R.ASH?

Me and this guy practically share the same name. If you read it on a contest board it looks like this
R.ASH (for him)
R.AISH (for me)
We've had heats together and people get confused, like I'd get a message from mum saying congratulations after he'd just beaten me. I don't mind though because check it out, http://www.reubynash.com he's one of the most progressive and technical surfers in the world right now.

Confessions of a Dane Groupie

I am a self proclaimed Dane Reynolds groupie. I like his surfing, his style, his interviews and his freedom. He is for me, the most exciting, dynamic and fresh surfer of this decade. There are other great surfers who also posses the 'whole package', such as Jordy Smith, Julian Wilson, of course Kelly Slater and now Gabriel Madina. But for the moment Dane occupies the lofty position of being my 'favorite surfer'.

For me the World Tour is half as exciting without Dayne on it, and I would love it if he came back. But I definitely understand if he want's to kick competitions and get on with the thousand's of other things this life has to offer. I'll miss him though.

Check out what he had to say for himself. He's even free and dynamic when he writes. I apologize for the lack of paragraphs in my copy and pasted version, but I don't think it really matters. Enjoy

"i've been getting some pressure from various people and/or websites to write something, sorta like an official statement concerning my exit from the world tour. my dismount. my pirouette. 'an opportunity level with your fans.' that's what they tell me. people wanna know whats goin on. be up to date. i can understand that. i like knowing whats going on. i like being up to date.

one thing to remember is that i have a heart and i have bones and muscle and skin and eyes and teeth. i have emotions. sometimes i act according to emotions. sometimes i think and make a conscious decision. i usually do that. in fact i usually think too much. sorta neurotic. i make mistakes, and i deal with them. i have fears and i have anxiety and i have insecurities and i have vices which i often give in to. social situations enhance all of these qualities. i could probably use some discipline, and lots of things bum me out, but generally i'm happy, and i enjoy making other people happy. sometimes all it takes is a smile. sometimes it takes a lot more than that. i try to be honest. especially with myself. i know that i'm fortunate. i'm sitting here and i have a pulse and i can breath and i hear birds outside and the buzz of the freeway and the suns about to set and it's a friday. that's fortune. i also know that i'm fortunate in many other ways. three brands support me and enable me to surf every day and travel and eat and have a house to live in. in return i represent their company in a positive way. i feel like i do a decent job. but that's obviously up for debate. surfing is my passion in life. i always think about how lucky we are that there's even an ocean, and its not too hot or too turbulent and it's not made of acid that burns our skin off. and how lucky is it that the land tapers into the ocean in just the right way so that when lumps of energy approach from a thousand miles away they gently rise up and crash at just the perfect speed so that we can wave our little arms and match their speed and hang at the crest weightless for just a second before sliding down the face. free to ride it in any way you please. and there's not just one of them. there's tons of them. they keep coming. all different sizes shapes and speeds. everyday they're different. endless joy.

there are of course a number of things that get in the way of feeling this joy: crowds, twitter impostors, eggy locals, eggy surf bloggers, overzealous surf photographers, chris mauro and rip curl contests, just to name a few. that was sort of a joke, but not really, and besides, surfing isn't just about joy. it's also a sport. an industry. and we must not mix business with pleasure. by accepting endorsements i assume a certain responsibility. some think that responsibility is to compete. to put on a jersey and crush my opponent. despite a flimsy one dimensional criteria and an inconsistent playing field that causes the end result to rarely come down to performance alone. maybe that's the fun of it. i don't know. i do enjoy it. but do i believe in it? enough to dedicate the better part of my life to it? or is that irrelevant because it's my responsibility? i didn't have to answer this question because knee surgery in january answered for me. by the time i was healing i was already gone. three buttons to the wind. adventure over responsibility. career suicide! blowing my potential. wasting my talent. i heard the buzz.

in all reality i was being constructive in a different way, traveling to a variety of locations and pushing personal boundaries in an attempt to learn, grow, and improve. it's not as immediate as a contest webcast, and heaven forbid its enjoyable, but in the end it's equally important and i've been neglecting it for too long because i was in a comfy space where contest results alone were satisfying. in order to be successful in surf competition you need to refine your act into a nice little package presentable in a 30 minute period in a number of trying conditions. you need to kill the variables. trim the loose ends. stay on your board. know your equipment. wave selection. endlessly try to revisit motions that score the most points. there are obviously exceptions to this. kelly slaters full rotation slob air reverse in new york. that was not a motion revisited and it was epic. on the beach afterwards: 'so kelly slater, how was that slob air reverse!' 'oh, is that what that's called?' also john john florence and gabriel medina. maybe it's only a matter of time before they refine their act, but for now i'm really impressed with their competitive success despite such rawness. rawness is good. surfing with john john this year in japan was enlightening. it was like every wave he was exploring new territory. i wanna explore new territory! i wanna unwind! by the end of the trip i felt improved and rejuvenated and then crunch! i busted my ribs at the mercy of a fresh typhoon swell. nearly drowned. another month out of the water. gotta pay to play. especially when you're trying to keep up with john john in waves of consequence.

