November 17th 2005

Mr. & Mrs. Rodrigo Miranda brought a healthy baby girl into the world, Seanna Jade Miranda. Congratulations and many warm wishes go out to the Miranda family...Pode trazer muita felicidade em suas vidas! (pictures will follow @ Tuesday)

November 16th 2005

As tropical storm 27 dissipates into the atmosphere, this record breaking hurricane season will live long past November in the record books. This season created a myriad of memories for all of us at The Mission Films. As we reflect back on the season that was, we look forward to the winter season that will blanket the mountains from Canada to Utah. Here is one more look at the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season before we set our sights to the heavens and travel to the mountain lands to the West. (Upload times may vary based on connection)

Enjoy,

Max

October 19th 2005

On October 16th, Rodrigo Miranda won the Florida ESA OPEN. Here is just one of the many waves that took him to first place...Congrats again, Rodder!

October 16 2005

courtesy of nesurfari.com

I know it has been a while since my last blog update but I just had to add this to the epic year of chasing storms and catching amazing lines...

The Northeast is going off! It may be a lot colder than the tropical waters of Florida, but I will trade the baggies and knee high peaky waves for dbl overhead longggg NE lines with a 5.4.3 any day..

From the creation of a huge low, that formed in the North Atlantic last week, we got a beautiful push of 10-13' wave sets through Sunday. Starting thursday, October 13th to today, it has be epic fall surfing conditions from NJ to Nantucket. After the massive rain storm moved through the upper Northeast, NH to Maine got better conditions with partly cloudy skies on Sunday. Here on Long Island, the evening session on Saturday night and the a.m. session on Sunday was epic! I love the fall in the Northeast!

In other related news, our mission team surfer, Rodrigo Miranda won the ESA OPEN in Florida yesterday. We are so stoked for Rodrigo! CONGRATULATION RODRIGO!!!! We will have the complete 411 with pictures tomorrow...Check him out on the video page...

Now, I have to take a hot bath...

Max

Sept 24th 2005

That's a rap folks. We have concluded our southern states mission for catching everything from Tropical storm Arlene in June to Hurricane Ophelia this month. It has been a very exciting season. Big thanks to everyone that helped in the process of make the mission: surf a success, especially Eddie Toy, Rodrigo Miranda and Jimmy Blumenfeld. For those that aren't mentioned, check the credits in the final cut.

On Wednesday, September 28th, we pull up camp here and move to the Northeast. We are hoping to catch several Fall storms and swells from Long Beach, New York to the coast of Maine. If it's anything like last year, it should be nothing but epic.

Keep in touch often. All our videos will be up on the video page throughout October...

Max

September 22nd 2005

Over night Hurricane Rita has made history. "Near-perfect to perfect atmospheric conditions are necessary for a category 5 hurricane to exist and these "perfect" conditions are difficult to come by and do not remain in place for a long period of time."Rita became the 5th largest hurricane in the history of Atlantic hurricanes by weather.com reports. Now Hurricane Rita has the potential to be a very disastrous, yet an amazing creation of nature as it makes it's way through the gulf.
With the fear of repeat occurrences sweeping by New Orleans, it seems the Texas local government heeded the warnings and learned from the lessons of mid gulf coast states. Many things that create fear are born from hurricanes of this magnitude. It is important not to dwell in this emotional state. With all of our technology, resources and intelligence we have everything we need to live in harmony with nature. It is time we focus more on balancing our existance around natural cycles like hurricanes. With the means at our finger tips, we need to make a very important paradigm shift with how we live daily and the consumption of the natural resources of the planet.
As an example of living in balance, surfing is the most harmonious way of life I know. If president Bush went surfing maybe things would be different, maybe. The waves generated from a hurricane this size can be epic. Moments of each wave remain captured in my mind long past the swell that generated them. The photos and film of such occurrences document the lives of the ones that choose to live this way. Right now, the buoys in the gulf are jumping. They currently read 14.1 @ 11sec and 16.7 @ 13sec with ENE winds. These conditions are epic for the gulf. As I sit here realizing I may be missing the swell of the season in the gulf, for decisions I have made, I am reminded there are many paths in life to take. I hope the ones that have chosen the path to the gulf have safe passage along their journey and bring back amazing memories.

Max

September 21st 2005

We are Yellow light.











From the NHC. We are gearing up and watching the buoys. Everyone, lets keep in touch through today and early tonight. We may have to travel through the night or dawn patrol. Pack the bags and keep em by the door. The calls will come in tonight...

Max

September 18th 2005

As we rap up the shoot on Tropical Storm Ophelia, we are gearing up for the next round of storms flanking the state of Florida. Here is NHC's discussion notes on Tropical Storm 18

and then there's Philippe



We will be keeping a close eye on the development of Philippe over the next week. We are hoping the ridge forming over Florida will push it up the coast Florida and toward the East coast by the 28th. Time will tell. Stay tuned.

Max

September 11th 2005

Whew, it has been an amazing week. Tropical storm/hurricane Ophelia has been the best surf amplifying, wind generating storm, we've experienced all season. From it being stationary off the Florida coast, Tuesday through Friday, turning from a tropical storm to a hurricane, moving slowly toward South Carolina, again remaining stationary and now shifting North West toward the Carolina coast, all of these aspects of the storm have given us the best possible conditions all week.
I have so much footage to work through; it will take me all week to get through it. I will have it posted on the video page as soon as possible.

In other related news, Rodrigo Miranda is in the N.J/New York area competing this week. We will keep you posted with all the happenings starting Wednesday when the contest starts. We are hoping they get the swell around Friday...

As for Florida, we are catching the remainder of the Ophelia swell tonight. We will keep our eyes focused to the East Atlantic to see what is developing.

Until then...

Max

September 8th 2005

Hurricane Ophelia-cat 1. as of 5pm. We just got back from RC's and Melbourne area. The swell was about 3-4' overhead with the winds blowing off shore. We definately had a good glimpse of the current storm conditions on the drive south at 8am, surfing through 2pm and then driving home through gusty winds and rain. I will post up some video in the next hour.

