PATAGONIA TOURS NEW FILM, ‘THE PHYSICS OF NOSERIDING’, BY LAUREN HILL THIS DECEMBER.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
The noseride is one of surfing’s peak moments; part fluid dynamics, part magic.
But how does noseriding actually work? What makes this suspension between sea and sky even possible?
New Patagonia film ‘The Physics of Noseriding’ explores these questions through the eyes of Namaala Slabb, a young surfer whose people were flying on the water before the world even knew what surfing was. Her curiosity invites us to examine the sensation of levitation that unfolds as wave, surfboard, and surfer come together for surfing’s fluid dance.
Marking Lauren L. Hill’s directorial debut, the film features surfers who exemplify some of the most technical approaches to longboarding – Belinda Baggs, Ari Browne, Leah Dawson, Josie Prendergast, Dave Rastovich, and many more.
“First and foremost, this is a film about why and how noseriding works,” says Lauren. ‘I wanted to pay homage to some of the surfers who do it remarkably well – by slowing footage down and focusing on the minutia of how the experts do it.”
Over two decades in surfing, mostly riding longboards, Lauren admits she’s addicted to chasing the sensation you get from noseriding. “The film began with interviews with physicists and shapers, and the basic goal of better comprehending this thing that I’ve been doing, but not necessarily understanding cerebrally,” explains the writer and Patagonia Surf Ambassador. “Science can illuminate the beautiful complexity of our world. I wanted use science to unveil some of the many forces at play during one of surfing’s peak moments, but also convey that there are many ways of knowing, and science is just one way that we can think about the hows and whys of wave riding.”
“I believe understanding how waves work is a really important aspect of surfing,” says Namaala, the star of the film. “I hadn’t known much about it before, so getting to learn how it works while filming was super special. Then being able to share that and inspire others through this film is absolutely amazing.”
After two months touring the U.S., Lauren is excited to premiere the film at home here in Australia. First up, she’ll be joined in her hometown of Byron Bay by Namaala for a summer launch party, supporting charity partner Juraki Surf and Culture. “It’s always a little intimidating when you make something and then release it into the world for others to see, judge, critique,” says the director. “But we’ve had a remarkably warm reception. People seem genuinely stoked to see surfing framed a little differently on the screen.”
Attend a film screening. Admission is free, but seats are limited; reserve at Patagonia.com.au/physicsofnoseriding
03/12, 6:00pm Sunseeker Hotel, Byron Bay, Bundjalung Country, NSW
07/12, 6:00pm Patagonia Manly, Manly, Gayemagal Country , NSW
09/12, 6:00pm Patagonia Torquay, Torquay, Wadawurrung Country, Vic
Events will include a surf-trivia-style knowledge sharing and a Q&A session. A raffle and film merchandise will be available, with all sales donated to Juraki Surf and Culture and local organisations. Food and refreshments available. all ages welcome, wheel-chair friendly.
Following the film tour, ‘The Physics of Noseriding’ will be digitally released in February 2023. Visit Patagonia.com.au/physicsofnoseriding to sign up for alerts.
