Walker Ferguson is a young athlete with a storied past and exciting future. He has traveled the world atop bikes, boards, and everything in between. Walker contributes weekly to the Beyond Coastal blog offering his insights, experiences, product feedback, and adventures in travel and sports. Like Beyond Coastal, Walker is just as at home in the surf as he is in the mountains. Here Walker describes surfing a remote Baja point with plenty of fickle conditions…
The point is somewhere in Baja and it is perfect. It extends ½ a mile out into the pacific ocean and picks up plenty of the seemingly endless swells that have been pounding the coast this El Nino fueled winter. While it can be flawless, it is also very fickle. Wind, tides and swell direction all must be in order for it to fire. I have spent many, many days camping and exploring around the point and while it is rare to catch it in all its perfection I have yet to spend a bad day in the area. The sun and wind are harsh in this part of the world and when you are living outside for weeks or days on end, protection from the elements is invaluable. Sunscreen, hats, glasses and clothing are all worth their weight in gold.
My father Duncan and I were camped an hour south on this particular mission, stationed at another equally beautiful remote point. The road north is the Webster definition of wash-board. Huge bumps carved in the gravel from the few fisherman and other adventurers that wander this direction. Shredded tires line the side of the road as a reminder that you are a long, long way from the closest llantera.
-
- sunset from baja camp
-
- fishing shack
-
- camp at the point
-
- hmmm… which wave do I want
-
- Dawn patrol truck mission
We pulled up a bit early as the tide was still fat, but it was exceedingly evident that in a few hours things would change. Lounging in the back of the truck, reading, chatting, eating, waiting.
Finally the first sets start showing without rebound off the cliff faces. Wetsuits on, wax on the boards and we are off running down the sand dunes to find the notch through the cliff face to jump in. After a 5.6 descent with surfboard under arm, we paddle out between sets and wait. Because of the shape of the point and the size of the swell, the current is relentless. Imagine trying to stay in place in the Lazy River at your local amusement park and you get a vague idea as to what it entails. But it is all worth it as the waves come in, hit the sand bar, stand up and barrel down the line. It is a racetrack to the end and you kick out with the biggest smile known to man (or you end up sputtering with a mouthful of sand, but still with a grin).
The two of us surfed the point alone for the rest of the day not a soul in sight. Way more waves than could be ridden, and way more laughing and hooting than should be allowed. After the sun had settled past the horizon we loaded up and headed for home, tecate in hand, lies and stories to tell and re hash. Even the flat tire and change in the mud could not dampen the spirits as we pulled back into camp in the pitch dark. A quick bite another tecate and a sound, sound sleep. Heaven.
Beyond Coastal is a proud sponsor of the Vail Valley Foundation and we’re psyched to be a part of this weekend’s VVF Birds of Prey World Cup ski races. The events start today in Vail and run through the weekend. World Cup events offer the following events: Super Combined, Giant Slalom, Super G, and Downhil.
With World Cup stalwarts in attendance from Europe and the US (including Bode Miller and Ted Ligety) the action is bound to be blazing fast. You can keep up with all the latest on the Vail Valley Foundation’s Twitter page by following @VVFoundation.