The Inertia Podcast

Aaron Lieber is one of the most prolific young filmmakers in the surf industry. Actually, he's evolved well beyond the surf industry, recently working on more mainstream projects with iconic athletes like the Los Angeles Rams' Aaron Donald. But Aaron Liber started in surf, where he released his first film The Pursuit, in 2008. He then worked with Lakey Peterson on Zero to 100. Last year, he released the preeminent Bethany Hamilton documentary Unstoppable. We talked with Aaron about that progression as well as the state of surf filmmaking. And he had a lot to say about where we were, and where we're going. 

It's been a newsworthy year on the Championship Tour. Coming out of COVID, this was the first season the WSL's new format was in full bloom, so to speak. Pipeline starting the tour. A mid-year cut. The revamped Challenger Series. All of these changes, it seems, were made to up the “engagement” of the events on all formats for the League. Some of these changes didn't please every surf fan. I had a chance to speak with Erik Logan about these changes, the fans' reactions, the dustup with the Longboard Tour, and even trans surfing. Yes, there's been lots of surfing in the news of late. And much of it has revolved around the World Surf League.

Gabby Reece is a powerhouse. She's a shrewd business person, running the latest family entrepreneurial endeavor, Laird Superfood. She finds time to produce her own podcast where she goes deep to try and uncover new truths about life for her listeners. She also works as her famous surfing husband's manager. Most important to her, though, is being a mother. What I'm always impressed about with Gabby, though, is her never-ending search to improve her life and the lives of those around her. She's always looking for better ways to live and be healthy, and treat others. Our talk was wide-ranging: we discussed family, business, working to improve your health, fear. All this before we discussed Laird Hamilton and some of his famous controversies, namely, when Maya Gabeira nearly died at Nazare and Laird's comments after. Laird has spoken on this extensively with mainstream news outlets, much to the chagrin of some surfers. But his intentions were always good, says Gabby. We covered a lot of ground in 60 minutes. And it was worth every second.

Andrew Cotton has been on the pioneering end of two of Europe's most iconic big waves: Ireland's Mullghamore, and of course, Nazare…The latter of which has captured the world's imagination. In that time, the dedicated big-wave surfer from the Devon, England has seen it all: equipment evolution, advances in rescue techniques, and of course, injuries (he suffered a broken back at Nazare in 2017). That's why it was so good to catch up with him to talk about that history, and the recent string of “world record” claims coming out of Nazare. One of the most interesting debates spawned from that particular spot is how to measure world-record waves? Andrew and I discussed technology and much, much more. 

Welcome to Episode Two of Split Peak. This is a special edition of The Inertia Podcast, and the second in a series of debates where we take on some of surfing's most controversial topics, and have a back and forth to shed light on the subject. In this episode, I sit down with The Inertia's Social Media Editor Juan Hernandez to chat about localism in surfing. Its pros, its cons, and if there's a way we could be doing it better.

We talk with Kei Kobayashi on The Inertia podcast and discuss his mission to represent his family on the World Tour and why he's the hardest working surfer on the planet.

Welcome to Episode 1 of Split Peak. This is a special edition of The Inertia Podcast, and the first in a series of debates where we take on some of surfing's most controversial topics. In this episode we go back and forth on whether surfing leashless is acceptable or selfish. 

Robin Van Gyn is one of the most iconic snowboarders to ever strap in. Her riding speaks for itself, born of the steep terrain and incredible snow of British Columbia. She's won video awards for her epic parts in films like Full Moon and Depth Perception. But she's so much more than just an athlete. She's been a splitboard guide for years and is now producing a new documentary called Fabric, where she profiles other women doing similar things in action sports. We talk about her Natural Selection World Title, the new film and even how her family has looked at her snowboarding career during a really fun conversation. No, Robin Van Gyn is not just a snowboarder. She's become an inspirational leader in the worlds of snow, skate, and surf.  

