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Surfing has come a long way since Polynesian people used their boats to use the energy of waves in order to reach the shore faster and of course to get some extra fun on the way back. 

Undoubtedly there are people who gave less to the evolution of the sport and there are a few icons whoes names are going to be shining forever in our history books.

Let us introduce you to a few of these legends!

1, Captain James Cook

Not a rad surfer but the first westerner who witnessed wave riding in 1778 before it became a sport. 

He never tried the activity personally but he became the first fan of it . He describes with his own words. 

“I could not help concluding this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so smoothly by the sea.”

2, Duke Kahanamoku

He is considered the father of modern surfing. The Hawaiian won five Olympic medals as a swimmer, but he also showed off in the movie industry, politics, and business life. Many describe him as the ultimate waterman whose charisma helped to popularize surf. 

He introduced the sport to the east and west coasts of the United States and visited Sydney in 1914-15. Between his Olympic medal-winning feats, Kahanamoku traveled internationally performing swimming and surfing demonstrations. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii.

“Anytime Duke surfed, a crowd would gather,” said Matt Warshaw, founder of the Encyclopedia of Surfing and former editor of Surfer magazine. “He was so compelling, he was so handsome, and had this black hair combed back. He … could do this amazing new thing, and he made it look so incredible.”

3. Tom Blake

Thomas Edward Blake is one of the most important figures in surfing, and probably the most important single person in the history of wooden surfboards. It was Blake whose experiments and innovations through the 1920s and 30s led to lighter paddle boards and surfboards, alternative (and widely accessible) construction techniques, the introduction of the fin and a rudimentary leash.  

Esteemed surf writer Drew Kampion credited Blake with transforming surfing from a Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle, and rightly so.

4. Hugh Bradner

He is the “official” inventor of the neoprene wetsuit.  Surfers owe this American physicist the ability to surf in conditions we previously could not.

While working at the University of California at Berkeley, Bradner was working on research when he had to do several underwater dives.

Staying in cold water for long periods was a serious problem – for him and others – so he developed a suit that didn’t need to be dry to work.

Although Hugh Bradner tried to market the new neoprene wetsuit, he paved the way for Jack O’Neill and Body Glove to introduce it to the water world.

5. Gerry Lopez

So called Mr.Pipeline is a legendary surfer and iconic surfer who made surfing history. He is the one who started shaping and using shortboards which helped him figure out how to surf more powerful hollower waves like Pipeline. In a short time he became the top dog at the North Shore of Hawaii. 

He also discovered and surfed for the first time perfect tubes in Indonesia like Uluwatu or G-Land.  Gerry Lopez is still an important figure in surfing culture. He is actively involved in environmental organizations, working to preserve the waves and the ocean for the future generation. He founded a non profit organization called “ Save the wave Coallation” 

6. George Downing

Downing was the first big wave surfer and an experimenter in the surfboard shaping room.

When Makaha was still the premium surf spot on Oahu’s North Shore, George Downing had already built a complete quiver suitable for all surf conditions.

He built the first surfboard for big waves and developed the first changeable fin system. Downing studied swell charts and maritime weather forecasts.

His nicknames – “the guru” and “the teacher” – say it all. George Downing is probably the world’s first complete surfer.

7. Kelly Slater

 The 11th time World Champion of surf, considered as the greatest surfer of all time. 

Throughout his career, the Floridian-born athlete won 11 Championship Tour (CT) titles, 55 elite events, and many other second-tier trophies, including the US Open of Surfing.

Kelly Slater is the first professional surfer to compete at the highest level, aged 51 and still on tour winning events!

He also invented the technology of wavepool, Kelly named his project Surf Ranch. His ultimate dream is to design a surf pool that allows surfers to ride waves indefinitely.

Not everybody shall change the sport as drasticly as these icons above…but who knows, grab a board and figure out yourself. Worst case scenario you will just have a great time!

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Since human beings are highly compatitive , we made a way to put surfing on the big scale of competitions and create a billion dollar industry out of it. In this article we guide you through the history of surf competitions. 

As you might have heard already it all started in Hawaii!

The Native Hawaiians practiced surfing on large wooden planks shaped from the koa tree. This was first documented by Captain Cook in 1778 when he arrived on the Hawaiian Islands. He was the first Westerner to observe wave riding. Surfing was practiced by royalty and common people alike in Native Hawaiian society. Native Hawaiians used competitive surfing as a means to resolve conflicts and settle scores of wealth, pride and love.

