Alaias and Paipo

Aloha Tribe,

I'm making three Alaias and one Paipo. Two of the Alais will be 8 foot long, one will be 5 foot. The Paipo will be 3 foot. Each is made out of a combination of redwood, red cedar, and yellow cedar. For waterproofing them, I am using a combination of coconut oil, macadamia nut oil and ashes and mud. I'm particularly stoked about my little 5 footer. Oh, and, the more common natural way to finish your boards and waterproof and protect them is with Linseed Oil but I simply chose to go with the more traditional method that I've also used on my Chinese Bamboo Poles.

I'm hoping to use the Alaias and Paipo  on Oahu's North Shore, but in the meantime, it's to the Wilds, Tentacles, and maybe Number 9's. I'll also be hitting the local rivers around here of course.  And, as you all know, Alaias and Paipos don't have leashes or fins so they'll be great for my favorite style of surfing,  riding Slidding Ass.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Conditioning for North Shore (Oahu) this Fall/Winter/Spring

Aloha Tribe,

So, I'm doing me pre-North Shore workouts now, to get totally shredded for surfing Oahu's North Shore this Fall/Winter/Spring. It'll be a great season.

To get my cardio up, I'll be riding my BMX, mountainboarding, swimming in the roughest seas I can find, and paddling on my board. Most of my training will be paddling (both sprints and distance), as well as Open Ocean Swimming and Coastal Swimming (the most dangerous sport there is). For balance, I'll be slacklining, soft rope walking, tightrope and tightwire walking, as well as using my NOHO Surf Trainer and my Chinese Single Bamboo Pole Drifting Pole and skateboarding as well as Birling (log rolling in a river - use a cedar log, by the way, they don't take in as much water as pine). For flexibility, I'll be doing Taoist Yoga and Chi Gung. For vision training (spotting swells as far away as possible) I'll be spending a lot of time doing a variety of eye exercises with the sea. For timing and coordination, I'll be practicing basketball (Darrick Doerner - DD - taught me this one as part of my Watergirl Training).

My diet, as always, will be mostly fresh fish tacos and fresh fruit with tons of water.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Surfing Balance: BMX Bike running Pegs and a Freecoaster

Aloha Tribe,

A great way to practice your balance when you're not on your board is riding a BMX bike. For mine, I run quad pegs with a Freecoaster. This lets me use any of the four pegs as something to stand on and the Freecoaster lets the bike coast backwards so you don't have to reverse pedal.

My bike is a white MirraCo Blend BMX with a KHE Reverse Freecoaster and four smooth steel pegs, two for each wheel (lots of riders run pegs on just one side but this way, you open up your balance opportunities which is great for practicing Switch Foot for Surfing your surfboard. My chain, hand grips, peddles, and tires are pink and my seat is yellow.  A bike set up like this lets you balance on your rear pegs or on your front pegs or on a front and rear peg on the same side, allowing for a variety of riding and balancing experiences. Using the pegs in combination with the seat and handlebars, you have 6 different pieces to stand on. For BMX Surfing, by the way, simply stand with one foot on your seat and the other foot on our handlebars,  steering with your front foot and body shifts.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley

Surfing Party in the Wilds Friday-Tuesday- All Welcome

Aloha Tribe,

Tonight, Friday, begins an  end of Summer, beginning of Fall awesomely bodacious Surfing Party in the Wilds, tonight through Tuesday. All welcome from anywhere on the Planet. Okay, the hell with it, lets everyone, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, if you can't come here, have your own Surfer Party this weekend, and we'll all connect in the dreamtime. Let's make this a world event this weekend!!! Surfers, anywhere, everywhere, alone, with friends, in huge groups, no rules, whoever, however, wherever, no worries,  just party.

Beer. Fresh Fish Tacos. Tropical Fruit. Whatevers. Anything goes. Bring camping gear (tenst, lean-to's, hammocks).

For the cerebral types, there'll be chess and Xiangqi (if you don't know, I'll teach you).  Got a guitar or ukulele or something, bring it.

Surfing. Bodyboarding. Bodysurfing. Spearfishing. Net Casting Practice (for those who've never done it). Skimboarding. Open Ocean Swimming. Coastal Swimming - for those who dare) Freediving, Snorkling and Big Wave Training under a very special program.

Night Surfing tonight, of course, it is after all a tradition. Dawn Patrol tomorrow morning before first light.

Oh, hey, if you want to learn to throw a knife, without a spin, over 43 feet, and, hit a playing card every time, I'll show you how.

All-night Talk Story too every night.

Bodaciously Stoked,

Lily of the Valley