NEW MEMBER OFFER!

Get 35% off GOES, your essential outdoor guide

LEARN MORE

GET MORE WITH OUTSIDE+

Enjoy 35% off GOES, your essential outdoor guide

UPGRADE TODAY

Freeskier Julian Carr Goes for a Record Cliff Jump
Books about the kings of surf

Writing Giants

Surfing's superstars dish on waves, winning, and women

Published: 
Freeskier Julian Carr Goes for a Record Cliff Jump

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today.

LAIRD HAMILTON

The Book: Force of Nature: Mind, Body, Soul, and, of Course, Surfing (Rodale, $28)
The Concept: Laird Hamilton shares his secrets on diet, fitness, and surfing, with help from friends like celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and trainer T. R. Goodman
Winning Attitudes: “Mental discipline is key … Quitting: easy. Daring to triumph: hard.”
Notable Non-Surfing Injury: 66 stitches in his thigh after a run-in with a Skilsaw
Not-So-Secret Vice: Espresso. Says Hamilton: “On an average day, I’ll drink between four and eight shots over the course of the morning.”
Unexpected Influences: Bill Romanowski, former pro football player and one-time steroid user. (Hamilton takes Neuro 1, the brain supplement Romanowski developed, every day.)
Prized Possession: Two pet razorback pigs, Ginger and Marianne
The Ladies Speak: “We only have girls around here: Izabela, 13; Reece, 5; and Brody, 1. We’re balancing out the testosterone.” —pro volleyball player Gabrielle Reece, Hamilton’s wife
Me and Eddie Vedder? We’re Like This… : “My friend Eddie Vedder (from Pearl Jam) told me that he sometimes feels that letdown after a big show.”

KELLY SLATER

The Book: Kelly Slater: For the Love (Chronicle, $35)
The Concept: A lifelong scrapbook of more than 200 photos with extended captions—most by Slater (as told to co-writer Phil Jarratt), some by pals like musician Jack Johnson and surfer Shane Dorian
Winning Attitudes: “My best results have come when I’m simply inspired to go ride the wave … enjoying the act for its own sake.”
Notable Non-Surfing Injury: Scar on his nose from a tossed cymbal
Not-So-Secret Vice: The fast lane. Says fellow surfer Mark Richards: “You lost the [2003] Quiksilver Pro because you went off to hang out with big-titted blondes at the MTV Awards.”
Unexpected Influences: Ben Hogan, golfing great. (Slater applied tips he found in the 1957 book Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf to surfing.)
Prized Possession: Ukulele
The Ladies Speak: “Girls are so drawn to him because he’s kind of mysterious, and they want to know what he’s about. And, I don’t know, he just attracts these train wrecks!” —pro surfer Lisa Andersen, Slater’s close friend
Me and Eddie Vedder? We’re Like This… : “Back in 2005, when I won my seventh world title, Eddie Vedder wanted to celebrate with me and do a gig of some sort, maybe a stripped-down acoustic set.

Popular on Outside Online

sms