Then in the modern era

people started to organize races for a more open crowd. Beginning in 1928 and running until 1941, the Pacific Coast Surf Riding Championships maintained a format that had surfers paddle racing out to the lineup, then turning and riding back to shore, the first board to touch the sand being declared the winner. 

The very first surf competition took place in Corona del Mar, California on 16 July 1928, with competitors referred to as surfboard artists. Incredibly, boards were still up to 16-feet long and weighed a whopping 120 pounds.

It was American Tom Blake

who took the title and turned around the world’s theory that only Hawaiians had the skills and talent to master the art of surfboard riding. For this, he was named the founder of Californian surf culture and went on to invent several new boards and other surfing gear.

The first ever WSL tour was held in 1976 ,making it possible for the world’s best to compete by an official ranking system. 

During the 90’s

the biggest champion of the sport emerged, Kelly Slater. He remains the youngest ever to become world champ at just 20 years old. Slater continues to dominate competitions globally and has even opened his own wave pool. He currently holds a mind-boggling 11 world titles. 

But how can you judge a surfer anyway?

Surf competitions are made up of rounds and each round consists of multiple heats where, depending on location, two to four surfers compete at any given time, with each looking to lock in their two highest-scoring waves. A minimum of 50% of surfers in a heat advance to the next round.

Heats are typically between 20 and 30 minutes long. Scoring is based on a 10-point scale with a total of 20 possible points available in each heat. Performances are scored by a panel of five judges. To reach a competitor’s score for each wave, the highest and lowest scores from the judging panel are omitted and the three remaining scores are averaged. The two highest-scoring waves are added together to become the participant’s heat total.
Judges analyse the commitment, degree of difficulty, innovation, progression, combination, variety, speed, power and flow of all manoeuvres.

Performances are scored on the following scale:

• Poor wave ride: 0.0–1.9
• Fair wave ride: 2.0–3.9
• Average wave ride: 4.0–5.9
• Good wave ride: 6.0–7.9
• Excellent wave ride: 8.0–10.0
  
  

To make things even bigger

surfing also made it’s debut at the Olympics of Tokyo in 2020  and Italo Ferreira was announced the first olympic champion of the sport.   

Surfing for sure did come a long way to arrive at the stage where it is right now. 

We know about all kinds of competitions from shortboarding to longboarding through adaptive competitions and even the giant wave riders who are looking for the biggest waves possible. At the end the importance of surfing remains the same, be one with mother nature and enjoy the wave. 

Source:

https://humankinetics.me/2019/02/12/history-of-surfing-and-how-to-win-a-competition/

https://www.theinertia.com/features/the-history-of-surf-contests/

https://30a.com/the-history-of-surfing/

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With mild winter temperatures becoming the new normal, Europe’s ski resorts are introducing alternative activities to tackle a potentially snowless future.

This year, many European ski resorts struggled with a lack of snow, due to unseasonably warm temperatures and heavy rainfall. As a result, half of France’s ski slopes were forced to close.

With warming winters set to continue, many ski resorts are looking to provide alternative entertainment to attract visitors – in case skiing isn’t possible.

What have the conditions been like in the Alps this winter?

In December, France experienced its warmest weather since 1997 with temperatures reaching seven or eight degrees higher than the seasonal norm, according to Météo-France. Switzerland and Austria faced similar problems with skyrocketing temperatures melting the early season snow, leaving slopes bare and skiers disappointed.

Popular ski resorts like Morzine faced an uncertain time. “There was very little snow on the ground over the Christmas period. It was a tricky situation,” says Sara Burdon, head of communications at the Morzine Tourism Office. Artificial snow is often created during dry weather spells, “however we couldn’t use the snow cannons as temperatures weren’t low enough,” she explains.

Fortunately, heavy snowfall arrived in the second week of January, but mild temperatures over Christmas and New Year are becoming increasingly common. Since 1951, almost half of France’s 169 ski resorts have closed due to lack of snow, according to a study by the University of Grenoble.

How are ski resorts adapting to a warmer climate?

Tucked away in France’s Jura region, 45 minutes from Lausanne, the tiny ski resort of Métabief is pioneering the way when it comes to tackling climate change. 

