Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Episode 2 of my Hossegor omnibus in association with Db! And my guest for this instalment is Christa Funk, a swimmer, surfer, coastguard and photographer who has very quickly established herself as one of the most creative and formidable photographers on the North Shore, capturing that none-more-heavy scene with a beguiling blend of dynamism, grace and beauty. She's also got a hell of a story about how she made this happen. As regular listeners to the show will have learned from listening to my guests over the years, there's no set route into the industry. Anyone who ‘makes it' (itself a very flawed concept) has to travel a long way, literally and metaphorically. And Christa's story about how she ended up here, via an upbringing in Colorado, twin passions for swimming and photography, and a stint in the US Coastguard, is a pretty extraordinary and inspiring tale. And it just underlines a fundamental truth. There are no perfect career paths. Just individuals trying to work it out, and make the best of the hand they've been dealt. My chat with Christa is an object lesson in how far you can travel with only your geeky, niche interests and self-determination to guide you. I had such a laugh hanging out with and recording this conversation with Christa. Thanks for being such a good sport Christa! See ya on the North Shore sometime. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to Duncan Yeldham for production support, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com My guest this week is Tim Myers, an award-winning and renowned cameraman, cinematographer, journalist and storyteller who has carved out an extremely interesting career for himself telling human interest stories as a freelance gun for hire for people like the BBC, CNN and the UN. There's a chance you might unwittingly be familiar with Tim and his work - he achieved some internet notoriety a couple of years ago when he was attacked by riot police live on air while filming the June 2020 Washington riots for Australia network Channel 7. The story of Tim's route into this world via his upbringing on an Australian ski resort is a fascinating one. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Tim for a few days while we were in Hossegor, and recognised almost immediately there I was dealing with a total legend; somebody with combines a steely sangfroid with a curiosity about the world, and who has an ease about him that makes people feel comfortable straightaway. I really enjoyed this episode - Tim has plenty of lessons to impart from a life and career lived at a hungry, breakneck pace. I enjoyed our conversation and learned a lot - hope you do too. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to Duncan Yeldham for production support, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. This week's guest is a surfer and activist Adam Hall. He's Head of Sustainability for Surfdome, a trustee for POW UK, and is part of the team that just successfully ran the campaign to have the North Devon coastline designated one of only 12 World Surfing Reserves in the world, putting this much loved corner of the British surf world on a par with places like Noosa, Malibu and Ericeira, All of which would be reason enough to have Adam on as a guest for Type 2. But Adam's story is really about how a passionate, driven individual has found a way of - yes - parlaying his own passions into positive actions on a wider scale. Which really is a key question when you get down to what it actually means to be an ‘activist'. How can we make it personal, yet impactful on a wider scale? How can we think big when we're starting small? After all, it can be overwhelming, especially in the face of the sheer scale of some of the challenges we face, to work out how to make a difference. This is a conundrum that Adam has cracked, both through the projects that personify his take on activism, and through his passion for surfing, which is really at the heart of all his work. For me, this is what Type 2 is really about: the chance to hear from passionate, articulate, fired-up people who are out there making a difference and calling it out for what it is. We recorded this one at the Wave in Bristol after a really fun surf (it won't surprise you to hear that Adam rips, by the way); and all-in-all it was a great day capped off by a brilliant, thought-provoking conversation with somebody who wears his principles on this sleeve and is out there making it happen in every way he can. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com This week's guest is photographer Wig Worland, one of the most respected and influential people in the history of UK skateboarding. I've known Wig on and off since the 90s. Looking back, we were all a little bit in awe at his complete understanding of who he was as a person, and how single-mindedly he approached his craft and self-appointed task. Indeed, as my old pal Phil Young said, when I told him I'd finally persuaded Wig to come on the podcast, there's argument to be made that for a key period in the 90s and 2000s, Wig was THE most influential figure in UK skateboarding. It's a big claim, but the evidence (and any measure of common sense) backs it up. In the dim, distant, pre-social media years, the role of surf, skate or snow photographer carried an enormous amount of clout and influence. Particularly in the UK, which at the time didn't have the huge industry apparatus of the States underpinning the scene. In many ways, the early history of British skateboarding is really the history of a lot of talented and extremely driven people tirelessly documenting (and hence effectively creating) the scene as it rapidly evolved in real time. Wig was and remains a crucial and highly respected part of that brilliant tradition. And Wig really has shot with absolutely everybody, as you'll know if you follow him on Instagram, or are at all familiar with his work over the years. All of which means the man has tales and opinions galore on the history and uniqueness of UK and wider skateboarding history. Wig doesn't do many of these, so to get the chance to hear his perspective on all things skateboarding and creativity is a privilege I don't take lightly. Hope you enjoy the episode. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to Duncan Yeldham for production support, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com There are many layers to this week's conversation with surfer, director, film-maker, producer, creative and all-round legend Mikey Corker. On the one hand, it's about this latest project Savage Waters, a surf film in the finest classical, questing tradition. It's about how Mikey and a crew of similarly-driven and passionate people have spent years abroad Matt Knight's yacht Hecate searching for a mythical wave, and the adventures and scrapes they got into along the way. Then, on another level, it's about the travails of the professional surfing life, as well as a homage to the incredible, inspirational Knight family; a group of total legends who live life completely on their own terms, and who by the and of the film will have you wanting to jack in the job, sell the house and head for the horizon. But above all, it's the story of Mikey's own creative quest, and the reality of embarking upon such a quixotic creative endeavour. As you'll hear, at the beginning of this project Mikey really had nothing more than the germ of an idea and a lot of drive. It has literally taken years to get to the point where Savage Waters is out in the world and beginning to garner plaudits in the form of festival slots and acclaimed reviews. And that's what this one is really about: the reality of all creative projects. Nobody gives you permission. Gates don't mysteriously swing open in recognition of your devilish cleverness and latent talent. You have to make it happen, whatever bumps in the road you encounter along the way. That's what this one is really about, and why I found Mikey's story, and this brilliant conversation, so inspirational. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Is there anything better than catching up with an old friend after a long break, and picking up exactly where you left off? I think not - which is why my latest with Ewan Wallace is a paean to the joys of close friendship. Ewan is a snowboarder and musician (he's guitarist with Bonobo and Karmic) who is also one of my oldest and closest friends. I spent the most formative years of my life with Ewan; 15 years snowboarding, travelling, working and playing music together. But in the last decade we haven't seen as much of each other as usual, which is why I really cherish our time together on the rare occasions it does come around. On this occasion, I was also keen to reflect on our shared experiences with the perspective of time. I've been thinking much about the past recently, particularly the creative successes and failures. As somebody who was alongside me in the creative trenches for so many years, I've long been waiting for the chance to compare notes with Ewan on the times we had and the things we experienced. The result was the type of nourishing, grounding chat that only a proper old mate can deliver. Ewan's always been a brilliant conversationalist and he's led such an interesting life that know this would be a fun one. And so it proved to be. