From the mountains to the surf zone

WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG

The air temps at the beaches are starting to cool down a bit

lately.

I know a lot of you cross over from surfing to doing a little

snowboarding in the winter time.

The mountains have been getting colder after the last few storms

that have gone by. Air temps dropped past freezing as they even got a

little dusting of snow locally. And with those Santa Ana winds we had

last week, perfect for blowing snow, a few of the mountain resorts

have opened.

Some of the main runs have been groomed with some OK coverage with

the artificial snow. Up at Big Bear, Big Bear Mountain and Snow

Summit there is a 6- to 18-inch base of machine-groomed packed

powder. They’re trying to open more terrain daily, but a shot of snow

from old Mother Nature would definitely help.

Over in the San Gabriels, Mountain High was the first southland

facility to open. They started making the stuff early and have a 1-

to 2-foot base, with pretty decent coverage on the open runs.

Most resorts have early season discount specials, too. And if you

don’t have gear, they have rentals available right by the lodge --

boards, skis and boots.

The Rip Curl Cup at Sunset Beach, Hawaii, had to go on hold at the

end of last week with some monster-size surf slamming into the North

Shore at 25 feet plus. But the action got going again over the

weekend with 15- to 20-foot, good-shaped rights off the point.

The big guns took advantage of the conditions, as I hear that

Hawaiian Andy Irons, the points leader, was one of the standouts in

the early rounds. Not to be left out, second in the ratings, Aussie

Luke Egan ripped through some heats to keep the points race intact

and going.

So far, making it to the quarter-finals of the second to the last

World Championship Tour event this season are:

* Heat one -- Aussie up-start Mick Fanning, Brazilian Neco

Padaratz, Australian up-and-comer Joel Parkinson and veteran Richard

Lovett;

* Heat two -- Aussie speedster Lee Winkler, Brazilian shredder

Peterson Rosa, Australian veteran Shane Powell and “rad man” Andy

Irons.

* Heat three -- the “power-master” Luke Egan, California

shredder Taylor Knox, Da Big Island’s Shane Dorian, Aussie ripper

Luke Hitchings and four other Aussies, Mick Cambell, “Occy” Mark

Occhilupo, Jake Paterson and Nathan Webster.

Sixteen left at press time in the event.

But here’s a big news flash: the United States’ Irons has

accumulated enough points to ice the Associated Surfing Professional

World Title. Congratulations.

The United States Surfing Federation is hosting its fifth surf

event of the season at Salt Creek Beach Park this Sunday. The action

should be pretty good. “The Creek” has been firing lately, and the

sandbars have been pretty happening.

* RICK FIGNETTI is a seven-time West Coast champion, has

announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last nine years and has been

the KROQ-FM (106.7) surfologist for the last 17 years, doing morning

surf reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him

at (714) 536-1058.