Cold rules
You either love or hate winter; personally I’m a fan of the chill. The darkness, the cold and extremes of weather all bring out a survival instinct that is the very antithesis of modern cosseted living. That’s not to say there is anything wrong in making the uncomfortable comfortable however, far from it. The path to cold water enlightenment can be smoothed with some preparation, but at its heart, winter sup surfing is inspiring and rewarding because of the challenges we have to meet along the way. Grit and character are not formed in the sunny sands and swells of summer; they are carved out in the cold liquid walls of winter. The swells are coming, the temperatures are dropping, it’s time to get your surfvival plan together.
Preparation Preparation
If you wonder why in these shots I’ve got no boots on in the depths of winter, it’s not because of a penchant for blue feet, it’s because of a lack of preparation. While summer is the season of no worries, winter is the time of checklists. Anything you can do before you surf, like fuelling your car, prepping snacks and equipment, try and do it in the days before your session so all the limited daylight and your energy stores are directed to your surfing.
Check your leash for nicks and measure its length to see if it has stretched – anything more than a foot from its original size and it’s time to start thinking of a replacement. Buy the strongest and thickest you can get your hands on – sups with their additional volume and weight put way more strain on leashes than a surfboard and anything but the strongest you can get is a false economy when your board is sailing onto the rocks or worse, blowing out to sea on an offshore wind after a broken leash.
