Publisher’s Note
By Mike Latronic
Winter is here, and most of us have been blown away – literally. In meteorological jargon, we can say a high pressure above the state has been wreaking havoc with prevalent side shore, hard offshore winds and North swells being the typical fair most days.
But the show must go on, and the best surfers in the world gathered to do battle in the greatest surfing arena on the planet – the North Shore – in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, the Volcom Pipe Pro or simply to test their mettle freesurfing.
While the rest of the world strains and wrestles with politics, the politics of surfing seems to get more and more interesting, which we detail in this month’s issue of Freesurf. This year, we’ve had new trends explode onto the surf scene, like razor perfect man made waves at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch, the rise of foiling, the growth of women’s big wave surfing and changes to the upcoming 2018 World Surf League Championship Tour. Flip over to page 36 to read more about what the industry’s top surfers had to say about the trends.
In this issue, we also celebrate John John Florence as the new World Champion (detailed on page 14), and also two Hawaiians who will compete on the Tour next year after a rollercoaster requalification scenario – Keanu Asing and Ezekiel Lau (page 26).
Also, flip over to page 60 for the Year in Review, where we recap month by the month the news and events in our Hawaiian surfing community. As you reflect back on highlights in surfing for the year, I urge you to simply acknowledge your own highlights – surfing, friends, family, work, life. All year long, we at Freesurf strive to reflect the stoke of surfing and share that positivity with the planet. Chances are if you have the wherewithal to check out this surf magazine, you likely possess an affinity for what is naturally good. Take that notion and share it all year! A year is a collection of months, a collection of weeks and then a collection of days. Every day is a collection of moments. Let’s make each moment count in 2018 and let’s make this year a good one!