT following social distance protocol near the jetty, unless they are all in quarantine together. While there has been a call to open certain things up, San Clemente is opening beaches for recreation, I don't think these are helping the situation. During one summer in high school one of my buddies had a party when his parents were gone. They found out, and the next time they went away for the weekend he was forced to go. He argued that they should trust him, they countered that they had given him the chance to do the right thing, and he had failed to do so. I feel like that is what some of these guys are doing in the water. Obviously lineups are complicated, but if people are not a bit smarter I have a feeling they might shut things down. I have thought this for a couple of weeks, so maybe they will be okay, but too many surfers are not taking this seriously.

[jackstraw]

Fuck. Vibes...
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/cali...ttack/2287521/

[Ottime]

^^^my wife was just reading the report to me. Sand Dollar is well inside the bay and not typical shark grounds. Kind of crazy.

Surf has been solid for late April early May. The Lane has been pretty uncrowded during the week, with a lot of bikes locked to the fence. Kind of nice having all the parking shut down.

I need t get back in the water. Might go for a paddle next week to test the shoulder as we move into a phase were elective medical visits are okay. It feels strong, but being cautious. Biking has been fun, but the raging poison oak on my left fore arm sucks.

[Long duc dong]

Scary and sad. Vibes to him and his friends and family.

I would really like to get back in the water. I wrenched a muscle in the side of my rib cage boxing recently, I finally got around to putting a heavy bag in my garage, and it has been a bit slow to come around. I think it might be okay now, but I have been limited to running steps. Paddling and popping up my aggravate it. I think another week and it will be okay. The water has been warming up down here, San Clemente is supposedly 66-68, and it is PUMPING!

[subtle plague]

Woah. Fuck. 5 out of 7 dead. https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ks-netherlands

[Long duc dong]

Woah. Fuck. 5 out of 7 dead. https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ks-netherlands

Yeah, I saw that. It's nuts.

I'm still not clear about what exactly happened. I read the description, but it seems strange.

[jackstraw]

Yeah, I saw that. It's nuts.

I'm still not clear about what exactly happened. I read the description, but it seems strange.

Yeah, I'm guessing they suffocated/drown in the seafoam? My kid read they were using a heli to blow the seafoam away during the rescue/recovery to see. So horrible.

[Long duc dong]

Yeah, I'm guessing they suffocated/drown in the seafoam? My kid read they were using a heli to blow the seafoam away during the rescue/recovery to see. So horrible.

That's how I read it too.

Horrible in any event.

[Ottime]

WTF?? I always hate paddling through thick foam. I can sort of see how this could happen, but surprised it happened to so many.

[stalefish3169]

Had a sick day at Westport yesterday. Westhaven State Park is open again. Glassy 3-4' in the morning, then the swell picked up and some overhead waves rolled through in the afternoon. Got some good rides, but was outmatched in the afternoon. The combination of a lack of recent surf days and fatigue from a long drive/early wake up made it hard to capitalize on some of the bigger waves. But all in all it was a nice chance of pace from my apartment.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[Long duc dong]

It's been a fun week for surf here in Orange County.

Wednesday was solid, maybe slightly overhead but also walled at the upper streets in Newport. I went to 56th, which was a bit smaller, shoulder high, but had better shape. It was crowded by the jetty, but I found a hole in the crowd between 38th and 39th street, some fun little peaks and just small enough of a crowd to not have to hassle too much. I really like Newport at that size, just punchy little shoulder high peaks that lined up on the inside. I surfed from around 10 until noon and the water was warm enough to wear a spring suit.

Wednesday I went to the south side of the HB pier. It was fun, shoulder high+, but the current was insane. It would suck you towards the pier to the point that there was no reason to try and stay on one peak. I would just let it pull me into each peak, get a left, and get out at the pier to run back to tower 5 or tower 7. The water was not quite as warm as Newport, but I still got away with a spring suit.

Friday afternoon I went down to the Cottons/Uppers area for the first time this season. I had a zoom meeting in the morning, that I tried to conduct without conveying that I wanted everyone to stop asking questions so that I could get out of there and go surf. I really like the people I work on projects with, but I am often the only one who speaks English as a first language so it is often me that has to present a data analysis. On a day like yesterday I was REALLY wanting to pass the buck to someone else. I ended up getting in the water between Cottons and Uppers around 130 and surfing until 4. It was a blast, the slight bump on the water cleaned up, and it was shoulder high+ and long, lined-up shoulder high lefts. Very fun, easy to surf waves with a crowd that was not ridiculous. It was probably my best session of the year so far, you could just pick up lefts almost at will, and they were lining up all the way to the railroad sign. That area of Trestles is called Barbedwires, and it might be my favorite place to surf in Orange County. Actually, there is a place in the Crystal Cove area that I love, but it is too inconsistent to hit regularly. I really love Barbedwires when it is like that. The water was nice and warm, at least 67 I would say, and I was able to wear a spring suit for 2.5 hours without a worry. I might head back down there when the tide turns around. It looks good all over today. I would love to hit that Crystal Cove spot, but I don't think it is QUITE big enough today and without a state park pass I can't check it without paying.

Hopefully some of the rest of the crew is getting some.

[subtle plague]

I got something today. (beside a hard on when I unpacked it)
6.0 pukas step down. 38 liters.
https://pukassurf.com/surfboards/pukas-69er-step-down/

Combines parts of the indo characteristics of my 6.0 foam ball https://pukassurf.com/surfboards/foamball/
with (parts of) the volume of my small wave love affair the "heavens door." https://pukassurf.com/surfboards/pukas-heaven-door/


Still a reasonable shape (the heavens door is kinda hard to surf in real waves and when it gets to head high) for small and fun in better surf as well. (I hope).

