Pete Thomas Outdoors

Wedding plans in works for celebrity surfer Bethany Hamilton

The big news in surfing this week has nothing to do with riding waves and everything to do with wedding bells.

Bethany Hamilton, the celebrity athlete whose life story was made into the 2011 feature film, "Soul Surfer," has found her soul mate and the two plan to get married this summer.

As reported Monday by GrindTv.com, the Hamilton family did not announce the engagement. But Bethany and Adam (no last name provided) used her Facebook page and website to reveal the happy news.

Bethany, 23, who 10 years ago lost her left arm to a shark while surfing near her home on Kauai, posted on Facebook: "One year ago today, I met an amazing man, now we will spend the rest of our lives together and I'm so excited! I love you Adam!"

The two met met through Bethany's church on Kauai. A date has not been set but Becky Hamilton, Bethany's sister and personal assistant, said the two plan to be married this summer.

"I know Adam and I are right for each other and that God has us together for Him," Bethany wrote. "Neither of us is perfect, but in my eyes Adam is just right and I'm thankful to have someone so perfectly perfect to share life with as one."

Adam also posted his sentiments on Bethany's website.

"Right away I could tell she was pretty cool (I mean she jumped a 40-foot cliff into the ocean with me!)," he wrote. "She's down to earth, and I could tell she understood my heart for the Lord and others; I saw her heart as well.

"After hanging out several more times, I felt in my heart that I would like to pursue a relationship with her. On the beautiful Na Pali coast I told Bethany what was on my heart and asked if it was OK to pursue a meaningful closer relationship with her. On accident she said, 'I do!' Haha with a quick, 'I mean yes!' "

The wedding ceremony will be held on Kauai.

--Top image shows Bethany Hamilton with her husband-to-be. Second image shows Hamilton surfing at the Mentawai Islands. Courtesy of Noah Hamilton

June Mountain to re-open for skiing, boarding next winter

In news sure to please skiers and snowboarders, June Mountain in the Eastern Sierra will re-open for the 2013-14 winter season.

The resort, which is owned by Mammoth Mountain 30 miles to the south, was closed this past winter for financial reasons. It was losing money and Mammoth was hurting financially because of slow business caused by poor snowfall and a struggling economy.

But what a difference a year makes.

Last June, Mammoth CEO Rusty Gregory stated in a news release: "June has operated at an annual deficit each year since its purchase in 1986. It is time to invest some of this subsidy into the analysis and planning required to position the resort for a sustainable future, then secure the approvals and financing required to create it."

On Tuesday Carl Williams, general manager at June, stated: "We couldn’t be more pleased to announce that June Mountain will be back in operation for the 2013-14 season.

"Next winter we look forward to bringing skiers and snowboarders a great on-mountain experience while also planning for June’s future, including the possibility of a new lift and enhanced snowmaking."

There were few details offered and and the long-term strategic plan for June Mountain has yet to be finalized. It probably will be announced in early summer.

But for skiers and boarders the only important news is that this remote hidden gem of a resort will again open its slopes. The opening is slated for mid-December.

Mammoth currently has eight lifts operating and will remain open at least through Memorial Day weekend.

--Images are courtesy of June Mountain

Wingsuit flight through narrow cave is a feat for the ages

Wingsuit flier Alexander Polli has jumped from a helicopter and flown through a narrow mountain cave at an astonishing 155 mph. This, of course, is assuming that the almost unbelievable footage is genuine. (We've shortened the clip to get right to the action. Click here for the full version.)

 

Polli, a Norwegian-Italian extreme athlete who specializes in tactical wingsuit flying and base jumping, claims to have become the first person to have flown on his own power "through a narrow cave on a rugged mountainside."

The appropriately named Batman Cave is located in the Roca Foradada Mountains in Montserrat, Spain. As viewers can see, it's not much wider than Polli is tall. As stated in the video description,

"This extraordinary flight exceeds the level of commitment most fliers would even consider--there can be no attempting, the only option is success!"

So it seems. We're glad that Polli was able to thread the needle and live to tell about the experience.

Surfing's five most harrowing wipeouts of the year revealed

To all the budding surfers out there who aspire to challenge themselves at Maverick's, Jaws or some ungodly place in Australia called The Right, we share five examples why that might not be such a great idea.

The accompanying video contains footage showing what are deemed the five most savage wipeouts of the past 12 months (video is posted below).

I'd choose either the last clip, involving Chris Shanahan (top image), or the first, involving Brett Burcher.

Both were pummeled unmercifully at The Right, and as viewers can see, the wave is a vicious monster. 

