Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comHe’ll hate me for saying it. But Dr. Tony Butt, this week’s guest, is one of UK surfing’s bone fide big wave legends. As Nathan Carter put it in a recent interview for Wavelength Magazine, Tony is ‘probably the British big wave surfer with the most giant paddle waves under his belt’. Not that you would realise this if you used Tony’s media profile as an indicator. In a world of instant edits and Insta surf porn, Tony flies gloriously under the radar - which is just the way he likes it. Not for Tony any social media clout-chasing. Instead, he is content to keep to himself over in Asturias in northern Spain, where he spends his time exploring the reefs and waves of this lesser known nook of the European surfing universe; and indulging his other passions of oceanography and wave forecasting. Indeed, if anything, Tony is better known for this side of his repertoire rather than his actual surfing thanks to his pioneering academic work, and thought-provoking journalism in titles such as The Surfer’s Path and Magic Seaweed. He is, in short, a total legend - if an extremely self-effacing and unassuming one. Perhaps that’s why it has taken us around three years to arrange this conversation. But it’s worth the wait. This one ranges all over the place, from how our perception of mortality shapes our life path; to the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how it affects our surfing. Of course, we also delved into Tony’s vast experience of big wave surfing, too. The result is a hefty, thought-provoking chat with one of the true unsung heroes of European surfing, shot through with the wisdom accrued from a life of exploration around surfing’s wilder frontiers.Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activismMy guest for this episode of the podcast is professional snowboarder and activist Marie-France Roy, who I chatted to during my recent trip to Jackson Hole for the first leg of the Natural Selection Tour. Marie is that rare thing: somebody who is using their platform to try and instigate change on both the personal and wider level. As a snowboarder, she has used projects such as her movie The Little Things to try and connect all of her interests into one cohesive whole.As an activist, her work covers many areas, whether it is her increasing involvement with Protect Our Winters, her frontline involvement with the Fairy Creek blockade, or personal projects such as her ambition to develop a working kelp farm as a way of providing tangible societal and economic solutions to the problems we face.This one is lovely, nuanced and open chat with one of the warmest and most-respected personalities in snowboarding. We were also joined halfway through the chat but Marie’s close friend Spencer O’Brien, who contributed some questions of her own. Hope you enjoy this one!New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks or so through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Jackson x Natural Selection omnibus special! Yep, myself and my right-hand man Owen Tozer are on our first podcast trip of the Covid era. We’ve been in Jackson Hole for the first stop of the Natural Selection Tour, and have taken the opportunity to record as many episodes as we can with people involved in the event, from Jackson, or from the wider snowboarding community. This series continues with this conversation with the man behind the entire event: Travis Rice, in what is our now traditional post-event debrief. This year, I was particularly interested in speaking to Travis about some of the talking points that have arisen from this year’s event, notably THAT KB versus Travis match-up; and also the huge amount of kickback the event and Travis personally has received for making the launch of a Natural Selection NFT series such a focal point of this year’s event. I’ve been wanting to cover the place of NFTs in our world for a while now, and this seemed a perfect way of doing so. Although I’m lucky enough to count Travis as a friend, and to play a tiny part in the entire Natural Selection process, I think it’s more important than ever to use this position to pose occasionally uncomfortable questions, and to push Travis to answer some of the criticisms of the event that have begun to do the rounds now Natural Selection becomes and increasingly established part of the snowboarding landscape. That’s what I tried to do here, and the result, as you’ll probably expect if you’ve listened to any of my other conversations with Travis, is a fast-paced conversation in which the GOAT’s questing, pitilessly honest mindset is on full display. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Jackson x Natural Selection omnibus special! Yep, myself and my right-hand man Owen Tozer are on our first podcast trip of the Covid era. We’ve been in Jackson Hole for the first stop of the Natural Selection Tour, and have taken the opportunity to record as many episodes as we could with people involved in the event, from Jackson, or from the wider snowboarding community. Continuing with this conversation with judge Sandy Macdonald. One of the things I’ve been trying to do while out here is to throw some some light onto some of the more opaque aspects of the Natural Selection experience, and in that light a chat with one of the judges seemed an essential port of call. Because, as a cursory examination of the snowboarding conversation has revealed, the judging at this year’s event has been subject to criticism, whether below the line, among the community at large and even among the riders themselves, So to try and understand the judging process a little bit more clearly, and to get insights into some of the more contentious calls from this year’s Jackson event, I grabbed Sandy for a chat. And what a revealing insight into the the whole judging process this conversation really is. I approached this one by trying to think about what questions I want answered as a fan, and to try and address as many of the issues and explicit criticisms that I’ve seen doing the rounds in the aftermath of the event. Huge thanks to Sandy for being such a good sport in this one, and for tackling each of these questions with total accountability and transparency. I leaned a lot and I hope you do too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Jackson x Natural Selection omnibus special! Yep, myself and my right-hand man and creative collaborator Owen Tozer are on our first trip of the Covid era and what a joyous, life-affirming experience it has been. We’ve been in Jackson Hole for the first stop of the Natural Selection Tour, and have taken the opportunity to record as many episodes as we could with people involved in the event or from the wider snowboarding community. Starting with this conversation with my friend and fellow Natural Selection announcer Tom ’T-Bird’ Monterosso. We’d been chatting about recording this episode all week, and in the end decided to record it a couple of hours after finals day wrapped in the immediate post-show afterglow of our live broadcast of the event. As you’ll hear, spirits were high, and not just because we were both three Pacificos deep. I think it’s also because as myself and Tom have discovered this week, we really like hanging out and talking together. So with the event wrapped, we set the tape rolling and recorded this quick fire episode. We talked about the event, of course, and then segued into a chat about Tom’s life and career in snowboarding. There are some classic LS themes in this one, explored with totally candour and self-deprecation by one of the essential voices in US snowboarding.Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com How can you find the strength to turn traumatic experiences that have affected you deeply into something that has the power to transform your own community? How do you bypass the toxic gatekeepers who still control the routes and paths into the industry? And how can you feed the latent appetite for alternative narratives that exists yet is shamefully under-served in our world?All themes that feature in my conversation with this week’s guest Lyndsay McLaren; a powerful, multi-layered conversation that I think is one of the most important chats I’ve ever featured on the show. And there are really two levels to this conversation. Firstly, there’s the story of Neighbourhood Skate Club, the community skate project that Lyndsay founded in lockdown, and through which she’s aiming to “create space and opportunities for women and queer people who skateboard or want to learn”.Then there’s Lyndsay own story, of how she’s managed to process the traumatic experiences that have hallmarked her own progress through the industry; and, along the way, found the strength to reclaim her own story, and subvert some of the insidious, toxic conventions that regrettably still exist in our community. Taken as a whole, these threads combine into one truly powerful and inspirational tale. I’m grateful to Lyndsay for trusting me enough to talk so openly about her experiences, and am proud of the way she’s used them to create something so positive and transformative. Just a note to say that we do discuss incidents of sexual harassment in this episode, so please be mindful of this as you listen. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com If you’re a snowboarder, Danny Davis really needs no introduction. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest riders of all time, and is still going strong two decades into one of the most storied careers in competitive snowboarding. But there’s more to Danny than this quick thumbnail sketch. Because, in a world of ever-increasing progression for its own sake, Danny stands for something. He’s a symbol of the creativity that is supposed to be at the heart of this entire business. As such, he’s one of the most beloved and admired riders on the planet, loved by snowboarders across the world as the personification of the idea that progression is redundant if it isn’t accompanied by style and creativity. When I interview people how occupy such an exalted place in our culture, I’m always curious to see how they wear their reputation. Are they aware of it? Do they reject it? Embrace it? Will they even want to discuss it? In Danny’s case, as I was delighted to discover, he’s more than happy to discuss it. What follows is, I humbly contend, as revealing an interview with Danny as you’re likely to hear, in which one of the greats dissects his own career, his plans for the future, and the state of snowboarding in general with total honesty and openness. In doing so, he offers us a peerless insight into the mindset you need if you’re going to stay at the top of the game for twenty years. This one is great. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Think of this conversation with Cornish surfer Sam Bleakley as a companion piece to the extremely popular Dylan Graves episode from a few weeks back. Why? Because here we have another amazing surfer using their talent and platform in Jan in an infinitely more interesting way than most other professional surfers.Sam’s case is particularly interesting because he has managed to find a way to combine his two major passions - geography and surfing - into one singular life path, something that has led him into some very interesting territory indeed, both literally and metaphorically. Of course, there’s the actual work itself. as well as a surfer, Sam is a journalist, author and academic. He also produces and presents his fantastic WSL show Brilliant Corners, and is a commentator for the WSL longboard tour. It’s a busy slate alright, but what I found fascinating about our conversation is the way Sam has worked to create these opportunities for himself by being honest to his own unique interests, and how he uses them to stretch himself creatively with honesty and integrity. So yep, some classic LS themes in this one, explored in a conversation that took its own time and path in the best Looking Sideways tradition. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Festive Special! Yep, as is now very much tradition in the Looking Sideways universe, for this special Christmas episode I was joined by my old pals Tim and Gendle for our fourth mince pie, Secret Santa and booze-filled yuletide jamboree. Now, if you’ve listened to any of these episodes before, you’ll know what to expect - although this year, I’m happy to report, we managed to juggle schedule and beat the rapidly-approaching Covid restrictions to do this one in person. Tim and Gend had a Famous First Words gig about ten days before Christmas in London, so I packed the podcast kit, donned the mark and headed on up to the Smoke to record this episode. If you’re new to the show or unfamiliar with the boys and their work, allow me to introduce them: two of the biggest influences and most-loved presences in British snowboarding, whether as film-makers, presenters or snowboarders. This year’s show took the usual format and ran with it. So expect a Christmas quiz, Secret Santa gift exchanges, the three of us getting steadily more pissed, the boys turning the tables on me and asking me a few questions, and so on. We had a great time doing this one, so I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas! Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism.This week’s guest is actor, musician, performer, podcast host and trans activist Brix Schaumburg. As Germany’s most high profile trans actor, Brix has become something of a focal point for the conversation around trans rights and issues of gender. This scenario has led him to a form of gently provocative activism, in which he has used his platform to position himself as a ‘filter and buffer’, a lens through which to explore these topics with a thoughtful generosity and playfulness.I think this really comes across in our conversation, which is an extremely nuanced and thought-provoking chat. As usual in Type 2, we talked about Brix’s life and career but really we spoke about themes that everybody can recognise: especially, the gap between our inner and public-facing selves, and how reconciling these two poles really constitutes the work of everybody’s life. Regular listeners to Type 2 and my own Looking Sideways podcast will know this one a bit of a pet theme of mine. We also discussed how difficult it is, no matter how progressive you consider yourself to be, to escape the binary conventions and associations that have accumulated in our culture - something I demonstrated perfectly at one point, much to Brix’s wry amusement, and which he pointed out to me in the same open spirit with which he approaches this entire topic. And we dipped a toe into the issue of trans athletes participation in sport, an issue which is at the frontline of the current debate. I enjoyed our conversation very much, and as is the case in the best exchanges, I learned a lot about the issues generally and, more importantly, about my own relationship to the conventions and gender boundaries that invisibly govern our lives. I hope you do too. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers. Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe