Everyone remembers it. That feeling when you first landed that whatever-it-was after trying a half-billion times prior. The thrill of falling countless times for an entire summer, wasting so many waves just to get that 360 down. And who even does those anymore now, really? Remembering the first time they were in some top-to-bottom waves of consequence, and actually committed to hanging on in that barrel, and not diving forward in fear when it felt too deep.

Belinda Baggs and Crystal Thornburg Venture into the Great White North

All photos Ben Moon

It¹s beginning to snow on us. The crack of gelid winds are whipping through the cedar and spruce trees above. It¹s freezing, eerie and ominous. Needles of cold are stabbing into each of our fingers like pliers pulling at the end of our nails, disabling all movement and action. Belinda Baggs is standing in a puddle of ice, naked as the day she was born, wrapped in a blanket with her 4 mm wetsuit trapped around the final inch of her ankles. In a muffled scream I yank on the exposed legs of her suit. Some things you never outgrow. The locals standing have a good chuckle at our expense. It¹s our third day on Vancouver Island and we are still learning the techniques of surfing survival in such a harsh environment. And for now, with the ever-looming threat of hypothermia settling in, we retreat to the blaring heater in our car.

By Beau Flemister
Last we talked, I was describing a day in the life in the city of Rio de Janeiro, coincidentally during the whirlwind days of Carnaval. And truthfully, what started as an experimental mission into Brazil, turned into a trip lasting a few months. I was seduced by the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City as it is known) and caught in her net of beauty. But like a hostage with Stockholm syndrome, I didn¹t want to leave.

There's something about a black and white image that evokes emotion. There's a gritty, raw, nostalgic feel that sometimes just can't be expressed through color. And if there's one thing that the North Shore does well, it creates emotion. Here's our take on the black-and white drama from this winter.