Es-cent-ial Wetsuits

Ok, I know it is a little early to be talking about wetsuits here in Florida, but... cooler waters are right around the corner. I know that no one likes wearing wetsuits, but lets face it, we have to if we want to slide. So since we have to, why not make it super comfy and stylish? Ohh and did I mention better for the environment?

Well check out Es-cent-ial wetusits. They have amazing stuff, and are really good people. I know I will be picking up several suits from them shortly. They use the new neoprene made from limestone, and they look rad! Check out their website and blog, and support a great company!

Happy Sliding...

es-cent-ial shoot

After a little storm Saturday night, Tinch and I met up with Keith for a little session at Matanzas. Keith had some new trunks from es-cent-ial that he wanted Tinch to test out, so here are the photos that he was able to snap. Always a rad session with these two!

Happy Sliding...

Almond showing up on the East Coast

I drove down to Matansas this morning to meet up with my good buddies Keith Novosel and Tinch to slide the last remaining bump from the swell. What was supposed to be a regular session, soon turned into a full on marathon. We surfed for over five hours. But more on that later.

Ive wanted to surf an Almond board for a long time now. I really love what the guys are doing over there. Super rad stuff that is getting put out. But today was my first time sliding one of their logs... It is Keith's personal log. Its 9'10" and I don't really know the rest of the dimensions, but it is super knifed out, pinched rails, but still with some weight to it. It was really fun to ride. I wish I could have gotten to ride it on a bigger or steeper day because this thing really locks in and just gets into trim really nicely. Great board for sure. Now I can officially say that they work just as well as they look.

Here are a few photos of it.

Happy Sliding...

Keith waxing up the log

Nicely posing on the nose

Keith representing for es-cent-ial

Cool Companies

I love to log... and I'm assuming that since you are reading this, you probably do, too. But it seems that not too many big surf companies out there support what me and all my friends love, sliding little peelers.

Anyways, here is a short list of companies that I support since they support what we all love...

1. RVCA - By far, one of my favorites. They have super rad style, really comfy tee's, and support other forms of expression like art, skating, etc. Plus it doesn't hurt that the rep in my area is a super cool guy.. Big ups to you GT. Thanks for keeping real.

2. Quiksilver - One of the big big giants out there. They don't really support longboarding that much anymore, but they still produce my favorite retro trunks. I love wearing their 16 inchers. Super cool style.

3. Ryhthm - They are a brand new company out of OZ. Super rad designs. Plus they surpport Harrison Roach (probably one of the dirtiest Alia riders out there... So epic on them) and a local stand out from Jax, Justin Quintal. Justin used to ride for Quiksilver, but has since switched over. Good on you man! They are a really cool company. I really hope that all the surf shops start picking up their stuff. You should check them out for yourself. Ryhthm

4. Patagonia - I really love Patagonia. They keep it as green as possible and they only produce the best products for both you, and they environment. Just check out their website. They have so much cool information there. They just helped produce Thomas Campbell's movie, "The Present," they have amazing riders like Belinda Bags, the Malloys, and Dane Peterson

Like I said, it is a short list. I support a lot of local companies too, but these are the big ones. Hopefully the boys at Almond and es-cent-ial get that point too. I wish only the best guys.

But support the people out there that support us! Keep on logging.

Happy Sliding...