and so here i am. 26. officially off tour. wasted talent. blown potential. refusing responsibility. 'all he wants to do is sit at home and play with crayons and ride fucked up boards.' but wait! but wait! that's not true! don't listen to chris mauro. he's a dinosaur. doesn't get it. this may be the end as a wct contender, but its also a new beginning. i feel like a baseball. the skins been carefully pried off and there's a thread and i'm gonna pull it and i'm gonna end up a pile of string on the floor. but then maybe i'll be knit into something more useful, like a sweater. or perhaps something beautiful, like a hand embroidered masterpiece of a deer and two fawn drinking cold clear water out of a creek. but you never know. i hope to achieve some sort of balance. yeah, i do like riding fucked up boards, but i also like doing airs and taking some aggression out on a cutback. and competings rad if you can stay inspired, but rankings and trophy's mean very little to me. i wanna learn, i wanna make things, things of purpose, be productive. travel. new experiences. new sensations. and most importantly explore the outer limits of performance surfing. i'll still compete. but its not going to consume me.

finding this balance will be a challenge. but its just a step in an endless set of steps. a staircase. it's sort of a big step. too big to just hop up. i gotta climb. like, with a rope and safety gear and shit. and i might get there and be bummed out and like my old step better but that's just the mystery of life and i'm happy to experience it. and i'm endlessly in debt to the ones who make it possible. firstly surf fans who have resonated with my surfing for one reason or another, because at the bottom of everything, you're the only reason i'm able to have the sponsorship that allows me to travel and eat and pay the bills and continue surfing. secondly my sponsors: channel islands believed in me from the ripe age of 13 and continue to craft boards that allow me perform at my highest potential and also craft boards that have nothing to do with performance at all, but make you realize how much joy you can get out of a simple high line. i thank quiksilver for their unwavering support, re-signing me during a year of uncertainty and working with me on honest marketing and products. i also thank vans for picking me up. every person on the team is one of my favorite surfers and/or people and i'm honored to be apart of it. there are, of course, hundreds of people worth thanking here, but this is who comes to mind tonight: my girlfriend courtney, for giving me inspiration, giving me perspective, giving me love and giving me treats. blair, for keeping my otherwise maelstrom of a life in order. my parents, for their conflicting views. i don't think i would have done very well in an ordinary functioning family household. my father particularly for dedicating countless weekends driving me up and down the coast to compete. that was a huge sacrifice. also my mom for preaching creativity, fearlessness, and keeping everything bullshit free. and my brother brek for administering many humbling experiences from a very early age. my grandparents, for being probably my biggest fans on earth. particularly grandma bonnie and papa chuck, who come to every surf contest on the west coast. they show up at 7 am to get good parking, even if i surf at 3. and also grandpa bob for giving me his super 8 cameras when i was 18 and instilling a lifelong hobby."

-dane
http://www.marinelayerproductions.com

First Winter Swell

Here's a short clip of the day I surfed a swell near Lisbon, Portugal. It was a stormy night and a raw, lumpy swell and we got lost on the way. My 7'2 was crushed by the nice people at easyjet, and my 6'6 felt very small, but Nick Von Rupp reckons it's not how big the board is but how hard you paddle. Check out the photo's at http://www.surftotal.com/pt/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=5206:rowan-aishsomewhere&Itemid=14

Calm after the storm - video

Me and Glen (the one eating) were listening to this song in the car on the way to the beach. This short clip is a nice memory.

Check out the photo's at http://www.surftotal.com/pt/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=5163:sess%C3%A3o-de-free-surf-na-praia-da-empa&Itemid=2

Surf Tube Dogs

I ran out of cash two weeks into my last three week stop in Portugal. Luckily my boy Nat turned up from China, flaunting his US dollars and showing me a good time. It wasn't prostitution... but it came pretty close at times.



The last summer days before winter swells and weather in Portugal.

Surf Tube Dogs

Winter swells - Surf Total interview

The one I caught was a medium one of the shoulder. It was slightly onshore and impossible to paddle in under the bowl on a 66. Such a rush just sitting there.Check out the shots of one of the biggest wave of my life at http://www.surftotal.com/pt/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=5206:rowan-aishsomewhere&Itemid=14

Calm after the storm

I got back to Portugal after a 70 Hour work week of washing dishes in Zürich. For the next 5 days a storm raged, and totally exhausted I sat on my little couch watching the palm tree battling the weather outside my window.

On the 6th morning the storm broke, the sky was pink and purple, and me and Luis Eyre surfed this very un-secret little right hand slab with no-one out. It was a magical morning. I'll be bringing out a short film with the footage soon.

Cheers to Rui Oliveira for getting the shots!


http://www.surftotal.com/pt/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=5163%3Asess%C3%A3o-de-free-surf-na-praia-da-empa&Itemid=2

September Training Sessions

Rowan Aish and Lipke Brothers - September training from Rowan Aish on Vimeo.

It started with a big night in Lisbon. It was Zoe's 21st, and I had the pleasure of meeting Z. Z's the guy who goes to the bar, and instead of a drink, comes back with a full bottle of whisky. Marlon had driven 3 hours from the Algarve for one night out, and a surf at Coxos, but by the time he turned up the bottle was gone. That meant for me and Zoe the night was almost over, but we pulled it together… just, and it ended up being a classic.

The next day Coxos was real fun. Perfect 3 foot little right handers. Marlon was straight out there while I sat on the beach breathing fire, and trying to remember who won the dance off (Marlon did in the third round but it was close). I don't have those big nights as much as I used to, and I don't remember it hurting so much the next day. Is that called getting older? But I do find there's something empowering in being hung over. The rocks seem warmer, the water seems colder, and smiling at average jokes or at people you don't know becomes an unnecessary frivolity. This has significance for a man who smiles allot.

The next day we headed down to the Algarve, because Ericeira is all right handers and reef breaks. Its great for power surfing, but me and Marlon both need to work on getting above the lip, and beachies are better for that. It was also a good excuse to go hang with Melvin, and I love Melvin. Together, we become like two golden labrador puppies holding hands. Not many people can do that to me.

The next 5 days were classic. We surfed every day on one of those secret little banks up the  beach that everyone can see but no-one can be bothered checking out. Marlon helped me sort out my basic bottom turn, top turn combo (which basically came down to getting lower on my Bottom turn, and hitting the lip earlier). In return I made him and Melvin run up and down the beach before paddling out… no need to thank me.

Euro Leg 2011

Alex is unique. He has a little guitar that he carries around with him everywhere he goes. I taught him to play a few basics 7 years ago in Australia, and now he's schooling me. We had allot fun in these months. if we weren't singing our hearts out, both in and out of key, we were getting real deep on the world today.

If the world completely collapses into a state of economical and political chaos, I'll be the first one to join the Chacon commune, somewhere in the recesses of Amazon Jungle coastline, with perfect waves and abundant fruit trees… I hope = ).

Winning is good

http://www.surftotal.com/pt/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4261:campe%C3%B5es-da-1%C2%BA-etapa-do-circuito-inter-s%C3%B3cios-do-ericeira-surf-club&Itemid=2


First place in the Ereceira Surf Club contest. $50 Billabong Voucher, a jumper and free sushi, what more could a man want??

Surf Total Interview translation

Check out the original with images at http://www.surftotal.com/pt/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4257:um-neo-zeland%C3%AAs-na-ericeira&Itemid=14

SurfTotal: Hello Rowan, can you introduce yourself to the Portuguese people?
Rowan Aish: I'm 24 years old, grew up and learned to surf in New Zealand. Probably the biggest influence in getting me into surfing was my Mother, who just wanted to hang out at the beach all day, and those are the memories from my early child-hood, hanging at the beach and trying to stand up on a body-board like the 'big-kids' = ).

ST: What brought a New Zealand guy to Portugal?
RA: The first time I came to Portugal I was 19 competing in the Billabong Pro-Junior contest in Rebeira. That's when I met Melvin Lipke for the first time, we get on so well and he brought me down to the Algarve to stay with his family. I've been coming back every year since then, eventually spending more time here than in New Zealand, with guys like Marlon Lipke and Gony Zubizarreta being really amazing in helping me to settle in and make Portugal a home.

ST: You spent some time in the Algarve, where did you surf there, and which beaches do you prefer?
RA:I've had a love hate relationship with the Algarve. For example  I love the social scene but hate all the driving. I've had all my best surfs at Cordoama, but have broken my leg at that beach twice! There are allot of good waves around there if you know where to look. Th South coast definitely has it's days, but generally I prefer the power of the west coast beaches.

ST: And in regards to Ericeira, what do you think about the waves?
RA: I'm so happy to be living in Ereceira now! In three weeks here, I can surf as many good waves as a whole year on the WQS. Obviously it depends on the conditions, but I have to admit that lately Backdoor is the first place I like to check.