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Let's get straight to it - I've got one of surfing's all-time great legends on the show this week. Along with peers like Ian Cairns, Rabbit and MR, 1977 World Champion Shaun Thomson helped to redefine surfing over the course of one of THE most influential careers of them all. He changed the game in ways we all continue to benefit from today. Then there are his off-the-water contributions, which are as progressive and game-changing as his surfing. He was one of surfing's earliest activists, working with organisations such as Surfrider, and organising a campaign to improve water quality at Rincon, among other firsts. He's also an entrepreneur, starting Instinct and sponsoring other legends such as Tom Carroll and Barton Lynch on the way to their own world crowns. And, as if that isn't enough, he's also a creative filmmaker and cultural custodian, notably through the film Bustin' Down The Door, which documented the mid-70s Hawaiian scene Shaun was himself such a key part of. And yet, despite these incredible heights, Shaun's life has also been marked by rare tragedy. The death of his beloved son Mathew in 1995 left him understandably bereft and seeking a new purpose in life. He found it with his Surfer's Code, a deceptively simple self-development tool which uses surfing as a metaphor for life's struggles, and which Shaun has subsequently used to help thousands of individuals and business find their own purpose. Taken as a whole, Shaun's story is remarkable on many levels, and in this conversation we spoke about this career in the context of the biggest themes of all - life, death, grief, recovery; and how surfing has the power to shape your life in ways it can take a lifetime to understand. I'm very grateful to Shaun for taking the time to share his story with such openness and generosity. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com When does cultural guardianship become another form of toxic gatekeeping? How can you connect your own personal take on activism with the bigger themes? How can ski touring and splitboarding be a vehicle to increased creativity and self-awareness? And just why is Scotland one of the most unique places to ride a snowboard in the world? All topics covered in this week's episode with Lesley McKenna, Hannah Bailey and Lauren MacCallum, impromptuly recorded during my recent trip to Aviemore to take part in one of Hannah and Lesley's Wandering Workshops. This was a brilliant three days which mixed splitboarding with a much-needed creative reset. While there, I decided to grab Lesley, Hannah and Lauren for a chat. “What do you want to chat about?”, asked Lesley the day before, as we were heading uphill through classic Scottish four-seasons-in-one-day conditions. “Let's just press record and see where we end up”, I replied. Which is exactly what we did, and as I suspected it might, it quickly evolved into a subtle, all-encompassing chat that covered a hell of a lot of ground. Of course, it helped that I was chatting to three of the smartest, most passionate people I know. This is actually the first time I've interviewed three people for the show, and I thought it worked really well. Big thanks to Lesley, Hannah and Lauren for taking the time to do it, and for the brilliant conversation. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Sound the geek klaxon! Yep, this week's conversation with legit US snowboarding legend Pat ‘the eYe' bridges goes deep, deep down the snowboarding rabbit hole. I go back a long way with Pat - around twenty years, in fact. I used to write for him back when he was editor of Snowboarder Magazine, which was around when we first met. Over the years, we stayed in touch and continued to bump into each other at various events around the world. So you can imagine how chuffed I was to get the chance to work alongside Pat as part of the Natural Selection team: firstly, as part of the Selection Committee for the event; then, later, as part of the commentary team for the Jackson leg of this year's tour. I spent that trip with working with and hanging out with Pat, which was brilliant fun and a true privilege. Cut this man and he bleeds snowboarding. He also has the most encyclopaedic knowledge of snowboarding lore of anybody I've ever met. Which, considering the calibre of geek I've spent my life hanging out with, is really saying something. These days Pat is as close to a definition of a snowboarding lifer as you're going to get, as his work as publisher of Slush testifies. He continues to fight the good fight, and be outrageously entertaining company. Hope you enjoy our conversation. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com To say that Neil McDonald is interested in skate history is a little like saying Capability Brown liked to dabble in the odd bit of gardening. Neil is a journalist, author, curator and archivist who is obsessed, to an awe-inspiring degree, with the tales and intricacies of skate history. It's a fascination he explores through his essential Science Versus Life Instagram account, and which he is developing on the grandest possible scale with his forthcoming history of UK skateboarding. For me, Neil's reverent take on the power and importance of skate history makes him more akin to a legitimate cultural curator. It's why I kept using the word archivist during our conversation, and why I think his work is so important and much more than the mere ‘scanning of old skateboard magazines', to paraphrase his Insta bio. Why? Because this stuff matters. It's important, like any history is important. It's how we define ourselves as a culture, and how we safeguard the uniqueness of these activities many of us have based our entire lives around. With Science Versus Life and his forthcoming book, Neil is doing nothing less than trying to preserve and present the entire pre-digital history of British skateboarding and, by extension, youth culture in this country. As you might imagine if you've listened to the show for a while, this mission is right up my boulevard, and I enjoyed our chat very much indeed. Hope you do too. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com This week's guest Yvette Curtis runs the amazing Wave Wahines, the women and girls only surf club through which she is on a mission to make surfing in the UK more accessible for women and girls from all cultures and ethnic communities. I think the reason I'm such a fan of Yvette's work, and why I was so keen to chat to her for the podcast, is that it's a story of how one person can impact the grassroots by the works they do. I talk about lot on the podcast about how we need to ask questions of traditional surf culture. Well, Yvette is out there doing that work, and it's through initiatives such as Wahines that change will happen, however irrevocably. And, as I discovered during our conversation, it has come at sometimes great emotional and personal cost. Firstly, because like everybody, Yvette struggles with the dreaded imposter syndrome, and the very idea that she has any right to be a spokesperson on any of the issues we discuss. Secondly, because anybody doing such work, and daring to pose questions of the status quo, can find themselves open to attack, something which happened to Yvette when she appeared on a BBC Spotlight segment and subsequently received a truly horrendous amount of bullying and abuse. Undeterred, Yvette dusted herself down and came back more energised than ever to make a difference. As she should have one, because her experiences as a British woman of colour in the 21st century are real, impactful, challenging and are as valid a contribution to our culture as somebody who is venerated for being good at riding a piece of wood, foam or carbon. When ordinary people do extraordinary things, change can happen. Shining a light on such stories is basically why I started this podcast, and why I'm so glad Yvette agreed to come on the show. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Jackson x Natural Selection omnibus special! Succeeding in any kind of career as a professional athlete is tough. Cultivating a career that lasts close to two decades? Pretty much impossible. In snowboarding, it's a rarified feat that only a handful have managed. Those that have accomplished it have navigated ups, downs, injuries, sponsorship vagaries, trends, and everything else that life can throw at you. This week's guest Hana Beaman is among that number, legit shred royalty whose unique career has been characterised by constant evolution. As is often the case when it comes to these lengthier career arcs, Beaman got her start on the contest scene, later making her name as one of the only women on the Grenade crew. Later, she made the switch to the backcountry under the tutelage of Travis Rice and other out-of-bounds heavyweights. Movie projects such as Listen to the Eyes followed, before Natural Selection- well - selection cemented Hana's rep as one of the true legends of the women's snowboarding scene. It's a position she relishes, happy to pass on her knowledge to the next generation and own the mentor role now she's in the position to pay it back. Naturally, given the sheer weight of this resume, I was keen to chat to Hana while I was in Jackson. The resulting conversion is a study in the long game, and an object lesson in how humility and curiosity are the fuel for longevity. What I found particularly interesting is the way Hana's been happy to diversify and follow interests outside of snowboarding as way of keeping things fresh. I've long been intrigued by Hana's story, and I very much enjoyed our conversation. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. This week's guest is runner and activist Martin ‘MJ' Johnson. Martin is a trail runner and father who, in Run to the Source, his new collaboration with Patagonia, has made a truly thought-provoking film. Run to the Source follows Martin's attempt to set a new Fastest Known Time (or FKT, as it's known) along the Thames Path, which he eventually did, completing the 184 distance in 38 hours and 35 minutes. But as anybody who has seen the film will know (and if you haven't I really implore you to seek it out on YouTube) it soon becomes clear that the Martin and collaborators such as director Matt Kay and producer Phil Young have a much more ambitious story to tell. This is nothing less than the story of the river itself, which in the film becomes a metaphor for the untold black and brown history of Britain. By using this journey to tell such a nuanced story, the film becomes something else entirely, taking Martin's feat into altogether more convention-challenging territory, and causing us to question our own relationships with the activities and history we can take somewhat for granted. It is powerful yet subtle, and as such is a fitting reflection of its protagonist. One of the things I love about Run to the Source, and Martin's story in particular, is how it offers up such a nuanced, personal and localised take on activism. Often we're encouraged to think of activism as a story of absolutes, of fighting the biggest battles of all. Martin's generous interpretation offers up activism as a means of exploration, on a literal and metaphysical level, and is all the more powerful for that. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