It was the first French ski resort to arrange a climatic study with Météo-France’s Le Centre d’Etudes de la Neige (Centre for Snow Studies). Its relatively low altitude – at 1,463 metres above sea level – will likely mean visitors won’t be able to ski here beyond 2035.

Instead of waiting to see what happens, Métabief has taken matters into its own hands. The resort has already introduced a range of off-snow activities, including an all-season toboggan run, winter mountain biking, caving and guided horse rides.

“We have no choice but to adapt to these changes,” Sylvain Authier, head of slopes at Métabief told EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP). “We need to make sure people can continue to do many winter activities. We’d better do it now, because in 10 years’ time, who knows?”

New outdoor activities are emerging at ski resorts

Across Europe, ski resorts like Métabief are extending their summer activities to maintain visitor demand during the warmer winter months. Mountain biking and hiking are common, but some regions are thinking outside the box to provide more unusual entertainment.

Over in Switzerland, surfers can take to the waves year-round at Alaïa Bay. Just 45 minutes drive from Verbier, the world-class inland surfing lake is aiming to stay open for 10 months of the year, from early February to mid-December, so visitors can swap their skis for a surfboard during the winter months.

Snowing or not , we can always benefit of seeing the potentiol in new activities and sports. If snowing is not coming to your town, be sure you remember where to find us!

Source:

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/02/11/snowless-ski-resorts-turn-to-tobogganing-surfing-and-walking-with-eagles-as-climate-warms

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Surfing has come a long way since Polynesian people used their boats to use the energy of waves in order to reach the shore faster and of course to get some extra fun on the way back. 

Undoubtedly there are people who gave less to the evolution of the sport and there are a few icons whoes names are going to be shining forever in our history books.

Let us introduce you to a few of these legends!

1, Captain James Cook

Not a rad surfer but the first westerner who witnessed wave riding in 1778 before it became a sport. 

He never tried the activity personally but he became the first fan of it . He describes with his own words. 

“I could not help concluding this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so smoothly by the sea.”

2, Duke Kahanamoku

He is considered the father of modern surfing. The Hawaiian won five Olympic medals as a swimmer, but he also showed off in the movie industry, politics, and business life. Many describe him as the ultimate waterman whose charisma helped to popularize surf. 

He introduced the sport to the east and west coasts of the United States and visited Sydney in 1914-15. Between his Olympic medal-winning feats, Kahanamoku traveled internationally performing swimming and surfing demonstrations. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii.

“Anytime Duke surfed, a crowd would gather,” said Matt Warshaw, founder of the Encyclopedia of Surfing and former editor of Surfer magazine. “He was so compelling, he was so handsome, and had this black hair combed back. He … could do this amazing new thing, and he made it look so incredible.”

3. Tom Blake

Thomas Edward Blake is one of the most important figures in surfing, and probably the most important single person in the history of wooden surfboards. It was Blake whose experiments and innovations through the 1920s and 30s led to lighter paddle boards and surfboards, alternative (and widely accessible) construction techniques, the introduction of the fin and a rudimentary leash.  

Esteemed surf writer Drew Kampion credited Blake with transforming surfing from a Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle, and rightly so.

4. Hugh Bradner

He is the “official” inventor of the neoprene wetsuit.  Surfers owe this American physicist the ability to surf in conditions we previously could not.

While working at the University of California at Berkeley, Bradner was working on research when he had to do several underwater dives.

Staying in cold water for long periods was a serious problem – for him and others – so he developed a suit that didn’t need to be dry to work.

Although Hugh Bradner tried to market the new neoprene wetsuit, he paved the way for Jack O’Neill and Body Glove to introduce it to the water world.

5. Gerry Lopez

So called Mr.Pipeline is a legendary surfer and iconic surfer who made surfing history. He is the one who started shaping and using shortboards which helped him figure out how to surf more powerful hollower waves like Pipeline. In a short time he became the top dog at the North Shore of Hawaii. 

He also discovered and surfed for the first time perfect tubes in Indonesia like Uluwatu or G-Land.  Gerry Lopez is still an important figure in surfing culture. He is actively involved in environmental organizations, working to preserve the waves and the ocean for the future generation. He founded a non profit organization called “ Save the wave Coallation” 

6. George Downing

Downing was the first big wave surfer and an experimenter in the surfboard shaping room.

