When Hawaiian pro surfer paddles for a wave at famed break Banzai Pipeline on Oahu鈥檚 North Shore, her heart races. At the takeoff point, the wave pitches up steeply, anywhere from six to 20 feet above the shallow reef. Wong knows that any mistake will almost certainly send her into what lies below.

Dropping from the sky, Wong slices her board鈥檚 rail into the wave鈥檚 face and sets her line. When all goes well, she passes unscathed through Pipeline鈥檚 magic tunnel and speeds out the other side in a torrent of spray.

鈥淲hen you get barreled out there, it鈥檚 just the best feeling ever,鈥� Wong says. 鈥淭he wave has this hold on me and there鈥檚 nothing better than surfing Pipe and getting a sick barrel.鈥�

One of the most beautiful and deadly waves in the world, Pipeline has fired the imaginations of surfers for generations. Every winter the world鈥檚 best surfers converge on the lineup to test their courage and try to score the barrel of their life. This week, it鈥檚 the site of history. Eighteen female professional surfers are competing in the first ever women鈥檚 Billabong Pro Pipeline, the opening event in the 2022 World Championship Tour.

The event runs January 29 through February 10.

The world鈥檚 best male surfers have competed in the Pipeline Masters event since 1971, but women have rarely had the opportunity to surf in organized events there due to a combination of funding problems, sexism, and the sport鈥檚 slow progression. Over the years multiple women have tried to speed up that process. In 1989, pro surfer 鈥淏anzai鈥� Betty Depolito started a lower-tier contest for women at the break. The competition was originally for bodyboarders, because at the time there were not enough women surfing Pipeline, Depolito says.

After six seasons Depolito added a surfing competition, but she could never obtain permits from the local government to hold her event during the peak winter season, when the waves are biggest.

鈥淭he guys around here have not been very supportive,鈥� Depolito says. 鈥淭hey freak out if they lose a contest or they feel like something鈥檚 being taken away from them. It鈥檚 mainly because they think they鈥檙e so much better and they鈥檙e men and they have to feed their families. But we have to pay our mortgages too.鈥�

Few women ventured into the wave鈥檚 hypercompetitive lineup back then. Retired pro Rochelle Ballard, 50, a Pipeline pioneer, tried to convince her peers to paddle out and found few takers. Ballard and fellow pro Keala Kennelly surfed the wave alongside a horde of men.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think it was going to happen until now, because it鈥檚 like, 鈥榊ou guys have to go surf it, or it鈥檚 never going to happen,鈥欌�� Ballard says. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 ever about me. It wasn鈥檛 ever about Keala鈥攊t had to be a bigger group of women at the time and the age that a Pipeline contest came.鈥�

During the winter months, storms spin up in the North Pacific and form swells that, after traveling through the deep waters of the open ocean, explode on the shallow reef at Pipeline. The contours of the reef give the wave its famous cylindrical shape. Sitting in the lineup, a surfer can go left or right, depending on the swell direction, her skill level, and her inclination. The right is known as Backdoor, while the left is Pipeline proper. The wave鈥檚 power, the shallow water over the reef, the steep takeoff, the way the peak shifts with the tide and swell direction, all add up to the danger and difficulty of surfing Pipeline.

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a vertical drop, the way the wave jacks up right where you have to take off. That alone is just really intimidating,鈥� says Kennelly, 43, who started surfing Pipeline in the 1990s. 鈥淎nd then it breaks on gnarly shallow reef.鈥�

A good swell draws some of the world鈥檚 best surfers, as well as the most dedicated locals on the planet, and the lineup can be more competitive during a freesurfing session than it is during a contest heat. Women can often find themselves at a disadvantage in the predominantly male lineup.

Wong has sometimes spent six hours in the water at Pipeline to ride a single wave. Some days, she won鈥檛 get a wave at all.

鈥淵ou can feel the vibe out there,鈥� Wong says. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 aggressive, everyone鈥檚 anxious, everyone鈥檚 stressing a little bit. It鈥檚 not calm and relaxed at all.鈥�

The absence of a top-level contest for women has meant little incentive for pro surfers to paddle out at Pipeline. Instead, women have pushed boundaries on other waves. Carissa Moore, the reigning Olympic champion, recently landed one of the biggest airs ever in a women鈥檚 contest heat at Australia鈥檚 Rip Curl Newcastle Cup. But Moore has had little reason to risk it all out at Pipeline until now.

The addition of a women鈥檚 Championship Tour event at Pipeline continues a steady progression toward greater equity in pro surfing. In 2019 the World Surf League鈥攖he governing body for pro surfers鈥攂egan paying women equal prize money. A woman winning a single event on the Championship Tour in 2019 won more in prize money than seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore earned for her first title in 2007.