He'll hate me for saying it. But Dr. Tony Butt, this week's guest, is one of UK surfing's bone fide big wave legends. As Nathan Carter put it in a recent interview for Wavelength Magazine, Tony is ‘probably the British big wave surfer with the most giant paddle waves under his belt'. Not that you would realise this if you used Tony's media profile as an indicator. In a world of instant edits and Insta surf porn, Tony flies gloriously under the radar - which is just the way he likes it. Not for Tony any social media clout-chasing. Instead, he is content to keep to himself over in Asturias in northern Spain, where he spends his time exploring the reefs and waves of this lesser known nook of the European surfing universe; and indulging his other passions of oceanography and wave forecasting. Indeed, if anything, Tony is better known for this side of his repertoire rather than his actual surfing thanks to his pioneering academic work, and thought-provoking journalism in titles such as The Surfer's Path and Magic Seaweed. He is, in short, a total legend - if an extremely self-effacing and unassuming one. Perhaps that's why it has taken us around three years to arrange this conversation. But it's worth the wait. This one ranges all over the place, from how our perception of mortality shapes our life path; to the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how it affects our surfing. Of course, we also delved into Tony's vast experience of big wave surfing, too. The result is a hefty, thought-provoking chat with one of the true unsung heroes of European surfing, shot through with the wisdom accrued from a life of exploration around surfing's wilder frontiers.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism My guest for this episode of the podcast is professional snowboarder and activist Marie-France Roy, who I chatted to during my recent trip to Jackson Hole for the first leg of the Natural Selection Tour. Marie is that rare thing: somebody who is using their platform to try and instigate change on both the personal and wider level. As a snowboarder, she has used projects such as her movie The Little Things to try and connect all of her interests into one cohesive whole. As an activist, her work covers many areas, whether it is her increasing involvement with Protect Our Winters, her frontline involvement with the Fairy Creek blockade, or personal projects such as her ambition to develop a working kelp farm as a way of providing tangible societal and economic solutions to the problems we face. This one is lovely, nuanced and open chat with one of the warmest and most-respected personalities in snowboarding. We were also joined halfway through the chat but Marie's close friend Spencer O'Brien, who contributed some questions of her own. Hope you enjoy this one! New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks or so through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Jackson x Natural Selection omnibus special! Yep, myself and my right-hand man Owen Tozer are on our first podcast trip of the Covid era. We've been in Jackson Hole for the first stop of the Natural Selection Tour, and have taken the opportunity to record as many episodes as we can with people involved in the event, from Jackson, or from the wider snowboarding community. This series continues with this conversation with the man behind the entire event: Travis Rice, in what is our now traditional post-event debrief. This year, I was particularly interested in speaking to Travis about some of the talking points that have arisen from this year's event, notably THAT KB versus Travis match-up; and also the huge amount of kickback the event and Travis personally has received for making the launch of a Natural Selection NFT series such a focal point of this year's event. I've been wanting to cover the place of NFTs in our world for a while now, and this seemed a perfect way of doing so. Although I'm lucky enough to count Travis as a friend, and to play a tiny part in the entire Natural Selection process, I think it's more important than ever to use this position to pose occasionally uncomfortable questions, and to push Travis to answer some of the criticisms of the event that have begun to do the rounds now Natural Selection becomes and increasingly established part of the snowboarding landscape. That's what I tried to do here, and the result, as you'll probably expect if you've listened to any of my other conversations with Travis, is a fast-paced conversation in which the GOAT's questing, pitilessly honest mindset is on full display. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Jackson x Natural Selection omnibus special! Yep, myself and my right-hand man Owen Tozer are on our first podcast trip of the Covid era. We've been in Jackson Hole for the first stop of the Natural Selection Tour, and have taken the opportunity to record as many episodes as we could with people involved in the event, from Jackson, or from the wider snowboarding community. Continuing with this conversation with judge Sandy Macdonald. One of the things I've been trying to do while out here is to throw some some light onto some of the more opaque aspects of the Natural Selection experience, and in that light a chat with one of the judges seemed an essential port of call. Because, as a cursory examination of the snowboarding conversation has revealed, the judging at this year's event has been subject to criticism, whether below the line, among the community at large and even among the riders themselves, So to try and understand the judging process a little bit more clearly, and to get insights into some of the more contentious calls from this year's Jackson event, I grabbed Sandy for a chat. And what a revealing insight into the the whole judging process this conversation really is. I approached this one by trying to think about what questions I want answered as a fan, and to try and address as many of the issues and explicit criticisms that I've seen doing the rounds in the aftermath of the event. Huge thanks to Sandy for being such a good sport in this one, and for tackling each of these questions with total accountability and transparency. I leaned a lot and I hope you do too.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Jackson x Natural Selection omnibus special!  Yep, myself and my right-hand man and creative collaborator Owen Tozer are on our first trip of the Covid era and what a joyous, life-affirming experience it has been. We've been in Jackson Hole for the first stop of the Natural Selection Tour, and have taken the opportunity to record as many episodes as we could with people involved in the event or from the wider snowboarding community.  Starting with this conversation with my friend and fellow Natural Selection announcer Tom 'T-Bird' Monterosso. We'd been chatting about recording this episode all week, and in the end decided to record it a couple of hours after finals day wrapped in the immediate post-show afterglow of our live broadcast of the event.  As you'll hear, spirits were high, and not just because we were both three Pacificos deep. I think it's also because as myself and Tom have discovered this week, we really like hanging out and talking together. So with the event wrapped, we set the tape rolling and recorded this quick fire episode. We talked about the event, of course, and then segued into a chat about Tom's life and career in snowboarding. There are some classic LS themes in this one, explored with totally candour and self-deprecation by one of the essential voices in US snowboarding. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com How can you find the strength to turn traumatic experiences that have affected you deeply into something that has the power to transform your own community? How do you bypass the toxic gatekeepers who still control the routes and paths into the industry? And how can you feed the latent appetite for alternative narratives that exists yet is shamefully under-served in our world? All themes that feature in my conversation with this week's guest Lyndsay McLaren; a powerful, multi-layered conversation that I think is one of the most important chats I've ever featured on the show. And there are really two levels to this conversation. Firstly, there's the story of Neighbourhood Skate Club, the community skate project that Lyndsay founded in lockdown, and through which she's aiming to “create space and opportunities for women and queer people who skateboard or want to learn”. Then there's Lyndsay own story, of how she's managed to process the traumatic experiences that have hallmarked her own progress through the industry; and, along the way, found the strength to reclaim her own story, and subvert some of the insidious, toxic conventions that regrettably still exist in our community. Taken as a whole, these threads combine into one truly powerful and inspirational tale. I'm grateful to Lyndsay for trusting me enough to talk so openly about her experiences, and am proud of the way she's used them to create something so positive and transformative. Just a note to say that we do discuss incidents of sexual harassment in this episode, so please be mindful of this as you listen. