Most weekday mornings, habit brings me to Starbucks where i order a Veinte Soy/Vanilla Cafe Misto and glance at the front page of the newspapers. Rather than people getting killed or economy this and that, i saw a wave, and a guy in a wetsuit. …So i looked up the article online.
The article is about a guy i’ve seen a few times out in the water. Cheggit:
By Lynda V. Mapes Seattle Times staff reporter
“Surfing zealots don’t wait for warm weather to catch a wave”
ALONG THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA — The surf gently rocks Gordon Hempton as he courts hypothermic bliss.
Even with the arrival of spring last Friday, it’s still too soon for most people to play in the water. But surfing zealots like Hempton don’t wait for warmer weather.
STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Surfing is a Zen sport, all timing and presence. Paddling and swimming in the swell, Hempton senses a wave’s building momentum. And suddenly he catches it: Arms stretched out front, legs back, head up, and he’s cruising the cold crush of surf.
A surfer since he was a teenager, Hempton can’t imagine living without it.
“Some people call it an addiction. I call it a religion.”
Read the full article complete with pics and a short vid here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2008906553_surf23m.html
Zealots. Haha. Well done.
Check out the comments on the article -
“Watching hippies puts me in such a good mood. You keep doing your tricks, hippie!”
yeah, im curious what kind of comments come up on that article.
how rad would that have been if they got accosted by oldlady…
somebody should get footage of that.
the fuck is an “acoustic ecologist?” Izzat code for “weed grower?”
ANYWAYS: QUIT RUINING NW ACOUSTIC ECOLOGY BRO!
call me when there’s a poodle involved: this ain’t news…
Anyone else wear socks under thier booties?
Hempy, still to this date the only body surfer ive seen in washington.
“Surfers guard their secret spots. Hempton’s is a jade-green jewel with a long fetch of open water that catches whatever raucous weather blasts in from the Pacific.”
STOP RUINING NW SECRET SURF SPOTS SEATTLE TIMES!
F this guy and his lame ass body surfing.
i don’t know man. i think i can handle one occasional body surfer. it’s better than a bunch of boogers inside or sup’rs outside any day.
that and i can’t surf anyways.
True dat, someone just needs to tell this guy to slow down the stoke. No need to bring the times out there. I suppose he’s now the most famous body surfer in WA.
Whoopie!!!!!!!!!
And tell those sups to stop getting in my line!!!! Boogers can be moved or moved around.
Bodysurfings rad.
http://www.bodysurf.com.au/
I witnessed a body boarding “contest” the other day in Oahu. These guys are hilarious, they have names for all their little spin moves and techniques to get down the waves. It seemed a little lame, especially in the contest format. I guess nothing is too gnarly for the zealots in the pac. nw. though.
way to blow out the spot KOOK!
seems silly for you dudes to be clowning on any type of wave riders, but whatever…it is not as cool as sarfin, but hmmm I’ve noticed less hate for other types of waveriders where there’s a more “waterman”-type scene…
maybe it’s like how suburban kids are far enough from the ghetto that they’re the craziest…
oops nevermind
ohh snaps a-man, wifive!
To be clear though.. it is OK to make fun of rollerbladers, and snowlerbladers as well
swimming is for little kids. semi-freeze that shit. carry it 4,000ft up the side of a mountain and then surf the only non-solid, non-liquid, non-gas medium on the planet. bro.
First off, snow is not “semi frozen”, and if you do put your non whatever medium on a mountain, than any kook like you could ride down it any time, over and over again. Your not doing anything special.
Props to this guy. He may be a hippie, but he’s doing something the average kook couldn’t. I never would have let them run a story about it though. Seems a little self absorbed for a hippie. Maybe Kook Kelson could have them do a story about him and ten thousand other people on his semi frozen whatever.
ha!!!!!
Kook Kelson………K^2