 

Shanahan would definitely win if this were a free-fall competition, and Burcher probably is still having nightmares about his ragdoll-style, over-the-falls body slam.

They're among many elite surfers participating in the yearlong Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, which will be announced on May 3 at a ceremony at The Grove theater in Anaheim.

Premier categories are Ride of the Year, Best Overall Performance (men and women) and Biggest Wave.

Surfers do not aspire to end up in the Wipeout of the Year category, of course, but most enjoy the ribbing they receive during the awards party.

This year, for the first time in contest history, the public can vote on which surfer endured the most humbling spill.  Will it be Burcher or Shanahan? Or will Joao de Macedo, Tom Dosland or Axi Muniain shine red-faced in the XXL spotlight?

I'm still trying to decide between Shanahan and Burcher.

--Pete Thomas

--Photo showing Chris Shanahan's frightening free-fall is via Darren McCagh/Billabong XXL

Right or wrong, skier's monumental crash is put to music

 

Let the first video clip (posted above) serve as example to skiers that trying to obtain huge air for the first time could result in major consequences for those who are not fully prepared.

And let the second video clip (posted below) serve as an example that someone who possesses basic editing skills, and knows how to poach original footage, might poke fun at the fallen skier.

The skier in both clips is Sebastian Olsen, a Norwegian, who (according to the original video description) was fortunate only to have suffered a broken leg during the crash. Watch these if you will, and either laugh or sigh.

Skimboarder jumps over the sun in amazing photo sequence

The photo sequence atop this post speaks for itself: Skimboarder Bill Bryan is depicted as jumping over the sun during a recent session in large shore-pounding surf.

Photographer Robbie Crawford shared the sequence Monday on his Facebook page with a vague caption that reads: "Not many people can jump over the sun… But Bill Bryan can…"

As of Wednesday afternoon it had been shared more than 350 times.

Because people might be curious about the location and technical aspects of this photo session, I asked Crawford to share some details and here's his response:

"The photo was taken in Laguna Beach at one of the heavier shorebreak spots in California. I shot this image with a GoPro HD2 on 10 shot in 1-second burst mode.

"I had been working with Bill Bryan a lot over a couple months and we were coming up with some pretty cool angles. On this particular evening the tide was rising and there was starting to be a really heavy surge where head high waves would break just feet from shore.

"As the sun was setting I said to Bill he should try to jump the sun. So I set up with the sun directly in front of me and Bill Bryan being the amazing athlete that he is did it on his first or second try. He's one talented human."

--Pete Thomas

--Note: Find Robbie Crawford and Bill Bryan on Instagram

Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods officially dating, and yes there are many concerns

News item: Skier Lindsey Vonn and golfer Tiger Woods are officially dating. That was made clear Monday by both athletes on via their Facebook pages. "I guess it wasn’t a well-kept secret but yes, I am dating Tiger Woods," Vonn stated. "Our relationship evolved from a friendship into something more over these past few months and it has made me very happy."

Wrote Woods: "Something nice that's happened off the course was meeting Lindsey Vonn," Woods posted on his Facebook page and official website. "Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating."

Reaction: They look happy and well-matched in the four Facebook photos. Maybe this relationship will work out and that happiness will endure. But how many Vonn fans are scratching their heads, worried about America's darling down-hiller becoming intimate with an athlete who's as famous for his infidelities as he is for his prowess on the links? (Woods' six-year marriage to model Elin Nordegren dissolved after his infidelities came to light, and became a major story, in 2009.)

Is it fair for Vonn's fans to be concerned about her feelings possibly being hurt, or is that nobody's business but hers?

Is it better to forgive and forget? After all, just about everyone deserves a second chance. People do change and become more mature. Woods seems to have recovered his golfing career. Maybe a sturdy relationship will bring balance to his life.

Is this even a story worth talking about? Of course. Woods is an A-list celebrity and Vonn is America's sweetheart Olympian.

Are these valid concerns? Undoubtedly.

Reads one of more than 2,000 comments on Woods' Facebook page: "Nice Mr. Woods. Very happy for you, make me proud to be your fan this time."

Vonn's Facebook page also is brimming with comments. At the time of this post, there were several nasty criticisms, but also lots of positive sentiment.

Reads one: "Good luck to both of you. I know it will be hard to read about all the negative comments, but I wish you two the best."

So people are watching this story and will be interested to see how it turns out. Hopefully for both of their sakes, it'll be a happy story.