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com If you're a snowboarder, Danny Davis really needs no introduction. He's widely regarded as one of the greatest riders of all time, and is still going strong two decades into one of the most storied careers in competitive snowboarding. But there's more to Danny than this quick thumbnail sketch. Because, in a world of ever-increasing progression for its own sake, Danny stands for something. He's a symbol of the creativity that is supposed to be at the heart of this entire business. As such, he's one of the most beloved and admired riders on the planet, loved by snowboarders across the world as the personification of the idea that progression is redundant if it isn't accompanied by style and creativity. When I interview people how occupy such an exalted place in our culture, I'm always curious to see how they wear their reputation. Are they aware of it? Do they reject it? Embrace it? Will they even want to discuss it? In Danny's case, as I was delighted to discover, he's more than happy to discuss it. What follows is, I humbly contend, as revealing an interview with Danny as you're likely to hear, in which one of the greats dissects his own career, his plans for the future, and the state of snowboarding in general with total honesty and openness. In doing so, he offers us a peerless insight into the mindset you need if you're going to stay at the top of the game for twenty years. This one is great. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Think of this conversation with Cornish surfer Sam Bleakley as a companion piece to the extremely popular Dylan Graves episode from a few weeks back. Why? Because here we have another amazing surfer using their talent and platform in Jan in an infinitely more interesting way than most other professional surfers. Sam's case is particularly interesting because he has managed to find a way to combine his two major passions - geography and surfing - into one singular life path, something that has led him into some very interesting territory indeed, both literally and metaphorically. Of course, there's the actual work itself. as well as a surfer, Sam is a journalist, author and academic. He also produces and presents his fantastic WSL show Brilliant Corners, and is a commentator for the WSL longboard tour. It's a busy slate alright, but what I found fascinating about our conversation is the way Sam has worked to create these opportunities for himself by being honest to his own unique interests, and how he uses them to stretch himself creatively with honesty and integrity. So yep, some classic LS themes in this one, explored in a conversation that took its own time and path in the best Looking Sideways tradition. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Festive Special! Yep, as is now very much tradition in the Looking Sideways universe, for this special Christmas episode I was joined by my old pals Tim and Gendle for our fourth mince pie, Secret Santa and booze-filled yuletide jamboree. Now, if you've listened to any of these episodes before, you'll know what to expect - although this year, I'm happy to report, we managed to juggle schedule and beat the rapidly-approaching Covid restrictions to do this one in person. Tim and Gend had a Famous First Words gig about ten days before Christmas in London, so I packed the podcast kit, donned the mark and headed on up to the Smoke to record this episode. If you're new to the show or unfamiliar with the boys and their work, allow me to introduce them: two of the biggest influences and most-loved presences in British snowboarding, whether as film-makers, presenters or snowboarders. This year's show took the usual format and ran with it. So expect a Christmas quiz, Secret Santa gift exchanges, the three of us getting steadily more pissed, the boys turning the tables on me and asking me a few questions, and so on. We had a great time doing this one, so I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas! Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. This week's guest is actor, musician, performer, podcast host and trans activist Brix Schaumburg. As Germany's most high profile trans actor, Brix has become something of a focal point for the conversation around trans rights and issues of gender. This scenario has led him to a form of gently provocative activism, in which he has used his platform to position himself as a ‘filter and buffer', a lens through which to explore these topics with a thoughtful generosity and playfulness. I think this really comes across in our conversation, which is an extremely nuanced and thought-provoking chat. As usual in Type 2, we talked about Brix's life and career but really we spoke about themes that everybody can recognise: especially, the gap between our inner and public-facing selves, and how reconciling these two poles really constitutes the work of everybody's life. Regular listeners to Type 2 and my own Looking Sideways podcast will know this one a bit of a pet theme of mine. We also discussed how difficult it is, no matter how progressive you consider yourself to be, to escape the binary conventions and associations that have accumulated in our culture - something I demonstrated perfectly at one point, much to Brix's wry amusement, and which he pointed out to me in the same open spirit with which he approaches this entire topic. And we dipped a toe into the issue of trans athletes participation in sport, an issue which is at the frontline of the current debate. I enjoyed our conversation very much, and as is the case in the best exchanges, I learned a lot about the issues generally and, more importantly, about my own relationship to the conventions and gender boundaries that invisibly govern our lives. I hope you do too. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com This week's guest Dylan Graves has managed something that sounds simple but is actually really very difficult when it comes to surf, skate and snow film-making - coming up with a simple idea that manages to convey the stoke of the entire business while also telling a repeatedly compelling story. If you don't know Dylan, he is a professional surfer from Puerto Rico and the host of a YouTube show called Weird Waves, which for my money is the best professional surfing vlog out there. Why am I making this bold claim? Because Weird Waves is so far removed from the usual surf culture narrative, with its preoccupations with the same tedious tropes we've all had rammed down our throats for the past 70 plus years. Instead, each episode of Weird Waves focuses lovingly on the margins of surf culture, the scenes that are a million miles away from the Beach Grit beat, but are, in 2021, just as legitimate as La Jolla, Hawaii or Byron Bay. Whether it's the Brits surfing the Severn Bore on junky old longboards, or frothing mid westerners tackling howling Great Lake windswell, Dylan puts these communities in the spotlight with zero judgement. There's another reason that Weird Waves is to be applauded, too, which is the way that Dylan uses the format to challenge himself, whether creatively or by tackling the bigger issues of the day without fear or favour. When somebody with the profile of Dylan uses their platform to challenge themselves, and attempt to make our community more inclusive and accepting, they should be applauded. That's a big reason why I invited Dylan on the show, and why I enjoyed our thoughtful conversation so much. Hope you do too. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Welcome to an absolute throwback of an interview in the finest Looking Sideways tradition. Yep, if you liked my recent chat with Ben Powell, for example, you're going to enjoy this conversation with BMX legend ‘Mad' Jon Taylor. For a start, it was face-to-face, which was such a laugh and something I've missed more than I've realised. Secondly, there's the fact that this is a riotous look at the life and times of one of the most beloved figures in UK action sports. Jon is a true living legend of the global BMX scene, somebody who has been there, seen it, done it and has the raucously entertaining anecdotes to prove it. British listeners not hugely familiar with the BMX scene may have seen Jon on the BBC's coverage of the BMX events at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he sat in alongside Ed Leigh and provided brilliant context to the mainstream audience. I'm not gonna go through the CV, as Jon does this during our conversation far more entertainingly than I'm able to hear. But suffice to say this is a glorious trip through Jon's life and times with one of the biggest characters in the game. I know some listeners have been crying out for this type of episode recently - like I say, it's an instant LS classic in the truest sense of the word. Hope you enjoy our conversation! Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Is experience a prerequisite for knowledge? How can you use the lessons of life to strive for equanimity? Is it possible to avoid taking life personally? Should we let our curiosity guide our decision-making? How can we put story-telling at the centre of what we do? Is life about taking or giving back? These are the questions we all grapple with at some point during our lives, however unwittingly. And, as I realised at the end of our conversation, they are the questions that formed the key themes of my fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with snowboarding legend Dani ‘Kiwi' Meier. Let's get the snowboarding part out of the way first. As you might have guessed from that nickname, Dani is from New Zealand, but it was as part of the nascent late 80s/early 90s European snowboarding scene that he made his name. On the snow, his surf-influenced, rootsy take on snowboarding saw him carve out a gloriously idiosyncratic career, riding for brands like Rad Air and Northwave, and helping to create the European pro scene as we still recognise it today. Off the snow, his work ethic, ability to see the bigger picture, and incessant curiosity marked him out as a genuine innovator. Take The Crystal Awards, snowboarding's original culture-driven contest comp that soon became one of the most copied formats ever. Or his work with his agency Mana Media, which saw him work with the biggest brands on the planet and succeed in taking his culturally sympathetic story-telling approach to the biggest canvasses of all. Now, in mid-life, Dani is taking stock of his life and career, and I'm so fortunate he was gracious enough to share his insights for this episode. It's the type of conversation that caused me to view my own life differently. