Tag: cape town

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Rolling Retro Digital Edition 2021 Pop Ups

Retro Surfboard Rental Pop Ups This Weekend in Cape Town

In order to help Cape Town surfers get their entries in for the 2021 Digital Rolling Retro, the are will be doing board rental pop ups this weekend. Surfers can come down to the West Coast on Saturday 22 May and along the Southern Peninsula on Sunday 23 May to rent a board, get filmed and walk away with a limited edition 2020 Tshirt (The event was cancelled due to covid). 

A wide variety of the Rolling Retro collection’s Single Fins, Twin Fins and Thrusters will be on offer. Surfers are also invited to bring their own retro craft and show them off to us, go surf them and get filmed. 

Surfboard Rental: R300 (You get a 2020 Event T-shirt after you return the board)

Dates: 

Saturday 22 May – 8am Big Bay to Melkbos (We will choose the best spot early and notify on FB and IG accounts

Sunday 23 May – 8am Llandudno to Scarborough (We will choose the best spot early and notify on FB and IG accounts)

All Covid protocols will be followed and we ask everyone joining us to observe the following:

  1. Wear your Mask
  2. Keep your distance (1.5m)
  3. Don’t gather in large groups on the beach.
  4. You will be required to take your temperature and sign an indemnity form. 
  5. If you have been in contact with anyone with Covid or displaying symptoms, please don’t risk others. 
  6. We have sanitization on site. 

All videos will be put into edits and your clips will count for the Digital Competition. You can win these epic prizes:

Prizes:

Grom Winner: Vudu Retro Replica Surfboard, Skullcandy Pack

Ladies Winner: 12 cases Southfields (year’s supply) + Care Pack (Key ring, Cap, sticker pack), Skullcandy Headphones

Mens Winner: 12 cases Southfields (year’s supply) + Care Pack (Key ring, Cap, sticker pack), Skullcandy Headphones

Best Wave: Flights & Accommodation (Hout Bay Beach House) for the 2022 Rolling Retro (1 Person, 2 Nights Accommodation with breakfast), Skullcandy Pack, Jack Black Hamper (Case of Beer, Cap, T-shirt)

Jack Black Art Surfboard: IG Competition 

Running Dates:

4 May – Competition Open for entries 

Thursday 6 May: Jack Black Social Media Competition Launches – Win the Jack Black Art Board  

Tuesday 08 June: Cut Off for Entries

Tuesday 11 June: Men, Grom and Ladies Finalists Announced (4 per category) – Have 2 weeks to get 3x Final entries

Wednesday 23 June: Cutoff For Finalists Entries 

Wednesday 30 June: Winners Announced (Including JB IG Surfboard Winner) 

Terms & Conditions: 

This contest is in no way affiliated with Facebook or Instagram.

By entering the contest and submitting your videos, you give Rolling Retro and the sponsors permission to use that footage commercially and online. 

The Judges decisions are final.

The Prizes are not transferable and if you cannot for any reason take your prize we will choose an alternate winner. 

No Alcohol prizing for anyone under the age of 18 – Anyone under 18 years of age can enter the Junior Category. 

Any queries can be directed to kaisurf@yahoo.com 

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Theo Erlangsen – One Run in Tokai

The flying South African

Theo Erlangsen has been making a lot of noise in the world of Mountain Biking over the last few years. Known as one of the new breed of racers, he has also been charging into the realm of Freeride MTB, being included on events like Darkfest.

Feel like you are flying down the Mountain

With lockdown firmly in place, many of us are missing our outdoor activities we love. So sit back, shut out the outside world and enjoy this latest edit from Monster Energy team rider, Theo as he takes us on a high speed run down the Tokai course in Cape Town.

The Video

Theo Erlangsen has one run in Tokai, close to COMMENCAL South Africa HQ! Thanks to Monster Energy, Thomas Sandell and Hayden Brown.

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The Night Harvest Dirt Jump Extravaganza

PAT CASEY TAKES WIN AT THE NIGHT HARVEST 2019

Arguably the sickest Dirt jump event on the planet, this year’s edition of The Night Harvest delivered no shortage of the fruits.

Some of our most notorious BMX generals were in town and the trails were perfectly primed in front of the picturesque backdrop of the Hout Bay mountains. The scenery around Cape Town is no joke and the level of riding this year definitely wasn’t either. You do the math, 1 prime set of jumps, coupled with chargers like the Pat Casey, Brock Horneman, Mike Varga, Leandro Moreira and more, the ever supportive Cape Town crowd were in for a treat.

