Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

Dear Surfing, Anyone out there? What I’d do to watch a surf vid that mattered right now

what youth chippa wilson surfing

I’m still awake, watching music videos, trying to recreate the nostalgia that late night MTV2 once provided. Right now it’s Radiohead’s “Karma Police” music vid on YouTube.

This is what you’ll get when you mess with us.

I’ve had enough wine and a long enough day not to care anymore. I’ve just finished a perusal of the Internet’s modern surf landscape and I must say it is desolate. A barren wasteland of odds and ends and poorly executed web clips. And yes, it is the “the offseason” for the surfer “athlete,” — and maybe I should just chill and recharge and wait for the new surf season to kick off. Interview a skater or something, I know, I know. But I can’t get that excited for this WSL rookie class, the waves have been good at home and I wanna be hyped! But not even a peep from Joe G is on the horizon at the moment. Help!

There’s kind of some stories. Dane’s in an airport in Lisbon without a passport, there was another shark attack in Reunion (not good news at all) and Owen Wright surfed a heat (good news), but other than those headlines there’s just a surplus of subpar, rushed out videos. Nothing with any moxie! No sick shit! Straws are being grasped at. And hell yes, maybe we are to blame too, the landscape of the surf entertainment culture is in a strange place, and sure, by the end of this we’ll have to go ahead and pick up the slack and vow to fix it, but until then, let’s’ take a look at the latest online offering:

Surfing Magazine: Gone. Although still serving the same banner ads as Surfer Magazine…worth the CPM?

Surfer Magazine: Voiceless. Literally an SUV ad with pictures of waves. Now a quarterly magazine I think, with more pictures of waves. Bible of the Sport, very Old Testament.

Stab Magazine: PSA’s and product reviews, couple cool vids. Have more shark stories written than Peter Benchley.

Beachgrit: So fun! But it is such a slow time of year!

Surfline: Great surf check cameras…

Kook Slams: I literally just wiped tears out of my eyes because their captions are so good. Finally, someone has the good enough sense to use an internet platform properly. God love you Kook Slams. We’re hiring.

Surfing Magazine’s Facebook page: Just turned into Surfer Mag Films Facebook and POOF! All is well! I think…:/ (and yes we clicked that link that says this page is offensive).

Other than that, you’re either a surf brand, caught between a rock and e-commerce hard place. Or us! But fear not. We’re here.

We’ll make something worthy of throwing a party for you. Let’s start with a new short film starring Craig, Chippa, Yago, Lee Wilson, Eric Geiselman and Dillon Perillo called Hello, Sea. Let’s put it out a week from today. After that we’ll give you said party, a new magazine and once we wake up from that, we’ll give you what you really want: A new full-length movie announcement. And we’ll promise that it’s only the beginning. Fuck this boredom. We’re here. —Travis

what youth parties

Wanna Go Out with Us? We’ve got a lot of parties coming up including sneak peeks of a new vid, Miami cocktails, World Premiere’s and Amsterdam shows

Ok, we’re full on into summer now. We’ve made the calls and now it’s time to really get lathered up and into it. Starting this week, hell starting today, we’re going out. So we hope you’ll join us. Below is just the warm up to get you into early August and having a hell time…

what youth andy irons kut u up

Under the Kut U Up Influence Remember the Andy Irons part in Campaign to their song?

Tonight at the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego may be the final time Kut U Up play together. I remember the first time I saw them I was pretty young and pretty drunk and so were they. It was at an Elks Lodge somewhere in San Diego and featured old bartenders pouring the deepest whiskey…

what youth south swell

Sitting through a south swell California summer is off to a pretty good start

This is the first time I’ve had to sit out a swell because of an injury. And as hard as I’ve tried to be at ease with it, this fucking sucks. So far, the first south of the summer months has brought out the good parts of summer: glassy conditions under gloomy skies, warm water and…

what youth darren ankenman photography paris

The first sunny day in Paris in a month Darren Ankenman photography from Paris

Los Angeles based photographer Darren Ankenman is one of our favorite photographers. His ability to capture both the mundane and the insane and the eclectic faces of a city captivate us more and more with every submission. After the Artist Series we shot with him last year we’ll get random email updates of his travels…

International Surfing Day, Now What? How I feel when we get our own day

So a little background: I’ve been on both sides of this “International Surfing Day” thing. Participant and now personal protester. While working at Surfing Magazine long ago, we were more or less the inventors of it, so I was very involved at one time. It was presented as an ocean awareness, beach cleanup, Surfrider Foundation…

kim and the created tour

On the Road With Kim and The Created Through a week of sold-out shows opening for The Kills

Kim and The Created, LA’s own rock explosion fronted by the Iggy-inspired, space-age jumpsuit wearing Kim House, are pretty seasoned when it comes to playing shows. But opening for The Kills this past April through Nashville, Louisville, Philadelphia and two nights in Brooklyn to sold-out shows might’ve been their biggest splash on the scene yet….

Mitch Coleborn in Bali

Linking up with Mitch Coleborn in Bali Not as easy as this looks

When there is purple all over your screens, sometimes you have to quell the anxiety and let it just come to you. Opt for the path of least stress and avoid the over-hype. We said “fuck it” this day and let’s just stay close to home, sip lattes and kick it with friends. Maybe surf maybe…

Traveling through Norway and Sweden with Chippa Wilson, Keegan Valaika, Jake Blauvelt and Louif Paradis

Scandinavian Wanderlust Getting closer to the Gods with Chippa Wilson, Keegan Valaika, Jake Blauvelt and Louif Paradis in Norway and Sweden

Drinking gets you closer to the Gods in Norway. Or so they say. And we just got up close and personal with them. Because we continue to be like Ozzie and just say yes. And our most recent “yes” led us to Norway and Sweden with Adidas. To surf and skate and even ride snow….

Cosmic Creek, The Allah-Lahs

The Allah-Las at Cosmic Creek Salt Creek turned Cosmic on Saturday and Sunday

Prom was not the coolest thing that happened this Saturday. Every year at Salt Creek Beach, which is nestled in my sleepy hometown of Dana Point, we get blessed with a touch of coolness in the form of rock ‘n’ roll. The 15thth Annual Cosmic Creek surf festival made its way into town with a…

We’re in Norway With Chippa Wilson Adidas brought us to Stockholm and Riksgränsen to hang with Keegan Valaika, Louif Paradis and Jake Blauvelt

We said yes again. And now we’re in Scandinavia. Adidas invited us to join them on a trip to Norway and Sweden with Keegan Valaika, Louif Paradis, Jake Blauvelt and let us bring our friend Chippa Wilson. Cole Barash is shooting photos. We spent a few days in Stockholm skating with Adidas Europe team. The light was…

what youth dear youth travis ferre

Bored to Death by Surfing The Olympics, wave pools, Reef calendar’s and the WSL. Is that all we got? I hope not.

Maybe it’s the antibiotics. A bug bite gone wrong (the venom aimed at my heart and made a bee-line for it via my circulatory system) has forced me to stay on the sand and off the drink this week, which, as you may know, is what I usually use to ignite and direct most my thoughts onto…

Brixton Broadcast, Chicago

Us and the Brixton Broadcast Chicago Blown away in the windy city with Natural Child, The Half Rats — and a city guide of sorts

You’ll remember we achieved the perfect three beer buzz upon arrival in Chicago. But we thought we’d make sure you knew where we took it from there. We marched it down the cold and breezy streets of Chicago and into the front row of The Empty Bottle to see Natural Child, The Half Rats, The…

Sign up for letters from What Youth


By enabling this page, you are acknowledging and accepting our privacy terms and conditions.