At the beginning of the month I attended Outdoor Retailer. Held in Salt Lake City, Utah it has 14,000 people descending upon the city for less than a week. A photo free zone you can only imagine the buzz of new products and technologies.

Now it brings us to the end of the month where I sit at the Eastern Outdoor Representative Association. I smaller venue taking a couple of buildings over at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont. The last day of the show has alot of buzz about it as well. A smaller venue allows for a closer look at new product.

For the outdoor enthusiast it is a candy shop from the water to the clouds. Think about it.

While up at the Grain Surfboards workshop back in July a local video crew rolled through, yes that rhymes, to shoot a story on small businesses inviting their customers to enter their shop and learn about the products they make.

While out in the water washing off the sawdust some footage was shot while playing on their little belly board known as the Sea Sled.

Here is the story posted.

American Business: Chairmen of the Board

Excited that some of the footage used came from my own camera.

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean

Susan Casey

This book follows Casey’s travels as she visits with both scientist and surfers alike for a deeper understanding of the large waves out in the ocean and those who study and ride them. From England to South Africa and beyond the scientist that are within this book have witnessed first hand the cause and effect of some of the largest waves to have hit the planet. There are also waves that seem to be created from nothing, that to this day scientist are trying to create a solid plan of understanding through physics.

On the other side of the book there are surfers such as Laird Hamilton, Dave Kalama and others whose goal isn’t to figure the science behind them but rather to ride them. Their understanding of these big waves come from a desire to take their skill of surfing to the next level. With the use of jet skis, towropes and specially designed boards, this crew is able to study the incoming swells and find the best way to ride them.

From all over the world, to one hundred miles off the coast at Cortez Bank, the waves they pursue are more of a calling. This is where both scientist and surfer have strong similarity. The blobs that one can see on radars, and the open ocean storms that produce these waves catch the attention of both communities, and where one studies them for science the other studies them for sport.

The stories in this book bring a heightened awareness to what is happening out in the ocean. With a good pace Casey brings you into both realms without a loss in momentum. A good read for those summer flat spells or land locked moments where a little ocean and surfing is needed to get through the day.