In This Issue

Tracks March 2012 – The Good, The Rad and The Ugly

You’ll find out why Flynn Novak relies on green tea to propel him through his double back-flips and how he moonlights as an events promoter to keep the pro surfing dream alive.

Meanwhile at Jaws the jet skis have been abandoned. It seems a dedicated group of big wave surfers with an appetite for self-sufficiency have decided that the adrenalin pay off is much greater if you stroke in to a 35-foot plus wave under your own steam. Australia’s own Jeff Rowley was among the group who, in early January of 2012, decided that it was time to “Kill the Engine”.

Another surfer who requires no mechanical support to launch like an astronaut is Gabriel Medina. The teenage frequent flyer is being hailed as the saviour of Brazilian surfing and the most likely candidate to claim the inaugural world title for South America. [Wonder what Adriano has to say about that?]
We talk direct to Gabriel about his aspirations, influences and how he expects to be received by the other surfers in his first full year on tour.

Medina proved he can handle Pipe with a quarterfinal finish in the Billabong Pipe Masters – In Memory of Andy Irons, but no surfer in recent years has been as successful in Hawaii as Joel Parkinson.

We headed to Parko’s Hawaiian pad to ask the three-times triple-crown winner what makes surfing’s Mecca so special to him. As we conducted the interview, David Rastovich distracted us with his ukulele strums and Benji Weatherly stole beer from Joel’s fridge, but none of it prevented Parko from delivering a candid interview about a place he has come close to mastering.

In addition to all of the above, the issue features a random take on The Good, The Rad and The Ugly from the North Shore season – ice pipes at Pipe and motorized surfboards included.

The issue also comes complete with The Official ASP Guide for 2012, which features our take on the top 34 men and 17 women – essential reading for pro tour fans.

Tracks March – look for the guy eight feet above the lip, upside down and on the cover.

– Luke Kennedy

*Terms and Conditions are available on the mymagazines website