When Makaha was still the premium surf spot on Oahu’s North Shore, George Downing had already built a complete quiver suitable for all surf conditions.

He built the first surfboard for big waves and developed the first changeable fin system. Downing studied swell charts and maritime weather forecasts.

His nicknames – “the guru” and “the teacher” – say it all. George Downing is probably the world’s first complete surfer.

7. Kelly Slater

 The 11th time World Champion of surf, considered as the greatest surfer of all time. 

Throughout his career, the Floridian-born athlete won 11 Championship Tour (CT) titles, 55 elite events, and many other second-tier trophies, including the US Open of Surfing.

Kelly Slater is the first professional surfer to compete at the highest level, aged 51 and still on tour winning events!

He also invented the technology of wavepool, Kelly named his project Surf Ranch. His ultimate dream is to design a surf pool that allows surfers to ride waves indefinitely.

Not everybody shall change the sport as drasticly as these icons above…but who knows, grab a board and figure out yourself. Worst case scenario you will just have a great time!

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Since human beings are highly compatitive , we made a way to put surfing on the big scale of competitions and create a billion dollar industry out of it. In this article we guide you through the history of surf competitions. 

As you might have heard already it all started in Hawaii!

The Native Hawaiians practiced surfing on large wooden planks shaped from the koa tree. This was first documented by Captain Cook in 1778 when he arrived on the Hawaiian Islands. He was the first Westerner to observe wave riding. Surfing was practiced by royalty and common people alike in Native Hawaiian society. Native Hawaiians used competitive surfing as a means to resolve conflicts and settle scores of wealth, pride and love.

Then in the modern era

people started to organize races for a more open crowd. Beginning in 1928 and running until 1941, the Pacific Coast Surf Riding Championships maintained a format that had surfers paddle racing out to the lineup, then turning and riding back to shore, the first board to touch the sand being declared the winner. 

The very first surf competition took place in Corona del Mar, California on 16 July 1928, with competitors referred to as surfboard artists. Incredibly, boards were still up to 16-feet long and weighed a whopping 120 pounds.

It was American Tom Blake

who took the title and turned around the world’s theory that only Hawaiians had the skills and talent to master the art of surfboard riding. For this, he was named the founder of Californian surf culture and went on to invent several new boards and other surfing gear.

The first ever WSL tour was held in 1976 ,making it possible for the world’s best to compete by an official ranking system. 

During the 90’s

the biggest champion of the sport emerged, Kelly Slater. He remains the youngest ever to become world champ at just 20 years old. Slater continues to dominate competitions globally and has even opened his own wave pool. He currently holds a mind-boggling 11 world titles. 

But how can you judge a surfer anyway?

Surf competitions are made up of rounds and each round consists of multiple heats where, depending on location, two to four surfers compete at any given time, with each looking to lock in their two highest-scoring waves. A minimum of 50% of surfers in a heat advance to the next round.

Heats are typically between 20 and 30 minutes long. Scoring is based on a 10-point scale with a total of 20 possible points available in each heat. Performances are scored by a panel of five judges. To reach a competitor’s score for each wave, the highest and lowest scores from the judging panel are omitted and the three remaining scores are averaged. The two highest-scoring waves are added together to become the participant’s heat total.
Judges analyse the commitment, degree of difficulty, innovation, progression, combination, variety, speed, power and flow of all manoeuvres.

Performances are scored on the following scale:

• Poor wave ride: 0.0–1.9
• Fair wave ride: 2.0–3.9
• Average wave ride: 4.0–5.9
• Good wave ride: 6.0–7.9
• Excellent wave ride: 8.0–10.0
  
  

To make things even bigger

surfing also made it’s debut at the Olympics of Tokyo in 2020  and Italo Ferreira was announced the first olympic champion of the sport.   

Surfing for sure did come a long way to arrive at the stage where it is right now. 

We know about all kinds of competitions from shortboarding to longboarding through adaptive competitions and even the giant wave riders who are looking for the biggest waves possible. At the end the importance of surfing remains the same, be one with mother nature and enjoy the wave. 

Source:

https://humankinetics.me/2019/02/12/history-of-surfing-and-how-to-win-a-competition/

https://www.theinertia.com/features/the-history-of-surf-contests/

https://30a.com/the-history-of-surfing/

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With mild winter temperatures becoming the new normal, Europe’s ski resorts are introducing alternative activities to tackle a potentially snowless future.

