Canada’s A Harsh Mistress

Towering trees, a snowy mountainside and a wave sliced imperfectly into thirds–Canada sure photographs nicely. Surfers are drawn to the Pacific Northwest with hopes of clambering through the foliage in search of an untouched face to blemish. It’s fickle up there although photos won’t tell you that. Instead, they offer brighter scenes of the region’s better days.

“Ever since the Duct Tape Invitational in Tofino, Dane Gudauskas has started to become a regular in the lineup,” says Marcus Paladino, the cardinal surf photographer of the region. “He comes and goes but is definitely friendlier than the stereotypical Canadian. This day we were gambling for a grovel. I asked Dane if he was keen to go out of the way and have a look and without hesitation we found ourselves hiking through the forest. Turns out it wasn’t a grovel at all, and he had it all to himself. There’s another stereotype that you get to surf alone in Canada, for Dane it proved true.”