Ridge Lenny is a 24-year-old waterman from Maui, who was a rising star in bodyboarding and stand-up paddling before heading off to college on the mainland at the University of San Diego. He's now back on Maui, pursuing a couple of business ventures and pushing the limits of tow-in surfing with his older brother, professional big-wave surfer Kai Lenny. They couldn't be more different. Bt they both like to push it in big ocean conditions. Meet Ridge Lenny. 

For the past year, the world has been in chaos like never before in our lifetimes. A pandemic has ravaged the Earth and social unrest has threatened to unravel our democracy. During all the craziness, I couldn't help but wonder what Gerry Lopez was thinking. As I've known him, he's always been a calming force, easily able to turn a surfing analogy around to help explain things that impact our lives. That's why it was such a pleasure to talk with him recently. He's been laying low near his home in Bend, Oregon and we talked about the beautiful place he's settled in and all the craziness. But as always, Gerry turned things positive. He's found himself relying on his yoga and mindfulness practices to get through the days more than ever. And how snowboarding has been such a light in his life lately, and how excited he is to see his son Alex shaping surfboards. Gerry Lopez is known the world over for his surfing. But to me, he's always been such a pillar of positivity for humanity. And in this day and age, there is nothing more important than positivity. 

This is a special edition of The Inertia podcast where we talk with Erik Logan, CEO of the World Surf League. The WSL, like most professional sports leagues, has had to deal with unprecedented circumstances this year to simply operate. But surfing is a different animal all together from football or basketball or baseball. There isn't a more international sport where athletes must be moved between nations and states and municipalities, all with different protocol to deal with the pandemic. In his first year, Logan has had to navigate these circumstances like no director before him. To say we're living in different times is an understatement. I spoke with Erik about those challenges, the recent changes to the Australian leg of the tour, what we can expect from the rest of the year, the resignation of Pat O'Connell and more. 

This is a special edition of the Inertia Podcast. Due to the Pandemic, I spoke to Martina Duran, Chelsea Woody, and Danielle Black Lyons on a recorded Zoom call where we discussed the movement that is Textured Waves, a collective of African American women working to get more females of color involved in surfing. The lack of color in American lineups is a complex problem, of course, as are race relations in general. The awakening that was the George Floyd killing and the Breonna Taylor shooting and the countless other African American deaths at the hands of police have sent our country into state of self examination. At least I hope that's where we're at. These are difficult issues that must be looked at, and then solved, from a number of different angles. With Martina in Hawaii, Danielle in Los Angeles, and Chelsea in Santa Cruz, we narrowed it down and discussed the African American experience in surf and the barriers that have kept women of color from playing in the sea more readily. And how they're working to change all that – all while maybe inspiring the rest of us to look at the issue of systemic racism a little more closely.

Matt Biolos has one of the most varied skill sets in all of surfing. He's a renowned surfboard shaper, but he started building his own snowboards at 13 and has been riding snow for at least that long. And he of course knows his way around a lineup. This diverse knowledge base is partly what makes him such an interesting interview – that along with his dry sense of humor and willingness to have an opinion. At his office in San Clemente's legendary Los Molinos shaping district, with the bustle of surfboard manufacturing in the background, we talked about surfing's relevance as a sport, some interesting WSL conspiracy theories, why snowboarding is more easy-going than surfing and the iconic …Lost films vault. Matt's easy-going cadence and vast surfing knowledge are perfect for the podcast format. 

Ryan Buell is one of the truly great characters of the surf industry. And that's saying something given he hails from Santa Cruz, California. The Buell wetsuits founder is a rapper, a self described water “jock”, and of course a surfer. And that's probably one of the most core components of his brand - a true surfer making important decisions for a surf company. I talked with Ryan about the industry carnage of late, and the corporatization of everything surf. On the one hand, it was a sober reminder of where we're at; but Ryan has a way of keeping things light (as you'll hear at the end when he rapped about Bobby Martinez over my C-grade b-boxing). He opens the curtain a bit and gives us the inside scoop of what it was like trying to sponsor Kelly Slater and Dane Reynolds, and how fun it is to work with Jamie O'Brien and Sage Erickson. To sit down with Ryan Buell is an education into the craziness of building a brand in the world of surf.

