Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Full episode info and show notes: www.wearelookingsideways.comAndrew ‘Cotty’ Cotton is probably the UK’s most high profile surfers and one of the foremost big wave surfers in the world right now. Along with his close friend Garrett McNamara, he’s one of the handful of surfers to pioneer the notoriously heavy beachbreak Nazare in Portugal. His feats, such as towing Garrett into what is considered one of the largest waves ever ridden, back in 2011, routinely make headlines around the world – especially in the UK where he’s achieved some level of mainstream notoriety as much for the fact that he’s a qualified plumber as for his big wave charging. As ever with mainstream media coverage of action sports, these descriptions of Andrew’s feats are massively reductive. Because the reality is that Cotty is one of the most respected watermen in the world today, and he’s travelled a long, hard way from his surfing beginnings on windswept Saunton Beach near where he grew up in Devon.In this conversation, recorded at Red Bull Studios in London in early 2017, we cover a lot of ground – his early surf apprenticeship, his first exposure to really big waves, and his early years working in a surfboard factory and – yes, as a plumber.It’s a great conversation with a fascinating, thoughtful lad, so get stuck in to Andrew Cotton on surfing big waves.Thanks to Nick Smith (www.hiddensound.tv) for post-production help and Matt Ward (https://linguistine.com) for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode info and show notes: www.wearelookingsideways.comSascha Hamm is one of the UK’s best freeriders and somebody who’s been at the top or around the top of European snowboarding for the past twenty years. In March 2016, Sascha's life changed for ever. He was competing in the Freeride World Tour Event in Fieberbrunn, Austria, when he took a fall that almost killed him. As he describes in detail during our conversation, he half-backflipped off a 100 foot cliff and landed on his side on barely concealed rocks. As you might imagine, he racked up quite a list of life-changing injuries in the process: 1) Torn left knee ACL2) 10 broken ribs3) Broken left elbow 4) Broken left humerus5) Broken left collarbone 6) Broken left acromium 7) Broken left shoulderblade8) Collapsed left lung9) Ripped out nerves C8 and T1 from spine and tore nerve C8 in his brachial plexus.What’s even more remarkable is that, throughout it all, Sascha remained conscious. In today’s episode of the podcast, part one of a two part special with Sascha, recorded almost a year to the day since the accident happened, we talk about how he’s coping with the life-chasing injuries he sustained that day. Thanks to Nick Smith (www.hiddensound.tv) for post-production help and Matt Ward (https://linguistine.com) for the theme tune. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe