It’s almost that time of year when you find yourself scrolling through your phone trying to figure out who your surf partner for the day will be. Because let’s be honest, not everyone can keep their feet planted. Some people just have to spread their wings.
Last weekend, a very shreddy-sized swell was on the horizon, bringing with it a hefty amount of snow. And in case you were wondering—surfing in the snow is the raddest shit ever! I started to put out my feelers to see who may or may not still be lurking around town. Tyler? Just landed in PR. Patrick? On a plane with Miss America headed to Bali. Travis? Still recovering from his NASCAR injury. Charlie’s in Hawaii. Jesse was on his way to Hawaii. And Grant??? In all seriousness, that guy could be ANYWHERE right now (there are whispers of him renouncing all his possessions and moving to Nepal?!).
I almost had to go against everything I believe in and call some of the East Hampton boys… I was about to text the Dayton brothers when I remembered that they traded in their man cards, got themselves some girlfriends, and don’t surf much these days. Just when I thought i was on the lone wolf program, I got a text from Austin [Eckardt]. Yes. That austin. Him and the fam had just returned from a surf-less trip to Coolifornia and, as always, he was ready to rock. Sunday also just so happened to be Austin’s birthday. And well, surfing on your birthday (in the snow) might be the raddest shit ever!
The next morning we were on it before the first snow plow touched asphalt. The sun finally surfaced, bringing with it our first glimpse of an east swell that was filling in. We spent the next couple hours laughing and trading waves, and with the exception of our filmer, Sascha—and a rare appearance by water photog, James Katsipis—there wasn’t another soul in sight.
The surf Sunday wasn’t pumping by any means, but that didn’t bother us in the least. Freezing temperatures, a beach buried in snow, trading off empty waves with one of your oldest friends on his birthday. That, to me, has GOT to be the raddest shit ever!
Surfers: Austin Eckardt and Nick Joecel
Filmed by Sascha Mazzuccoo, edited by Nick Joeckel
