Ghost Wave - Chris Dixon [168]
CHAPTER 8
1. Everest fatality figures came from the mountain climbing site Alanarnette.com. A 2006 study by the British Medical Journal found that overall mortality of 14,138 Everest mountaineers above base camp during the entire eighty-six-year history of climbing was 1.3 percent. J. S. Windsor, P. G. Firth, M. P. Grocott, G. W. Rodway, and H. E. Montgomery, “Mortality on Mount Everest, 1921–2006,” British Medical Journal, December 2009 (http://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a2654.full).
2. I wrote about motocross casualties for The New York Times (“A Motor Sport Takes off Leaving a Trail of Broken Bones,” September 2, 2002). In 2000, some 52,000 motocrossers visited American emergency rooms.
3. The interview with Bob Parsons was conducted by telephone in early 2009. I met Jodi Pritchart (Mike’s mom) in October 2009 at Mike’s boyhood home. Later Cortes interviews with Brad, Mike, and Joe Gerlach were conducted during 2009, while the first Jaws and Cortes interviews happened in 2004.
4. The story on Joe Gerlach: Sandy Treadwell, “Down, Down And Away!” Sports Illustrated, March 20, 1972. It’s a great insight into thrill-seeking genetics and is also available in SI.com’s “Vault” section (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085900/1/index.htm).
5. Brad Gerlach and Mike Parsons were featured heavily in Surfer through the 1980s and ‘90s in particular. Articles include:
A. Staff, “Testing One Two Three—Brad Gerlach,” January 1986.
B. Matt Warshaw, “Talk Show—An Interview with Brad Gerlach,” August 1987.
C. Robert Beck, “Todos Santos—¿Quien Es Mas Macho?” June 1988.
D. Matt George, “A For Effort” (lengthy Parsons profile), December 1988.
E. Derek Hynd, “Yankee Domination,” January 1992.
F. Jeff Divine, “Size Counts, a High Impact Session at Todos Santos, Baja” (the story of the 1990 “Eddie” and Flame’s first “Cortes” swell hitting Todos), June 1990.
G. Steve Barilotti, “Emotional Rescue—The Son of Jumpin’ Joe Gerlach Struggles to Save Surfing’s Pagan Soul,” October 1992.
H. The information on high sensation-seeking came from a telephone interview with Marvin Zuckerman in March 2009, and the book, Sensation Seeking and Risky Behavior, by Marvin Zuckerman (Washington DC: American Psychology Association 2008). I would also highly recommend: Florence Williams, “This Is Your Brain on Adventure,” Outside, April 2009. Read more about Pete Mel and Flea in “Coming Clean – A Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory” by Kimball Taylor, Surfer, April 2009, and dying, or not dying in “Death Trip” by Brad Melekian, Surfer’s Journal, Winter 2011.
CHAPTER 9
1. I first interviewed Dr. Bill O’Reilly in 2003. Follow-up interviews took place in 2007 and 2008. I’ve nearly driven Sean Collins crazy on the topic of waves for the past decade and spent in-person time with Parsons, Gerlach, Skindog, Mel, Dana Brown, and Rob Brown (no relation) dissecting the January 2001 Cortes session starting as far back as 2003.
2. Stories:
A. Evan Slater, “Project Neptune,” Surfing, June 2001.
B. Evan Slater, “Bank Job,” 2004 (unpublished).
C. Joe Mozingo, “Surfers Catch Monster Waves Off California,” Los Angeles Times, January 22, 2001.
D. Matt Walker, “The Poseidon Adventure,” Surfline, January 19, 2001 (http://www.surfline.com/mag/pulse/2001/jan/01_19_cortes.cfm).
E. Evan Slater, “Into Thick Water Part One: Mike Parsons, Brad Gerlach, Peter Mel and Ken ‘Skindog’ Collins summit Cortes Bank,” Surfline, January 22, 2001 (http://www.surfline.com/mag/pulse/2001/jan/01_22_bank_one.cfm).
F. Evan Slater, “Into Thick Water: Part Two,” Surfline, January 22, 2001 (http://www.surfline.com/mag/pulse/2001/jan/01_22_bank_two.cfm).
3. Thanks to Evan Slater for a hilarious comparison of equipment for this surf mission.
JOHN WALLA 1 10’0” Christenson gun • 1 12-foot big-wave leash • 1 pair 3mm booties • 1 3/2mm Billabong fullsuit • 1 bar of cold water Sex Wax
PETER MEL 1 10’3” JC gun • 2 12-foot big-wave leashes