A surfer from Noosa's sun drenched shores obsessed with the dark world of gothic horror, Jai Lee's personal struggles and addiction to noseriding have twisted his creativity. Words: Chris Preston Photos: Thomas Robinson (pp 1&3), Andy Staley (pp4)and Dane Peterson

When legendary longboard designer Bob McTavish came to Devon recently as part of TIKI's international shaper tour, Chris Preston couldn't resist the opportunity to quiz him about the technicalities of board design... Photos: Jamie Bott

Dreamt up over 20 years ago by Renaud and Thomas Cardinal, two French brothers with a passion for board making, UWL has grown to become one of the biggest factories in Europe, while building a reputation based on performance and quality. Rui Ribeiro talks with Renaud about the past, present and future of UWL...

Flitting between awesome waves at Aileens and Nelscott Reef is all in a week's work for Ireland's big-wave master Al Mennie. Words: Al Mennie Photos: Al Mennie, Gary McCall, Larry Jansky, Richard Hallman

Drift tracked down Mark Jeremias and Jason Baffa, directors of ‘Singlefin: Yellow’, to talk about their new project, ‘One California Day’, and find out their thoughts on surf culture and tradition from Crescent City to Imperial Beach. Words: Jamie Bott

Chris Preston chats to Neil Randall of if6was9 about his radical take on traditional board design, Noosa's retro vibe, and his love of vintage style. Photos Dane Peterson


This is Alex

July 23, 2012 | Words By: Staff Writer

Hailing from Costa Mesa, California, Alex Knost certainly stands out of the crowd; a worthy heir to a surf culture that’s made up of pioneers, and numerous creative artists.


After having followed in the footsteps of his spiritual big brother, Joel Tudor, Alex became in turn one of the best longboarders in the world, paddling his way to the front of the scene, in a counter culture that we thought was drowning under the waves of an extremely lucrative economy- surf industry. Almost uncatchable, the man flits like a butterfly from one art to the next (from photography to video, board shapes to music) trying to, like he says “lose himself in anything he does, hoping to exceed the limits that society has set him”.

A slightly tormented soul, maybe a bit too realistic for this world, although the two obviously go hand in hand, “This is Alex” is a total immersion in his everyday life, a celebration of raw counter culture: To give, understand, learn and influence, without waiting for anything in return, if not to perpetuate a style and a philosophy of life.


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