Jam Session Rules

As the sun started to set, the bikes made their way up the roll in tower. Making for an ideal golden hour practice session, The Night Harvest runs a little different to most contests, with a jam session format, making it way more ideal for the riders to work on those dream runs. Which makes the usually competitive vibe much more conducive for bringing out the best riding possible.

Leandro Moreira – 3rd Place BMX 

The Brazilian, no stranger to this kind of terrain. Went at least 3ft higher than anyone on the jumps. Bringing his signature bag of tricks which included cranked turndown flips, flip double whips, triple whips and the hugest dumped 3’s in the game. Always a crowd favourite at The Night Harvest, clearly Leandro was favoured with the judges too.

Mike Varga – 2nd Place BMX  

Mike Varga was on fire, fresh off a long airport transit. The Canadian proceeded to annihilate the course with all the tech wizardry and burly combos you’d need an action replay to process. Varga wasn’t just happy with dominating the line, he then proceeded to icepick bar the wall ride at the bottom of the course which was a first for the event!

Pat Casey – 1st Place BMX 

Pat Casey – “The Night Harvest is always one of my favourite events of the year, it’s been awesome riding with all the boys and I was hyped to take to win again, also a huge surprise was being handed an invite to this year’s Battle of Hastings as a captain this year.” The SoCal native completely destroyed the jumps every time he dropped in for the well-deserved W.

Monster Army Shredders

There was a strong contingency of Monster Army shredders in town, including Brock Horneman, Bryce Tryon and Alec Danelutti brought their A-game and gave the Monster Energy top dogs a run for their money. Brock ended the event in a close 4th place, sending all the hammers in his artillery, flip triple bars and a plethora of mind-blowing runs, the Aussie is sure to be on the podium more regularly in the near future.

Night Harvest MTB

In the MTB division, there was a solid line up of locals with a few international rippers including Swedish wunderkind Lukas Skiold and big air extraordinaire Matt Macduff up against Cape Town’s very own Justin Novella, local DH Free-racer Theo Erlangson and up and comer Cornel Swanepoel, all completely sending it for a chance to land on the podium.

In 3rd place came Czech dirt jump veteran Tomas Zedja who had the line waxed from top to bottom with a mix of classic tricks. In 2nd place, Matt Macduff came in hot from a week in Barcelona and treated the crowd to a selection of heaters which included folded 360 tables, massive flip whip’s and even gave a solid go at some flat 720’s during the Best Trick jam. Macduff – “Honestly, I’m so stoked to be able to ride on the level I was on before my big crash on the loop 2 years back. Everyone killed it. I wasn’t even expecting to be on the podium, I just went out and had fun with the crew, I’m super grateful to be back on this level.”  

In the 1st place spot, experience points paid off here with Lukas Skiold and his mathematical precision on everything he does, taking the clear win in the class. “So stoked to be out in SA again after 2 years after coming out and winning Best Trick, so I was so hyped to come back and push even harder. The jumps were amazing. I tried my hardest to land a cash-roll bar in the Best Trick, I’m going to go back to the drawing board on that and give it another go in a contest real soon.”

Check out the Video!

All Images: Grant Mclachlan

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Rolling Retro once again the Surf Event of the Year

Ten Years of Retro

Celebrating ten years of surf heritage and vintage South African surf craft, Llandudno beach lit up for the Rolling Retro on Saturday. Once again, contest director, Captain Kai was under huge pressure as the morning started grey, cold and raining, but as per usual he called it right and it turned into a perfect day. The waves were a little on the wild side, but everyone had a good time and some spectacular surfing was seen over the course of the day. 

Surf fans from all over the world came down to surf a piece of surf memorabilia, from Vudu Surf’s massive collection, and to enjoy what is hands down the biggest surf event in Cape Town. Over 150 surfers entered and there were around a thousand people watching from the beach. The Llandudno lifesaving club kept them well fed and hydrated, while the waves delivered once again. 

Llandudno always delivers for the Rolling Retro.

The Kneeboarders Charged

The morning started with the rather large kneeboard crew hitting the line up and surf commentators, Stan Badger and Captain Kai could not pick a best one, so we just left them to have fun in the hollow conditions. It was a record entry of 18 kneeboarders, including long time Llandudno local, Guy Joubert. 

Next up the bodyboarders and bodysurfers shared the line up and another Llandudno local, Markus Phitides, normally seen bodyboarding, put on a stellar performance with the hand gun to win best “Body Surfer/Bodyboarder” of the day. 

Ocean Pledge and their team of environmental warriors had the beach signing up to end the use of single use plastic and cigarette butts – with a record number of pledges signed, showing that Rolling Retro fans care about the planet and our oceans. 

