Mike McCune Surfing a Cook Inlet winter storm as it breaks on an icy Ninilchik, Alaska beach.
Mike had been watching the weather, maybe a little too closely. The waves in Homer were suffering from a 30mph onshore wind but the buoys and weather stations had him thinking that something might be going on up the road 40 miles at the mouth of the Ninilchik River or Deep Creek. It was such a gnarly winter blizzarding day that I could not say no to this invite. With the conditions what they were it was a pretty easy decision to leave the wetsuit behind and bring the fur hat and camera bag instead. Gart Curtis and I met Mike at his house and up the road through the blowing snow we went.
This trip, unlike some other recent wave hunts, did not disappoint. I could ramble on about the day for a while, but time is very short. My bags are packed and I’m heading to Prince William Sound for 5 days on a photo project. Of course I’ll keep an eye out for waves.
The photos are a bit ‘flat’. It was snowing hard, and blowing in circles limiting visibility pretty badly, the light was poor, but the subject was great.
Gart Curtis and Mike McCune walking a path through the ice to the waves on Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Mike McCune surfing a Cook Inlet winter wave in Ninilchik, Alaska.
Alaskan surfer Mike McCune trying to find his way amongst the chunks of ice on the beach in a snow storm.
Mike McCune sits on a chunk of ice as he waits for Gart to scramble his way up the icy beach.
Alaskan surfer, Gart Curtis, covers his face from the wind as he jumps between chunks of ice. Mike McCune can be seen in the field of snow ahead.
The surf was overhead, the snow was about knee high. Gart Curtis trudges back to the truck during a winter surf session in Alaska.
The surf session started at Deep Creek. Mike and Gart drifted north in the current about a quarter mile to the mouth of the creek. By the time we got back up to the ‘put-in’ the tide had risen several feet and the waves were crashing into the ice chunks. We decided to head for the Ninilchik River in hopes that the waves would be breaking at least a few feet off the beach.
Alaskan surfer, Mike McCune, scopes the break as Gart slips down the icy sloap into the surf.
Gart Curtis surfing an icy gray Cook Inlet, Alaska wave.
Mike McCune drops in on a set wave breaking just a few feet off the ice.
Alaska surf kayaker, Randy Kellar contemplating his chances of getting outside the break without getting crushed in the ice.
I was wondering what would happen when Mike and Gart decided to come back to land. The rising tide and increasing swell size had the waves crashing over the steep icy incline into the field of ice chunks. Here's Mike riding the ocean powered water slide up into an awaiting ice linebacker.
Despite losing a fin and finding a large hole in his board from the exit battle, Mike is all smiles and ice at the end of the session.
Excellent portrayal of an exciting adventure Scott. Good sequence. Dispite the conditions and your lighting (or lack of) concerns you managed to captured it all, still makes me chuckle.
Mike – I wish I had a video clip of your time spent getting to know the chunks of ice during your exit. Made me feel a bit like a war photographer . . . do I keep photographing or try and help? I guess what you can learn from that is if you want me to save you sometime, make sure I don’t have a camera!
You guys get the stoke award! The spirit of the grommet and eternal youth are alive and well in your exploits. Keep it up!
Mcfish you got my respect long before this but man i think i would be with scott on this ( taking pictures and not risking my life) it looks like the waves would be fun its the truck size chunks of ice in the water that scare me, my hat goes off to you guys for this one.
You guys are hardcore. Taking off in front of some hefty chunks of ice (which at first glance I thought were rocks) in those conditions!!!!!!!!!
A fascinating insight into a completely different side of surfing that I find very hard to imagine.
Very interesting surf site, glad I found it.
P.S. How thicks ya wetty?
Just looking again tonight… noticed in that first shot of Mike McCune – way out the back is a wave breaking. Did anyone have a go on that wave? If it was breaking somewhat consistently I think I would have avoided that shore pound and mega ice cubes…
Quite a nice sandbar outside for clam digging at a minus 4 or better tide in the summer. The waves were cranking on it that day! Unfortuneately, offshore there is a 4-5 knot current running, I think you would have to start paddling out around Anchor Pt (20 or so miles south) in order to drift over the bar. Other option would have been a jet ski set up. In retrospect, surfing about an hour or hour and a half earlier in the tide would have put us a better distance from the cubes that were refloating as the water was rising. All would have been much less dramatic and many more waves caught. Local knowledge is invaluable anywhere, best way to learn anything is to scew up a bit, so if the opertunity ever returns, hopefully see you there a couple hours before HW!
I’m kinda laughing cuz I thought I was the only person to ever slide ninilchik… caught on a waist high day in june this last summer after doing a tender run to calgin right next to the harbor there… current sucked, but it was kinda fun on the fishy,, this kind shit reminds me of surfing on the lakes in the winter… damn I love Hawaii
maybe run into you guys this summer out at kantak or snaps.
Deadly shots on your site here. Good stuff, i really dig this. Seems like a similar vibe to our scene here on the Canadian side of Lake Superior. peace e
Wow, I never woulda thought our raggedy waves would be any good to surf on!
I will right away snatch your rss feed as I can’t to find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please permit me know in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
RIP Dane, maybe I`ll give it a go with the right wetsuit in you memory good friend.
Its right on my beach. You`d go for it too my crazy nordic bud.
Mike