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

Dear Youth: Kelly Slater’s 540 sequence Processing Kelly’s air at the Cluster House in France

Kelly slater 540 surfing air photographed by quinn matthews for what youth

Kai, Blake and myself went down to Bayonne to pick up some film from a French lab. We had moules and frites on the river (just like Chas suggested) and were enjoying a warm Fall day in France when Mitch Coleborn texted us and said the waves were firing and to hurry the fuck up home to go shoot. He also said:”P.S. Kelly just landed a frontside 540 — the boys are tripping.”
We raced back to Hossegor to find Mitch, Dion, Noa and Chippa sitting on the couch still watching the video on Instagram. On repeat. Holy shit. Fucked up. What can’t he do? Why? Fuck! We’re some of the words used while watching it.
We grabbed our gear and went to the beach. The boys were still tripping. The winds were south and the ramps were big. Huge straight airs were traded for 540 attempts. Chippa came really close to a backside 540. Noa’s attempt looked more like a 720.
Back at the house a little later the boys hovered around the phone again. This time it was a different video angle:
Noa: “Ahhh, it’s a Parko grab.”
Dion: “Fark, that’s crazy but I thought it was a frontside grab…”
Mitch: “Only thing worse than a double grab, is a [Continued After the Jump]double grab on the same rail, that’s the worse grab you can do on a board. But that was one of the sickest airs ever done!!!’
The boys were still baffled. The house quieted. There was a sigh of relief that there is room to move with 540’s…But fuck me.


And then breaking the silence, Kai said: Fuck boys, we got some work to do…” —Nate Lawrence
Editor’s Note: So like a good “journalist” I used my resources to find out what the fuck kind of grab this is because no one I polled at first had a clue. Jimmicane at Surfing Magazine is who I’d consider the authority in surfing on how to translate grabs from other disciplines, so I hit him up and he informed me that some snowboarders often fuck around and do that grab. It’s called a “Stiffy” or “Gorilla Grab” and it’s done in “fuck around” situations only. No skateboarder would ever comment or be associated with this grab, so they were no help. “If a skateboarder had done this he would have died from embarrassment,” Jimmicane told me. “But what he [Kelly] did was fucked up.” And we agree. Kelly aint a skater and stiffy grab or not, that was fucking sick. Bravo. We back at it. —Travis

Evan Geiselman in France photographed by Quinn Matthews What Youth

Dear Youth I thought Evan Geiselman was a ghost

This morning I was sitting here editing pages for What Youth Issue 9 (deadlines and shit) when photo rookie Quinn Matthews quit chasing French girls long enough to send us a batch of images from France. I flicked through and who should I see but Evan Geiselman! I immediately picked up the phone and dialed…

Craig Anderson photographed by Nate Lawrence What Youth

Dear Youth Guy in the sky

Where is the wave? I’ve cut off the bottom of the wave! “Guy in the sky” is what I was told not to do when I was younger. “Always have the wave in the photo.” “Show where he came from and where he’s going.” Blah. Blah. Blah. A long time ago I decided not to…

Kai Neville in Italy

Dear Youth Scenes from Europe with Kai

Overcast and gloom as we hit the tarmac. It feels good to be out of Indonesia. The contrast is evident immediately. I feel young here. War torn, art coated, romance-stained Europe. From Hemingway to Jean Luc, find your feet, sink your teeth and hack away. I could make a film here. Anywhere but LA, fuck,…

Mitch Coleborn photographed by Kai Neville Cluster Movie Surfboards Quiver

Dear Youth Mitch Coleborn’s Cluster Quiver

Surfboard art can be really bad. And good of course, but most often, bad. Depending who it’s in the hands of. From classic iconic pin lines, solid colors, pro and shaper decals, over-done murals…there hasn’t been too many iconic art works under foam and fiberglass. The lightning bolt, Ozzies crowns, Kalani’s Kellog boards, Todd Chesser’s…

Noa Deane in Indonesia Filming For Cluster by Kai Neville

Dear Youth Noa Deane Filming for Cluster

Noa Deane’s dad is one of the finest competitive surfers Australia has ever known. Wayne Deane’s list of accolades is lengthy, he owns a successful surfboard business and he was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame in 2003. But despite his incredible competitive success, he never forced that onto his son, and we’d…

Dane Reynolds surfing in indonesia on the set of cluster

Dear Youth Strange Desires: Dane Reynolds from the set of Cluster

I feel like I’m coming down with something. Last time I was here I projectile vomited across the room. A powerful spew that didn’t quite make the bowl. Now there are cats crawling around my gado gado. Sweats aside, the waves are good. Plenty of swell and Dane Reynolds is jamming alongside Jay Davies. Back…

Jack Freestone Crack Salina Cruz Mexico Surfing Quinn Matthews Photography Dear Youth What Youth

Dear Youth Crack, A What Youth original short will premiere Friday, August 15

We asked Dillon Perillo, who traveled to Mexico with Jack Freestone, about the trip that will be playing here on Friday. Seems that it was hot: Dillon Perillo on Mexico: “The air was a scorch and our rations were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with these funny cherry and marshmallow cookies. The beer is almost…

Rizal Tanjung bali what youth

Dear Youth Rizal Tanjung and his son Varun paddling out at Padang

Nate Lawrence: “There’s so much talk of the next generation. Kids are getting sponsored at a younger age every year. They are learning faster than previous generations. Surfing is changing into something that is very thought out and calculated. No more do kids grab any surfboard and paddle out not knowing how many cubic liters…

Bol Adi Putra surfing in bali what youth

Dear Youth Bol Adi Putra, Padang Padang

Bol Adi Putra at Padang Padang There’s no lack of swell in Indo right now. Hasn’t been for months. Wherever you are over here, you’ve been scoring. Mentawais. G-Land. Bali. It’s all been nonstop. But what you haven’t scored is Bali’s most famous wave: Padang Padang. Sure you’ve gotten a few head dips here and…

Magazine deadline Dear youth What Youth

Dear Youth Late nights, early mornings

Slept here last night…well, Scott did, if you call that sleep. And he looks good today! We just battled each demonic hurdle this latest deadline threw at us. Wielding swords of wine bottles and coffee, we are officially finished. We can throw away (and hide) all the Del Taco bags, beer cans, coffee cups and…

Luke Davis Indonesia Boat Trip Nate Lawrence Dear Youth Surfing What Youth

Dear Youth This is what it looks like to score

Taj Burrow claimed best trip to Indo…like ever. Luke Davis (pictured above) parked himself in hundreds of long-term tubes stations (often on his 5′ 5″ x 19 1/4″ Mayhem) and thoroughly proved himself a stubborn barrel pig. Kolohe Andino stood tall and strong — sporting 15 stitches in his chin — while driving through roping…

Taj Burrow Mentawais Dear Youth What Youth Music

Dear Youth Taj Burrow hammering the pedals in the Mentawais

Kolohe Andino has been looking up to Taj Burrow since he was around 7 years old. Taj was his guy as a grom. And seeings how we’re officially calling Taj Burrow The World’s Greatest Professional Surfer of All-Time, it was only fitting that when the opportunity for Kolohe to do a trip to Indo with…

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