Paddleski Returns at Rolling Retro

The crowd on the beach must have thought they were back in time for the next heat, as a flotilla of paddle skis hit the lineup for the first time ever at Rolling Retro. A couple of fun chirps from Badger, such as, “We going to see one moerse Omlette shortly” were made, but the guys charged hard and were very entertaining. A big shout out to, Mike Wessels who put it all together. He has been charging some heavy days in the Gat lately and it paid off as he took the honours for the ski heat. 

In the ladies it was a mix of Log and Short and some very notable performances. Young local, Mary Slijpen really impressed the commentators, as did local lifeguard, Tasmin Du Preez, who won best female Logger. Natasha van Greunen stole the show with some solid lip hits. 

Raphael Nagalo brought some Philippine Flavour to the Log Heat.

Hailing all the way from the Philippines, Raphael Nagalo, put on a very smooth performance in the heavy conditions to be awarded the best Log award. He was super stoked to be in Cape Town and even more stoked with the win. 

The short boarders hit the lineup for the rest of the day and as the tide started dropping out, the conditions got pretty heavy. Contest Director, Captain Kai, found himself scratching into an absolute beast in the Gat and as the beach held their breath there was a moment where he looked like making it in, before getting absolutely destroyed. His consolation was being awarded the best wipeout of the day. 

Joshe Faulkner was ripping in the Pro Heat.

Billabong team rider, Joshe Faulkner, put on an electrifying performance, with some crazy turns and two huge, clean backside airs. His first air was so big and clean, especially in the heavy conditions, that the boys awarded him the best Move of the event. 

A huge keg won Josh Brodie the wave of the day award.

One Llandudno local always stands out when the Gat is heaving and Josh Brodie pulled the rabbit out of the hat in the final heat of the day again. He found a huge clean wedge out of nowhere and back door charged the tube to the wild ovation of the crowd and into his second consecutive Best Wave award. 

Ricky Basnett doing what he does best – ripping!

Rolling Retro Best Surfer

Out of many great overall performances, one guy stood out. Coming all the way from the bluff, Ricky Basnett was on fire and it was a unanimous decision to give him the best surfer of the day award. He promptly thanked his Vans team mates, gave them all his beers and rum and made a quiet exit. But he had already made all the noise he needed in the water. 

The Dinosaurs rocked the party!

The Red Bull after party kicked in, with psychedelic surf rockers, The Dinosaurs, ripping out a killer set before DJ duo Mix n Blend got the party people jumping. Ice cold draughts flowed, thanks to Striped Horse, the frozen daiquiris from Suncamino were everywhere ensuring the party was well and truly going off. The sun set, the smiles were huge and the party went late into the night. It was the perfect way to end another incredible Rolling Retro. 

Huge thanks to everyone who helped, came down and had a blast and who have supported the event over a decade of seriously good times. 

Big thanks to our sponsors Striped Horse, Red Bull, Vudu Surf, Billabong, Hurricane Surf, Von Zipper, Amazonia, Suncamino Rum, Ocean Pledge, We Care Collective 

All Images: Ryan Collins 

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Satori – A South African Big Wave Film

Matt Bromley at Dungeons. Satori Film

Satori Shows South African Big Waves

The South African big wave community have been charging both at home and around the planet for many years. Surfers like Grant Twig Baker, who just won the Nazare Challenge, focused the eyes of the world on the spots in and around Cape Town. Sunset Reef and Dungeons are the focal point of that attention. Satori, the new film by Rick Wall, tells the stories of the surfers who have pioneered these spots and that of the new generation of chargers.

Heavy Waters

The big waves of the Cape have a fearsome reputation for good reason. Giant, powerful swells out of the Antarctic Ocean slam into the Cape Peninsula, the water is frigidly cold and the world’s biggest oceanic predator, the Great White, petrols the waters. The surfers who push themselves in these waters are a special breed. Satori will take you into their lives and their passion for big waves.

Legends of the Cape

The movie does not just cover surfers who are famous world wide, like two time Big Wave World Champion, Grant Twig Baker, and adventure legend, Chris Bertish. It will also show you into the somewhat mystical pioneers, like Pierre De Villiers and Mickey Duffus. The new school of guys like Matt Bromley and Jeremy Johnson are also covered. This film will take you into the tight knit community and show you their lives.

Watch the Premier of Satori

You can watch the premier of Satori this Saturday in Cape Town – Go to this LINK

Enjoy the Trailer

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Win tickets to Holeshot Glory 2018

Get ready to witness the third installment of Holeshot Glory, brought to you by RECKED INDUSTRIES. Spectators will have the privilege to see some of South Africa’s top MOTOCROSS ATHLETES going head to head, as they gear up and battle it out, during a flat out sprint to the finish line and back, and stake their claim of bragging rights in the winner takes all Holeshot challenge.