Max

September 7th 2005

*Important notice*
Currently the server for the website is down due to the server being compromised by a hacker. We are working to get it back up a.s.a.p. Keep connected through the blog here. If you need to contact us, you can send mail to maxwell_morrill@yahoo.com


Greetings from the rain soaked state of Florida. Over the past two days Fall has shown signs of its arrival a little bit early. The Northeast winds have been cranking over 20+ mph through weekend; this created great kite boarding conditions. The St. Augustine crew has been out in force trying to harness the up and down wind gusts the best they can. With the overcast skies and periodic rainstorms the temps have been very mild...

With the recent development of Tropical Storm Ophelia, churning at a leisurely pace off the mid coast of Florida, we are on green light status for Thursday. We will be heading down the coast to either Sebastian Inlet or more south. We are gathering the data now in order to get the best conditions. Keep connected here for all the action...

As the peak of the season arrives on September 10th, we are ready for anything to happen up and down the coast. Here is a break down of days of interest and where the Mission Team will be:
Sept. 8 - Sebastian Inlet - Tropical Storm Ophelia
Sept. 10th - St. Augustine - the last ESA comp of the season.
Sept. 13th - 18th - Long Beach, New York
Sept. 16th - 18th - Surf Expo - Orlando, Fl.
Sept. 28th - Oct. 3rd - New York Television Festival - New York

Talk to you soon...
Max

September 1st 2005

Now that September 1st is here, the tropics are firing up for the next 2 weeks. This is the latest satellite image of the atlantic.

We are on yellow alert status.

Stay tuned.

Max

August 31st 2005

Wow, this week has created many opportunities to reflect, plan for the future and realize how delicate our environment is. Our consciousness is focused on the many people living on survival mode. Our heart felt support goes to them to gain the strength and survive this event. Please do what you can to assist the various agencies beginning aid to the area.

Red Cross
F.E.M.A

As the constant stream of video, pictures and blogs keeps you up to date on the devastation of the aftermath, take a look into a different perspective of the event. Surfline covered the surfer's perspective very well. Take a step into the world of chasing big swells from catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. Our video account of the swell chase on Sunday, August 28th is up. Other amazing photo graphs are up at gulfster.com

Max out

August 29th 2005

We are back!

After a 21 hour round trip, we definitely got the goods of Hurricane Katrina yesterday. We left at 3 am, got to spot 1 at 8:30am surfed for a couple of hours until they asked us to evacuate the area due to potential road closure. We got to spot 2 by 11am and hit out going tide perfectly. We surfed and filmed spot 2 until 6pm. With the weather diminishing, we decided to head back to St. Augustine and start working on the video.
Eddie Toy, which you'll see on the video, said it was the biggest he has ever seen the Gulf. As a native to Florida, he has seen every big swell that has hit this state. Read his indepth account of his experience at his fat-tours blog
At spot 1, we saw double to double & 1/2 overhead surf. The sets were about 12-15'+ The buoys off the coast where we're reading 23 feet at 11 sec. At spot 2 the waves were milder in comparison, but still head to double over head waves with even bigger set waves. The place was barreling like never before.
With the hurricane well off to the West, the weather around us went from gusty winds, cumulus clouds and rain to overcast high-elevation clouds to sunshine. Enough sunshine to give us a mild sunburn. The day was perfect...

THE VIDEO IS UP...

Max

August 28th 2005

We are green light for Sunday. We are leaving St. Augustine at 3am to get to our spot on the panhandle. We will be hitting spot 1 at 8am. We will see how the swell and the rip currents are. We will be surfing via tow ins on Sunday.
On Monday, we will go to spot 2. The distance of the storm and height of waves will determin where we go and how long we stay there.

We'll keep you posted.

Max

August 25th 2005

Ok, now that's what I am talking about. Finally after about 10 days of spinning and searching for the right conditions, TD-10 morphs into Katrina and bound for Southern Florida. Looks like Florida will get the reach around on Sunday as it heads for Panama City for the 4th time this season.

We are going green light for Friday. I could tell you where we're heading, but you'd be dreamin'. The 6am call will be put in so guys don't even think of hitting the snooze.

In other semi-related activities, MTV has been at work all day to prepare for the sudden change in sunny miami's weather. Maybe next year, when they'r thinking of a concept to base the show around, the'll pick something to do with Sun...Speaking of sun, by Sunday the weather should be sweet for the actual awards night and Rockstar after party...We're heading south.

Keep 'em pealed for the pics. I'll be back on Saturday morning with all the rewards of Friday...

Max

August 19th 2005

With the most active part of the season approaching we eagerly await the big ones to come spinning off the Africa any day. As each day passes, I wonder if the most active part of the season will be the lull. With storms dissipating recently it is unfulfilling to keep watching the weather channel. Hoping for hurricanes. Some people might think I am a little crazy. Not crazy just amazed by the raw, unmanageable power of hurricanes and the conditions they create.
It's all about finding your defining moment-the moment you feel most alive. The memory that stays put after the moment has passed. Every surfer knows those moment-each one longs for the next one. Are you with me?
Nature in its untamable state creates joy for me. Nature is amazing. Nature is balance. And as mankind tries to control its surroundings in everyway, from growing green grass lawns in a dessert, to building a million dollar house on a sand dune too close to the ocean, nature is the one thing mankind will never dictate how, when and where it will present itself... This is the last frontier, always changing always remarkable and definately uncontrolable.

M

August 12th 2005

Come on Irene!

As Tropical storm Irene makes a slow progress track toward South Carolina with a north west movement, a weak ridge and cool waters will stall her forward momentum over the next couple of days. The air force recon plane will be flying in to the core for more data later today. The NHC will have more to post during their discussion this evening and tomorrow.
This is great for us in Northern Florida. The wave models from WaveWatch show Sunday being our best day for a solid ground swell with the waves making their way here until Tuesday. If today was any indication, the ground swell is well on it's way...

In the Dominican Republic, Fat-Tours is winding down it's tour of Caberete and other locations. For all the details and pictures log onto www.fat-tours.com/blog and www.fat-tours.com/gallery

Stay tuned

Max

August 8th 2005

Weekly update...

