Los materiales de una tabla de Bodyboard

Los materiales que constituyen una tabla de bodyboard repercuten directamente en el funcionamiento de la tabla. Influyen principalmente en la rigidez de nuestro bugi y en su peso. Es por esto que es fundamental entender los distintos materiales usados en la fabricación de una tabla de body, para poder acertar a la hora de elegir nuestra tabla de bodyboard.

Desde que un visionario llamado Tom Morey se le ocurriera la genial idea de ir tumbado hasta la orilla con su tabla de surf partida, el bodyboard ha ido evolucionando hasta lo que hoy conocemos como uno de los deportes mas espectaculares del mundo.

El bodyboard esta creciendo de una manera vertiginosa, a todo el mundo le hipnotizan esos vuelos imposibles, olas monstruosas y destinos paradisiacos. Aunque parezcan cosa fácil, una tabla de Bodyboard lleva detrás mucho trabajo. Hacen falta materiales muy técnicos y específicos para aguantar todo esos vuelos y caídas extremas. Su evolución en cuanto a materiales esta siendo un no parar, casi cada temporada salen novedades de shapes, canales, stringers…

1. Tipos de core:

El polipropileno 

El Polypropileno o PP es un núcleo de Bodyboard con una densidad 1.9pcf, de última generación. Se forma por fusión, para crear un núcleo que tiene una flexión y retroceso al golpe inmediato, una buena rigidez longitudinal y una increíble resistencia a la compresión, lo que se traduce por una mayor durabilidad para el rider. También es 100% resistente al agua, no la absorbe, lo que garantiza que se mantenga duro durante toda la vida útil de la tabla de bodyboard. Ideal para cualquier clima templado y cálido, y extremadamente duradero para quienes surfean mucho!

Las tabla de bodyboard de Polipropileno han derivado a lo largo de los años en varios caminos según las innovaciones de las marcas. Aunque cada marca le da un nombre comercial distinto, como Kinetic PP, Freedom X, al final se trata siempre de una espuma de polipropileno de alta densidad.

El polipropileno de baja densidad 

Fue una de las últimas innovación en cuanto al core. Se trata de una espuma de polipropileno, pero con una densidad inferior, alrededor de 1,3pcf.   El polipropileno de baja densidad o NRG tiene muy buenas propiedades de retroceso y proyección, y es muy ligero. Es el núcleo de alto rendimiento más ligero del mercado. Esto es ideal para cualquier persona que surfea en aguas templadas, para aquellos que quieren una sola tabla de bodyboard para todas las temperaturas de agua, o para aquellos que prefieren un poco de flexibilidad para ganar en comodidad. En general, las tablas de bodyboard de polipropileno de baja densidad se usa con un Stringer y / o Mesh para mantener esa rigidez a la hora de surfear.

 Polipropileno NRG es el nombre comercial mas usado. Pero puede variar según las marcas, como por ejemplo el caso de  los bodyboard Nomad que lo tiene especificado como D12PP, y algún modelo de bodyboard Found que hace lo mismo, aunque generalmente ellos lo describen como Paradox cell junto con deeply, Respect, WR rider… Lo importante es saber que detras de esos nombres comerciales, estamos hablando de una espuma de polipropileno de baja densidad.

 El Polyethyleno PE.

Los bodyboard de polietyleno o PE tienen una densidad de 2.5pcf, son ideales para aguas más frías. Antiguamente era el core mas popular entre la mayoría de bodyboarders, aunque a lo largo de los años, diferentes fabricantes han traído un material menos denso. El polipropileno de baja densidad fue creado para llenar ese vacío, aunque de todas formas, el PE sigue siendo una opción muy popular, especialmente para la gente que suele surfear en aguas frías o a los que les gusta que su tabla de bodyboard tenga flex. Las tablas de PE suelen llevar uno o dos strinter para contrarrestar el core mas blando.

Cores de tablas Science bodyboard antes de ser shapeados

El polyestyreno EPS.

Llamado EPS, el polyestyreno se compone de celdas relativamente grande. Es muy ligero, muy economico, pero ofrece muchas menos propiedades mecanicas que el polypropileno y el poliethyleno. Se usa principalemente para tablas de iniciacion, junto con un stringer para dar mayor resistencia a la tabla.

Tension Tech

Aparte, hay algunas marcas que también hacen alguna fusión de cores que consiste en hacer un “sandwich” (sin cebolla) entre varios tipos de core. Con las dos capas exteriores de PP, y una combinable de PE o NRG. Tension tech ha sido una reciente innovación y se suele usar para las gamas media/baja de las marcas.

