A Day Of Barrels, And A Packed Sunset Premiere

Oh, San Francisco. 

After a day spent chasing pits along shifting tide-swing sandbars up and down Ocean Beach, a couple hundred sore-shouldered and sunscreen-caked souls packed into the back patio at Avenues on Taraval Street for the US premiere of Stab In The Dark. 

While the lovely Phoebe toasted fresh pizzas, the over-cpacity, Patagonia-heavy crowd milled about, tipping tins—first courtesy of our friends at House Beer, and very shortly after, courtesy of one of Stab‘s publishers parents, who were kind enough to make a beer run down the street for a couple hundred more cold reinforcements. 

It should be noted that Stab’s Aaron C. built those heat lamps in a jiffy, for fear the crowd would be cold.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Represent.

Photography

Sam Moody.

Upstairs in Stab‘s VIP box—aka the balcony to our event-adjacent Airbnb courtesy of Avenues’ Eddie Choi—Surfline editor Marcus Sanders kicked it (in his signature white Adidas Stan Smiths) with Awayco’s Taylor Paul and Co., as well as legendary Southern California board builder Robert Weiner of Roberts Surfboards, who made his Stab In The Dark debut this year. 

While the anticipation built out back, Stab caught up with Brett Giddings from Sustainable Surf, who have been incredible partners on this year’s Stab In The Dark, working with all the shapers on their Ecoboard construction. We were glad to see Michael Taras—brother of Surfing Mag photo editor Pete Taras, former arch rival to Dane Reynolds, and one of the most talented tube hunters at The Beach—stroll through the door, while a couple dozen of San Francisco’s finest veterans tipped back double whiskeys at Underdogs, or proper Craft Cocktails at OB OG Matty Lopez’s bar, White Cap nextdoor. 

Cozy as sardines in the Sunset.

Photography

Sam Moody

View From A Sunset Rooftop.

Photography

Sam Moody.

As the credits rolled, the crowd spilled out onto Taraval Street and into the crisp San Francisco evening, where a dreadlocked white guy offered weed cupcakes out of a Tupperware, hustling partakers after mastication for ten bucks a pop. 

The after party moving across the street to the iconic Riptide, for a few hours of country tunes courtesy of their Thursday night Honky Tonk night. With a storm forecast to roll through Friday, debate amongst all parties still standing raged: stay for a few more, or call it a night and sneak a few bombs before the floodgates opened. 

We’ll be premiering Stab In The Dark around the world in the next few weeks, stay tuned for tour dates near you.