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About Friedl:

Friedl Kolar/
34years/
from Villach Austria/
Snowboarding since 1990/
Surfing since 1998/
Sponsors: Ästhetiker, Westbeach, Vans, Oakley, Level, Chill&Surf/
Homepage: www.aesthetiker.com / www.shredschool.at

Most of the times i have a board under my feet. But I don´t care which one it is. After 13 years of professional snowboarding I became a teacher to pass on my life and sport experience to the younger generation.
I´m a crew member of the Ästhetiker. A boardriding crew out of Austria. We try to give back to our sports by doing events like the Wängl Tängl in Zillertal or the MÄSH in Saalbach/Hinterglemm or we try to help kids finding the love of Freestyle Sports with a project call Shredschool.

Snowboarding:

I started snowboarding because of the rough winters that made it hard for skateboarders. From the start on I felt comfortable on the Snowboard and soon i entered my first contests. Not long after i got sponsored and because of good contest results I got paid to travel the world. For me there is nothing more enjoyable than riding a steep powder hill and launch some big airs.

Surfing:

Surfing is so close to snowboarding. At least this is what i was thinking when is started in 1998. I went to Hossegor (France) and within my first surf trip i made it once to the lineup and ended up not surfing one single wave. White water rides were fun but i knew that this was not surfing. That´s when i realized that those two sports have nothing in common. One year later I gave it another try and it slowly started to work out that i cought some small waves. Surfing isn´t only riding waves it´s all about knowing where to paddle and to choose the right wave.

Costa Rica:

In Costa Rica I finally found what i was looking for quit a while. Endless not to heavy waves in walking distance. Warm water and no crowds make Costa Rica the perfect beginner destination. Besides that I was non stop overwhelmed by the nature and wildlife. It´s just beautiful and the locals try hard to keep it like this. Compared to crowded and dirty Bali, Costa Rica this is the perfect surf and holiday location.

Love / Hate:

I just love to have sessions with friends on any kind of board. I enjoy the spirit and love to cheer at them if something cool goes down. On the other side I hate people who ride less than they talk.

Where ever you are, and what ever you do, to be on a road trip is a kind of a life style. In Costa Rica. In the French Alps. In Downtown Sydney. Enjoy it!

LONG LIVE THE KINGS - Short film documentary - from SAGS on Vimeo.

The biggest swell of the year hits Costa Rica!

A southerly swell with massive triple-overhead waves pounded the shores of costa rica. The few once who were out surfing had a great time and caught some good waves to remember.

This wave is in front of our ZOPILOTE surf camp…

The first package arrived in senegal and the locals were stoked to receive some surf equipment.
Please, support them by sending some surf stuff to the following address:

BP50702
Dakar
Marta Imarisio
Africa

Pura vida from costa rica,
the ZOPILOTE crew

At the beginning of this year we decided to choose a random surf destination, far away from the consistent waves of Central America, from the perfect waves of Indonesia and the famous Surf Mecca Hawaii. Thanks to our friend Yves from back home who currently works with UNICEF in Senegal for children’s rights we where let in on the uncrowned waves around Dakar.

With its 2.5 million inhabitants living on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Dakar, the number of local surfers is very low. Dakar only has one small surf shop, a surf club and three cozy surf camps. Needless to say the lack of surfers has not to do with the quality and variety of the waves but with the fact that it is not easy for the locals to purchase from the minimal selection of stock in fins, boards, leashes, and wetsuits. This necessary equipment is way overpriced, therefore making it out of the local youths reach.

Through Yves we met an Italian women named Marta and her local husband Aziz Kane who have been living in Dakar for many years. She is the owner of the Malika Surfcamp, on the break of Yoff. Together our belief in the friendly and helpful locals kids and their desire for sports, whether on land or water, inspired us to donate our surf gear we had with us and upon arriving back home sending whatever surf equipment we were able to send.

On this note we are asking for your help with donations in whatever it may be, old booties, Thermo Long Sleeve, wet suits, leashes, cold water wax, fins, boardshorts etc. You can send it to Marta at the following address, she will make sure that the local grommets receive our donations so the kids on the forgotten continent can have the chance to fulfill their dreams.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Marta
at info[at]malikasurfcamp.com or Zopilote at office[at]zopilote-surfcamp.com

Address:

BP50702
Dakar
Marta Imarisio
Africa

www.malikasurfcamp.com

Pura Vida
The Zopilote Team

oh, I like that:

Canon 5D Mark II Slow Motion + Jaws ( Peahi ) 12-7-09 from iamkalaniprince on Vimeo.

Really love this one:

Jaws Wipeout Reel 2009 from ACL Digital Cinema on Vimeo.

The past couple of months we had the pleasure of Corinne Weidman from Erlinsbach, Switzerland (www.iuna.ch) staying in our camp. Not only did she display and sell pieces of art in a local art show, she also decorated the camp and is a member of the Zopilote crew.

Corinne, what inspires you in your work?

Corinne: I have always liked the art and handcraft of foreign countries especially the figures of middle and south America, Polynesian design and the Japanese animal representation.

You try to connect art and nature, where is that from?

Corinne: The nature plays a big role in my life, I try to spend a lot of time with surfing, snowboarding and hiking in the mountains, I think that effects my painting.

You’ve stayed longer in the camp then you expected, spending a lot of time on your art. How do the surroundings effect your work?

Corinne: First of all the motives adjust to the types of animals and plants in the environment I am surrounded by. Your get completely new inspirations and ideas through the life here, what is completely different from back home. Not to mention the atmosphere in the camp is wicked, with all the different people from around the world and the awesome crew.

Catchword: Surf and Art

Corinne: What should I say, I just pained my first surfboard and for what I know there could be a 1000 more coming…

Thanks for all who helped us once again to clean up hermosa beach and try to keep the environment beautiful.
pura vida