This year, many European ski resorts struggled with a lack of snow, due to unseasonably warm temperatures and heavy rainfall. As a result, half of France’s ski slopes were forced to close.

With warming winters set to continue, many ski resorts are looking to provide alternative entertainment to attract visitors – in case skiing isn’t possible.

What have the conditions been like in the Alps this winter?

In December, France experienced its warmest weather since 1997 with temperatures reaching seven or eight degrees higher than the seasonal norm, according to Météo-France. Switzerland and Austria faced similar problems with skyrocketing temperatures melting the early season snow, leaving slopes bare and skiers disappointed.

Popular ski resorts like Morzine faced an uncertain time. “There was very little snow on the ground over the Christmas period. It was a tricky situation,” says Sara Burdon, head of communications at the Morzine Tourism Office. Artificial snow is often created during dry weather spells, “however we couldn’t use the snow cannons as temperatures weren’t low enough,” she explains.

Fortunately, heavy snowfall arrived in the second week of January, but mild temperatures over Christmas and New Year are becoming increasingly common. Since 1951, almost half of France’s 169 ski resorts have closed due to lack of snow, according to a study by the University of Grenoble.

How are ski resorts adapting to a warmer climate?

Tucked away in France’s Jura region, 45 minutes from Lausanne, the tiny ski resort of Métabief is pioneering the way when it comes to tackling climate change. 

It was the first French ski resort to arrange a climatic study with Météo-France’s Le Centre d’Etudes de la Neige (Centre for Snow Studies). Its relatively low altitude – at 1,463 metres above sea level – will likely mean visitors won’t be able to ski here beyond 2035.

Instead of waiting to see what happens, Métabief has taken matters into its own hands. The resort has already introduced a range of off-snow activities, including an all-season toboggan run, winter mountain biking, caving and guided horse rides.

“We have no choice but to adapt to these changes,” Sylvain Authier, head of slopes at Métabief told EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP). “We need to make sure people can continue to do many winter activities. We’d better do it now, because in 10 years’ time, who knows?”

New outdoor activities are emerging at ski resorts

Across Europe, ski resorts like Métabief are extending their summer activities to maintain visitor demand during the warmer winter months. Mountain biking and hiking are common, but some regions are thinking outside the box to provide more unusual entertainment.

Over in Switzerland, surfers can take to the waves year-round at Alaïa Bay. Just 45 minutes drive from Verbier, the world-class inland surfing lake is aiming to stay open for 10 months of the year, from early February to mid-December, so visitors can swap their skis for a surfboard during the winter months.

Snowing or not , we can always benefit of seeing the potentiol in new activities and sports. If snowing is not coming to your town, be sure you remember where to find us!

Source:

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/02/11/snowless-ski-resorts-turn-to-tobogganing-surfing-and-walking-with-eagles-as-climate-warms

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Surfing has come a long way since Polynesian people used their boats to use the energy of waves in order to reach the shore faster and of course to get some extra fun on the way back. 

Undoubtedly there are people who gave less to the evolution of the sport and there are a few icons whoes names are going to be shining forever in our history books.

Let us introduce you to a few of these legends!

1, Captain James Cook

Not a rad surfer but the first westerner who witnessed wave riding in 1778 before it became a sport. 

He never tried the activity personally but he became the first fan of it . He describes with his own words. 

“I could not help concluding this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so smoothly by the sea.”

2, Duke Kahanamoku

He is considered the father of modern surfing. The Hawaiian won five Olympic medals as a swimmer, but he also showed off in the movie industry, politics, and business life. Many describe him as the ultimate waterman whose charisma helped to popularize surf. 

He introduced the sport to the east and west coasts of the United States and visited Sydney in 1914-15. Between his Olympic medal-winning feats, Kahanamoku traveled internationally performing swimming and surfing demonstrations. It was during this period that he popularized the sport of surfing, previously known only in Hawaii.

“Anytime Duke surfed, a crowd would gather,” said Matt Warshaw, founder of the Encyclopedia of Surfing and former editor of Surfer magazine. “He was so compelling, he was so handsome, and had this black hair combed back. He … could do this amazing new thing, and he made it look so incredible.”