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com My guest this week is Skateistan founder Ollie Percovich, who I welcomed back for his second appearance on the show. I first chatted to Ollie in May 2018 in the dim, distant pre-Covid era, and in the intervening months it's fair to say much has changed for Ollie and the community he's spent so long establishing. The first event was, obviously, Covid, which understandably had a huge impact on a none-profit with operations and staff all over the world. The second was the recent geopolitical upheaval in Afghanistan, which it is booming clear has changed the country significantly - and had an enormous impact on the work Skateistan have been carrying out in the country. Back in August, when it became apparent just how serious the unfolding events in Afghanistan were, I contacted Ollie to see if he'd be interested in coming back on the show to discuss the entire situation. I've got such admiration for Ollie. His selflessness, positivity and belief in the power of community look more prescient with every passing year, and is needed now than ever right now. Obviously this is a highly sensitive topic (not least because Ollie and his colleagues are still working in the country), so we had to tread carefully in the way we discussed the issues. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. My guest for this episode of Type 2 is Shannon Galpin an explorer, writer, journalist, artist and global activist known primarily for her work on climate action and women's rights. I first became aware of Shannon through her long-running work in Afghanistan, where she has been involved with womens' rights projects for over a decade now. She first visited the country in 2009, eventually helping to establish the first Afghan Women's National cycling team, and continuing to advocate for the right of women in the country to ride bikes in safety. Shannon wrote two books about this experience, as well producing the documentary Afghan Cycles. Today, with social and political change sweeping the country once again, she has been working to help evacuate the women she worked with and their families from the country, as well as setting up post-evacuation programmes for them around Europe, the US and Canada. In addition to this important, emotionally involving work, Shannon is also collaborating with her daughter Devon on a project called Endangered Activism, through which she focuses “on field research and the use of street art as a way of …inspiring youth activism for wildlife conservation and climate justice” As you're going to discover from our conversation, Shannon has a truly remarkable range of interests and is creating important, transformative work across a number of different creative fronts, something she sums up by saying ‘my curiosity outweighs my fear'. I found her empathetic, inquisitive approach to activism to be hugely inspiring - I hope you do too. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Chris Hines bonus episode! Chris is a surfer and activist best known for being one of the original driving forces behind the original incarnation of Surfers Against Sewage. Today he enjoys a reputation as one of the most respected and successful communicators in British environmentalism. This is actually my third conversation with Chris after his initial appearance on Type 2 was followed by our Instagram Live conversation last year. This one came about when I was asked to create and run a workshop on how to create podcasts and the art of interviewing for a company called WMFTG. This day-long session ended up being part-workshop, part-practical podcast tutorial, and part-talk on the art of creativity and storytelling. Anyway, as part of the workshop I interviewed Chris Hines in front of the attendees. This went so well that I thought I'd release the chat as a bonus episode of the podcast. So here we are. There are no Show Notes for this bonus episode, so if you want to find out more about any of the things we discuss or join in the debate, check out my Instagram (@WeLookSideways), Twitter (@WeLookSideways) and Facebook (@wearelookingsideways). Nice one.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com This week's guest Torren Martyn is probably the most individual, interesting and certainly most celebrated surfer in the world right now. Draw a Venn diagram of all the modern-day talking points in surf culture - board length, style, the craving for some substance among a world of throwaway edits - and Torren would be right at the centre. As 2021 dawned, Torren's lazy, lanky style and mastery of the less-than-obvious board length had already seen him lauded as one of the modern greats. Then he released Lost Track: Atlantic, a four-part, three-hour long collaboration made with his best mate and long-term foil Ishka Folkwell that marked the high watermark of the pair's creative partnership. Why? Firstly because it's a beautifully-made piece of work that, as it languidly documents the duo's journey from Scotland to Senegal in ‘Donna', their beat-up old Transit, repurposes the surf road trip dream in a way that is quietly innovative, yet as comfortingly familiar as that first post-lockdown pint. Secondly, because of what this defiantly old-fashioned approach signifies in the modern surf era. In a time of quick cut vlogs and Insta clips, Torren and Ishka have taken it back to more reflective era, when surf films were a satisfyingly cohesive package of music, surfing and culture. Throw in Torren's beautiful surfing and Ishka's unique eye, and you have the recipe for what was immediately recognised as a modern classic. Yep, I'm a fan. Indeed, I've been trying to get Torren on since I saw the first episode, and after a few months of email tennis we finally made it happen in September 2021. This one is just a lovely open chat with somebody who is a warm and impressive as his incredible surfing. I'm hugely grateful to Torren and Ishka for brightening an otherwise dire year with their visionary work, and to Torren for taking the time to unpick the whole thing for this episode. This is a good one. Enjoy. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com My ‘lifer' episodes, in which I interview somebody without the profile of my more famous guests, but who nevertheless has dedicated their life to the culture with similar dedication (and, in many cases, has had a similar influence), are always among the most beloved Looking Sideways episodes. And in this episode with action sports agent and business coach Sue Izzo, I'm not afraid to say we have an instant lifer classic. Of course, as usual we discussed Sue's life and career through the action sports industry - she founded Mosaic and helped steer the career of Danny Davis, Keir Dillon and Sofia Mulanovich, among others. But really, this open, honest and moving conversation is about the very stuff of life itself. It's about the biggest questions and challenges of all, which at some point we will all inevitably have to face, and how we find the strength to deal with them. In Sue's case, this ongoing reckoning has meant facing episodes of debilitating depression, numerous suicide attempts, a cancer diagnosis, as well as various professional crises. The story of how Sue found the strength to overcome these challenges, and come out the other side reborn as the person she is today is as compelling as any I've yet told on the podcast. Today, she is driven by mission to tell her story, in the hope that it will provide succour to others dealing with similar struggles, The result is powerful, thought-provoking and moving conversation. Just an advance warning - in this conversation myself and Sue converse pretty frankly about mental health, depression and suicide, so please be mindful before you get stuck into the episode. My thanks to Sue for her openness and honesty. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com I first asked Ben Powell to be a guest on the show back in 2017. In the end, it has taken almost five years of chipping away to get him to agree, and this week's sprawling conversation is the result. Why was I so bloody-minded about getting Ben on the show? Because I challenge you to find anybody who has made a bigger impact on skate culture in this country over the last 30 years. Sure, Ben will cringe to his very fingertips at this highfalutin description. But it's true. As part of the team behind Sidewalk, the much-loved successor to Read and Destroy magazine, Ben has spent literally decades championing every aspect of UK skateboarding with wit, integrity, irreverence and, when required, the utmost seriousness. If it happened, he definitely wrote about it - and probably filmed it, too. So yep, I'm happy I broke down his resistance. And in the end, this lengthy, digressive chat was also partially about that. Like all British northern men of a certain vintage, Ben is immune to bullshit and almost pathologically modest about his contribution, so my job in this case was to try to dismantle these self-deprecatory defences to find out just what motivated this legend to devote his life to the stories and culture of skateboarding. As you'll gather, Ben is opinionated, erudite, passionate, a total skate geek and properly funny. Yep, I enjoyed this one. Hope you do too. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com On this week's episode I welcomed the great Lesley McKenna back to the show for her second visit, a mere four years after her first appearance in June 2017. If you don't know Lesley, she's a snowboarder and Olympian who is, to my mind, one of the most original and quietly influential thinkers in action sports. Lesley was actually my first ever female guest, and in the intervening years a lot has changed - and not just for the my humble little podcast. There's the fact that her efforts with GB Park & Pipe (which formed a large part of that original discussion), helped yield a further British bronze medal for Billy Morgan at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, as well as the wider changes we can expect following skating and surfing's own Olympic bow at the 2020 Tokyo Games. It's the type of new territory that is, to my mind, crying out for the type of sophisticated insight that Lesley specialises in.Whenever I need to sense check my understanding of any new developments in our world, Lesley is my first port of call. Which is why I decided to get her back on the show for an agenda-free catch up about all things sideways as our culture steps into a brave new post-Tokyo world. I've been lucky enough to count Lesley as a close friend for over 25 years now, and I always relish our time together. I know the conversation will leap off in spontaneous directions, and that it'll be thought-provoking and intellectually nourishing. I purposefully didn't prepare for this conversation so I could enjoy that spontaneity in real time, and that's exactly how it panned out. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com These days, the notion of water therapy is fairly well mainstream. Think ‘blue mind' theory, and the sheer number of Instagram account and Guardian articles extolling the virtues of cold showers and cold water swimming. But back in 2011, when this week's guest Joe Taylor set up The Wave Project, it was rather less well known. As you might imagine, the story of Joe's quixotic quest to establish the Wave Project is a fascinating one, and the subject of this week's conversation. First, some background: the Wave Project is a surf therapy charity which ‘uses surfing to help young people improve their emotional and physical wellbeing'. Today, they run programs in 32 locations across the UK and have used the power of surfing to transform hundreds of young lives. It is inspirational stuff and, as I discovered during our conversation, Joe's own tale is equally fascinating. As ever, I wanted to dig a little deeper and find out how how own relationship with the sea informed the Wave Project's genesis and subsequent development, as well as understand exactly how harnessing the power of water in the way the Wave Project does has the power to change lives. My thanks to my friends at Watergate Bay for hosting me for this one, and to Joe and Rachel at the Wave Project for all their help. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. My guest for this episode of Type 2 is Rob Hopkins, a ridiculously prolific UK-based activist, author, podcaster, lecturer and environmentalist who describes himself as a ‘champion of the collective imagination'. There are many lessons and insights in this chat, but two themes predominate - the power of local movements to lead to wider, societal change; and the importance of imagination and creativity in this wider process. For Rob, the act of imagining different outcomes and realities is integral if we are to get through the perilous climate situation we find ourselves in. If you think about it, this is a profound insight. After all, one thing that keeps the status quo in place is a kind of imaginative helplessness, this idea that our own actions are destined not to have any impact, so there's no point in bothering. Rob sees this condition of inertia and confusion as ‘a state of promise,' and his work is primarily concerned with arming people with the tools to break out of this imaginative malaise, and to reimagine our individual and collective realities so we can create a better future. That's the basis of Rob's pioneering work with the Transition Movement, for example, and the work he's currently leading in his home town of Totnes in the UK. Rob is a truly original thinker with an ethos that is a beguiling blend of pragmatism and untrammelled creativity. I found this to be a hugely inspiring, thought-provoking and insightful conversation. I hope you do too. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Street skating legend Cairo Foster is well over two decades into a singular and iconic career. Think ‘two episodes of The Nine Club' iconic. So when he got in touch to see if I'd be up for having a chat to commemorate the release of his new Actions REALized board, a collaboration between Real Skateboards in memory of Ben Raemers, with all proceeds going to The Ben Raemers Foundation, I was of course up for it. Especially because this episode has been a long time coming. Myself and Cairo have mutual friends in common, and have been loosely trying to get this off the ground for a couple of years now. I had a feeling we'd be able to have a good conversation, and am happy to be proven correct in this hunch. This one covers the biggest themes of all. Like how travel truly does broaden the mind and provides the key to an inquisitive and empathetic life. How certain unique individuals can have an immeasurable impact on you. And how loss, always the most sensitive of topics, has the power to take us unawares, and continually remind us of what is truly important. As a heads-up, we do discuss issues of mental health and suicide in this episode, and I've listed a couple of resources at the end of the episode. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Get ready for a trip through snowboarding history with somebody who, over two decades, had a ringside seat as snowboarding evolved from the domain of backyard tinkerers into the global super-sport it is today: legendary US snowboard photography legend Trevor Graves. Trevor is one of those first generation riders whose career perfectly mirrors the key developments of snowboarding history. Even more importantly, he documented it all, camera in hand. The result is a Zelig-like career during which Trevor captured the highlights of snowboarding's most notorious and romantic period. The nascent, pre-metal edge east coast freestyle scene? Check. The rise of Brushie? Tick. Craig's domination? Check. Burton's early 90s purple patch? The genesis of Robot Food? Oh yes. As you might imagine, this CV has given Trevor a bagful of stories without parallel in snowboarding and I'm not ashamed to say I made him dig deep into this over the course of our conversation. Not that this is the entire story. Because Trevor has the distinction of succeeding at two careers once he decided to put down the camera, founding renowned Portland agency Nemo Design with a couple of friends and changing the game in that arena too. This a lovely, weighty episode with one of snowboarding's great unsung heroes. It unfolds in its own sweet time, so grab a brew and listen as Trevor connects the dots and shares his insights into our shared history and culture. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Earlier this year, Australian surfer Lucy Small found herself at the centre of a genuine viral moment. If you follow surf media, you probably saw it. It happened when, after winning a surf contest in Sydney, she noticed her winnings were less than half of that of her male counterpart. Now in these situations, obviously, it's easier to keep quiet. But on this occasion, Lucy decided to speak out and draw attention to this latest example of the gender pay gap in action - and a viral moment was born. Since then, Lucy has found herself at the centre of the latest run through of an age-old debate about gender equity, and the value we place on the contribution of men and women in surfing, and indeed, society in general. If you've listened to this podcast at all closely over the years, it'll be no surprise to hear that I've been following this one closely, and once the dust had settled I contacted Lucy to see if she'd be up for coming on the show to talk about her experience and explore the issues thrown up by this entire incident. Which she did and I'm happy to see the result is a lengthy, nourishing conversation about the entire thorny issue. Here's the thing with the status quo: we get so used to it that change can seem impossible. And the bigger the issue, the more entrenched that invisible consensus can seem. Often, it takes a simple act of bravery to get the ball rolling; an individual or group raising their hand and asking a simple question: ‘Isn't there a better way of doing this?' Sticking your head above the parapet in this way takes courage, particularly when you're dealing with a hyper-masculine culture like surfing. The fact that Lucy's perfectly reasonable position has ended up becoming such a talking point show's how far we have to go, and is why I was so interested in chatting to her. Great episode, this. Hope you enjoy it. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com I've covered plenty of people with unusual jobs on this podcast. Hell, my gig is pretty bloody weird. But this week's guest Henry Jackson's job is so unusual that it's become the basis of a catchphrase - ‘My job is weirder than yours.'