While Tropical Storm Harvey makes its way up the East coast, Tropical Depression 9 has formed into Tropical Storm Irene and now back into Tropical Depression Irene. Last week created some good surf conditions along the Northeast Florida coast. The picture of the attached was taken during the peak of the swell on Wednesday, since then it has been rather flat. On Friday, Eddie took off for the Dominican Republic with most of the St. Augustine kite crew. He is guiding his first group of kiters through fat-tours to Caberete, DR. This is a monumental occasion for him. They will be down there for 10 days. We'll keep you posted with all the happenings down there. You can also visit the hotel website where they're staying and take a look for yourself through the webcams. www.extremehotels.com They should be in for quite a week with Tropical Depression Irene forecasted to gain strength as she makes her way past the islands on route to Florida...

Stay tuned for more details.

Max out.

August 1st 2005 - Tensions mount

Damn, Florida rocks.

The first of August is here and the new advisories for the 2005 hurricane season are in...

NOAA RAISES THE 2005 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON OUTLOOK
Bulk of This Season's Storms Still to Come
A very active Atlantic hurricane season is underway, and with more storms projected, NOAA increased the number of storms in its 2005 hurricane season outlook. NOAA expects an additional 11 to 14 tropical storms from August through November, with seven to nine becoming hurricanes, including three to five major hurricanes. In total, this season is likely to yield 18 to 21 tropical storms, with nine to 11 becoming hurricanes, including five to seven major hurricanes. "The tropics are only going to get busier as we enter the peak of the season," said Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, USAF (Ret.), director of the NOAA National Weather Service. "This may well be one of the most active Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, and will be the ninth above-normal Atlantic hurricane season in the last eleven years." More

Going surfing...second session...We have a new point break in town...

Max

July 2005 - N.C. update

Now that Tropical storm Franklin has made it's way toward Bermuda, the wave size has decreased. Currently we turn our focus to the African coast for upcoming storms...

On Sunday Rodrigo Miranda and Jimmy Blumenfeld, our mission surfers, both made it through their amateur heats. Rodrigo got put out in his second heat, but Jimmy made it through to the quarter-finals of the pro division. Today Rodrigo made it through one heat in the amateurs before getting put out in the semi-finals for a 5th place finish. Jimmy ended up getting 3rd in his quarter-final in the pros to win $300 cash and an equal 9th placing, and got 2nd in the amateurs, winning a brand new board bag, Dragon sunglasses, a DaKine backpack, and a $200 gift certificate for Reef. The waves were in the waist to chest high range with semi-choppy surface conditions. A full moon morning high tide made for mushy shorepound before the waves started breaking more outside on the lower tide.

Until the next storm...

M

July 2005

Finally sunday is here. A day to unwind, catch up from the weekend and update...

Friday through today was some of the best surfing in Florida. A consistent swell from Tropical storm Franklin lasted until today. There was some left over swell today but they were very small comparatively. My new board is great. I had a fun time during the two sessions at A street yesterday.
The reports from North Carolina came in yesterday from the team. In short, the guys got a good day at OBX on Thursday. The surf there was about waist to chest and glassy. There are some pics in the gallery under the surf album. On Friday the guys got several hours of kiting in at Cape Hatteras when the wind came up to @ 25mph for the expression session. I am still waiting on pictures. I will have the footage up on the site soon. As for Saturday, Jimmy Blumenfeld, one of our team riders, beat Rob Machado in the first heat of the Planet Reef Pro surf contest. At the time I received the call, the second heat was in 2o minutes. I should have more details as they come in. Unfortunately Rodrigo got knocked out of the first heat. Sundays details will be updated soon...Stay tuned.

M

July 2005

Wooohooo!

I am so stoked on this season so far in the sunshine state. Today I was thinking I couldn't take it anymore with the heat...OMG! It is sooo hot in Florida. I have a new definition of hot and how much one person can sweat...But the one thing that keeps me here, as I write the newest update at 12:51, is the hot bed of tropical development in the Caribbean and South east Atlantic.
As of 11pm, Tropical storm Fraklin is getting ready to spin its way up the coast of Florida by NHC predictions. We'll have to wait and see what Ol' Frank has to say about it. I have an eye on the buoy reports. I am ready to get some waves on my newly acquisitioned surfboard from the day at the Ponce Inlet during Hurricane Dennis...
Meanwhile the boys are in North Carolina at the Fly to...Red Bull comp. I will pin them down tomorrow to get a report from Wrightsville Beach. I am dying to hear about the craziness that is going on at the Real Kiteboarding camp...Until then, I wish you all where here...

Stay tuned
M

July 2005

Big weekend ahead...

Today the crew heads out to North Carolina for the Red Bull Fly to.....competition at Cape Hatteras for Thursday-Friday and The Reef Pro/Am competition on Saturday-Sunday.

They should have an interesting 4 days of action. On Thursday-Friday they will be filming with last years top place finisher, Cameron Dietrich. This year Cameron heads north from his tropical home base Caberete to retain his title. We look forward to hanging with Pete Cabrinha and Cameron as they unveil the new Cabrinha Crossbow. We will have in-depth coverage of the mayhem on Thursday night and the expression session on Friday.

Then on Friday night, they head south for the Reef Pro/Am comp on Saturday-Sunday where our riders Rodrigo Miranda and Jimmy Blumenfeld will compete as pro in hopes of capturing the "baby fund" of $10,000 green backs. With a newborn on the way, Rodrigo has the motivation and the skill to capture it all. And if the latest Florida E.S.A. comps are any barometer, Rodrigo and Jimmy will take 1st and 2nd like they have in the recent contest. Keep an eye on the contest results through the blog. In addition to the comp, Eddie will be filming all the action off the beach as the Reef girls strut their stuff...

As for me, I will be holding down the base camp editing footage and catching the swell as it hits Florida...

Stay tuned for the most in-depth coverage here at the mission:blog

M

July 2005

Mission update.....7.18.05

Hurricane Emily is now in the gulf and weakened to a cat 1. The swell will be good but short lived through tonight/ into the early morning. For those in the pan handle area bring a headlamp. We have decided to wait it out and keep our eyes on the satellite imagery to tell us what is on the horizon. With this only being July, an impressive July to say the least, we have August and September to look forward to. I have switched the light to Red. I will update the blog through the week if anything developes in the Atlantic...