Another improvement has been the WSL鈥檚 move to hold women鈥檚 events when the waves are at their peak. In previous years it was common to see organizers run the women鈥檚 heats in smaller conditions. These days women often surf the same day as the men.

That wasn鈥檛 the case for the opening weekend at the Pipeline Pro, however. On Saturday, January 29, the men kicked off the competition in thumping ten- to 12-foot waves. Rather than send the women鈥檚 heats out into the surf, the WSL waited until Sunday. The inaugural women鈥檚 heats took place in noticeably smaller conditions.

Jessi Miley-Dyer, the WSL鈥檚 head of competition, said she made the call to delay the women鈥檚 heats.

鈥淧ipeline is the most competitive and challenging lineup in the world, and for many of the women on the Championship Tour, Sunday was their first time out in the lineup on their own,鈥� Miley-Dyer says. 鈥�It was important to me that we had a day in manageable conditions to allow everyone the opportunity to get a feel for being out in the lineup and experience the wave.鈥�

Miley-Dyer said the competition would seek out bigger conditions for the women鈥檚 later rounds. On Tuesday the swell surged to an even greater size, but the WSL again held heats for only the men.

In a post-heat interview, Wong said she鈥檇 have preferred to surf the same conditions as the men, but in their social media posts, most of her competitors seemed happy to make it through the opening day. 鈥淔irst heat of the first event of the season is always a little nerve-wracking, and a little extra today figuring out the Pipe lineup with only two women out,鈥� Moore wrote on Instagram.

The first day saw top surfers Courtney Conlogue and Caroline Marks eliminated. Competition is likely to return later this week, with 16 women competing in a single-elimination format.

Moore, a five-time world champion, is a heavy favorite to win. But she says victory at Pipeline is hardly guaranteed.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to lie, I鈥檓 a little nervous,鈥� she said in December. 鈥淭hose kinds of waves are a little out of my comfort zone.”

While Moore may still feel nervous at the thought of paddling out at Pipeline, video of her surfing the wave in January showed her looking comfortable in the barrel. Moore is also among the few women in the contest who can go either left or right. That鈥檚 because learning to ride Pipeline backside鈥攚ith the surfer鈥檚 back to the wave鈥攁dds another level of mastery.

鈥淪he surfs Pipe amazingly,鈥� Kennelly says. 鈥淪he鈥檚 always like, 鈥業鈥檓 so intimidated,鈥� and then she goes out and kills it.鈥�

Brazilian Tatiana West, who grew up in Kauai and is currently ranked number two in the world rankings, is another hard-charging surfer who could challenge Moore for the win.

And then there is Wong, who as a wild card may lack the world titles but has the expertise to go far. Now 23, she鈥檚 been surfing Pipeline consistently for the past five years, putting in her hours and learning the intricacies of the wave. She鈥檚 become a specialist out there and is widely considered to be the best woman yet to surf Pipeline.

Ballard, who keeps close tabs women鈥檚 surfing, compares Wong鈥檚 style to that of Pipeline legend Gerry Lopez.

鈥淢oana is the first woman that I鈥檝e seen who really understands how to set her line and her rail and stay in the pocket, drive through the barrel and come out,鈥� Ballard says. 鈥淎nd she picks the right waves, that are the same waves that Gerry Lopez was picking. She鈥檚 really the one.鈥�

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The first thing outdoor photographer James Barkman () did after buying his bright听orange 1976 Volkswagen Westfalia was drive it across the country. Since then听he鈥檚 roamed widely in what he affectionately calls the Yellow Submarine. He spends the majority of his time in the western U.S., surfing, climbing, and snowboarding, but he鈥檚 driven as far north as Tofino, British听Columbia, and 500 miles south of the U.S. border into Mexico. 鈥淚 never keep track of miles,鈥� he says. Instead, he counts the number of times he has replaced the van鈥檚 motor. (He鈥檚 on number five.) Recently, Barkman purchased a military-surplus periscope for the bus, to complete the submarine look. He plans to mount the device so it can poke out of the ceiling and swivel. 鈥淚t would be super sick if I could do it right above the driver鈥檚 seat, and then I could bring it down and look through it,鈥� he says.

Barkman has now lived in his camper van for seven years. Along the way, he鈥檚 learned a few things about how to road-trip.听鈥淵ou hit the road, and you never know how that might connect you with people that will change your life,鈥� he says. Here are nine听tips he鈥檚 picked up along the way that will help you maximize your travel time, whether it鈥檚 over听a weekend or much longer.

Read before you go.

Recently, Barkman drove through Wyoming for the first time. 鈥淚 stopped at this classic interstate truck diner, which is my favorite thing in the world,鈥� he says. A side trip to a hot spring later refreshed his mind and body after long hours of driving.