⁣ ⁣ So what does Henry do? He's an MC, a commentator, a broadcaster - a ‘professional shit talker' as he puts it. ⁣ ⁣ But the truth is that Henry is one of the most interesting, unique and compelling communicators in snowboarding today. Somebody with his blend of charisma and sideways chops was always going to be noticed, and today he's parlayed this blend into a totally unique industry role for himself in - yes - the finest lifer tradition. ⁣ ⁣ It also means that this episode was a total joy to record. Of course it helped that Henry is an old friend of mine. It also helped that we both came up through the snowboarding industry, meaning I was very much on home turf for most of this chat. ⁣ ⁣ But really, the credit must go to Henry. Every now and again though, I record an episode where within five minutes I know I'm in the hands of an absolute master communicator and storyteller, meaning I can just relax and enjoy the conversation for its own sake. And this episode with Henry Jackson is, I'm happy to say, one of these occasions. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. This week's guest is Sean Doherty - a journalist, writer, editor and activist who has been one of the key voices in the Australian surf industry for the last twenty years. In a way the path of Sean's own career reflects the shift that has occurred in the industry in the period since since the early 2000s glory years, when he came to prominence as editor of venerable Aussie surf mag Tracks. Sean was at the helm of Tracks for the best part of a decade, during which he helped to transform the much loved titled both commercially and reputationally, before leaving to forge the career he has today, and which sees him deftly balance editorial and brand work. Today (as you must if you hope to have any type of career in the industry), he wears many hats. He works for Patagonia Australia, is publisher and editor of venerable Aussie surf magazine Surfing World, and is still one of the most respected and sought-after writers in the game. He has also, almost to his own surprise, embraced his own particular form of highly influential and effective activism. As he explains during our chat, this evolution has been a gradual one. Today he finds himself at the forefront of the activism conversation in the Australian surf industry, thanks to his involvement with causes such as Fight For the Bight, and the impassioned, hilarious way he raises awareness about specific issues on his very singular Instagram feed. Sean justly has a reputation as one of the savviest, funniest and generally most essential voices in the game, something this honest, open and frequently hilarious conversation amply demonstrates. Hope you enjoy our conversation. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com After an unscheduled and very welcome month off, I'm back. This chat with Sally McGee from Yonder has been a long time coming, and is very much by public demand. As my followers on Instagram will know, I frequently run polls to ask listeners who I should speak to for future episodes. And after a while I noticed something: among the usual suspects like Hawk and Slater, one name kept popping up over and over again - Sally from Yonder. I did some digging and quickly came to understand why. Yonder, which Sally runs with her husband Tom, is a surf school, a coaching company and a brand. But more than that, it symbolises an inclusive approach to surfing that has come along at the exactly the right time to meet the moment UK surfing finds itself in right now. So when I realised Sal would be in Devon at the same time I would be in May 2021, we arranged to catch up for what was only my third in-person interview since Covid came along. I'd almost forgotten how much more fun and enjoyable it is to do this in person, and what followed was a really lovely chat about about all things Yonder and Sal's life in surfing. I think Sal's approach to surfing will really resonate with a lot of people, especially the way her and Tom have worked hard to build Yonder based upon their values, and a legitimate desire to create a genuinely inclusive community. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Anybody deciding to start a print magazine in the current climate has to be applauded and supported for their sheer creative bloody-mindedness. ⁣ ⁣ That’s why the launch of The Skateboarder’s Companion, the new UK skate magazine set up by this week’s guest Leo Sharp and his fellow UK skate lifers Ryan Gray and Matt Law, is such an important moment. It might not sound like much, but the simple act of walking into a newsagent or skate shop and buying a new UK skate mag is a quintessential part of being a British skateboarder. With The Skateboarder’s Companion this trio have brought that simple ritual back to these shores. For that alone, they should be applauded. ⁣ ⁣ In Leo’s case, this is the latest chapter in a three-decade long career at the sharp end of UK skate culture. According to legendary skate photographer Wig Worland, Leo Sharp is ‘a modern British skateboarding hero. He is both a true professional and a true enthusiast. These things are often mutually exclusive and very rare to find in a single individual. I'm very happy that he's still involved in documenting skateboarding in Britain. The UK scene deserves somebody so loyal and somebody so talented’. ⁣ ⁣ Look back at Leo’s body of work, which is he has been compiling week in/week out since the early 1990s, and you see Wig’s point. Taken as a whole, Leo’s works stands alone as a unique record of UK skateboarding in all its glory. ⁣ ⁣ Plenty for me and Leo to get stuck into then, in a lovely, ruminative conversation which saw us cover many of the themes Wig raised and a load more for good measure. I very much enjoyed this conversation with a truly selfless documenter of UK skate culture. Hope you do too. Out now. ⁣ ⁣ Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Lauren McCallum Bonus Episode! If I have one major regret in the four years I’ve been doing the podcast, it’s around the way I handled the topic of Terje Haakonsen’s history of homophobia in my conversation with him for episode 121. The feedback I received from some listeners, who felt like my deliberate editorial approach was alienating, made it clear to me that I still have much work to do when it comes to shepherding these conversations in the right way.  This is also why I found the debate around Terje’s recent public apology for these remarks so interesting. My initial reaction, if I’m being honest, was that his apology was fine and to be applauded. But it soon became clear that many members of the LBGT+ community completely disagreed with this perspective, finding the apology to be ill-thought out at best and disingenuous at worst. These contrasting reactions told me that here, yet again, was an opportunity to try and understand that difference in perspective I’d unwittingly perpetuated in episode 122.  These gaps of understanding are really the territory that interests me. If you’re open to it, they provide us with an opportunity to learn and examine our own often buried prejudices - which is really what the entire podcast is ‘about’. After all, action sports is as handy lens as any through which to examine these issues. So I asked my old friend and erstwhile podcast guest Lauren MacCallum to come back on the show to discuss the entire brouhaha for a bonus episode of the show.  As is always the case when I talk to Lauren, this was a hugely enjoyable and at times challenging conversation. I learned a lot from it. Perhaps you will too. There are no Show Notes for this bonus episode, so if you want to find out more about any of the things we discuss or join in the debate, check out my Instagram (@WeLookSideways), Twitter (@WeLookSideways) and Facebook (@wearelookingsideways). Nice one. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

I’m a big believer in the right idea at the right time. And Dawn Days, the early morning ritual started by friends Mike Guest and Nick Pumphrey at the beginning of the pandemic in spring 2020, is a great example of this principle in action. Like all good ideas, this simple concept soon took off; in this case becoming an online movement as more and more people from around the world began to document their own early morning experiences. Soon - perhaps because of the timing of the whole thing - Dawn Days transcended these humble origins and became a means through which to explore a range of other issues, including mental health, our connection to nature, and even the nature of community during the Covid and post-Covid era. It’s been great watching this idea unfold and see how Mike and Nick have nurtured it, so I decided to ask Mike, who I know through the village-like UK action sports community, to come on the show to discuss the whole thing. I loved this conversation. Mike is a warm, generous and insightful conversationalist and, like Dawn Days itself, our conversation evolved in some unexpected directions, particularly as we examined Mike’s relationship to his dyslexia, and the way this diagnosis has shaped his life. Hope you take as much from it as Mike and I did.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com My ‘lifer’ episodes are always loved by listeners. And with this week’s guest Liam Griffin, we are in proper vintage territory. For me, Liam is THE classic example of somebody who has carved out a unique career for themselves, inspired by their love of shredding, and a desire to take risks and follow their own path. First, some background: LG is a proper stalwart of the US snowboarding industry who I first met back in the early 2000s, when he was overseeing all of Burton’s various events (including the Open series). Two things immediately struck me: his professionalism, and his geek-level love of all things snowboarding. We became friends and stayed in touch, and in the intervening years I’ve watched on as his career has gone from strength to strength, particularly after he left Burton to set up his own event agency SuperGoodThingMaker, and began working closely with Travis Rice on his various event concepts. If that isn’t the quintessential lifer resume then I don’t know what is. And behind the scenes Liam has quietly had a supremely important role in steering snowboarding’s development over the past two decades; efforts which have just come to fruition with Natural Selection, the event series he has put together with Travis. Think of this one as a complement to the Travis episode, and a look at the other side of the story. How do you put something like NS together? What challenges did they face? And just how did Liam get to the point where he could help T-Rice put together the most influential event series in snowboarding? The perfect territory, then, for a roving chinwag in the finest Looking Sideways tradition. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com I’m used to chatting guests with massive goals or awe-inspiring achievements under their belts. Think of Ross Edgeley’s Great British Swim, or Christina Koch’s record-breaking spaceflight. And this week’s guest Andrew Alexander King is right up there. Andrew is a surfer, climber and mountaineer who is at the beginning of an audacious attempt to become the first African-American to climb the seven highest mountains and volcanoes on each continent. 14 peaks in all, each with their own dangers and unique challenges. As a life goal, it is frighteningly ambitious. And that’s before you factor in his Between Worlds Project, through which he hopes to subvert the “lottery ticket of birth” that currently sets your cultural path, and dictates who gets to see these environments as viable playgrounds; a subject that is currently the subject of much transatlantic discussion and controversy. Like I said, it is ambitious stuff, and about as far-removed from the “because it’s there’ orthodoxy that has shaped the narrative of exploration for the past two hundred years as it is possible to get. Andrew’s infectious personality and compelling backstory only add to the intrigue. Naturally, I was keen to speak to him for the show, and find out more about his quixotic quest, so in March 2021 we caught up over Zoom to discuss the whole thing. It’s a good one this. Enjoy. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. This week’s guest is Ryan Gellert who last year replaced Rose Marcario as Patagonia’s CEO, taking charge at a critical point in the company’s history. Ryan took the role following his successful six-year stint overseeing Patagonia in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, during which he helped the brand attain its leadership position in the European outdoor and environmental communities, and oversaw projects such as Save The Blue Heart of Europe and Patagonia Action Works. Of course, as in all episodes of Type 2, we delved into Ryan’s back story and explored his own personal history of activism. But I was particularly interested in finding out more about his new position, and what he hopes to achieve during his time in the role, as we all reflect upon 12 months that have changed the world. After all, the position of Patagonia CEO fulfils a certain totemic role in the outdoor and environment worlds, and how Ryan approaches his tenure will obviously say a lot about Patagonia the company. How is he going to use this position and power? What does he stand for? And, by extension, what does Patagonia in 2021 stand for? These are the topics I was interested in discussing and which, I’m happy to say, Ryan was equally happy to explore. The result is a completely fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with someone in one of the most influential roles in our industry. I’m also extremely grateful to Ryan for sharing his own at times very personal story. My thanks to Ryan and his team for their help in setting this episode up. Hope you enjoy it. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Bone fide legend alert! Yep, my guest this week is a proper icon, somebody who has achieved so much in their own discipline that they’ve crossed over into the mainstream realm as the personification of their chosen sport. Take a look at Rachel Atherton’s record and you’ll see why. Five world champion titles. 6 UCI World Cup titles. 39 World Cup events. The ‘double double’ in 2015 and 2016 - which was, also, the only perfect season ever. It is an absolutely extraordinary record of achievement by an athlete who has achieved genuine greatness. And yet, as I discovered during our conversation, it has also come at quite a physical and mental cost, as the lengthy list of injuries and setbacks that have complemented her victories attest. Now, as Rachel prepares to become a mum, we sat down to discuss her career so far and her plans for the future. I’ve met and chatted to Rachel a few times over the years and I’m always so impressed by her complete emotional honesty and levels of self-awareness. This is just a brilliantly revealing conversation with somebody at the absolute top of their field, full of peerless insights into the nature of success, competitiveness, and how to cope with failure. I really enjoyed this one, and I have to thank Rachel for opening up fully and bringing the full range of her experience, insights and extremely impressive levels of self awareness to the conversation. Hope you enjoy it. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Welcome to the second of two episode 150 instalments. To mark this milestone, I decided to stay true to the ethos of the Looking Sideways podcast and speak to two of my oldest and closest friends; two people who’ve been integral to the Looking Sideways universe since it launched - Ed Leigh and Owen Tozer. This, episode 150b, is the second instalment with Owen Tozer. Long term listeners will know Owen - he’s one of my oldest and closest friends who has been a key part of the Looking Sideways story since its inception a decade ago. He’s also my co-author on Looking Sideways Vol.1, the first Looking Sideways book we recently finished and which will be available soon. Not that this comes close to covering the full extent of Owen’s omnivorous creative talent and range As I’ve said many, many times before, Owen is the real deal - a supremely talented photographer, art director, designer, film-maker, artist and musician. Sure, like any creative he sometimes doesn’t know when to stop arguing with the producer but that’s alright. His standards are higher than everybody else’s. I’m extremely fortunate he continues to lend his considerable talents to Looking Sideways, and the completion of our book and episode 150 seemed a fitting occasion to finally get him on the show. Join us, as we cover Owen’s life and career, his work on new project Goodrays, Looking Sideways Volume 1, the creativity v commerce conundrum, and loads more classic LS topics. I’m so grateful for my friendship and creative partnership with Owen, and this was a hugely enjoyable catch up with one of my favourite people - hope you enjoy it! Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Welcome to the first of two episode 150 instalments. To mark this milestone, I decided to stay true to the ethos of the Looking Sideways podcast and speak to two of my oldest and closest friends; two people who’ve been integral to the Looking Sideways universe since it launched - Ed Leigh and Owen Tozer. This, episode 150a, is the first instalment with Ed Leigh. Ed, as you may know, is a broadcaster, journalist and presenter best known for helming legendary BBC show Ski Sunday, and for being the voice of the BBC's snowboarding coverage at the Olympics. He’s also been a stalwart of the European industry for over twenty years now. Ed is also one of my oldest and closest friends, as well as somebody I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. He was my guest for the very first episode of the podcast back in January 2017. I also brought him back for episode 50 a few years ago, and he’s generally been a huge supporter of and advocate for the show since day one. So it seemed fitting to bring him back for a third appearance, which we recorded at the end of February 2021. On this occasion we had a lot to chat about - the serious knee injury he suffered in January that looks set to keep him out for action for the rest of the year, his experiences presenting the latest series of Ski Sunday during a pandemic, the vociferous online reaction to a recent Ski Sunday piece on diversity presented by our mutual pal Phil Young, his time in NZ quarantine which is where he was when we chatted, his thoughts on Natural Selection and much, much more. As ever with Ed, this was a supremely relaxed, lengthy chat, full of digressions and tall tales from one of the European’s industry’s most beloved communicators. I really cherish my friendship with Ed, and I’m so proud of what he’s achieved over the years. This was, as ever, an absolute blast. Enjoy! Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint My ‘lifer’ episodes are always among the most popular instalments, and this conversation with podcaster and journalist Shelby Stanger is a classic of the genre. It’s also particularly fascinating for me because, as I realised during our conversation, our careers are actually really, really similar - from the circumstances that got us into the industry, to our progress through it, and to the way we ended up laughing our own podcasts at around the same time. Given how niche our careers are, I found it to be an intriguing coincidence. As fellow members of the unofficial action sports podcaster union, Shelby and I have been internet pals for a couple of years now. It’s a small world this industry, so you tend to end up knowing each other. And from the beginning, when she went out of her way to give me some extremely useful and savvy advice, I could tell she was a total legend. So in February 2021, we sat down to unravel the story of Shelby’s life and career. And what a tale it is. As you’ll expect if you’ve listened to Shelby’s show’s Wild Ideas Worth Living and Vitamin Joy, this is a top yarn from an expert, empathetic storyteller. These are my favourite episodes of the show, where I can tell we’re on safe hands, and the overall vibe is relaxed and expansive. My thanks to Shelby to coming on the show, and for such a warm, insightful conversation. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.