M

Mission update.....7.17.05

Hurricane Emily is steadily approaching the Yucatan channel with nothing in her way but warm waters and shore birds. Although in the last 24hrs, Emily has shown recent signs of weakening. There is a potential for re-intensifing. The overall size of Emily might be the deciding factor.

Planning continues...

On stand by.

Stay tuned.
M

July 2005

Tropical Update.

With it only being July the tropics are heating up more than normal. The storms off Africa are creating and making their way to the Caribbean and Florida Coast. Tropical Storm Emily is spinning with speed toward the lesser Antilles/windward islands and should become a hurricane in the next 3 days. Meanwhile behind her, swell generating storms are being born and creating swell. Now all eyes are on the mid latitudes for activity. Here at the South east base camp we're so ready for an epic season ahead...Stay tuned.

M

July 2005

Hurricane Dennis Update...
We had a great day of kiting and surfing yesterday. Although we stayed on the East Coast, well out of the way of Dennis, we caught a good wind swell at Ponce Inlet. Check out the gallery for a couple of shots in between filming. We filmed with Rodrigo Miranda and Eddie Toy. Rodrigo is an amazing surfer. He was definitely dominating the line up yesterday. With his powerful rides down the line, slashing the lip, going reverse and snappy bottom turns, the jetty onlookers had all eyes on Rodrigo.
Eddie, as you all know, kites with more intensity than anyone I know. If there is wind, he's a go. After a brief surfing session, he decided to put up his 13 meter flexifoil stryke and take to the air. The wind, as he described, was perfect. Making the wave riding look effortless, he stole the attention of the jetty onlookers between Rodrigo's waves. The two of them were definitely captivating the audience. I will have the footage of the day posted on the video page by the end of the week...
Then in the middle of the second filming session, I took my attention off the camera to see a lone surfboard washing towards the rocks of the jetty. About 30 yards away a surfer was making his way to the board. With too much distance between him and the board, the waves beat the board against the rocks. It must have hit the rocks 2-3 times before he started swimming in. We were all yelling to him that the board was down here below us on the jetty walkway. With a distraught look on his face, he threw his hands up in the air. I couldn't believe he was just going to leave his board behind, neither did the dozen onlookers. Every time the board hit against the rocks I cringed. I had to stop this senseless abuse of this brand new board. After negotiating the slippery rocks and crashing waves, the board washed up onto the rocks. I grabbed the board and made my way onto the jetty. With the surfer now on shore, I held the board up in the air as to show him I got it. He just coiled up his leash and kept walking. I couldn't believe he was leaving. Out of the audience of on lookers I heard one guy say, "looks like you have a new board, spend about a hundred bucks on ding repair and a new fin and it's good as new." I held onto the board while I continued to film but he never came to get it. Oh well, that's a first.

Max

July 2005

Huricane Dennis UPDATE.

11 AM EDT SAT JUL 09 2005
DENNIS IS CURRENTLY MOVING OVER A COOL EDDY...BUT IS
EXPECTED TOMOVE BACK OVER WARMER WATER IN 12-18 HOURS.
THE UPPER-LEVEL SHEARIS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LOW AND
THE OUTFLOW PATTERN IS FORECAST TO REMAIN QUITE IMPRESSIVE.
THE SSTS AHEAD OF DENNIS ARE WARM ENOUGH TO SUPPORT
A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE UP UNTIL LANDFALL...
SO THE ONLY INHIBITING FACTOR IS IF THE INNER-CORE
STRUCTURE DOES NOT REGAIN ITS ORIGINAL STRUCTURE.
BUT GIVEN THAT THE EYE DIAMETER IS ONLY10-15 MILES...
IT WOULD NOT TAKE MUCH CONVECTION TO DEVELOP AROUND THE
EYE FOR DENNIS TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT COMEBACK IN A SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME.MORE

New Updates...We are going to sit this one out. The
reorganization and fast movement has sped up the track.
Sunday will be too dangerous.We will be sticking around
St. Augustine and catching the outer wind
bands that will create 15-20 knot wind speeds...

Max

June 2005

Hello everyone,

THE NEW SITE IS UP...Check out the videos. The storm chase of tropical storm nicole and others will be up soon. For now, view the bit vids of last winter in Utah and June 11th tropical storm Arlene footage...

It has been a whirlwind week here in Florida. The weather is changing once again. It is amazing the amount of changing conditions down here. Over the last 3 weeks we have experienced season thunderstorms that sweep through the state. As they move west to east, the storms bring fast moving lightning displays and heavy amounts of precip. Over the last week or so, the seabreeze pushes inland to create localized thundershowers with amazing sunsets. The temps have been creeping into the upper 80s and very bearable. It only gets hot when the wind stops.
As far as tropical activity, the season has been steadily producing depressions and storms off the Mexican coastline and upper level disturbances along the Northern Florida coast. Right now the scene is quite.
The wind has been up and going strong. I have some more photos from last week on the gallery.

Stay cool
Max

June 2005

Hello again,

I just uploaded a couple of photos from our day at the inlet yesterday.Check em out here...

With the frontal boundry making its way across Northern Florida, we got a good day of kiting in. The winds were blowing between 15-18 from 11am-3pm. Around 5pm the winds cranked up to 25+. A really good day...

Max

June 2005

Welcome back.

Here in Florida the weather has been rather consistent. 88 degree days followed with evening lightning storms. On Tuesday a bolt hit the top of the condo. Lights went out and our wireless router got fried. The thunder shook the place. As the storm moved overhead, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled. I am kinda getting use to it...
On the kiting side of things, the winds have been real gusty to predominantly light. Not much kiting going on since Arlene left town.

Puerto Rico anyone?

Max

Atlantic Hurricane season 2005

<>Now that the Arlene has passed, the sun has busted through the clouds again. The winds have subsided. I am finally back to updating the blog.

