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From the late 1980’s, up until the late 2000’s, being a professional surfer in Santa Cruz was a legitimate career path. Sure, you had to have skill, a strong work ethic and enough charisma to secure corporate sponsorships, but there was enough money floating around during those years that a host of local surfers were able to forgo higher education and 9-5 jobs to live as handsomely paid pro surfers. Just look at the successful careers of guys like Jason “Ratboy” Collins, Adam Replogle, and Daryl “Flea” Virostko, just to name a few.

After the global economic collapse of 2008, however, things got a little sketchy. Iconic pro’s began to lose backing from brands and global competition for resources began to skyrocket. Unless you were someone like Nat Young, whose insane free surfing and competitive prowess earned him a place at the top of the global ranks for many years, making it big as a successful pro surfer became an unrealistic pursuit.

For guys like Tyler Fox, whose blistering surfing skill and ability to wrangle gargantuan rides at Mavericks would have seen him coasting by as a career pro in years past, this unpleasant truth came as a big wake up call. To pivot, he began a photo sharing website, Santa Cruz Waves, where surfers of all skill level could pay a small fee for snapshots from their session, taken by Fox and a variety of other local photographers. It wasn’t long until the site began to acquire significant traction and traffic.

Encouraged by his success, Fox decided to leverage his connections and momentum to turn Santa Cruz Waves into a print magazine. For nearly a decade, Fox and the crew at Waves put out a quality, bi-monthly magazine that spotlighted local athletes, artists, activists and move-makers. Through it all, Fox kept surfing at the highest level, even securing two finals appearances at the Mavericks Big Wave events in Half Moon Bay.

Despite shutting the doors at Santa Cruz Waves a few years ago, Fox has continued to stay busy as an activist, entrepreneur, and businessman. He got hitched, built a tiny home, and adopted a sweet pooch, proving that success can be found outside the glamour of professional surfing.

In this episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, I was fortunate to have Fox come by the pad to discuss life— growing up in Aptos, giving professional surfing a fair shake, falling in love with big waves, the formation of Santa Cruz Waves, meeting his wife, as well as the ways in which he keeps his body and mind in tip-top condition. We also touched on the wave of up-and-coming surfers in the area and his involvement in the Santa Cruz Boardriders Club.

It was another juicy chat, and I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to pick his mind. So, quit wasting time! Another flavorful serving of Split Peak Soup is just a click away!

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Think about all the conversations you have throughout the course of the day. Unless you were at silent meditation retreat or alone in some remote, off-grid location, it’s safe to say you made contact with, and interacted with, a number of other individuals. How many of these encounters yielded anything deeper than a customary greeting or surface level life, love, health, or happiness update? Conversations such as these have utility, but leave a lot of meat on the bone.

So what? It’s not like we are trying to learn the mail-man’s deepest, darkest, fears, but according to local writer, podcaster, and big-wave surfer Kyle Thiermann, there are some relationships in our lives that would benefit from some more carefully cultivated conversations. Namely, our parents.

In his book, “One Last Question Before You Go,” Thiermann points to the interview as a container, one where clear questions can get pointed answers in a distinct atmosphere, one free of distraction where no subject is off the table. The idea for the book arose after he had his father, Eric, on as a guest on his podcast. He was so blown away by the amount of things that he learned in that discussion that he decided to devote a few years of his life to explore this theme in-depth.

As Thiermann’s friend, and a fellow writer, I was thrilled to have the young author over for this latest serving of Split Peak Soup. Our discussion touched on the origins of his book, the merits of the “interview”, things he learned about his parents along the way, his writing process, getting published, his book tour, and a whole lot more.

Thiermann is a bright guy, and his enthusiasm for his craft and curiosity towards life made him a superb guest.

Enjoy!

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There is sometimes an unflattering, and often undeserved, stereotype of older surfboard shapers: that they are cantankerous and jaded old grumps limping through their shaping bays like lame prize horses, their brains frazzled from long-term exposure to hazardous resin, foam and fiberglass (that, or from all the acid they dropped in the ’60s and ’70s).

Seventy-six year-old boardmaker and longboarder Michel Junod is none of that. He’s robust, clever, grateful and just plain stoked on life, even in the face of a market that is primarily focused on brand name, mass-produced shortboards and fishes. He has a winning business model—making people happy—that’s worked for him for nearly six decades.

“People are stoked when they get a custom surfboard,” Junod says. “I’m known as a guy you can come to for a fun, custom board.”

In this episode of the Split Peak Soup Podcast, I had the pleasure to sit down with this humble craftsman for an extended chat about his experience building surfboards.

In the interview, we touched on a number of of topics, ranging from his humble beginnings as a beach rat in Santa Monica, introduction to shaping by surf icon Carl “Tinker” West, his time spent honing his craft in Santa Cruz and the North Shore of Oahu, the value of a working relationship with a custom surfboard builder, and the challenges of surfing into old age.

We also discussed his move to Arizona in 2021, and how he’s been able to continue operating his business hundreds of miles away from the Pacific Ocean.

It was a real treat sitting down with Junod, a longtime friend and true legend of surfing. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a snack, get cozy, and prepare for another nutritious serving of SPLIT PEAK SOUP!!!!!

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Santa Cruz, California is well-known throughout the world as a surfing mecca. From iconic waves such as Steamer Lane and Pleasure Point, to surfing royalty such as Peter Mel and Nat Young, our town lives and breathes surfing. With such a reputation, surfers come from far and wide to live in and visit this gem of a surfing destination, bringing in valuable funds that greatly benefit the local economy. While surfing's impact to the livelihood of Santa Cruz has been long been understood, it's never been precisely quantified. Until now.

