Top Ten moments of X Games Austin 2015

We wait all year for the X Games and then like a blur it is all over. Over the weekend the world’s best x athletes once again raised the level of the sports we love to watch and stoked out everyone who was up watching. For those who missed out, or for those who just want to feel the stoke again, here are my top 10 moments from X Games Austin 2015.

First up it’s my tenth spot pick and it goes to Nate Adams taking Gold in the Moto X Speed and Style. Bilko and Nate were going at it hammer and tongs and Bilko probably had him on style, but then he fell and that was that.

In ninth spot it is the ever green Bob Burnquist, who won skate big air and then went on to win the Gold in Big Air Doubles along with Morgan Wade. A new event, the crowd really enjoyed.

Up next in eighth spot, Pierre-Luc Gagnon once again dominated Skate Vert with a stylish and controlled run. PLG knows how to handle his business.

Kyle Baldock once again dominated the BMX Dirt with a super tricked out final run ending in his signature, giant front flip and makes seventh on my list.

In sixth place, it was great to see Ryan Sheckler back at X games where it all began. He skated some solid runs and ended up getting silver in Skate Street.

In 5th place its the ladies, well more specifically Alexis Sablone, with her incredible run to take Gold in the Woman’s Skate Street. Incredible to see how the level in the ladies has just gone through the roof. Alexis was doing tricks that none of the guys were.

Curren Caples had to pull out everything he had to finally put an end to the Pedro Barros domination of Skate Park. This was one of the upsets of the X games.

In Third place we head over to the Mega Ramp and a last ditch effort by Colton Satterfield to win Gold. No hand 720 Cork to double flare on the Quarter made cleanly was guaranteed to win the Gold.

In second place we stick with BMX and Daniel Sandoval going absolutely mental in BMX Park. I had to watch this run a couple of times just to make sense of how many tricks he pulled in this run.

There can only be one number one spot though and that must go to the one and only, Nyjah Huston. Watch this run a couple of times, you simply cannot find and blemishes or mistakes. It is absolutely flawless and deserving not only of the X Games Gold, but my top spot for 2015.

6 Weeks of Aloha – Vans Triple Crown 2014

The Vans Triple Crown runs over the best period for waves during the North Shore winter. The world’s best compete against the core Hawaiian locals and the action is red hot. Vans have taken the best of the contests, the best of the free surf sessions and blended it all together into a power packed short movie for your viewing pleasure.

Every winter the North Shore of Oahu hosts 3 of professional surfing’s most prestigious events known as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. For 6 weeks the worlds best surfers join the surf community of the North Shore. Heavy waves and Heavy wipeouts. Contest day title races and lay day dream sessions. This is the story of the 2014 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

Top 5 Web Surf Videos of 2014

With the Surfer Poll having just gone down and most sites picking their highlights for the year, I thought I would give you guys my picks for the best web surf videos over this year. There have been some absolute bangers, some that follow the old music and surf formula and the newer arty ones that mix and match between old french people smoking and John John busting. My criteria is simple, good music, great editing and surfing that gets me pumped to go session!

Before I get into the Top 5, one video worth watching in number 6 is this one, Clay on Clay by Surfing Mag. Unleashing Clay Marzo and Matt Meola on West Oz was a great idea. Maybe a little to many left handers, but the surfing and footage are insane.

Clay is Clay from SURFING Magazine on Vimeo.

Number 5 – LNF: Diamond of the Desert
With the focus on just the one spot, this video still inspires and fills with a sense of wonder. Having one of the longest tube sequences ever filmed also helps, with Koa Smith the standout.

LNF: Diamond of the Desert from LastNameFirst.tv on Vimeo.

Number 4 – Enjoy
John John Florence and filmer, Blake Kueny, have made some memorable web videos. This one definitely went arty on us, but the surfing footage and the feeling of being in France created by Blake definitely got me amped to go surf and eat baguettes.

Enjoy from John John Florence on Vimeo.

Number 3 – The Getaway
Jordy Smith has been having a banger year and he backed it up with this sweet video shot in Mozambique. Huge gaffs, big punts and long tubes in paradise make this video a keeper.

