Of all the things we’re proud of at The Inertia, our growing community of contributors across the globe has a spot very, very high on the list. It’s proof that surfing’s culture, its history, and its expanding narrative can never be written or described by a select handful of magazine editors or journalists in a Southern California office building alone. So every day we open emails from people sharing their stories, their hopes, their gripes, their observations, theories and most importantly, their passion. It’s really a beautiful thing. And it makes our jobs of steering this ship that much more fun.
You see, The Inertia staff is compiled of a handful of hardworking editors, a talented film crew, and even some pretty rad interns. These are the in-house folks that give you the news every day and pour their hearts into ambitious film projects like HI-5, ICON: Alex Gray, (HEADSPACE): Tom Carroll, Holy Meola! and Creators: Leah Dawson. But as we enter 2017, The Inertia is also a showcase of work from more than 2,000 other talented individuals – ranging from school teachers who surf every weekend, to artists, to environmental advocates, to photographers, to lawyers, to icons like Kelly Slater and Gerry Lopez and beyond. And having all those voices collected in one place is why we believe The Inertia is the most accurate representation of the surf and outdoor world today. We don’t always agree with what’s said or shared in each contribution. Sometimes we love it. Sometimes contributors ruffle a few feathers. And sometimes their contributions have a tremendously positive effect on how we go about our jobs as editors. But no matter what, we understand the importance of sharing every valuable contribution and we’re always excited to be a part of the process.
So as we wrap up another year, now’s as good a time as any to look back on the most popular contributed pieces of 2016. These eight stories came from a Southern Californian man taking a two-year road trip with his wife through South America, a school teacher from across the Atlantic, a traveling yoga instructor from the UK and a few more interesting folks who all have one thing in common: a love for the ocean and outdoors.
Happy New Year from the crew at The Inertia to all of our amazing contributors. And for anybody else who would like to be a part of what we do in 2017 by becoming a contributor, you can make it happen right here.
1. The Beautiful State of Being Surfed Out in Peru
Photo:Garrett Gossett
2. Owen Wright and the Tragic Reality of head Trauma
He’s back. It’ll be a long road back, but he’s on it.
3. 7 Reasons to Date a Girl Who Surfs
Photo: Shutterstock
4. Thruster vs Quad: What to Ride and When
Hayden Cox’s 5-fin Hypto Krypto
5. This is the Biggest Threat to California Surfing in Decades
California’s coast needs your help. Photo: Cory Gehr
6. Meet the Couple Who Lives to Sail and Surf
7. When Things Went Horribly Wrong in Nias, Trevor Carlson Stepped Up to Save a Friend
Keoki Saguibo was pulled from the water unconscious. This is the story of one of his rescuers. Photo: Photo: Haken Visual