Shaun Burns, along with Save the Waves Coalition, recently presented an economic study that determined that surfing brings in an annual $194.7 million dollars a year to the city of Santa Cruz. As Save the Waves reserve network coordinator, Burns has been tasked to present this groundbreaking study to the public. The study, which combined local expert knowledge, visitor data and economic modeling to come up with it's estimate, will be vital for the City of Santa Cruz moving forward, as it decides on measures needed to be taken to preserve this incredible natural resource.

In this episode, Shaun and I discuss the study, including some of the problems facing Santa Cruz's many surf breaks, such as erosion and sea-level rise. We also touch on growing up in Santa Cruz, the East Side/ West Side rivalry, professional surfing, his sponsorship and work as Event Planner with O'Neill, life as a father and husband, and much more.

Shaun is a class act, and someone I respect immensely. It was a pleasure to have him on the show and I can't wait to see what comes next for this well-spoken young man.

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Clifford Dinsmore is about as real as they come. As a young man coming of age in the early 80’s, he was attracted to the raw, rebellious, and raucous new phenomenon known as punk rock. In the beginning, he was just another rabid fan who cut his teeth on in-your-face acts such as the Circle Jerks and Black Flag.

It wasn’t long thereafter that he started lending his violent vocals to M.A.D., a hardcore punk act that evolved into BL’AST. Before long, BL’AST became a critical success, allowing Dinsmore and the crew to begin playing gigs alongside hard-rock royalty such as Dead Kennedys, Youth Brigade, and Slayer, just to name a few. Dinsmore’s growling vocals paired perfectly with BL’AST’s heavy sound and helped cement himself into Punk Rock royalty.

Since then, Dinsmore’s continued his musical pursuits with his other bands, Seized Up and Dusted Angel, who still play shows and release records to this day. His passion for punk rock and metal have kept him active in the scene for well over four decades, and he’s likely to continue for years to come.

In this episode, we discuss his romance with punk rock, the chaotic era of the 1980’s, punk’s influence on skateboarding and surfing, the success of BL’AST, the gentrification of Santa Cruz, rocking into old age, as well as his experience dealing with some pretty scary health issues. Dinsmore’s been at this a long time, so you’re about to soak up some potent knowledge.

So, what are you waiting for? Strap on that crusty bib, grab a spoon, and dig into this very special serving of SPLIT PEAK SOUP!!

Coming back from a life-changing spinal cord injury has got to be one of the most difficult things a person could go through in their lives. These people are confronted with a choice....either rise to the occasion and make the best of their traumatic event, or submit to the enormity of it all.

One man who is not letting his spinal cord injury get in the way of accomplishing his dreams is Claudio Morales Bettini, of Santiago, Chile. In 2012, Claudio was involved in a car crash that nearly took his life. After being stabilized at the hospital, it became clear that he would lose the ability to walk.

Despite such a prognosis, the twenty-three year-old was able to navigate the perilous waters of prescription medication dependance, depression, and pain with grace and determination. After a year long, grueling physical therapy campaign, Claudio was able to get back into the water. He found that, with a dedicated crew and a modified surfboard, he could still enjoy the blissful sensation of riding perfect waves.

Additionally, Claudio went back to school, became a psychologist, and is now helping other people in times of despair reclaim their happiness. He's become a force to be reckoned with in competitive adaptive surfing events, and has found community with non-profit organizations such as High Fives.

In this conversation, we touch on all this, and much more, from moving from Chile to California in eighth grade, to working with clients suffering from substance abuse and mental health conditions due to childhood trauma.

This man's story is both touching and inspiring. So what are you waiting for? Dig into this tasty serving of Split Peak Soup!

The life of a professional artist is far from glamorous. The amount of hustle and discipline required to make it big is mind boggling. Rarely can you rely on natural talent alone--successful artists really have to think outside the box to secure that bag. One lovely individual who's doing a fabulous job of paving her own path in the world of art is none other than Anastasiya Bachmanova.

Over the past decade-plus, she's been effectively sharing her ocean/nature inspired art to the masses through her gorgeous acrylic and watercolor paintings, which she sells as originals, as well as prints, greeting cards, and calendars. Originally from Russia, Bachmanova left her home land at the age of five years-old to move to Philadelphia with her family, where she remained until coming to California to study art at California State University at Monterey Bay.

Since then, she's built her brand, Follow the Sun Art, into a sustainable business that shows no sign of slowing down. In this candid conversation, we discuss her upbringing, introduction to art, world travels, love for surfing, inspirations, teaching others the gift of art, as well as her latest endeavor, live wedding paintings. We also touch on the joys of motherhood and her devotion to raising Athena, her "mini-me".

Ana's an inspirational human on so many levels, and it was such a treat to have her on the show. Please enjoy this extra special episode of Split Peak Soup Podcast!!

Jimbo Phillips was born to be an artist. Son of legendary Santa Cruz artist Jim Phillips, who designed iconic Santa Cruz Skateboard graphics such as "The Screaming Hand" and "Classic Dot", Jimbo has forged his own path in the world of art, with similar success. Over the past 30+ years, he's been designing amazingly eye-catching skateboard graphics, logos, murals, rock posters, and more. In this podcast, Jimbo tells all, covering a broad range of topics, including his childhood inspirations, tutelage under Jim Sr., work ethic, opinions on A.I., painting surfboards, making music, and much, much more. We also touch on the Phillips art dynasty reaching a third generation with his son, Colby. A good time was had and I humbly invite you to join the fun! EAT YOUR SOUP!!