--Pete Thomas

Snowboarder, 13, is youngest to throw down a triple cork

For most aspiring young athletes, swatting a grand slam or catching a game-winning touchdown pass would be regarded as major accomplishments.

But for snowboarder Marcus Kleveland, landing a triple cork is both a major achievement and an historic feat.

(Note: This is a reprint from a Pete Thomas story on GrindTv.com.)

The 13-year-old from Norway recently became the youngest athlete, by far, to stomp a trick that's in the arsenal of only a handful of top-flight riders. (Video, posted below, was released Thursday.)

 

Torstein Horgmo, 25, a fellow Norwegian and one of Kleveland's heroes, unveiled a more difficult variation of the triple cork to win the big-air competition at the Winter X Games in January.

(It was a switch-backside triple cork 1440, the first in a competition, and it earned Horgmo a perfect score of 50. Video is posted below.) Mark McMorris, the X Games runner-up, landed a Cab 1440 triple cork (another variation) for a score of 48.

Kleveland didn't win any medals for his remarkable effort on a jump in Vierli, Norway. But he opened more eyes among his older peers and served notice that the younger generation will have to be reckoned with at future competitions.

Said superpipe star Louie Vito: "I remember seeing [a video] edit of Marcus a couple of years ago and I had to ask my Norwegian friends who this kid was… I'm stoked to see him progressing at such a fast rate but having fun doing it at the same time. I hope to see this kid around for years to come."

Kleveland has been snowboarding since he was 3, and he began landing double corks routinely at 11. More recently he began to practice the triple on a trampoline, without any pressure from his parents or his sponsors.

"This is something I do for myself because I think it's fun," he said. "Nobody is pushing me to do this." For the sake of perspective, here's Horgmo's winning X Games run:

 

Kelly Slater, 41, surfs to victory in season's first WCT contest

It seems like years ago when people were saying Kelly Slater ought to just retire from pro surfing and leave the world tour to younger athletes. That his heart was no longer into competing, which is something even he occasionally acknowledged.

This was before he won his 10th and 11th world titles, when he still had nothing to prove because it was and remains extremely doubtful that anyone else will win or come close to winning nine titles.

But now, at 41 and somehow still looking dominant, Slater ought to keep going. See just how far into his 40s he can outsurf and out-think his opponents in a fiercely competitive sport that demands physical and mental prowess.

On Wednesday, in three- to five-foot surf, Slater won the first of 10 contests on the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour, putting him in the driver's seat on a quest for title No. 12.

In the final he defeated Joel Parkinson, 31, who last season won his first world title, in the Quiksilver Gold Coast Pro in Queensland, Australia.

More important for Slater and his many fans, he proclaimed, "I'm committed to the tour this season."

This is great news because Slater is almost always the top story line. And as long as he keeps winning or posting high finishes, the youngest and oldest person to have won world titles becomes a bigger story with each year that passes, and with each event he wins.

Slater seemed boosted by the fact that two of the tour's older veterans, Parkinson and Mick Fanning (both 31), finished ahead of the many 20-somethings who are regarded as phenoms and future world champions.

Slater beat Fanning in a dramatic and close semifinal, 19.37 to 18.60.

"It's a tough way to go out but you can't be too upset when you put together a heat like that," Fanning said afterward. I had a really good start and put in some solid scores. Kelly just did his 'Kelly Thing' and got that incredible [perfect 10] and really put himself back in the hunt."

Slater said it was nice to get off to a good start but added: "Momentum shifts throughout each season and a lot can happen. It's probably the most talented field that has ever been on tour and there are nine more events."

That may be, but the oldest surfer on the tour is still clearly the best who has ever donned a competition jersey.

--Photos of Kelly Slater surfing and celebrating with Joel Parkinson are courtesy of ASP/Robertson and ASP/Kirstin

Killer whales join surfers in lineup off British Columbia

 

What do you get when you place killer whales, sea lions and surfers into the same small parcel of ocean?

Watch the video and see that you get killer whales that may or may not sense an easy meal (sea lions), very frightened sea lions (they are not jumping for joy), and some visibly nervous surfers, including at least one who decided it was smarter to watch the scene play out from shore.

The footage, captured at what looks like a pretty decent surf spot off Tofino, British Columbia, was uploaded Monday by Adam Chilton, who did not respond to a YouTube message requesting more information.

But those are transient killer whales, which prey largely on marine mammals such as sea lions. And those are some brave surfers, even though killer whales have never been known to attack humans in the wild.

--Note: The video was shortened by 45 seconds for the sake of brevity. Click here to watch the full version.