Jordy Smith: The Getaway from O'Neill on Vimeo.

Number 2 – Cheese 2
Noa Deane has just found himself in the cuck after some rather bad behaviour at the Surfer Poll Awards, but he still won the AI award and this video won best web video. There is a reason why, he rips and the video is shot so well with insane tunes. I almost made it number 1.

Noa Deane | Cheese II from Rusty Brasil on Vimeo.

Number 1 – Dirty Dozen
Pumping track, huge moves and of course Mr Dane Reynolds. This is everything you need in a surf short and its simplicity is the winning factor. Short, sharp and to the point, make this video my winner for 2014. These are twelve of my best clips of Dane Reynolds. Filmed in Sumbawa, Japan, Hawaii, and California from 2011 – 2013, for various Marine Layer Productions projects such as Excerpt, LOADED, and Kai Neville’s Dear Suburbia.

Dane’s Dirty Dozen in High Definition from mini blanchard on Vimeo.

So thats my web surf video choices for 2014. Let me know your thoughts and if I missed any good ones?

All the X Games Gold 2014 from Austin, Texas

What I would have given to be at the X Games this year at it’s new home of Austin, Texas. The setups were insane, the crowds were huge and the weather was amazing. If, like me, you were unable to get there, have no fear, for I have put together a melting pot of all the best Gold Medal runs and wins. First up we have the youngest Gold medal winner in the history of the X Games. Tom Schaar is just 14 years old, but that did not stop him from beating his heros, like multiple champion, Bob Burnquist, and taking the Gold in the Skateboard Big Air…

Dam impressive it has to be said! Staying with skate and a guy I never knew much about came out and destroyed the skate vert competition to earn his first Gold medal. Jimmy Wilkins was on fire in his last run to keep Sandro Dias off the number 1 spot…

I was super stoked that they brought back BMX dirt to X Games and watching the final was pretty incredible. Kyle Baldock, throwing one of the biggest front flips ever seen, ended up with the Gold.

One man has dominated X Games Skate Street for a couple of years and this year, Nyjah Huston was on fire once again, winning his 5th X Games Gold medal. Like the commentators say, its like watching someone in a Playstation game…

Back to the Mega Ramp and Colton Satterfield pulling a no handed cork 720 to late barspin into a huge triple whip on the quarter, to win Gold on the BMX.

Onto Dirt Bikes and FMX star, Bilko, was in his first Speed and Style final against Mike Mason. Bilko with the power in the tricks was in it right to the end, but Mason throwing an underflip actually jumped his score. Mason, the veteran, showing the younger Ozzy his race experience and took the Gold from Bilko…

Almost done now and my two top Gold Medals coming up. First we had Pedro Barros in the Skate Park Final. This guys just has so much flow, combined with massive air time and it was going to be very hard to beat him. His final run was huge and he once again took the Gold!

Lastly I pay homage to a true legend of the X Games! At 42 years old, most of his peers have kids competing this days. However, Jamie Bestwick was not content with 11 X Games medals and with a run that can only be described as monumental to vert BMX, took the Gold once again!

So there you have it, the best Gold Medals from X Games 2014. Feedback from the event is that it was one of the best ever and I am certainly already looking at heading out there next year.

Best of South Africa 2013 – Surfing

I hope you guys and gals had a great Xmas and New Years and welcome to 2014! It’s going to be a mental year of action sports in SA, but as we get underway I thought I would look back at 2013, and first up the world of surfing.

Best Surfer – Grant Twig Baker

Starting the year looking down the barrel of a gun financially as he lost his major sponsor and the year’s big wave season stuttered and started very late, Grant Baker came back guns firing! With the announcement of the ASP Big Wave World Tour, twig looked me in the eye and stated with total sincerity and focus, “I am going to be the Big Wave World Champion”. The nay sayers would say he is getting too old, his time is passed, etc etc. Twig shrugged it all off, trained his ass off and when the waves finally arrived in late winter, blew minds with his commitment and focus. (While watching the Dungeons segment below, make note of John John Florence on the boat in the channel and what he says watching one of Twig’s waves!) When the first official big wave event on the year was called on in Europe, many of the big names chose to remain in Hawaii, where they had just arrived. Twig got back on a plane and missioned across the globe to dominate the event and take the number 1 spot on the ASP BW World Tour. The kids going on tour this year like Beyrick de Vries, Slade Prestwich, Mikey February and Dane Staples need to take a leaf out of Twig’s book. If your mental game is on, your body fit and ready for anything and you believe in yourself so much you intimidate your competitors, you can be the champ! The ball is rolling for Twig out of 2013, lets see what 2014 brings…

