According to the U.S. State Department, Afghanistan has an estimated 5 to 7 million land-mines scattered around the countryside. Food shortages are prevalent; infrastructure is basically nonexistent; and bombings in Kabul, especially around the U.S. Embassy, are commonplace. The U.S. State Department, has blacklisted Kabul as a tourist destination - if you go, you’re on your own.

Bullets have been whizzing back and forth between Taliban and security forces, outside a U.N. building just yesterday and amidst a destination blacklist, fear of kidnapping and Taliban strongholds, a band of volunteers with skateboards in hand and education at their core - stand defiant.

Skateistan, Kabul’s first skateboarding school, determined to offer kids with bleak futures, an alternative activity that breaks existing taboos. Instructors have their motorcycles piled high with skateboards, helmets and knee pads and young kids gather around waiting for a go in the newly built halfpipe. It’s an initiative of a bunch of multinational skateboarders, they wanted to change things, give back and do it with some trucks and a maple wood deck.

Sophie Friedel did a bit of work experience here at Finisterre and then she decided once she finished, that she was going to push her love for skate and work with children. She volunteered, jumped on a plane and she’s now in Kabul, working with little Afghan children, bringing them education and teaching them some skills on a skateboard.

She’s been wearing some kit for a while and we’ll be sending her some super fine merino vests for the kids, in support of all the work they’re doing out there.

She managed to get behind a computer and fill us in on some of her recent happenings:

The Skatepark is going great, we finally managed to get control of the flow of students and the regular class set ups. Sometimes lots of kids turn up and things are pretty crowded and other days, like after a terrible day we had last week on monday, people were scared and stayed at home. But life goes on and things are quickly returning back to normal. Class is always well attended and we sadly have a waiting list of 200 kids. Hope to have the capacity for them in a few month.

Loving Kabul, it’s a fucked up world but met amazing people. Here is a link to the skatergils website, if you interested in any recent interview. http://www.skatergirl.co.uk/?p=2113 I am not frequently updating my blog but if your interested in some pictures of Kabul have a look at: www.sophiefriedel@blogspot.com.

Went snowboarding at the Salang pass a few weeks ago. Been incredible! So stunningly beautiful! The mountains are just so big and clean and wide. Seen a bit to many bullet shots in the rocks though and got slightly scared. Great snow and despite the fact we had to walk up for hours in over 3000meter (my lungs had trouble) we got a few great runs in.

Me during my first class of teaching back than when i arrived.

Another Skateistan instructor, firing out some basics and flying the flag of team work.

This was taken during the summer - a big swimming pool on top of a hill. (not sure if you read the kite runner but he always met with his friend on this hill).

One of the street girls. I think she is beautiful. She sadly still wears the same shoes, even tough it gets so cold now (Don’t worry S-train, we’ve got a little plan on the kicks front).

Sophie, your emails fired us up, everyone in this tin shed have been talking about you. So stoked, sending you loads of love and look forward to hearing more positive stories - Loads of love xx

The Finisterre Grand Prix - Check it out below…

Drivers and pit crew are featured wearing the Matanuska Polycotton Jacket , (our toughest jacket yet) and the Red Sastruga - All of our garments are now GP tested!

Matt Smith is from St Ives. He’s understated, is respected, surf’s well, fishes well, lives life well. We can happily say, he is a friend, we’ve supported him over the last couple of years and just recently, him and a mate, have taken to the sea.

They patched together a small sailing boat in Gweek, a small boating and fishing town on the South Coast of Cornwall and set sail - no real plan, just throwing a little caution to the wind.

Tommy Kay and I went and saw them before they set off, exchanged a few smiles and hugs and haven’t heard much since, nor did we expect to. We received a lovely letter just before Christmas and since - nothing.

Then to our surprise a little snippet from his journal was shared with us via email, probably sent from one of those archaic, post utopian cyber cafes. In any event, he sent it and it arrived.

Cabo Finisterre,,

Their are many beautiful happenings that happen on land, watching a clustering group of a thousand starlings settle at dusk. I am a creature of land and i feel at home there. But equally i feel i am born to be with the ocean, we’re friends, we’re tight. It has been and always will be true, it can be counted on. Cape finisterre, and the bay of Biscay were true. Truly beautiful, Crossing the channel in Gale force 9 winds and very rough sea, surfing our way through the tail end of a Atlantic pressure system was the only way to start our voyage, i was aware there would be days like these.

After punching through for a couple days the wind backed NNE and it was beautiful down wind sailing. The jackets were perfect they had me wanting for nothing. Nothing. Whilst writing this i am on land i have been for three days and i am itching for a passage, to be sailing, to be at the mercy, to be trusted. And to sleep, I find it hard to sleep, it takes me hours to, i get too excited, but whilst at sea i am like a baby as soon as i have given up my watch, the motion seems to be a perfect rhythm, Wether down wind rocking, or on her heel, its like time on the ocean has nurtured me.

The Idea of starting 2010 spent on a voyage passing the atlantic ocean seems more natural that drinking water or looking a person in the eye. I have dreamed and imagined this ocean deep and dark for most years of my life, it doesn’t scare me in the slightest, it welcomes me, that isn’t to say i do not fear or respect it. I do. I will not be bitter or disappointed as i have tried to leave expectation alone for a long time, its hard but necessary. I hope to find fish and i hope they find me, as so far i have had not bite, they say the oceans are being fished out.. I believe thats true.

this is just an extract from my diary but with a finisterre added.

Self made tattoo artist - wish we were with you Matty xx

We’ve been relatively untouched by the big freeze down here in Cornwall - The snow and ice conditions soon morphed into gales and heavy rain yesterday afternoon. We did get a couple of inches of the white stuff however into the weekend, leading the kids in the village to run to the hills and break down the farmers gates before the flakes even hit the ground. The roads were transformed into ice rings, jobs were abandoned, no one came to pick up the recycling, and a step into the local shop looked less like a rural village store to a scene from 28 days later as panic buying soon kicked in.

Snow was still causing chaos last night on the moors and just over the border in Devon. A customer from Wales just reported he was snowed in by four foot of snow!

With the surf just a messy couple of foot the best idea this weekend was to drag the hibernating stack of fish boxes out of the garage and convert them into towing sleds: Here’s a couple of photos and a video of the tow in session that went down

Preparing the Sleds

Second thoughts?

Run one!

We’ve been sending out a lot of gear recently over the holiday season - as we shuttle it to the post office we have been known to descend into offbeat dreams of where in the world it will end up

Daniele sent us this shot of him in his Storm Track in Tokyo Fish market, Tsukiji - next to this huge tuna on New Years Eve in the small hours of the morning. Tsukiji is one of the largest markets in Japan, where hundreds of these huge and increasingly scarce Tuna’s change hands in rounds of fierce bidding.

“Definitely not an extreme or adventurous situation, still with my Finisterre gear kept warm and dry in a rather soggy, smelly and damp environment for hours. The friend that was accompanying me during this ‘trip’ took a pic of me near a huge tuna and half jokingly sent it to the ‘Corriere della Sera’ (the major italian newspaper) online edition and lo and behold it got published”.

Finisterre, near and far…

This is what we could see coming our way yesterday! Awesome shot looking out from the workshops at Wheal Kitty (thanks Jadie). Still a bit of snow about and think there is more on the way. Been getting some classic shots of people out and about in it all. Keep ‘em coming and have a good weekend…