While it鈥檚 possible to stumble upon these surprises, Barkman likes to research his destinations听and the places en route听ahead of time. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 no substitute for just diving into information on the web and reading everything you can find,鈥� he says. For a trip through New England, Barkman poured over paper maps and atlases听and circled small coastal towns and parks he wanted to visit. Then he read everything he could about the area online听before he arrived. The payoff included small-town farmers鈥� markets, mountain views, and lakeside campsites. He also found听a local fisherman who sold him freshly caught lobsters straight off the boat.

It鈥檚 easy to get caught up in counting down the miles or to become dazed from the interstate and miss that great little听restaurant tucked down the road. Researching ahead of time helps ensure you get the goods. 鈥淪pending time always pays off,鈥� Barkman says. 鈥淵ou end up experiencing these things that you remember forever.鈥�

Move your maps offline.听

Google Maps has become the go-to for most of us when it comes to听finding everything from campsites to coffee shops. It鈥檚 all good until suddenly you don鈥檛 have cell service. 鈥淲henever I鈥檓 going somewhere I think there won鈥檛 be service, I download the whole zone from Google Maps to use offline,鈥� says Barkman. () File sizes for larger maps can be more than a gigabyte, so make sure you have enough storage space on your phone.

has become the app Barkman relies on most for both topographical and street-level mapping. You can download a bigger area than through Google Maps, and while the maps are typically less detailed, Barkman says they offer听the basics and download more quickly over a cell signal. It鈥檚 also clutch for importing GPS routes to follow. 鈥淚 did this big moto trip through Nevada and eastern听Oregon, and the whole time we were away from any sort of town,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here were so many trails and forest roads, and we just imported a GPS route and followed it turn听by听turn.鈥� The app also provides听fairly accurate route times for hiking and climbing, he says.

If every contour line matters,听听and听听offer detailed topographical maps, and both apps allow you to download map sectors for offline use. Because they provide a more granular view, and thus require more data, Barkman recommends downloading them on a Wi-Fi听connection. (Both services听also require a paid subscription for offline use鈥擟alTopo听starts at $20 per year; OnX, $30 per year.)

Your phone is the best hot spot.

For working on the road, Barkman simply uses the hot spot on his smartphone.鈥淚鈥檝e never owned another hot spot for day-to-day use,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y phone has plenty of data for most things I need to do.鈥� (He uses T-Mobile听and is happy with the coverage.)

When he needs a Wi-Fi connection to send or receive bigger files, Barkman heads to Starbucks. 鈥淔or me and for other nomadic nerds, Starbucks is always the call, because there鈥檚 always one听nearby and听they always have good free Wi-Fi.鈥� Most McDonald鈥檚 locations offer free Wi-Fi, too.

Barkman does carry a satellite hot spot for emergencies when he鈥檚 in more remote areas. He uses , a subscription-based service听that听doesn鈥檛 provide a full-service internet connection听but which, when paired with a smartphone, enables the user to send text messages anywhere within the U.S. or Canada听or email听to any address in the world. 鈥淪o, say, if I break down somewhere in the middle of nowhere or there鈥檚 an emergency, people can always contact me, and I can always contact them,鈥� Barkman says. (Recently, he ran out of oil in a remote spot in Oregon听and was able to message a friend to bring some.) The hot spot, which includes a built-in SOS beacon, costs听$280, and subscriptions range from $8.33 a month for eight satellite messages听to $50 per month for unlimited messaging.

Talk to strangers.

As he travels, Barkman likes to chat up the people he meets. Often听they lead him to the most unforgettable experiences. While he meets folks听just about everywhere he goes, he says, like-minded people tend to flock to the same places he does: bars, restaurants, ski-resort parking lots, and trailheads.

Starting conversations with strangers doesn鈥檛 come naturally to everyone, so Barkman says two easy ways to break the ice are to seek out common ground and listen to others鈥� stories. Being a good listener can open a lot of doors, he says. But don鈥檛 overthink it.听鈥淛ust be yourself and be confident,鈥� he says.听Remember that you have more to gain than to lose, and听putting yourself out there to start a side conversation might well yield an unexpected and memorable adventure. Barkman met one of his best friends at a gas pump. 鈥淲e were filling gas, and he was there in a van with his girlfriend, and we planned to meet up in Joshua Tree and camp together,鈥� he remembers.

Look for a park and听ride.听

With his spontaneous approach to travel, Barkman sometimes ends up nowhere near his intended destination when he鈥檚 ready to park for the night. The trick to overnighting in areas that aren鈥檛 designated for camping, or where camping isn鈥檛 allowed, is to keep a low profile, he says. 鈥淚 close all the blinds, and I try to be careful with the lights.鈥� His clutch camping spot: park-and-ride lots. They鈥檙e easy to find through an online search, and he鈥檚 never run into trouble there with a quick听overnight stay.

Become a burrito connoisseur.

