Nathan Fletcher gets a seat at the table

Nathan Fletcher made a deal with the devil. He'll never admit to it, but after surviving such a rinsing from the Chopes bomb of the year during Code Red, Stab is left with little choice than to assume a hand was shaken, a dotted line was signed and a transaction made.

Like most men who chase avalanches, Nathan is in a constant state of readiness, always prepared to drop and bolt if a swell rears its head. Filmers who work with Nate, like Riley Blakeway, are used to receiving texts from Nate that read things like: "Stay at the airport, we leave for Tahiti tonight," – (Riley scored one of these a coupla weeks ago, literally seconds after walking off a flight from Sydney to LA.) It's all worth it for those who document Nathan, though – "Nate always takes me to the raddest lil’ novelty waves," Riley says. And then there's the obvious drawcard of Nate's willingness to throw himself over every snarling beast he can get at.

On the eve of the Billabong XXL awards in which Nate has an entry for Ride of the Year, and shortly after Danny Fuller starred in a Channel ad, Nate's just earned a spot at liquor brand Jägermeister's Table. What does this mean? Basically that Nathan is a man's man and that he deserves to drink Jägermeister in the company of other men's men. Also at the table is a five-time world champion bullfighter, an All-Pro fearless Wide Receiver, Rock Icon, World Champion Boxing Trainer, NASCAR Pit Crew Chief, Famed Street and Tattoo Artist. Nate's feats, in the flesh, far out-gnar those of his drinking buddies, howevs. Above is the ad, in which rodeo bullfighter Ron Smets is introduced to the table (where Nate is already seated). And below is a digital short where Nathan talks about how he got to the table and what exactly happened on that Chopes wave. Ain't it great to see someone's bravado brought to life so colourfully? "The rush you get is really what you chase," he says. "When you kick out of a wave and that was the ride of your life, that's the trick. Sure, it's pure stupidity 'cause I know better than to do it. But it's what I love, what I know. I'm a so-called professional big wave surfer. I chase waves, and that's pretty much what I do."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=h0S3pTOXPfY