Since news broke that Garret McNamara charged a monster wave in Praia do Norte, Portugal footage of the record breaking wave has spread like wild fire. The story has graced every surf website, the front page of Yahoo, and even the 8p.m. SportsCenter.

Exactly how big was the wave? Most are reporting the wave could have been over 90ft. No one really knows, but one things for sure, it was massive.

After a few days of silence GMac sat down with Adventure Journal's own Steve Casimiro to talk about what people are calling the largest wave ever ridden.

When did you realize how big it was going to be -- as you were towing into it? as you were dropping in?
I still don't really know how big it is!

Describe the wave and the ride.
Every wave that comes to Praia do Norte is unique and different than the last. On this wave I just stayed focused on making it. I was wishing that I was a little deeper

You've been exploring Praia do Norte for a couple of years. How rare is a wave this size? How much bigger do you think it can go?
It's so mysterious here, with the canyon and all. Only mother nature knows the full potential.

Check out the full interview here...

As Element Skateboards and Nyjah Huston get set to debut the highly anticipated video part "Rise and Shine" dropping on iTunes on 11/11/11 we take a look back at his memorable 2011.

2011 turned into a year of validation for the 16-year-old skateboarder from Davis, California for his young but successful career. It's not as though he needed to validate the success he's achieved so quickly as a professional skateboarder but Nyjah's 2011 competitive season did just that. His season consisted of three Street League victories and an X Games Gold becoming the youngest X Games Street champion. He was a victory shy of sweeping every contest he entered.

At times Nyjah was down right dominant leaving a talented field of skaters searching for ways to beat him. In his first three contest this season the 16-year-old earned over $465,000 in prize money. To top it off Nyjah pulled a massive backside 270 to noseblunt which earned him a 9.9, the highest total score in Street Leagues history.



For Nyjah, 2011 started with the much needed reunion with the skateboard company he began his career with. Alongside Element Skateboards he released his latest pro model skate deck The Rise Up 7.75 Deck.

Nyjah burst on to the scene in 2004 at the Volcom Damn Am when he was just nine years old. The next year he went on to win the prestigious Tampa Am. He also became the youngest-ever X Games competitor. Sporting his trademark dreads Nyjah quickly became a household name in skateboarding.



If 2011 was a statement year for him, maybe the loudest statement of all came when Nyjah decided to shed the dreads for a more aerodynamic down to business look.

The next step towards capping off his best year as a skateboarder will come in the form of being named Skater of the Year by Thrasher Magazine's annual SOTY awards.

It's too early to tell but if 2011 is any sign of what's to look forward to then Nyjah may have just found the path to greatness.

Huston and the Element skate team will be on hand Friday Night for a free premiere of "Rise & Shine" as well as to celebrate the opening of the Element Los Angeles store at Universal CityWalk. Video starts at 7PM, with a team signing to follow inside the store.

Josh Dueck never felt so free as when he was skiing, or when he was coaching skiers; as long as he was in the mountains. He loved skiing and the snow so much that he had the word "Freedom" tattooed across his stomach.

That was in 2004, not long before an accident left him paralyzed below the waist. Freedom, as he had known it, seemed to have vanished the moment the 23-year-old's spinal cord was severed during that crash on a jump at Silver Star Resort in British Columbia, Canada.

But Dueck's doctor offered encouragement; he assured the Canadian skier that with determination he'd eventually be back in the mountains on a sit-ski, doing what he loved.

A frightened Dueck clung to those words and the hope they inspired. He strived to become a champion sit-ski racer and now owns a Winter X Games gold medal, a Paralympics silver medal and a para-Alpine world championship medal.

His incredible story -- this is a man whose skiing career didn't flourish until after he became paralyzed -- was shared this week as an inspirational film appropriately titled "The Freedom Chair," an eight minute video directed by Mike Douglas of Switchback Entertainment and presented by Salomon Freeski TV. A longer version last weekend was named best mountain film at the Banff Mountain Film Festival (the accompanying video contains portions of the longer version.)

"I was impressionable and scared beyond words, but after what the doctor told me I was able to drive forward," Dueck said in an interview. "That was the reflex for a couple of years and what unfolded was nothing short of sensational, and nothing short of magical. I would have never predicted my life would have been so fulfilling and rewarding in any capacity, with or without a disability."

Sit-skis, or mono-skis, enable paraplegics to ski in a sitting position, using torso movements to turn, and customized poles with ski blades to plant before turns. Dueck, after a long period of rehabilitation, picked up the technique quickly.

He had been a freestyle specialist, more into expression than racing. He was coach of the Silver Star Freestyle Club and with every bit of progress Dueck achieved his for students and friends became more amazed.

"As a coach, Josh influenced some of today's best professional skiers," said Derek Taylor, editor of Powder magazine. "But what he has accomplished since his injury is an inspiration to everyone, even if they've never clicked into a pair of skis. The level of athleticism he displays in the Chatter Creek [powder] segment of 'Freedom Chair' blew away all expectations."

Sit-skis are easier to handle on packed snow and require close proximity to chair lifts, so embarking on a racing career seemed the obvious choice for Dueck, who benefitted from the Silver Star adaptive sports program. The athlete excelled after his first year on the World Cup circuit in 2007 and hopes to add a gold medal to his Paralympics resume at the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia.

He then plans to represent Canada at the World Championships in 2015 and retire from competitive skiing to focus more on his real passion: the backcountry, with its pristine beauty, its trees and deep powder.