Easy meals that don鈥檛 require intensive clean-up are the clear choice for life on the road. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care what it is, as long as I don鈥檛 have to do dishes,鈥� says Barkman. His Westfalia does have a sink; he just prefers not to use it: 鈥淚t鈥檚 small and annoying.鈥�

So think sandwiches, burritos, or, if you want to get fancy, avocado toast. 鈥淚鈥檓 a big burrito guy,鈥� says Barkman. His go-to ingredients include beans, avocado, eggs, and meat,听typically wild game. During hunting season, he stocks up on game such as venison and elk to eat throughout the year. He made his best-ever burrito in Alaska听from eggs, cheese, cilantro, and freshly听caught salmon. 鈥淚t was salmon we pulled out of the ocean鈥攁s fresh as you can get,鈥� he recalls.

Stay warm.

In cold conditions, Barkman stays cozy with a听diesel heater. He had a woodstove in the past, but it took up more space and didn鈥檛 heat his van as efficiently.听鈥淵ou can get them from Amazon for like 100 to 150 bucks, and they totally crank,鈥� he says.听He prefers the dry heat of diesel to propane.听鈥淚f you crank a propane heater in your rig, you just have condensation everywhere.听Diesel will really dry everything out,鈥� he says. And that鈥檚听a nice side benefit: you can slide into a dry wetsuit for tomorrow鈥檚 dawn patrol听or into warm pants for your snowboard session. Venting the diesel heater is key鈥擝arkman cut a hole in the floor of his van and runs the heater鈥檚 exhaust out of it.

Invest in good tires.

Digging your van out of the sand makes for a good story, but choosing tires that鈥檒l work for a variety of conditions will ensure that your tales are more about the killer places you鈥檝e been than the mishaps along the way. The Yellow Submarine rolls on General Grabber AT2 tires. 鈥淭hey do great on the highway, and they鈥檙e really capable in sand, mud, and snow,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 can go to the snow in the morning and back to the coast in the afternoon.鈥�

Stay a step ahead of thieves.

When he鈥檚 on the road, Barkman finds it reassuring to have a safe place to stash camera equipment, hard drives, and essential documents like his passport. 鈥淧eople notice vans and know that there are valuable things inside,鈥� he says. 鈥淏reak-ins happen more than ever.鈥� Beach parking lots and popular trailheads in particular can be a magnet for thieves.

Besides keeping valuables out of sight, Barkman recommends a safe or lockbox for the really important stuff. There are many options readily available online, and you鈥檒l want something that鈥檚 designed for the make and model of your vehicle. Barkman ordered his safe from Dave Harrison (), who makes custom听lockboxes for vehicles including听VW buses, Sprinters, and Ford Transit Connects. 鈥淚 can leave my rig in a place that鈥檚 maybe a little sketchy and be fully confident that no one can break into the safe,鈥澨齢e says. When Barkman recently parked the Yellow Submarine at the Seattle airport, he returned to a smashed window and $4,000 worth of stolen gear. The essentials stored in his safe, though, remained undisturbed.

The post 9 Travel Tips from a Professional Road-Tripper appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

For most people, completing a single Ironman-distance triathlon represents a major milestone. An athlete might train for years to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles鈥攁ll within the official cutoff time of 17 hours.

But for Will Turner, one wasn鈥檛 enough. In December 2019, at age 61, Turner finished his 105th Ironman-distance triathlon in two years. To achieve this insane feat, he听spent 2018 and 2019 in an almost nonstop cycle of swimming, biking, and running,听sometimes completing multiple 鈥渞aces鈥� on consecutive days.听

The quest started in 2018, when Turner decided to celebrate his 60th birthday by doing the same number of 140.6-mile triathlons in a single year. Because there aren鈥檛 enough organized Ironman events to accomplish this goal, Turner听created his own courses around the U.S. and Canada. As the听owner of a sales-training company and an endurance-coaching business, he was able to set his own work schedule听and steadily built upon his goal of 60 events. By the end of 2018, he鈥檇 surpassed the Guinness World Record for most 140.6-mile triathlon races completed in a year. (However, because he didn鈥檛 have two independent observers witness his accomplishment, according to the Guinness rule book, he doesn鈥檛 hold the official record.)听

On New Year鈥檚 Day of 2019, while sitting at the kitchen table with Chris DeStefano, his partner, DeStefano encouraged him听to keep going until he reached 100. DeStefano felt like they had the potential to inspire听even more people. Turner was in, but for the 2019 leg of his journey, he made it a priority to do听his triathlons in as many national parks and public lands听as he could. DeStefano took photos and managed logistics, and Turner听created , a website and social-media campaign providing inspiration and resources to others who wanted to chase big goals.听

In December, Turner finished听his 99th and 100th Ironmans in Death Valley National Park, which straddles the California-Nevada border. Then he added five more in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, taking听the total听to 105. Turner recently听recounted some of his favorite highlights from the adventure听with 国产吃瓜黑料.听

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