Table of contents for Issue 587 in Tracks

There was a bizarre kind of symmetry to it. In the early hours of the morning news feeds lit up with the sombre news that Queen Elizabeth had died peacefully at her Balmoral castle, on an isolated hill in North Eastern Scotland. Whether you despised the monarchy or not, millions were mourning the passing of a woman later described by eloquent, Australian barrister and republican supporter, Geoffrey Robertson, as an ‘icon of selfless public service’. A few hours later, surfing’s recently anointed World Champion, Steph Gilmore, was riding a human throne up a rocky shoreline at Trestles, on the west coast of the USA. As Steph dripped in the glory that was duly hers, up in the commentary booth, an awestruck Mick Fanning quietly chuckled and proclaimed in an unusually…

ARTIST: ERIC MAURUS @eric_Maurus TITLE: EXPLORER - THE FUTURE OF SURFING What will become of surfing? Surfers have always dreamed of perfect, empty waves in exotic locations. Some push the limits of exploration - Antarctica, the Great Lakes, desert coastlines, secret islands. But in 100 years, 1000 years, what will it be? Using traditional painting techniques, oil, pencil, and ink, I fantasise about the exploration of imaginary worlds to find perfect surf. They are a meld of future, past and distant worlds.…

“I’M SORRY TO ALL THE PEOPLE I’VE TAKEN WAVES FROM OVER THE YEARS”. Sat in the lotus position, Gerry Lopez opens his new film biopic with a mea culpa. Noted for his mellow persona and lifelong dedication to yoga, this uncharacteristic admission of selfishness sets the scene for Stacy Peralta’s latest film entitled ‘The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez’. You don’t become top dog at Pipeline through meditation alone and this film busts open the broadly accepted dogma that Gerry Lopez is all Zen and no fire. Within minutes we see a skinny yet scowling Lopez, somewhere in his early 20s, ungainly scrapping with another surfer on the sand at his beloved Pipeline. It’s hard to imagine that same young man, fraught with egotism and bristling with territorial fury,…

01. Lightbox SURFER: LUNGI SLABB PHOTO: ANDREW SHIELD While Fingal, on the far north coast of NSW, will always be home to Lungi Slabb (has there ever been a better name for a barrel rider?) his relationship with Snapper Rocks goes a long way back. When he was 11, Lungi’s older brothers started taking him up the coast to Coolangatta, where the proud Bundjalung surfer rapidly developed an affinity for Snapper’s hollow coils. On smaller days he was like a rubber-limbed contortionist, twisting his malleable frame into barrels of all shape and sizes. As he glided through his mid-teens, Lungi’s preternatural talent facilitated a rapid climb up the well-guarded pecking order at Snapper. Now at 18, he’s a stand-tall presence on the big days. Tapped for details on this hissing…

JACK ROBINSON IS RELISHING HIS METAMORPHOSIS. THE TUBE WIZARD, WHO MANY CONSIDERED DESTINED TO SPEND HIS DAYS FIGHTING FOAM-BALLS ON THE FREESURFING FRINGES, IS NOW NUMBER THREE IN THE WORLD. The punk-blonde-spike plays like a brash rebellion against the cutesy bowl-cut that defined his youth. The gunslinger’s coolheaded demeanour is still there in competition but beyond the sirens and contest scaffolding he now arrives more easily at self-expression. While Jack’s dad, Trev, was once a permanent fixture in Jack’s corner, these days he is perennially flanked by his glamorous wife, Julia Muniz. Julia and Jack. Jack and Julia – pro-surfing’s latest power couple. Flick through Instagram and We see the inseparable duo on safari and riding jet-skis. They even posed for the cover of popular British mag ‘Man About Town’;…