This past weekend was amazing. With Tropical storm Arlene making her way toward the panhandle, rain bands, gusty wind and overcast clouds have swept across the state of Florida. Each day of the storm brought a different condition.

Thursday I kiteboarded the inlet in 15-20 under overcast skies. A solid showing of the St. A crew. Rain bands swept through the area all day.

<>Friday was sick. My first day of real gusty winds taugt me to stay clear on the tack, take in the depower strap and hold on. The winds were cranking to over 25. I was riding a 13 flexifoil and totally lit. I had to go down a size quick, so I got the 9 flexifoil ready for the rest of the session. The 9 was perfect. With the winds blowing side off shore, the upwind riding was perfect for me.
Later that day, some ominous rain clouds moved through, the wind speed was down and up again to 25 by 6pm. Paul rallied the crew for a down winder. Dale, Paul and I made our way to 9th street, up the beach 10 miles to our destination. I have a new understanding of being gripped. I was so lit on a 13 it was scary. There were times I would hit a 5-6 foot wave going downwind, sky 25-35 feet through the air and crash. With my kite completely depowered, the only way I could slow down was to fall and start again. I really could have used a 9 that evening. After I survived the trip, the guys and Eddie were amazed I made it. That night called for a celebration and that's exactly what we did.

Saturday came quickly. Rain fell like buckets in the morning and then subsided in the afternoon. I decided to film for the day and let myself rest up a bit. I got great footage of the whole crew. We recently batched the footage. I will be working on the editing tonight.
Sunday the wind and the waves dropped off to 10-15. Eddie and I did a late down winder at 6 pm.
Now for the latest news...There is a new formation just south of Jamaica. We will keep you posted...

Max

Atlantic Hurricane season 2005

Hey everyone.

It's been almost a week since I made and update. Nothing much going on in FLA since Saturday...BUT today!

We had our eye on this one before the watch went up. Tropical Depression one formed while we were out doing down winders at the inlet. After a couple of red strips and conch fritters, between commercials of the latest reality display, Gilligan’s island-I am finally sitting down to the laptop to update the blog.
Damn, what a good day kiting. I did my first down winder from matanzas inlet. I went up the coast 4 miles, happy not to be shark bait, I got my second glimpse into what kite surfing is all about. While we celebrated over a few brews, the setting sun in the West lit up the off shore cumulus clouds. The temp, 88 degrees. But enough about how good it is in Florida...

June 8th 2005 June 9th 2005
Tropical depression One Tropical Storm Arlene
National Hurricane Center-tropical prediction center
Water Vapor 4 KM

Stay tuned.
Max

Pacific Hurricane season 2005

Well, the inevitable is apon us-the East coast hurricane season started today...

Sorry Florida, we have another above-average hurricane season coming. This year's outlook, believe it or not, is almost identical to what the Climate Prediction Center was calling for last May. In fact, they're actually calling for a little more activity than what was expected a year ago....more

Keep tuned in.

Max

Rainshowers

...HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED TODAY THRU WED...
CURRENT SOUNDING AND FORECASTS FROM THE NAM SHOW
PRECIPITABLE WATERVALUES REMAINING ABOVE 1.9 INCHES
THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH MAXIMIZEDVALUES ABOVE 2.
..LOW LEVEL JET INCREASES TO 30 TO 35 KNOTS THROUGH THE MORNING
HOURS.

Seems the jet has switched to give mostly Maine and some of the
Northeast a break.The rainstorms that came through early evening
last night, early morning today and potentially tonight will have dumped
over 4 inches of rain. Puddles accumulate. The East coast hurricane
season starts tomorrow...

Max

Photo by: Maxwell Morrill

FIJI!

Fiji Check out the latest on Surfline

AFRICA!

Big Wave Africa. check it out.

Florida!

I could be anywhere in the country right now but Florida is the place to be. I witnessed the most amazing lightning storm last night off the coast of St. Augustine. The enormous cloud was illuminated from the inside by flashing lightning. That specticle was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I will post some video of it today.

In other areas of the county, Phoenix is in a heat wave, the Northeast is in the midst of below normal temps and a battering Nor'Easter and the West just begins to thaw out from the winter. Meanwhile in Florida, we enjoy 80's and NE winds at 10-20, which is great for kiting. The residue of the sea water dries on my skin as I write this...

Here is a little video to connect you to the rest of the world...
Nor'Easter
Explaining the conditions of the Nor'Easter
Yosemite thaw


Max

New Gallery

Hello everyone.

We have installed a new gallery for the past 6 months of highlights. Check them out, let me know what you think, what you would like to see more off, ect...Thanks for surfing through.

Max

summer logo

summer_logo

Hurricane Season 2005 pacific _ adrian

tropical storm Adrian, now hurricane Adrian.
On Wednesday a new developement of a tropical storm on route to Central America woke everyone up in the hurricane prediction office. And as we narrowed our focus in Florida to the same area, we watched the next couple of days generate a t.s into a hurricane and now into a much weaker storm. For all the current info, log on below.

(Currently downgraded)

Projections

Advisory

Stay tuned...
Max

May 2005_florida

Eddie checking the conditions as we drove over the Matanzas Intlet bridge.
Photo by: Maxwell Morrill

With the sea breeze off to the East and Clouds to the West, conditions are perfect at the Inlet.
Photo by: Maxwell Morrill

With the winds at 15 and coming up quick the kites were in full force. I had a fully lit 4th day of riding. I rigged up a flexifoil 11m and got my upwinders down. Too much fun!
Photo by: Maxwell Morrill

May 2005_florida

Matanzas Inlet-First Day
Pictures and captions below...

May 2005_florida

Thursday, May 12th 2005 Northern Florida

After a short drive south down A1A, you arrive to Matanzas Inlet. The inlet is great place to get lit if it's blowing...When we got there the winds were blowing around 12 but peaked to 22 during our session. Right around thepeakof 20, I got whipped into the sanbar, drug across the sand and now have the scares to prove my first day of kiteboarding was a success. With wipe out aside, I got up on my first day, so excited, I lost my hat and sunglasses and didn't care. I am hooked. This sport is a blast. Just prepare yourself for some losses of blood.