Twig: A Calculated Madness from SURFING Magazine on Vimeo.

Best Tour Surfer – Beyrick de Vries

I checked Beyrick getting a lot of flack through the years. I don’t think people took his challenge for the tour seriously. Those people, all have egg on their faces now though! An incredible year of results, culminating in what has been called the best tube ever ridden at Sunset and a solid Triple Crown showing has put Beyrick on the cusp of qualifying and with a a super seeding for 2014. Now the pressure really starts as the World number 49 heads out as the number 3 South African seed on tour behind Jordy and Travis. With an able support cast in Dale, Mikey and Slade, I am really looking forward to watching the Qualifying Tour in 2014.

Best Junior Surfer – Slade Prestwich

The big kid made big name in 2013. Long touted as the heir to Jordy Smith’s power game, Slade came right after a rather shocking start at the first Billabong Pro Junior at the beginning of the year. His big break came winning the Volcom Pro Junior in Durban and getting a slot in the competition at Fiji. With the powerful lefts of Cloudbreak as his pallet, Slade proceeded to slash and burn the competition in front of a global webcast audience. A massive win for the kid from Scottys and suddenly his head was back in the game. For me his best surfing was to come at the Junior World Champs in Brazil, where he lost to Gabriel Medina in the Quarter Finals (Medina smoked every heat in the competition), where more importantly it came to a last minute count back by the judges as Slade was the only surfer to challenge Medina the entire event. Slade has the skill, he is an immensely nice guy and he has the support of some great sponsors. My feeling is that with the right support and management he can go all the way!

My 2014 Wildcard – Dale Staples

Ducky has more than proven himself in big surf and tubes. Name made on the North Shore, a proven track record out at Jbay in front of a home crowd (Not long now till the return…) and a solid bag of tricks in the small stuff. The World number 71 has a decent seed going into 2014 and after speaking with him, he definitely has the desire to get onto the Championship Tour. Put Dale Staples on the Dream tour and watch magic happen… Now he just needs to go out there and qualify!

All in all we are poised for a massive year in professional surfing in South Africa. We have some serious firepower hitting the Qualifying Tour and make no mistake Travis Logie will go about business like he does every year. The biggest question on everyone’s lips must be, “Will Jordy Smith win a World Title this year?” He has looked me in the eye and told me there is nothing else more important to him than that exact goal and I believe him. I have put the bottle of champagne on ice in anticipation…

The greatest shown on Earth – The Isle of Man TT 2013

Welcome to what is called the greatest show on earth and most certainly in motor sports! The oldest and most watched bike race on the planet, the Isle of Man TT. Every year I am amazed and awed by what these men achieve on their bikes. It takes you back to that time as a child when you could imagine flying a space racer or being a bike rider doing 300km per hour! I always wait for the videos to start popping up after the event and these 3 so far are the best I have found. The on board footage will trip you out, the close calls will make you gasp and the last one is a chilling reminder of how deadly this race is…

The Best of X-Games Barcelona

The X-Games train keeps on rolling at a manic pace and Barcelona was no different. The levels keep getting raised, the tricks keep getting bigger and by the time they arrive in Los Angeles it is going to be off the charts. Out of a lot of amazing feats in Barcelona, my favorite moment was Zack Warden in the Bmx Big Air taking Gold with this mental run…

In a very close second place it was the junior, Mitchie Brusco’s history making 1080 in the Skate Big Air…

My third best moment, the skate park master, Pedro Barros, smoking the competition…

All in all an amazing event, with so many highlights, we now look forward to Munich and then onto the holy grail, LA!