Join award winning Australian photographer Shane Peel as he journeys to the mountains, beaches, and silver birch forests of Japan's northern most island, Hokkaido.

It's been ten years since Gordon Clark upped and shut his foam blowing operation and the reverberations are still be being felt. The latest blank technology - developed by a young Sydney surfer - is getting the thumbs up from shapers, including the world's largest board manufacturer.

"Yeah, there's been some 'sticker shock,' I guess you could call it," says Slater, "But I think part of that is that people were expecting traditional surf-label prices."

"Even at 60-plus years old it is possible to carve a pure line," so says Shaun Tomson and these photos of him surfing perfect Trestles - taken by Simon Anderson - are testament to that.

A tip top original Hot Buttered Drifta, classic Insight banana board, and an isometrical stringer....wot?

Welcome to this month's Board Bazaar.

First time to Tahiti, undergunned and backhand? No problem! Mason Ho takes on the dark blue pits of Chopes on the rare day a raw swell hit the island before the crowds did.