Daryl Drown-ExtremeKites owner and local ripper. Daryl showed up after we had been riding for a couple hours. The wind had died down a little but still was blow'n around 14, which is great for a skim board and 18m kite.

Daryl and Eddie taking care of business after our session.

Daryl Drown getting it on the shallow end.

After my first day of kiteboarding, there is nothing better than relaxing with a corona, some conch fritters and a Florida sunset. From the Mantanzas cafe deck, you can take in views of the intercoastal waterway, palmtree skylines and beautiful sunsets. With this being my 4th day in Florida, I look forward to the rest of the week.

April 2005_utah

Well, it's a rap on the filming here in Utah. All the interviews are done and everything is in the can. I will be heading back to the studio in Maine to start the long editing process. I will keep you all informed on the progress. I am hoping to have the pilot edited by the end of May...
Thank you to everyone that helped the pilot along. Brighton Ski Area, Randy Doyle, Brighton Ski Patrol, Sarah Clemenson, Justin Woodworth, Rob Kingwell, James Wall, Ben Wheeler,Bill Novak, Dan, Gabe Morin, The Mission:Snow crew, Winterstick snowboards, DaKine, The Weather Channel, N.O.A.A., SkiUtah, UAFC and everyone else, however small a contribution, everything is appreciated
I will be updating the blog weekly...

Max

April 2005_utah

We had a very successful day today. Thanks to Dan and Bill for joining the team and helping out with a 2nd camera. We got a lot done in a short amount of time. We hit up Mt. Millicent's scree bowl and Mary chutes first thing. Second shoot was on the East/NorthEast face of Clayton peak, perrrfect conditions. After sampling some of the east face conditions on Clayton Peak, we decided to head up to Tuscarora. By the time we got to the bottom of GreatWestern, someone had hit it up, Oh well. So, we decided to head to Wolverine Cirque for some afternoon lines. Once on top of the cirque, the clouds rolled in enough to give the setting a mystical look with the clouds slightly shrouding the peaks in the background and highlighting the cirque. A perfect opportunity to capture the cirque in all it's glory. Finally on the way out, we hit figure 8 for sublime low angle conditions. A really good day with a great group.
Thanks
Max
Shoot 3 (Day 1)

April 2005_utah

Friday got the jump on us today. A 14 hour day in the backcountry previously had its way of making you question how limitless the drive of the human spirit is for the perfect line captured on film. Although we were without Sarah, the rest of the team came together at the base of BCC. And with the new morning, we were joined by a new adventurer, Bill Novak. It seems after speaking with Bill, he has a penchant for hitting as steep a line in the mountains as he does for chasing surf and traveling. After a quick drive up the canyon, we arrived at the parking area of Brighton's Mt. Millicent chair.

The sun was shining in the parking lot as we geared up. The resort was moderately quite. It was a beautiful start to day two. While getting ready the group coalesced. The morning laggy motivation and stiff muscles didn't take precedent once on the Millicent chair. The brisk air felt good as I sat comfortable on the old double. There is something magical and dangerous at the same time with the Mt. Millicent chair. It has a way of striking up discussions reminisent of nostalgia while separating the crowds. It will also turn you into a praying man in one ride. One look down between tower 11 and 12, you will be a believer.
At the top, the wind blew calmly. We assembled as a group; I spoke with ski patrol and discussed the day’s schedule. With my face now feeling the effects of yesterdays sun exposure, I tied up my cloth face mask, gave my baseball hat a tilt over my glasses to block the sun and headed up the ridge. We had a great group Friday. Mt. Millicent's ridge rose to meet our steps. The group moved in a steady pace. The view on the peak was stunning.
As I set up for the shot, the North face of Tuscorora, the group made their way down and across Wolverine bowl. Rob made quick time on his Arbor mystic split board. The rest of the group, Chester, Dave, Bill and Justin in tow made there way through the tree line. Once on the ridge, we set up the first shot, made our safety plans in case something happened and got to shooting.
Rob was first to drop; he made two smooth turns to 15 foot drop onto the powdery curtain below. The line was smooth. Next up, Dan swooped left off the summit and threaded the rock outcrops to finish with an effortless glide. Chester switched up the line and went for the chute off the top. Justin hung back on the ridge and goal posted the pine trees. And we captured it all...
After rapping up that portion of the shoot, I made my way to the col. Once there, the full effects of yesterday's sun exposure set in. The effects of acute sun blindness set in so quickly I could barely focus or hold my eyes open. Not wanting to end the shoot, I compromised in conversation with the rest of the group. Justin decided to meet up and go out with me. Rob went on with Bill and crew to continue on with other lines and capture film. Between squints and stinging vision, I set up my split board for the descent out; it was tough going. Vision is a necessity to snowboard, so I thought. The coolness of the tree shadows gave me solace. With Justin in tow, I skinned around the Lake Mary to Brighton. Once at the parking lot, I immediately got out of my boots and put a zip lock of snow on my face. Justin climbed into the drivers set and made our way down the canyon. Day 2 was a rap.
Max

Shoot 2 (Day 2)

March 2005_utah

Day 1. What a couple of days it has been so far...The mission crew hit up the Brighton in-bounds and backcountry on Thursday. The weather delivered amazing conditions for shooting. High pressure set in over Utah state wide. At 6 am, we all met at the team and crew met at the base of BCC. By 7am the clouds moved through over Brighton and the sun came out. We hadn't seen the sun like this in over a week.
After a briefing in the morning over begals and coffee, we set up for the first shoot. By 8am, we were loading the Mt. Millicent chair with mountain manager, Randy Doyle. Randy guided us to the top, he briefly spoke with ski patrol and let us loose to set up for the first shot. We capitalized on the early break by shooting on Mt. Millicent's open bowls. The ski patrol was kind enough to let us in on their stashes by reserving half of scree bowl to shoot on. Major props to the men and women of the Brighton ski patrol. Before long, we were getting the goods-Mt. Millicent, scree bowl, mary chutes and Clayton Peak. All of the morning shots were sublime...
In the afternoon, we decided to get some afternoon light shots on the west-nw face of Mt. Millicent. The hike was slow as we set in the boot pack on the ridge. As we hiked, we surveyed the mountainous landscpae around us, set up some hiking shots and made our way to the top. Once on top, we discussed the nex shoot, picked out defining landmarks to guide the team off the peak and spoke about possible dangers. As I set up in the basin below, I radioed up describing the lines. The next series of footage was amazing. You'll have to see the footage to believe what happened that day...
Max