3. Tom Blake

Thomas Edward Blake is one of the most important figures in surfing, and probably the most important single person in the history of wooden surfboards. It was Blake whose experiments and innovations through the 1920s and 30s led to lighter paddle boards and surfboards, alternative (and widely accessible) construction techniques, the introduction of the fin and a rudimentary leash.  

Esteemed surf writer Drew Kampion credited Blake with transforming surfing from a Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle, and rightly so.

4. Hugh Bradner

He is the “official” inventor of the neoprene wetsuit.  Surfers owe this American physicist the ability to surf in conditions we previously could not.

While working at the University of California at Berkeley, Bradner was working on research when he had to do several underwater dives.

Staying in cold water for long periods was a serious problem – for him and others – so he developed a suit that didn’t need to be dry to work.

Although Hugh Bradner tried to market the new neoprene wetsuit, he paved the way for Jack O’Neill and Body Glove to introduce it to the water world.

5. Gerry Lopez

So called Mr.Pipeline is a legendary surfer and iconic surfer who made surfing history. He is the one who started shaping and using shortboards which helped him figure out how to surf more powerful hollower waves like Pipeline. In a short time he became the top dog at the North Shore of Hawaii. 

He also discovered and surfed for the first time perfect tubes in Indonesia like Uluwatu or G-Land.  Gerry Lopez is still an important figure in surfing culture. He is actively involved in environmental organizations, working to preserve the waves and the ocean for the future generation. He founded a non profit organization called “ Save the wave Coallation” 

6. George Downing

Downing was the first big wave surfer and an experimenter in the surfboard shaping room.

When Makaha was still the premium surf spot on Oahu’s North Shore, George Downing had already built a complete quiver suitable for all surf conditions.

He built the first surfboard for big waves and developed the first changeable fin system. Downing studied swell charts and maritime weather forecasts.

His nicknames – “the guru” and “the teacher” – say it all. George Downing is probably the world’s first complete surfer.

7. Kelly Slater

 The 11th time World Champion of surf, considered as the greatest surfer of all time. 

Throughout his career, the Floridian-born athlete won 11 Championship Tour (CT) titles, 55 elite events, and many other second-tier trophies, including the US Open of Surfing.

Kelly Slater is the first professional surfer to compete at the highest level, aged 51 and still on tour winning events!

He also invented the technology of wavepool, Kelly named his project Surf Ranch. His ultimate dream is to design a surf pool that allows surfers to ride waves indefinitely.

Not everybody shall change the sport as drasticly as these icons above…but who knows, grab a board and figure out yourself. Worst case scenario you will just have a great time!

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Since human beings are highly compatitive , we made a way to put surfing on the big scale of competitions and create a billion dollar industry out of it. In this article we guide you through the history of surf competitions. 

As you might have heard already it all started in Hawaii!

The Native Hawaiians practiced surfing on large wooden planks shaped from the koa tree. This was first documented by Captain Cook in 1778 when he arrived on the Hawaiian Islands. He was the first Westerner to observe wave riding. Surfing was practiced by royalty and common people alike in Native Hawaiian society. Native Hawaiians used competitive surfing as a means to resolve conflicts and settle scores of wealth, pride and love.

Then in the modern era

people started to organize races for a more open crowd. Beginning in 1928 and running until 1941, the Pacific Coast Surf Riding Championships maintained a format that had surfers paddle racing out to the lineup, then turning and riding back to shore, the first board to touch the sand being declared the winner. 

The very first surf competition took place in Corona del Mar, California on 16 July 1928, with competitors referred to as surfboard artists. Incredibly, boards were still up to 16-feet long and weighed a whopping 120 pounds.

It was American Tom Blake

who took the title and turned around the world’s theory that only Hawaiians had the skills and talent to master the art of surfboard riding. For this, he was named the founder of Californian surf culture and went on to invent several new boards and other surfing gear.

The first ever WSL tour was held in 1976 ,making it possible for the world’s best to compete by an official ranking system. 

During the 90’s

the biggest champion of the sport emerged, Kelly Slater. He remains the youngest ever to become world champ at just 20 years old. Slater continues to dominate competitions globally and has even opened his own wave pool. He currently holds a mind-boggling 11 world titles. 

But how can you judge a surfer anyway?

Surf competitions are made up of rounds and each round consists of multiple heats where, depending on location, two to four surfers compete at any given time, with each looking to lock in their two highest-scoring waves. A minimum of 50% of surfers in a heat advance to the next round.