ST: You are from New Zealand, where surfing is a big sport. Considering the waves in Portugal, do you think surfing here has the potential to grow into a bigger sport?
RA: Looking at the waves, yes! The waves here are easily a good as the waves in New Zealand, As for the sport of surfing, from what I've seen it's growing every day. Where I come from surfing is a much older tradition, so it's very normal for a whole family to surf, for example both my father and my mother are surfers. Surfing as a sport has developed much more recently here in Portugal, so you are only just starting to see a generation of young surfers who also had surfing parents. I think as this generation gets older, the level of surfing in Portugal as a whole will rise to that of countries like Australia or New Zealand, and subsequently become more and more popular within Portugal as it becomes recognized as a surfing nation.

ST:  What is your competitive background ?
RA:The first time I seriously competed outside of New Zealand was when I was 19, and doing the Pro Junior series through Europe. Since then I've been competing for several years on the WQS throughout Australia, South Africa and Brazil, but predominantly in Europe. Due to a number of injuries over the past couple of years, I've had to drop off the WQS tour a number of times, but I'm looking to get fully into it again in August.

ST: We know that you are recovering from injuries, can you talk about that?

RA:I've been unfortunate to break my right ankle a number of times, the last time was in July 2010 during the 1 star WQS expression session in Cordoama. Since then I've had to take things allot more seriously as far as my physical fitness goes, if I wish to give my surfing career a chance. I now follow a much stricter training routine, including Yoga and lots of stability and core strength exercises. I'm feeling stronger than I've ever felt, and confident to push my surfing in a powerful and progressive direction.

ST: About future, what are your plans for starting the competition again?

RA: As I mentioned earlier, I'll be starting to compete again in August, when the WQS comes back to Europe. Due to not competing for a while I'll be starting again at the bottom of the rankings, but hopefully I can work my way up through the second half of this year, and have a shot at the primes again in 2012.

ST: Do you know SurfTotal.com? What is your opinion about the website?

RA:For sure, the website is a great way to keep in touch with whats going on in the world of surfing. I just checked out the trailer for the new film 'intento' there. Looks sick!

ST:  Do you want to leave a message for the SurfTotal.com fans?

RA:Can someone join me at backdoor when it's 4-5 foot and onshore!? Surfing is always better with a mate in the water (or on the beach with a camera = )). 

How's your Portuguese?

http://www.surftotal.com/pt/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4257:um-neo-zeland%C3%AAs-na-ericeira&Itemid=14

10 reasons why I want to be sponsored today

1.)   To have hot showers

2.)   To eat out at fish restaurants

3.)   To be taken seriously

4.)   To take myself seriously

5.)   To buy chicken peri peri for lunch

6.)   To have a bathroom that doesn’t smell like a faulty sewer system

7.)   To buy eat as much cheese as I want

8.)   To pay the coaches that help me

9.)   To surf in the Mentawais

10.) To say ‘I’ve got this’ at the end of a lunch out with mates

April in Ereceira

Man I'm sooo stoked with my new apartment in Ereceira! even has a little garden. I have a primal urge to grow something in it. maybe I'll get a goat to eat the weeds. hopefully a nice little table for summer to sit and watch the birds dance while I cut my nails.

Cold and Classic in Cape Town

That first wave pushed me deep, I got wedged between two rocks under the thick Sea weed. I was panicking for about 3 seconds, thinking of pipe line underwater cave stories. But I it was all good.

Ginger Cake - Quick and easy

 

yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

active time: 15 minutes

total time: 2 hours

This dark, moist cake gets its deep flavor from blackstrap molasses, which may not sound appealing on its own but is wonderful in this cake.

Ingredients 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup blackstrap molasses*
• 1 cup boiling-hot water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 180ºC with oven rack in middle position. Butter a pan of around 22cm.

Whisk together flour, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until blended.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together molasses and boiling water in another large bowl, then whisk in baking soda (mixture will bubble up and expand).

Add flour and molasses mixtures alternately to butter mixture in 3 batches, mixing at medium speed until incorporated. Beat in eggs until smooth. (Batter will be thin.)

Pour batter into springform pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then remove side of pan and continue to cool cake on rack at least 30 minutes more. Serve warm.

Recipe found at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ginger-Cake-109041#ixzz1BRwiVPNp

 

"Ginger is a fiery root with rough beige skin and hard, juicy, pale yellow flesh"

A quote I found in the BBC archives

Portugal/Spain mit vater

November/December 2010 -  my re-introduction to surfing after 4 and half months on the couch in Zürich. Caught up with the Lipke brothers in Lagos, hung with Barron Von Rupp in Lisbon, then me and dad checked out a few galleries through Spain, and discussed the finer points of distraction on the long drive north.

Music - Laka-Koffe by Detektivbyran