March 2005_utah

On the final days of the storm cycle, Justin Woodworth and I hit up 3 resorts in search of the best untracked stashes. We found them! The last photo is my favorite; it truely tells the story of how the last days were.
More to come...
Max

March 2005_utah

With the incoming storm due to arrive Monday night, we are preparing for the next stage of shooting. Here are the details for the next week. If you neeed to contact me, feel free to ring my cell or e-mail me.
Details:
Thursday, Friday and Saturday 3.31.05 - 4.2.05
Team shoot
Locations:
Nevada desert
Entering Utah
Destination Brighton
Times:
8am-4pm
Thanks for your contribution of time and effort to make this pilot a success!
Max

March 2005

The big one we've been waiting for is here folks. Our powder lust should be quenched tomorrow. http://www.goes.noaa.gov/WCIR3.html 12"-14" and better in the cottonwoods. Although the weather service is forecasting much of the initial storm will move to the North into Idaho, we should get enough for face shots in the am. We'll be steppin' into Little tomorrow. Tram rides are the call. Be safe out there...

Max

March 2005 (Day 5)

Today was the culmination of the recent round of storms and provided the best day in weeks. The 24 hr. storm deposited over 12-18" and more in isolated spots through out the upper Big and Little Cottonwoods. At Brighton, the tracks were almost filled in from yesterday's morning storm event. Sources at Brighton said that the snow really didn't stop all night. Today's snow depths backed their stories.
With all the snow from the last 24hrs, I decided to mount up my new 04-05 Winterstick swallowtail. For today's conditions their isn't any other choice of rides. If you are a serious pow junkie, you need to have a swallowtail in your quiver. The board is truely amazing! By the end of the day, the clouds parted. A weak high pressure ridge moved into the region and provided glimpses of the picturesque backcountry. With another round of storms coming into the northern parts of Utah, much of the week's weather will remain unsettled. Check out the links to the right for a better overview of the upcoming weather and avalanche conditions.
Well, day 5 has come and gone like the storms through the mountains. Though today was mostly low light visability conditions, we got some more helmet cam footage and some more stills. Eddie will post up the pictures later at www.fat-tours.com/blog Check them out.
More updates to the blog tomorrow inbetween sessions.

Until then, be safe.
Max

March 2005 (Day 4)

Day 4 of shooting "the mission:snow" yeilded some helmet cam footage and some great March powder shots. With all of the athletes on hold until Thursday and Friday, Eddie and I worked on capturing more of the elements of Brighton.
With the current storm track taking aim on Utah, we are looking forward to many days of shooting ahead...

For indepth daily logs, check out the Fat Tours blog at this link.
www.fat-tours.com/blog
More updates to come...
Max

March 2005

For some more great pictures of our first few days on The Mission: Snow, please check out the blog at Freedom Adventure Tours:
http://www.fat-tours.com/blog/

Enjoy!

March 2005

Powder anyone? The next storm looks like it is going to drop about 6-8" in the cottonwoods for Sunday morning and then 4-6" during the day on Sunday. All in all, we deserve another 12"+ for waiting out the last 4 week dry spell.
Have fun tomorrow.

Max

March 2005 (Day 3)

The day just kept getting better...
The Mission:Snow

March 2005 (Day 3)

Today was one of those days that surprises even me. Today was perfect. With the morning giving us glimpses of sunshine through the clouds-we hoped for the best. On the hike up Mt. Millicent ridge, my optimism changed. The 20mph winds out of the west, thick cloud cover and flat light was beginning to make me think our day was over before it had a chance to start. Figuring we would make the best of it, we decided to set up for a couple tree run shots. Before too long, on southeast face of Mt. Millicent, we got what we needed, we got the biggest break. Classic Wasatch weater arrived before us as the skies cleared, the wind died down and we set up for the day I was looking for. The conditions were perfect and we accomplished a lot. The pictures from the day will be up soon. We are looking at the video dailys now...

Big thanks to Ben, Sarah, Gabe, Will and Eddy for getting the job done. More updates will follow...

Rubies, here we come...Stay tuned.

Thanks
Max

March 2005 (Day 2)

Green Light...
Brighton backcountry received 4-6" this afternoon. More in windloaded spots. The conditions will be great for what we are shooting tomorrow.
We are meeting at 8am sharp at the Big Cottonwood park and ride.
Please bring backcountry equipment, colorful clothes (for flat light), earth tones (for good light), and anything else you might need for the backcountry.
We will be shooting from 9:15am to 12, take a break and then from 1-4pm
I look forward to meeting you all tomorrow.
See you then.
Max

March 2005

Discussion:The east-west oriented cold front slowly sags south. It’s a complex system so it’s difficult to forecast but it looks like snow should continue this afternoon and evening with 3-6 inches accumulation before it ends by about midnight. I was hoping that the ridge top winds would die as the snow began but they seem content to keep blowing 30-40 with gusts into the 50’s. Ridge top temperatures will be around 18 degrees tonight. By morning, ridge top winds will die down to 25 from the west-northwest with temps around 16 degrees. We should have a break on Friday with some lingering low level moisture causing some clouds around the mountains but little additional accumulation.

Extended forecast: Today is the first day of our new-and-improved weather pattern. We have a series of wet storms lined up with the next one beginning about mid day on Saturday and continuing on Sunday that looks to put down perhaps a foot of snow. Ridge top temperatures will be warmer for the Saturday storm, around 25 degrees. Then there are several more pulses for the next several days, perhaps Tuesday, then Thursday and so on. Most of the later storms look to be passing to the south of us but they will still give us some snow. Most anything is better than this past month of graduate level courses in the finer points of breakable crust formation.