Heats are typically between 20 and 30 minutes long. Scoring is based on a 10-point scale with a total of 20 possible points available in each heat. Performances are scored by a panel of five judges. To reach a competitor’s score for each wave, the highest and lowest scores from the judging panel are omitted and the three remaining scores are averaged. The two highest-scoring waves are added together to become the participant’s heat total.
Judges analyse the commitment, degree of difficulty, innovation, progression, combination, variety, speed, power and flow of all manoeuvres.

Performances are scored on the following scale:

• Poor wave ride: 0.0–1.9
• Fair wave ride: 2.0–3.9
• Average wave ride: 4.0–5.9
• Good wave ride: 6.0–7.9
• Excellent wave ride: 8.0–10.0
  
  

To make things even bigger

surfing also made it’s debut at the Olympics of Tokyo in 2020  and Italo Ferreira was announced the first olympic champion of the sport.   

Surfing for sure did come a long way to arrive at the stage where it is right now. 

We know about all kinds of competitions from shortboarding to longboarding through adaptive competitions and even the giant wave riders who are looking for the biggest waves possible. At the end the importance of surfing remains the same, be one with mother nature and enjoy the wave. 

Source:

https://humankinetics.me/2019/02/12/history-of-surfing-and-how-to-win-a-competition/

https://www.theinertia.com/features/the-history-of-surf-contests/

https://30a.com/the-history-of-surfing/

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With mild winter temperatures becoming the new normal, Europe’s ski resorts are introducing alternative activities to tackle a potentially snowless future.

This year, many European ski resorts struggled with a lack of snow, due to unseasonably warm temperatures and heavy rainfall. As a result, half of France’s ski slopes were forced to close.

With warming winters set to continue, many ski resorts are looking to provide alternative entertainment to attract visitors – in case skiing isn’t possible.

What have the conditions been like in the Alps this winter?

In December, France experienced its warmest weather since 1997 with temperatures reaching seven or eight degrees higher than the seasonal norm, according to Météo-France. Switzerland and Austria faced similar problems with skyrocketing temperatures melting the early season snow, leaving slopes bare and skiers disappointed.

Popular ski resorts like Morzine faced an uncertain time. “There was very little snow on the ground over the Christmas period. It was a tricky situation,” says Sara Burdon, head of communications at the Morzine Tourism Office. Artificial snow is often created during dry weather spells, “however we couldn’t use the snow cannons as temperatures weren’t low enough,” she explains.

Fortunately, heavy snowfall arrived in the second week of January, but mild temperatures over Christmas and New Year are becoming increasingly common. Since 1951, almost half of France’s 169 ski resorts have closed due to lack of snow, according to a study by the University of Grenoble.

How are ski resorts adapting to a warmer climate?

Tucked away in France’s Jura region, 45 minutes from Lausanne, the tiny ski resort of Métabief is pioneering the way when it comes to tackling climate change. 

It was the first French ski resort to arrange a climatic study with Météo-France’s Le Centre d’Etudes de la Neige (Centre for Snow Studies). Its relatively low altitude – at 1,463 metres above sea level – will likely mean visitors won’t be able to ski here beyond 2035.

Instead of waiting to see what happens, Métabief has taken matters into its own hands. The resort has already introduced a range of off-snow activities, including an all-season toboggan run, winter mountain biking, caving and guided horse rides.

“We have no choice but to adapt to these changes,” Sylvain Authier, head of slopes at Métabief told EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP). “We need to make sure people can continue to do many winter activities. We’d better do it now, because in 10 years’ time, who knows?”

New outdoor activities are emerging at ski resorts

Across Europe, ski resorts like Métabief are extending their summer activities to maintain visitor demand during the warmer winter months. Mountain biking and hiking are common, but some regions are thinking outside the box to provide more unusual entertainment.

Over in Switzerland, surfers can take to the waves year-round at Alaïa Bay. Just 45 minutes drive from Verbier, the world-class inland surfing lake is aiming to stay open for 10 months of the year, from early February to mid-December, so visitors can swap their skis for a surfboard during the winter months.

Snowing or not , we can always benefit of seeing the potentiol in new activities and sports. If snowing is not coming to your town, be sure you remember where to find us!

Source:

https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/02/11/snowless-ski-resorts-turn-to-tobogganing-surfing-and-walking-with-eagles-as-climate-warms

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