Stoked to announce that the UW Kite Club is putting together the Seattle premier of A Work in Progress… especially since I hear they throw a solid party at the U! It’s going down Saturday, Jan 30 at Urban Surf, 2100 North Northlake Way.

 I’m flying into PDX Friday and hopping a train strait up to Seattle for this one! Planes, trains and automobiles for this trip… Out. 

WHO DAT

So thanks to the wonders of modern tech, I’m able to do a quick La Ventana trip recap, wifi style from the inflatable LF couch on the beach here at Baja Joes. ‘Pretty sick’ is an understatement. 

As it turns out, our early trip decision to cross the border from San Diego late in the afternoon on Monday was smarter than imagined. The storm that we had driven through that night, the same one that was responsible for the jack-knifed semi we encountered on the first mountain pass, ended up dumping 23 inches of rain in 24 hours over parts of Baja Norte. The flooding was so severe it washed out the only road from here to Tijauna in 3 different places, one a major bridge over flood drainage. Check out www.bajanomad.com. Had we not left within even the hour that we did, we would have been too far back in the lineup to get around the jack knifed semi, and still stuck somewhere high on a mountain pass in Baja Norte. Instead I’m updating the website from a varnished table at Baja Joes. If that’s not karma, I’m not really sure what is. 

So, since we’re stuck here until at least Wednesday, Tekko and I are going to capitalize and get some footage in the bank. It’s a beautiful blue sky w/ clouds day, and the wind is beginning to fill in from the north. Should be a pretty good setup with the knee high rollers coming in… more updates and pictures soon. 

Nate… out.

For the very first post of 2010, I’d like to thank each and every person who pre ordered and purchased their copy of A Work in Progress in 2009. Buying the DVD is a big deal; it legitimizes the potential of future projects and most importantly allows me to continue to deliver free content through Cineaptic.com. So, for that, props! If you haven’t bought the DVD yet, get on it! Click the link to the right, make your secure Paypal transaction and get stoked when a fresh, glossy new copy of AWIP shows at your door.

Baja

Things have gotten off to a quick start for 2010 around here. A few days ago I was stoked to find out that on Jan 18th I’ll be joining the boys at Liquid Force for a most excellent Baja Road Trip in the all new LF Winnebago. We’ll be surfing, riding, filming and partying our way down the Baja Peninsula all the way to La Ventana, the site of this year’s La Ventana Classic and Kite Expo. Be sure to check back here for photo and video updates from the road, as long as I can poach a strong enough internet connection.

La Ventana

This trip can’t come at a better time. Here in the Hood our early winter has gotten a bit soggy, with nothing but rain above 5000′ for the last two weeks. Good thing we hunkered down back in November and December, took the hits, built some setups and scored about a week of strong shred footy! The crew took on everything from a rail jam in downtown Hood River to assembling the first ever backyard park at the Windance house with the camera rolling the whole time. Pressed. Tapped. Owned. Anticipate getting stoked on some fresh winter edits within the week. In the meantime, back to packing…

So here we be, six edits in seven weeks. Not too shabby for a work in progress. For the sixth and final segment, I wanted to shake things up a little and show just how much influence and possibilities winching has brought to our crew. Now, without the need for wind, we can session all our favorite features here in the Hood, dial in exactly what we want to do, and then take those skills under the kite when conditions get good. Beyond the sandbar, the winch has also opened up tons of ‘back country’ session potential: ditches, drainage sloughs, lakes, ponds, city fountains… you name it. Regardless of where we take it, you’ll definitely be seeing a lot more shredding of the winch-assisted variety in the near future. 

Enjoy this one, I know I had a pretty good time putting it together. Details on the upcoming DVD should be out by the end of weekend!!! Where to get it, preorder status and price will all be ready. Get stoked! Peace…

I’m gonna write something here, I promise. Just don’t have time right now…