Now let's hope I can get to Ireland due to corona and that we get as much swell as last year.

[Ottime]

Have fun on that thing.

Been back in the water a few days this spring after rehabbing my shoulder all winter. Problem is I think I’m enjoying MTB better right now. At least until I get in shape. Camping and surfing the s next few days so will see if I get the bug again. Looks like we should have a decent set up for where I’m going.

[subtle plague]

Yeah Fitness... Last year I tried to surf my foamball (once!) and thought I was submarining while I was paddling. I wondered who that guy was who could paddle that thing in Indonesia.

This year I'm definitely going to spend a few more hours on the lake paddling in circles before we leave.

[Long duc dong]

Nice SP!

Hope you get to use it soon!

There has been okay surf this week, but I have not had the opportunity for a window. Tomorrow looks likely, late morning.

[Long duc dong]

Yesterday afternoon I ended up going to Cottons. It was shoulder high + with a bit of bump on the water and some lulls. It was not epic, but the crowd was limited so I had a blast. It was pretty lined up if you got the right ones, nice 70 yard lefts and rights. Cottons is normally packed, so it was fun to get that many waves with so few people. The paddles back out were long, compared to Newport, and when you get that many it ends up being an exhausting session. It was a bit soft, which Cottons usually is, so some of the ones I got never really lined up, you ended up just working to stay in it all the way, but some of the others had a nice outside section before slowing down, then a nice inside section with a bit of juice. You definitely wanted a board with a bit of volume, I surf a fat 6'4" that is around 22 inches wide on most days anyway, the guys who were on skinny boards were having a hard time connecting through to the inside section. It was a good day for a fish, which is my normal board anyway, or a fun shape or longboard. One nice thing was that there were both rights and lefts, with the better rights being lined up with the railroad sign and the better lefts being around Nixon's house. It's a shame Nixon didn't surf, because his old house is one of the best places a surfer could possible live. It was on the market in 2017 for 63.5 million, not sure if it sold, so if any of you guys have some extra cash it would be a cool spot. It you don't live in Orange County and need some to look after the place let me know.

The wind came up a bit early today, but I'm still going to head out somewhere. I hope the rest of you guys get some in International Surfing Day.

[nortonwhis]

I got something today. (beside a hard on when I unpacked it)
6.0 pukas step down. 38 liters.
https://pukassurf.com/surfboards/pukas-69er-step-down/

Combines parts of the indo characteristics of my 6.0 foam ball https://pukassurf.com/surfboards/foamball/
with (parts of) the volume of my small wave love affair the "heavens door." https://pukassurf.com/surfboards/pukas-heaven-door/


Still a reasonable shape (the heavens door is kinda hard to surf in real waves and when it gets to head high) for small and fun in better surf as well. (I hope).

Now let's hope I can get to Ireland due to corona and that we get as much swell as last year.

Sick board. Where do you normally surf?
edit: that pukas is so right now. Foamball looks like a good good wave board.

[subtle plague]

I used to surf indo a lot (that's what I got the foamball for.. Because my 6.6 bushman step up was a bit much. Especially since I usually I get a bit scared when I can use it ) until we got our little one. So now back in Europe. Galicia for a few times, but I fell in love with Ireland last year.
I'm a holiday surfer kook though. I can hold my own in decent waves up to double oh, but I never got to more than top turn bottom turn surfing and I'm still waiting for a few proper barrels. I mean I had a few cover ups in indo.... But if you go to Sumatra for three months in your sabbatical you sure hope for more...


Edit:
Some impressions from indo. me and my wife in my sabbatical text is in German though:

https://thesabbaticalpath.wordpress....r-im-paradies/

https://thesabbaticalpath.wordpress....ter-dem-winde/

https://thesabbaticalpath.wordpress....e-in-paradise/

https://thesabbaticalpath.wordpress....23/time-flies/

And yeah we also went skiing....

[nortonwhis]

Looks like a great trip. wanted to that last year when i had 6 weeks off. Couldn't find people to go with so just to went to mexico again. Could be worse I guess. Hope that board serves you well!

[subtle plague]

Yeah it seems like a good addition to the quiver and pukas or in this case Axel Lorentz and Miguel agote shapes have always Worked great for me so all I have left to do is paddling around the lake and hoping for the best corona wise and swell wise. I've already paid the 900 euros ferry and numbers have started going up again around here. And I won't be quarantining for two of my 4 weeks holiday if the Irish stick to their safety measures after July 9th (next tourist Quarantine evaluation date) .

So if the worst case scenario comes into play we'll drive to Spain (assuming that they stay open) and hope to transfer the ferry to 2021.

[Ottime]

Day 4 after shoulder recovery. Not having the bug yet to get in daily. MTB has been such a blast it takes much of my time. Still, I know I need to get in an re-develop paddle strength. Surf a small day at the beach break yesterday. Waist to chest high, no crowd. Surfed the 5'9". Much of the session, I wished I had the 7'6" egg just to get a shit ton of waves and paddling in. Still, got some waves. Most junk, but still felt good popping up and not having my shoulder pop out. Finally strung together a series of fun waves and got a nice lined up long one and called it. Feeling a little stronger. As my buddy pointed out, even in my weakened condition, I was still paddling circles around him, and spinning and catching waves. Had to point out that while my muscles are weak, my skills still are much stronger than his (he is like 3 years into this sport). Feels good to get back in the water. About to go for a ride, but eyeing the well on the way for the weekend and next week.