Stylin' On The Sand!

Cheers Mates!

When I learned that PG was building 4GFs again after a few years layoff, I was super-elated, because my last mat had gone the way of so many other good things in life that fade out over time. Soon after getting back into matting I decided to put up this blog to share the fascination. And now that all of you out there are making it happen on its own, I have to thank you for your participation and enthusiasm. This last flurry of posts and comments on the style question I posed is truly heartwarming, and validates my own feelings and experiences, which are as varied as your opinions. Anyway, three cheers for Paul Gross, who carries on providing us with such tremendous fun. Really, although this blog is absolutely open to all manner of mats and matters, Surfmatters was inspired by PG and his work. Thank you contributors for helping him and ourselves to keep up the stoke!

It's all Good :)

Stylish Matting?

Do you reckon this would be an example of stylish matting form?

Lately, I've been thinking about how to appear aesthetically correct while riding a mat. You've got to figure that heaps of discerning surfmatters out there in blogland would have some tips and opinions on what constitutes stylish matting. Stuff like arm placement, whether hanging on or casually appearing to just rest one's hands on the pontoons is more cool, elbows in or out, laying low or upright in the Sphinx position...?

Some folks say style is everything. Others claim that form follows function. Anyway, I thought that this vitally important and highly debatable subject might be fun to post about and comment on. Maybe we can work out what's what in the style department so we can all look really posh when we go matting...

(I tend to think the following looks pretty good: Forearms and hands resting on top of the outer pontoons, elbows in, no deathgrip [until the moment it's needed], lightly perched, head not too high or low, relaxed big smile. But that's just one matter's opinion, and you'll see me violating these self-imposed fashion rules quite often, however I really try to keep up the goofy smile!)

The evenings have been fun...

The daytime crowds have been pretty aggro, so I slip into a few waves at dusk, and with the recent moonlight, into the evening for a while. Here's one from yesterday. I put a bigger version of it here.

Thanksgiving leftovers

Apparently there was quite a bit of good surf in California today. I didn't get to the beach until sunset, and only had time to snag a few leftovers before dark. It was cold, mushy, and disconnected, but I was thankful to even get wet today. A local kid had his camcorder and he took a few shots for our pleasure. I put a larger version here.

Invisable Alien Pod Mat Riders!!!

Cleverly waiting until Thanksgiving dinner time, invisible alien pod mat riders descended on Santa Barbara this afternoon...and proceeded to clog the lineup at a local point break!

This video was captured by an unidentified documentary film maker, who was transformed into one of the aliens after shooting this remarkable footage.

"It's not so bad being an alien pod," he commented later at Thanksgiving dinner at the home of his horrified human parents. "My new gills allow me to duck dive for unlimited periods of time. And frankly, I like having organic flippers instead of feet. Greg Deets will just have to deal with the loss of this customer!"

Fastest mat delivery on record...

Mike C, hailing from parts-best-left-unknown, ordered a mat yesterday. Being Thanksgiving, his mat won't go out until tomorrow morning. I know Priority Shipping is fast, but since I had't sent his mat out yet, imagine my surprise when I got his first ride report today...

Hi Paul,

Rode waves on my new mat last night, I was ripping, heaps of down the line speed, high lines.

I WAS ASLEEP THO, ha ha.

Tired today, have a great holiday!

Mike C

The Latest from Mat Max...

Hi Paul,

Was just thinking about how I chucked "hardboarding" well over a year ago, and have since been exclusively matting. Recently I've been surfing at least five days a week in boardshorts with no rash.

Something has clicked and I can now zoom all over the waves like a shortboarder. Vertical climbs and drops, whip cutbacks with big banks off the foam, stalling high and deep in the pit, huge roundhouses... Partly to do with carefully tuning inflation due to leaving the Standard and Fatty pumped up all the way and slowly arriving at ideal settings for large and small waves. Mostly just cumulative experience. Even the local kids on their bodyboards are noticing the level of performance.

I'm super-stoked and ultra-appreciative!

Cheers Mate,

Mat Max

P.S. I'm also using my mats for furniture since there's no couch or easy chair in my apartment!


From PG: More on Mat Max's inflatable lifestyle.

He frequents the local pub...

He gets in a round of golf almost everyday...

He often goes to the library and reads up on inflatable Greek history...

He enjoys the occasional movie about inflatable characters on his inflatable flat screen...

Calls to friends are a daily enjoyment...

As is listening to his killer record collection...

Motor racing still coarses through his veins...

And of course, the fairer sex is never far from his mind...

Today's Greeting From Mat Max...

Life's tough when you run the world's preeminent mat surfing blog from your front porch in Hawaii! :)

From Brian...

(I have no idea what this pinup poster is about...but it seems appropriate! PG)

Paul,

I got the Fatty out last night...it was not crowded at all. A long wait on the sets but was able to pull into half dozen nice head high walls. Really clean, slightly offshore if not complete glass by sunset; right on the last corner of the reef/point.

Normally a place where I like to ride my Greg Liddle hulls just trying to race the sections and see how fast I can get those boards going...the section can verge on closing out. I have been waiting to get this spot with these conditions to see how the mat would perform. Suffice to say... YEEHAW!!!

By far the cleanest waves I ridden the mat in and wow, what a sensation; it was like flying on glass I guess! By the end of the session I was getting more confidant and started taking off deeper and deeper; it only got better. It seemed that if I was able to get in even earlier I could get even more speed for the last, fastest section. Whereas the first few waves I was dealing with going around the section or getting caught by the wash; the last few I was going through that section like a bullet. Grabbing the front of the mat to inflate the tail, to almost take a dragster like stance...leaning forward, head down the high line and hit the trough for that big turn. YEEAHHH!!! SO STOKED!!!

Funny to see one surfer's face as he attempted to drop in front of me, and I had more than enough speed to just bottom turn underneath and around him with ease. Deeper on the wave and getting more room to gain speed...still jazzed this morning!

Thanks for listening,

Brian