STACY PERALTA, IS HOT. LITERALLY. HE ADJUSTS HIS SEAT AND INDULGES HIMSELF WITH A FULL-BODY SHAKE TO TRY AND GET SOME AIR FLOW GOING DESPITE HIS GET-UP OF LONG PANTS AND BORROWED SHIRT. “My luggage didn’t arrive!” Stacy is quick to tell me with a wry grin. His flight touched down early into Lisbon sans suitcases and he had been navigating a challenging path of jet-lag and extended media commitments ever since. To add further insult, the town of Ericeira, which is hosting the European premiere of his latest film (documenting the life of surfing titan Gerry Lopez), is suffering from an extended summer heatwave. Smoke from a distant wildfire marbled uneasily into the afternoon heat haze as we huddled closely under a patch of shade cast by a small…

While a handful of pro-surfers can now measure their annual incomes in the millions, in the mid-70s most barely made ends meet. Invariably, in the fledgling days of the sport, some were more determined than others to ditch the side hustles and become full-time professionals. It was with such a view in mind that Peter Townend, Ian Cairns and Mark Warren formed the Bronzed Aussies in 1976. With sports journalist and former Radio Birdman manager, Mike Hurst, as their promoter the BA’s were unapologetically ambitious about maximising their commercial appeal. After they finished one, two and four respectively, in the inaugural 1976 title race, the trio of well-spoken, handsome young natural-footers felt they had more leverage with sponsors and made a very direct play for the mainstream media, creating a…

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BEHIND THE COVER: STEPHANIE GILMORE BY CAIT MIERS How do you do justice to an eight-time world champion? We reached out to photographers and surf companies and trawled through endless downloads to find the image that might perhaps best reflect the majesty of the occasion. Should it be Steph hoisting the trophy aloft in a moment of joyous triumph, Steph radiating the fierce determination that helped her win, or a more playful version of the world champion who somehow mixes endless charm with awe-inspiring greatness? We went for the latter and added what we thought was a befitting crown. FCS II SHARP EYE PC TRI FINS We test-rode this zippy thruster set-up in large fins, on a Sharp Eye Inferno 72 model. The combination provided both down-the-line drive and tight,…

WHEN WE CATCH UP WITH STEPH GILMORE IT’S A FEW DAYS AFTER THE FINALS AND SHE IS STILL CRUISING IN LA, DRIPPING IN THE BLISSFUL AFTERGLOW OF HER EIGHTH WORLD TITLE. “Have you treated yourself to anything?” We ask. “Surely there were some incentive payments from sponsors for winning?” “I feel like I just treat myself all the time,” Steph responds with apparent contentment. “Like, I’m always spoiled in the things I can buy and do, and the way I can travel. My whole life’s a treat. But tomorrow actually, Macy Callaghan, Nikki van Dijk, Dimity Stoyle and my good friend, Frankie, and Laura Enever, we’re all here in Los Angeles at the moment, and we’re going to go to town tomorrow and have a big shopping day. So yeah,…

MCKENZIE BOWDEN, 25, MIGHT BE THE MAN FOR OUR TROUBLED SURFING TIMES. A DANCER OF IMAGINATION, A HIGH KUNG FU KICKER OF NOTE, A MAN AS COMFORTABLE BEHIND THE DECKS AS HE IS ON THE TOOLS. A SURFER OF RARE TALENT AND STYLE. A BLUE-COLLAR, WORKING-CLASS GEN Z, WITH 35K INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS. A HEART OF GOLD, WITH CULTURAL SENSITIVITY AND A JAWLINE THAT COULD CUT DIAMONDS. A STORIED GYPSY WITH A HIPPY UPBRINGING THAT HAS ALLOWED HIS MIX OF WORK ETHIC, TALENT, AND QUIRKINESS TO STAND OUT IN THE VARIED SURF HUBS OF WHANGAMATĀ, TORQUAY, AND THE GOLD COAST. McKenzie Bowden is just back from his mate’s tattoo shop with fresh ink. “I got some strawberries because I’m sweet like a strawberry, and a genie bottle with a little traditional…