Risk vs reward at Holeshot Glory!

The higher the risk, the higher the reward, and that is the name of the game, which guarantees non-stop nail-biting action for the spectators. It’s going to be, what can only be termed, “a day in THE DIRT”. To keep things exciting this year, we have added a little extra action, by teaming up with some of the coolest partners.

Rat Rod Racing

Hot Rod SA has pulled in to introduce Rat Rod Racing, on the flat track, into the mix. Stoos Customs will be presenting Harley Davidson drags and of course, we have the crown of HoleShot Glory up for grabs again which is brought to us by Red Bull South Africa.

Win 2x tickets – just comment and share my FB post HERE

Holeshot Glory sponsored by Red Bull
Whip Off sponsored by GAC Laser
King of the Corner
Harley Drags sponsored by Stoos Customs
Flat Track sponsored by Woodstock Moto / DGR
Flat Track Cars sponsored by Hot Rod SA / Salt River Customs

What’s a day in the dirt without some entertainment? Come and support some local rock and roll heroes on the Jack Daniel’s stage. There will also be great Jack drink specials throughout the course of the day.

All this is happening on Sunday the 23 September 2018, at Zone 7 in Cape Town, South Africa. It’s a great day out for the whole family.

R60 Early Bird Tickets
R100 for Adults
R30 for kids

______________________________________
Here is the video from last year:

Photographer: Sam Clark
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Cape Town gets ready for Rolling Retro Surfing Celebration

Rolling Retro 2018

Best Surfing event of Year

The longest running Retro surfing event in the world, Rolling Retro, is back for its 9th year. Every year the Cape Town surfing fraternity come out to surf a surfboard from the incredible collection, owned by Robby McDonald of Vudu Surf, enjoy a day on the beach with family and friends and to enjoy the old school music and beach party vibes. Rolling Retro helps to raise funds for the Llandudno Lifesaving Club (Remember to bring cash, as food and bar available.)

One of the best retro Surfboard Collections in the World

One of the biggest attraction for all surfers is the incredible collection of retro surfboards, that are brought out once a year, for the event. During the year, these boards, a huge part of South Africa’s surfing heritage, are kept in storage. Robby and partner, Kai Linder (Captain Kai in SA surfing circles) decided to start the event so that their friends and the local surf community could see, touch and surf these incredible pieces of history, while having a good time and helping raise funds. Rolling Retro quickly grew into the local communities most popular day of the year. 

Surfers from all Cape communities and even further abroad descend onto the beach each year to enter the event. Every entrant gets to pick a surfboard from the collection and surf a 30 minute heat with 9 other people in the water. It is important to note that the event is not a competition, but rather a celebration of surfing and its heritage, so there are no judges and no finals such as normal competitions. Instead Captain Kai and fellow MC, Ilan Sheer, choose prize winners from a range of categories through the day, all awarded during the jubilant prize giving.

This year the event sees the following divisions:

– Surfing

– Log (Ancient Single fin craft)

– Bodysurfing

– Bodyboard

– Kneeboard

Prizes Categories:

– Best Surfer (Male)

– Best Surfer (Female)

– Best grom

– Best Bodysurfer

– Best Longboarder

– Best Tube

– Best Dressed (Male & female)

– Instagram winner x 3

– plenty give aways and throw outs

All ages are welcome and some heats see fathers, sons and daughters surfing together – another unique aspect of the event. Once the surfing is done and prizes awarded, the music starts and the day is finished by an old school sunset beach party. This year the theme of the event is the Reggae Revival and sees Reggae MC, Crosby and his Rasta DJ. Thirsts will be quenched by Presenting Sponsor, Striped Horse beer, Red Bull and the party vibe cultivated by local tequila manufacturer, Leonista. Prizes are sponsored by Billabong, Hurricane Surf, Skullcandy, Von Zipper and Vudu Surf. The event is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa.

Registration starts at 8am with the first heats in the water at 9am. The day is finished with the annual Pro Heat, showcasing some of SA’s top surfers and a crew of the best local surfers from Llandudno (Around 5pm). This year will include multiple best surfer, Michael Grendon, current SA Champ, Brandon Benjamin, as well as last year’s best surfer, Dale Staples.

Due to the nature of surfing, there is provision for an alternate date, if the weather does not play ball. The final call is made on Wednesday 28th February.

Date: Sunday 4 March 2018

Backup Date: Sunday 18 March 2018

Entry Fee: R150

All Pics credited to, Ian Thurtell.

Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1942076982710610/

Very Important:

– We try to be as environmentally conscious as possible and all rubbish is recycled. There will be no straws at the event and we ask that all people attending help us to keep Llandudno clean by using the supplied bins and not smoking cigarettes.

– Also note that no alcohol can be brought into the venue

– Llandudno has minimal parking available and you don’t need to bring your own surfboards, so we highly advise using a taxi service to and from the event. PLEASE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!

Contact:

Kai Linder

C: 0741542618

E: kaisurf@yahoo.com

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DarkFEST Week 4 – The Big Air Course is Ready

Course Ready & Athletes Arrive

The world’s best started arriving this week for the Big Air madness at DarkFEST.

Most of the riders have arrived this weekend and have been introduced to the monster creations. More riders means more excitement and we have already seen some big tricks go down.

At first sight jaws hit the floor, the first big air is around 100ft now and is seriously intimidating. Some riders were feeling the jet lag and took a while to adjust. After watching Sam, Nico and Clemens hit it, the lag and fear quickly was pushed aside. They followed the boys that had hit it before to feel what speed they needed and after a couple attempts they were all making it through the course.

Difficult Conditions for Big Air

The wind has been really unpredictable and changes direction constantly, so every morning and evening we go up to see if it is being kind to us. It can also drop or pick up in a matter of minutes. You might get to the top and almost be blown away, thinking there’s no chance of riding, to having it be perfectly still, perfect conditions moments later. Such a tease!

The huge step up at the bottom is in a different direction to the top two big features, so often when the wind is too strong for those they can still drop in from the hip landing and have a trick session.

Ready for Action

With what’s been going on here the past few days, I think we’re in for an amazing show on the 10th! So head to the DarkFEST OPEN DAY and book your tickets before they’re sold out!!!

Photo: Eric Palmer

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Darkfest Week 3 – The Build is Done

Work Hard, Play Hard

As the DarkFEST course nears completion, the boys have been smashing it all week with the diggers and with a few tiny sprinkles of rain and some spade work, have managed to compact most of the line. Mountain Bike heaven or hell depending on who you ask…

Mountain Bike Gods bless with more rain!

With a little more much needed rain on the forecast, the guys got everything ready for it and took advantage of getting some time behind the bars on the big line at Hellsend Dirt Compound with Brendog and a few locals.

The course is complete and now the line just needs to be tweaked for the arrival of the rest of the world’s best free ride Mountain Bikers next week.

Week 3 Video

Tune into the week 3 video of the DarkFEST prequel, as next week the mayhem begins! Remember I will be live, on site from next Thursday, so be sure to follow my Instagram channel – Captain Kais World

Join the Mayhem

Tickets are available online to come and witness the mayhem live, on Saturday 10 February, just outside Stellenbosch.

You can Purchase tickets – HERE

Space on the mountain is at a premium and believe me when I say, you do not want to miss this! The world’s craziest free ride specialists charging one of the biggest lines ever built, including a monster 80ft Gap Jump. (See Sam testing it in the picture above.)

Be sure to follow Monster Energy and photog boss, Eric Palmer

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Darkfest dirt jump build begins in Africa

Darkfest Begins

Every year a crew of pretty mental MTB guys, led by the indomitable, Sam Reynolds, descend on South Africa for Darkfest. Their goal is quite simply to build the biggest and most radical line in dirt jumping.

Darkfest 2017

Darkfest 2017 saw the scariest step up jump ever built. At 60ft high it provided the perfect platform for the world’s top riders to push the limits. Adolf Silva even hit the double backflip, much to the amazement of the local crowd watching.

This year the gents are promising an even bigger line, with three of Sam’s favourite jumps from other events, including finishing with another mammoth step up jump. The crew behind the build are some of the best in the business.

Sam Reynolds

Sam Reynolds is one of the World’s top Mountain biking chargers. At the forefront of Slopestyle and Dirt Jumping, he competes around the world at the biggest events, such as Rampage and Nine Knights. He is the general of the Darkest crew.

Nico Vink

He has been riding bikes for 27 years and still loves it as much as on day one. Nico is renowned for not only building, but also sending some of the biggest jumps the MTB world has seen to date.

Clemens Kaudela

The Austrian daredevil has become one of the top names in the freeride world and is also an accomplished builder of jumps and trails. He joins Nico on the bog machinery building the insane Darkfest run.

Check out the Week 1 Darkfest Video

This year the event moves to Frranschoek near Cape Town, which is going to mean for bigger crowds and some seriously hot temperatures. Every week I will keep you updated with the build and how you can get to the event! Check the first week’s video…

All images by the legend, Eric Palmer!