Review
WL Rating
While big wave riding is a timeless pursuit, it seems that stories about big wave riding aren’t necessarily as enduring. Men Who RIde Mountains was originally published in 1969, the year of the massive swell that fueled Greg Noll’s epic ride at Makaha. At the time, I’m pretty sure that Men Who Ride Mountains was the definitive book on big wave riding. Unfortunately, time hasn’t been kind to the stories. While much of the content is interesting, it just feels outdated and lacking in relevance. This issue with big wave stories losing some allure isn’t new. John Long’s 1999 book, Big Drop, was already feeling tired when I reviewed it in 2008, whereas his new book, Big Juice, was very timely and relevant. I would chalk this up to the incredible progress that we’ve witnessed the past 10 years as big wave paddle and tow-in surfing have rewritten the rules for what is possible. Unfortunately for Dixon’s book, most of the stories aren’t epic enough to be timeless, and so Men Who Ride Mountains should only find a place on the most historically-minded surfer’s book shelf. (January 2012)
Men Who Ride Mountains - Peter Dixon