Chris Burkard is a surf photographer. The sea has  basically spawned his entire career and he takes pride in his ocean roots. But his image-making has become much more than surf photography. Thanks to a background in landscape, which we talk about, his photos capture the real feel of a place, not just the surf, and makes people want to be where he's been. Even if it means five millimeter wetsuits and snow covered beaches. As we talk Chris reveals a new film he's working on right now, based in Iceland, that encompasses the hopes and dreams and fears of one Icelandic family. We also discussed Chris's fears, and how he's used those to grow as a human

Jess McMillan is the Senior Events and Partnerships Manager at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. She created the Kings and Queens of Corbet's, where ski and snowboard athletes gather to charge Corbet's Couloir, one of the most famous lines in North America. Jess has lived an amazing life and is uniquely qualified to run a high-caliber event like Kings and Queens, having won a Freeskiing world title herself during her professional career. We talk about the event's incredibly-unique concept, sponsorship pressure, the stress of protecting athletes on contest day and the pure joy when a world-class event goes off in a world-class town.

This week's podcast had a little more  immediacy to it. Just a week or so after I sat down with with Kohl Christensen, he suffered a scary brain injury at Pipe after impacting his head on a closeout barrel. Thankfully, following surgery in Honolulu, he'll be able to make a complete recovery. It was kind of crazy that he was talking me through the conditions as he assesses them before deciding to go out. I just happened to catch him on a night he was watching the sunset with his daughter and close friends. 

Mark Cunningham has lived a charmed life. He is without a doubt the most recognizable (and talented) bodysurfer in the world thanks to films like Sprout, A Brokedown Melody, and Come Hell or High Water. But he's a surf fan, too, and a fan of surfing culture. A retired North Shore lifeguard, at 64, he's seen so many changes in the surfing world and I really wanted to extract all that wisdom from him for listeners. I sat down with Mark for a wide-ranging interview after he got out of the water following an unruly session at Pipeline.

Jamie O'Brien is his own media outlet. During the course of his career, aside from attaining most every goal he's set out to achieve, like winning the Pipe Masters and owning a home overlooking his favorite wave, he's also become a prolific creator of content. As he puts it, he's cracked the code. While huge corporate entities have worked at building brands around the Banzai Pipeline, Jamie, who grew up on the sand there, was able to elbow his way in with the big boys, creating as authentic a brand as any of them. Yet his surf story is a juxtaposition: his background is as "core" as it gets but his vlog reaches an audience that spans well beyond surfing. I visited Jamie at his house overlooking the most famous wave in the world (it was a lot more clean and orderly than you'd imagine) where we talked about Jamie's show going independent, how much he loves creating videos and what core actually means in the modern world of surf.

Ben Gravy is one fine human. And he's representing the surfing experience as well as anyone. Not without fault or a higher-than-thou ethos, but with an openness tough to find these days. He's willing to let all the warts, and bumps, and bruises be laid out for the public to see – making a living by being as real as possible. "I'm working on being a professional human," he says. We talked about his 50 states mission, how he combatted alcoholism and the movie being made about his life (stay tuned). 

Billy Kemper is the best big wave surfer in the world right now when it comes to riding Jaws. He's dedicated his life to charging Peahi and holds the place sacred. And he's basically used it to overcome serious adversity in his life: he lost his mother last year to cancer. He spoke with us about the focus he's put on competing and his family and how that's helped him through the grieving process. He also gave us a download of his favorite surfers. 

Today, we're having One Beer With Nate and Ivan Florence. John John Florence and Nate have both been profiled heavily in the media. But Ivan, just as talented but slightly more reserved, has flown a bit under the radar. That's why it was so nice to get to know him with his brother sitting next to him. The brothers talk about the worst injuries the brothers have had, John John's quick comeback from ACL surgery and Ivan's new movie.