Tremper

March 2005 (Day 1)

Snowing at Brighton

.SYNOPSIS...A PACIFIC SYSTEM WILL GRAZE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE
AREA TODAY. A COOL AND SOMEWHAT MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW WILL REMAIN
OVER THE AREA TONIGHT. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE FRIDAY WILL GIVE WAY TO A
MOIST BUT MILD PACIFIC STORM FOR THE WEEKEND.

&&
GREEN LIGHT.
We are on for Friday.

With the setup flow depositing 2-6" of new with
1-3" windblown in spots, the conditions are shaping up
If you have been contacted, please confirm your attendence by
calling or e-mail tonight. We will be meeting at
the Big Cottonwood park and ride at 8am sharp.

More details to follow...

Max

Current Status

Everyone,

.SYNOPSIS...A WEAK DISTURBANCE IN NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CROSS THE AREA LATETONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE FLOW WILL BECOME MORE WESTERLY FRIDAY NIGHT ANDSATURDAY WITH INCREASING MOISTURE. && SLC-weather

First off, thank you for your interest in the The Mission:Snow.

We are currently in debate about the upcoming storm track. After analyzing thedata, it looks as if the bulk of the precip is heading on a southerlydirection. We may get a trace to 2" with more potentially through the dayThursday. If it is snowing in the morning, we will be meeting at the bottom ofBig Cottonwood Canyon at 8am sharp. If no snow, we are on hold to Friday. This pilot is dependent heavily on stormy weather followed by snowaccumulations. We are hoping for such conditions. We will be treating everytest shooting to actual filming shoot like a surf event, of sorts. Each attemptwill have a RED YELLOW or GREEN light status. We are currently on YELLOW.Thanks for your patience and your interest in the pilot.

Please stay tuned tothe blog.

Thanks!

Max

March 2005

Yellow light...
This week's test shoot is currently scheduled for Thursday and Friday at Brighton. Depending on the forecasted storm due on Thursday, plans may change. For those that we have contacted for this week, we will be calling you tonight to discuss the itinirary. There is a chance the snow won't come, the conditions will stay weak and we will postpone the test shoot to another time when the conditions are better suited for what we are looking for...I will keep you posted with another message after reviewing the weather tonight...Please stay tuned here for more details.

Thanks!
Max

March 2005

Keep those applications coming...We are narrowing our choices for the test shoot this week.

Stay tuned for more details.

Max

March 2005

As I write this, the Northwesterly jetstream is bringing scattered snowshowers to the Uintas and easterly flank of the Wasatch mountains. We received 1-2" last night and 1-2" today. This should improve our backcountry trips on Tuesday through Friday this week.

I am looking forward to getting part of the the mission:snow team together this week to do some shooting around the Brighton area. We are still looking for 1 skier and 1 snowboarder for the shoot. Send an e-mail to info@themissionfilms.com to join us this week.

I will update this more throughout the week.

Max

March 2005 CASTING CALL

For immediate release:
The Mission:Snow Episode One
pilot filming
March 9 2005

The Morrill Film Group is currently casting for our latest the mission:snow episode. The episode will be filmed through the West Coast and Intermountain area of North America. We are casting for 2 snowboarders and 2 skiers in the intermountain area. If you are chosen, you will be scheduled to film with us March 16th-22nd and in April as we plan, plot and chase winter storms throughout the intermountain west.
You must be proficient in backcountry travel. You must be knowledgeable about backcountry terrain and working with film makers and photographers in mountainous terrain. You must have a flexible schedule. This is a dream position for an up and comer as well as an established film icon. Pay is dependent on experience, current snow sport status and prior published work in film and photography.
The mission:snow episode 1 is a documentary style view into the lives of a group of athletes that chose to chase storms. During the pursuit, the excitement level is amplified as the storm develops over different areas as it travels across the region. The team will be filmed as they plan, map, navigate and time the storms arrival into various mountainous regions. The focus is to chase the storm to a destination and reep the rewards of the the best conditions possible.
If you think you have what it takes to become part of the mission:snow episode one, contact us immediately.
For further inquiries, please contact our production assistant at info@themissionfilms.com. Please e-mail a high rez action photo, movie clip and resume within the message.

Thank you,

The Morrill Film Group.

March 2005

We have definately made the best of the high pressure over Utah. Although we didn't have a storm to chase, we stayed in Northern Utah and took advantage of the best snow in North America.
We filmed on two big peaks, the hypodermic needle in Hogum Fork and the North West face of the SLC Twins. Each is a large ascent and a great accomplishment. We will have pictures and video up soon. Keep praying for storms to bring snow to the West.

March 2005

The high pressure is here to stay. Ahhh! It's march 3rd, the week I planned for the pilot is dashed by no storms coming into the West Coast. Oh well. The crew is on stand by. We will be doing some big peaks while the conditions are good. Pray for snow...

March 2005

March is here, where are the storms. A dreadful high pressure has wedged it's way into the intermountain west forcing all precipt. around us to the north and south. Meanwhile, the East Coast gets pounded on the week we had planned for the pilot run. Thinking of heading East...

February 2005

Well, February has been a blast so far. We have received a new storm every week. The backcountry is starting to settle out. The epic avalanches of January have kept the weary at bay. We've been getting some blue bird days with lots of new snow on the mountains. The footage is very good so far. The final parts of the film crew are coming together. I am filming here in Utah until March. The pilot from California to Utah is scheduled. I hope we get the goods on the road.

February 2005

Finally the inversion has cleared out. The next round of storms are on their way into Utah. I hope for the best. The preparations with uniting the mission crew is under way. I am eager to start filming some of the new athletes.

Sundance 2005

Sundance 2005 is amazing. More fun than I could imagine. The movies during the days are a wonderful way to spend time off the slopes. The snow is so good it's hard to stay inside though. Spending time in Park City is a nice way to retreat from the inversion in the valley. The inversion is getting to be very bad. Like a thick fog that shows no sign of disapating-it obscures all light and sights of the valley.
X-dance is the highlight of the festival this year for me. All alternative action adventure films is it's line up. There are some amazing films premiering at the festival. Check out the white album by Cinemaseone.