Dueck is already pioneering backcountry skiing on a sit-ski, displaying remarkable prowess, and that might be the most remarkable aspect of his comeback. "Skiing in powder takes a lot more confidence because you have to be willing to go hard and fast, or otherwise you get stuck," he said.

The Chatter Creek segment of "Freedom Chair" shows Dueck enjoying the type of freedom able-bodied skier enjoys, carving turns among snow-covered trees and catching air and landing in explosions of powder and making the next turns.

"The sensations that I get from movement in my freedom chair is so much greater than any of the sensations I had as an able-bodied skier," he said. "It's so much more liberating and freeing."

Dueck credits Douglas for coming up with the title of the film and for naming his sit-ski. Freedom Chair, he said, could not be more appropriate.

The athlete hopes the film will serve "as a conduit to really inspire and motivate all walks of life, whether they've had a spinal cord injury or some thing else traumatic in their lives ... just to get out there and give it their best because there's so much potential if you're willing to embrace it and see things that way."

Said Douglas, who was friends with Dueck before his life-changing accident: "He was the first friend I've ever had to have to go through something like this, and to have watched him deal with everything and the way he lives his life with such an incredible attitude makes me never want to complain about anything ever again."

There are few complains these days, because snow is on its way.

Last week news broke that Vans co-founder, James "Jim" Van Doren, passed away October 12 at the age of 72 at his home in Fullerton, California. Jim had been battling cancer for four years.

Jim along with his brother Paul and Gordon Lee in 1964 had the courage and creativity to start a small rubber company which eventually blossomed into shoe company we know as Vans. Thanks to the willingness of these guys to put out a product they believed in we've had the chance to sport one of the greatest skate shoes of all time.

Jim is credited with creating Vans' company's molds including the one used to create Vans' iconic waffle sole.

We all know and love the waffle sole which has become a major part of Surf and Skate culture mostly due to their sticky grip and sturdy construction.

Van Doren leaves his wife of 15 years, Char; three sons: Jim, Jr., Mark and Eric; brothers Paul and Robert; sister Bernice; and five grandchildren.

Vans official statement:

Cypress, CA (November 3, 2011) - The Vans family is saddened to mark the passing of one of our Company's founders, James Van Doren, at the age of 72 on October 12 after a long illness. "Jim" along with older brother Paul, long-time friend Gordon C. Lee, and silent partner Serge Delia, founded the Van Doren Rubber Company, maker of the iconic Vans shoes, in Anaheim, California in 1966. Jim, an engineer and expert machinist, set up Vans' original machinery and created the company's molds including the one used to create Vans' iconic waffle sole.

Following a decade at the Randolph Rubber Company in Massachusetts, Jim joined older brother Paul and friend Gordon Lee in moving to Orange County, California in 1964 to run Randolph's West Coast operations and revive a failing factory in Garden Grove. The trio did just that, making the Garden Grove operation even more efficient than the original Massachusetts plant. After two years, the Van Doren brothers and Lee realized a long-time dream when they created the Van Doren Rubber Company, manufacturing Vans shoes in their own factory and selling them directly to the public. The Van Doren Rubber Company opened for business on March 16, 1966 at 704 E. Broadway in Anaheim and sold and manufactured to order shoes for 12 customers that first day.

In the early 70s, surfers and skateboarders found the shoes' sticky soles and sturdy construction designed by Jim Van Doren, to be perfect for skateboarding, and adopted the shoes as part of the burgeoning Southern California surf and skate culture. Vans shoes gained international acclaim with the release of the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in which Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli character sported Vans' checkerboard slip-on shoes. By the early 80s, Paul Van Doren had retired and Vans tried to take advantage of the company's popularity by creating a broader assortment of athletic shoes for such sports as running, baseball and basketball. Although the original Vans shoes were selling well, the wide range of products, along with competition from overseas manufacturers and cheap imitators, drained company resources and Vans was unable to overcome debt and was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1984. Later that year, a court-approved re-organization plan returned Paul Van Doren as president and Jim Van Doren left the company to pursue other business opportunities.

Jim Van Doren will always be remembered by Vans as a great innovator and the mechanical mind that joined with brother Paul's retail acumen, Gordy's shoe manufacturing and administrative expertise and Serge's international sourcing and financial means to take us from that single store to national prominence and setting the stage for the global brand that Vans is today.

Van Doren leaves his wife of 15 years, Char; three sons: Jim, Jr., Mark and Eric; brothers Paul and Robert; sister Bernice; and five grandchildren.

After writing a blog about Jim I felt compelled to share my current pair of vans I am rocking at the moment. Throughout the years I have personally had over a 50 pairs as I'm sure several of you have had. If you feel compelled please send along a picture of your vans and I will post them in this blog...

Former Surfer Magazine editor and legendary surf journalist Matt Warshaw has been keeping himself busy as of late, by compiling every scrap and story of Surfing's colorful history into one massive entity he calls the Encyclopedia of Surfing. He released a hardcover version of the thing back in 2003, but has been digitally revitalizing it ever since. Now we'll get more photos, videos, links, and it'll be searchable, all from the comfort of your mom's basement.

There's just ooooone more catch. He needs help to get it up. (the encyclopedia) and since it's a non-profit corporation that Warshaw is steering, he'll need that cash in the form of donations from you.

Find out more info and how to donate here.