Red Bull Surfing

Watch Jamie O' Go Switch At Backdoor

Forget everything you know about surf movie making because it appears the book is being rewritten right now. This winter Jamie O'Brien and camera junkie Vincent Laforet (along with his production company Laforet Visuals) teamed up to produce a series of ridiculously crisp, ridiculously innovative video clips using an experimental, state-of-the-art camera system. If you're a camera junkie like Laforet and can make sense of all the equipment, Vincent was shooting with a Canon 800mm 5.6 coupled to a RED One Camera with a RedRock Micro lens support system. If you've got no idea what the hell that means, don't worry, just watch the video clips online and you'll get the picture...no pun intended.

Proving that you can't keep a good man down, Julian Wilson won the Von Zipper Trials at North Narrabeen to get himself a slot in the main event of the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. After overcoming a bugger of a broken ankle, as of late Jules has been on an tear. The other day he won the Ocean & Earth Teen Rampage, and is in good form for the World Juniors.

"I felt really confident out there after a strong result last week," Wilson said. "The ankle felt good, my body felt a bit stiff, but all in all I can't complain."

Featured on Quiksilver.com, Bruce Irons sits down with Mark Healey to discuss what it was like to win the Eddie in 2004, what prompted him to pull into that ridiculous, deal-sealing close-out, and what his plans are in regards to defending his title. Check it...

Some things are just too ridiculous to pass up, and last night every drunk weirdo in Vegas at the Red Bull No Limits New Years beared blurry witness to one such moment...actually two such moments. Lets not beat around the bush here, Robbie Maddison is an absolute lunatic, and his 96-foot launch onto the faux Arc De Triomphe is prove positive. Then there's Rhys Millen with is backflipping truck. I'm not going to waste your time describing the madness, just follow the links and watch the footage, you'll wish you were in Vegas last night...assuming you don't already. Check out Red Bull No Limits New Year.

As you've seen here on RedBullSurfing.com, Julian Wilson has not surfed a contest in four months due to nagging ankle injury. In fact, in Hawaii he was complaining that he "couldn't go left yet." But proving he's certainly on the mend, yesterday he rose to the top at the Ocean and Earth International Teenage Rampage.

This year Portugal's Tiago Pires set out on his maiden ASP World Tour voyage. By year's end he was suffering from a bulged disk in his neck, more broken boards than he cared to count, and a rightful spot on the 2009 tour. That being said, the good folks at ASP Europe tracked down their superstar and posed a few questions. Here's what they talked about:

Let's start with a look at the season you have been through, surfing on both ASP World Tour and ASP World Qualifying Series.
I think it's been a very positive year for me. I managed to get a few good results for my first year on tour, got through several heats at various events so I am happy with this first experience. I would have preferred to start off the season strong with a couple of good places   because it would have given me a better seeding and probably a better rank in the end. I finish 2008 just outside the requalifying Top 27 guys without even surfing the Pipeline Masters because of that injury so I am definitely satisfied with that rookie season. I knew it was going to be tough doing both tours but it was my plan since Day 1 so I went for it. Lots of travel, lots of heats and a lot of pressure on the WQS events because I really needed to do well at these events.

Check Out Video From Trestles

"The Department of Commerce today upheld the California Coastal Commission's objection to a proposal to construct a 16-mile toll road connecting California state Route 241 to Interstate 5 in southern Orange and northern San Diego counties. The commission objected to the proposed project under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) on the grounds that the toll road was not consistent with the state's coastal zone management program."

In plain English, the planned toll road that was going to run right through Trestles and San Onofre is a no go. It's been a long, hard-fought battle, and everybody from the big names like Kelly Slater and Eddie Vedder to the local salts like Grumpy Ron and the Death Weasel chipped in, and proving that if you standup for what you believe in sometimes good things happen.

For the fifth consecutive season, worldwide professional surfing begins in the United States and specifically in Florida with the commencement of the O'Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro Presented by Ron Jon Surf Shop.  The event is scheduled to run between January 11-18 and is once again timed to coincide with the semi-annual Surf Expo show in Orlando.  

The 4-star Association of Surfing Professionals event will feature more than 200 of the best and best emerging surfers in the world as they battle for an $85,000.00 cash purse and valuable points leading to a berth on pro surfing's elite World Championship Tour.

Check The Sofia Trailer

Sofia, the award winning, 52-minute documentary that uncovers the spirit of surfer Sofia Mulanovich, can be taken home on DVD this holiday season. This 16mm film tells the story of an unlikely heroine who inspired a new energy within her developing nation of Peru.

"This film is about more than just me or surfing, it is an inspirational story about a movement in a whole culture. My favorite part of the film is that it features people so close to me, who are a big part of who I am today," Mulanovich says of the film's story line that follow seven people, who have influenced or been influenced by the 25-year-old. "Hopefully, by sharing this story more people can enjoy the beauty, energy and love of the people and the country of Peru."

"I've been scoring some great waves so far this winter. I'm living in a little studio at Rocky Rights. I've been surfing Rockies on the small days. On the big days I've been charging Pipeline and Phantoms.  Last week was super action packed. I spent a week up in Alaska scoring a 10-foot left point break with the Red Bull crew. Upon arriving back to Paradise I was greeted with a 15-18ft NW swell that lit up Phantoms, my favorite outer reef.  The winds were ultra light and made for some superb big wave paddling. I towed it that Tuesday evening. Those are the days I live for.  The rest of the week was all about Pipeline with my new Go Pro Camera. I've been scoring some awesome shots and video from using it. Here's a few samples. I just have a little lens mounted on the front of my board, and it's been capturing some pretty nuts images. Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them." Jamie Sterling