I built this board out of Parota and Pino.  I made it for Ian to hang on his wall.  It was  a fun build.  It definitely made me want to build another one this size and shape and try and surf it.  I think the amount of paddle speed you could generate  would be amazing.

Doing things in Mexico is always an adventure.  Making wooden surfboards down here is always an adventure. Finding wood, going somewhere to get it surfaced and milled (I am standing in a pile of wood shavings up to my knees in the picture).  The people you meet are always  interesting.  Starting a 6’8″ fishy thing for Terry and finishing a 7’6″ mini mal for Allison.  Just finished a 6’5″ swallow tail quad for Allison.  I have been surfing it and loving the four fins.  Fast and loose but still really responsive.  The 6’5″ and the 7’11″  have been a great combo for the waves in Sayulita this winter.

Fall coming into winter has been busy at Lambrecht Surfboards.  These two boards are reserved for me and my wife.  Spent a week in Tofino,  we had good sized surf  and the Egg was magic.  Easy to duck dive, super loose and fast!!!!!  It was nice to be able to try a bunch of different fin setups.  2+1 seemed to work the best in all conditions. The Egg was built out of a  cedar bench saved from a dumpster.  Built out rails and still have to glass the 11′ SUP.  Just got an order for a 9′ long board and a 6’10″ classic  single fin pintail.  Really excited to have a go at the pintail.  Oh yeah we just got 30cm and have been skiing for a couple weeks.  Tough life.   .

This last weekend we had Slow Food Cycle

in Pemberton.  Slow Food Cycle is an event everyone should experience at least once.  Through the course of 25 km up the Pemberton valley (via bike) you are able to visit  different farms, sample local food and learn the history of the valley.  All of this is achieved while being outdoors, riding your bike and interacting with your neighbors and friends new and old.  Through the help of the Pemberton Arts Council, I had the opportunity to display some of my boards at Rootdown Organics in the Pemberton Meadows. Sarah, Gavin and Simone have a farm that provides local organic produce to restaurants and farmers markets. I couldn’t have asked for a better venue or hosts.  I had a 5’11″ egg, a 6’6″ round pin, a 8′ log and a 6’4″ swallow tail frame  to hang on their barn. It all looked and went great I was super stoked!

Now that I had a place to shape Peter’s board (Dingbatz), my next step was to find a place to mill the wood strips for the deck and bottom of  Peter’s board.  The first wood shop I went to had one guy watching the place and he said everyone was on siesta for two months.  The next was owned by Ibis Pena my spanish was just a little bit better than his english. I guess carpenters all speak the same kind of language. Wood is different in all parts of the world, but the machines and tools used to cut and shape it are pretty universal.  I showed Ibis one of my finished boards and explained what I needed done and he said no problem.   When he put a 10″ sawblade on his shaper and started to clamp down a fence I asked “Esta es bien no?” he said ”No problem”.   I doubted  him at first but after we ran the first piece of wood through I was already thinking of how I could make a setup like this in my shop.  So far building this board in Mexico without my shop and tools has taught me to improvise with what I have and find a liberating confidence  in my skills as a board builder.

My friend Johnny “Foon” Chilton has started to make wooden skis.  Johnny is

a very accomplished mountain athlete.  He has many first descents on local  mountains in the coast range.  Johnny has also worked as a cabinetmaker.  His knowledge of wood and skiing seemed like a good fit.  Three pairs made and all of the reviews are glowing.  Look for his skis on the mountains in the Whistler/ Pemberton area. Any questions or comments about “Foon Skis” can be directed to.  j.foon@telus.net

My friend Norm Hann is halfway through an epic 300km SUP journey in the Great Bear Rainforest.  He is paddling to bring awareness and protect this area from a proposed pipeline that would bring supertankers into this pristine environment on a daily basis.  Norm has deep ties and overwhelming support from the local native community.  This pipeline has the potential to wreak major havoc on many different levels.  Norm is a great guy and definitely practices what he preaches. Check out his site and progress on his journey.  http://www.mountainsurfadventures.blogspot.com/

Allison surfing her 8′ log  in Mex.