Hybrid Core

El PFS es un buen ejemplo, es una innovación que introdujo Versus bodyboard, que básicamente consiste en una construcción del  core central en PP 1.9 y los cantos en PE 2.5. Esto se traduce en un cuerpo rígido que no resta velocidad y los cantos aportando un flex extra para una mayor control y recepcionar las maniobras con menor brusquedad y más facilidad. Este PFS ha sido una de las últimos avances para la comodidad del rider.

2. Tipos de slicks:

Surlyn.

Es lo que la mayoría busca, el Slick por excelencia, tiene propiedades similares al caucho y absorbe todos los golpes para dañar lo menos posible el core.

HDPE.

Slick de alta densidad que aporta mas rigidez y velocidad, pero sacrifica la absorción de golpes. Está hecho de densidad PE.

3. Tipos de Decks:

8lb PE.

Hecho principalmente de polietileno. Es el deck que se utiliza para los bugis de alto redimíento, no daña al core cuando flexa al surfear.

Cross link PE.

 Es también una cubierta de polietileno. Estructura de células superfinas con menos del 1% de absorción de agua. Son burbujas mas cerradas que el anterior.

4. Tipos de Stringers:

Stringer de fibra de vidrio

Los stringers de fibra de vidrio aportan durabilidad a la tabla pero mantienen cierto flex, para procurar comodidad y control.

Stringer de fibra de carbono

El carbono tiene una mayor rigidez respeto al vidrio, los stringer de fibra de carbono aportan una rigidez y una reactividad superior a la tabla. Se montan en tablas de bodyboard de gama alta. Los fabricantes pueden variar el porcentaje de fibra de carbono para ajustar la rigidez del stringer, y asi regular el flex de la tabla.

 ISS

ISS: Fue una revolución hace algunos años que consistía en poder cambiar el stringer de tu bodyboard a través de un tapón en el tail. Hay varios stringer ISS, según su dureza y composición. Lo normal sería tener esto para cuando viajas y adaptar tu bugi al tipo de agua que visites, pero lejos de eso, se ha quedado básicamente en imagen y moda. Yo al menos no he visto apenas gente cambiarlo realmente por necesidad! Aparte que según algunos riders le resta flex a la cola del bugi, ya que este stringer llega hasta abajo para poder sacarlo.

El sistema ISS es un sistema de stringers intercambiables para cada tipo de condición en el agua y poder cambiar el “flex” de tu bodyboard. Esto es ideal para aquel que viaja mucho a diferentes temperaturas del agua y asi poder adaptarse a cada baño.

Se dividen por su dureza y hay 5 niveles:

  • Soft : El mas blando de todos con máximo flex para aguas muy frías. 
  • Medio : Para aguas templadas, con un poco mas de flex sin perder velocidad, es el que lleva de serie un bodyboard ISS
  • Stiff : Duro como una puerta de roble, para agua caliente y sacarle al bugi su máxima dureza y velocidad.
  • Carbono :Este es para agua templada/caliente ,un poco mas duro para mayor tecnicidad y proyección en la ola.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Extras:

Quad concave.

Este sistema de shape Quad concave ha sido diseñado hace muy poco por algunas marcas como QCD, VS, NMD, Pride, que consiste en un bottom con 4 canales en vez de 2. Esto proporciona más control en la ola a la vez que velocidad. El bugi queda mas enganchado a la pared de la ola (algo similar a colocar 4 quillas en una tabla de surf para obtener mas agarre) y te permite controlar mejor la situación. 

Mesh.

El mesh es una malla que va justo entre el foam y el slick (capa deslizante) del bodyboard, que aporta rigidez y mas aguante para la tabla en las recepciones de maniobras.

Colocación del mesh entre en core y el slick en la fabrica de tablas Science bodyboard

Esperamos que este artículo os haya servido de ayuda a la hora de elegir vuestra tabla de bodyboard. Cualquier duda la podéis plantear en los comentarios del blog, allí os contestaremos!

Productos que te podrían interesar:

La entrada Los materiales de una tabla de Bodyboard se publicó primero en Blog Mundo-surf.com.

Source: Mundo-surf

Troy Mothershead at home

Después de un parón veraniego, con muchos kilómetros en nuestro haber, viajes, olas.. volvemos con las pilas cargadas y nuevo material tablero. Comenzamos con un pequeño clip, de Miki Astorga, que en su visita a California, coincidió un par de días con Troy en Ventura, quien ejerció de anfitrión. Pese a no haber llevado ni […]
Source: http://www.revistahangten.com/feed/

The Chosen One Does: San Vino Aka The Wine Fight

David “Duey” Spargo was 2018’s Chosen One, a lucky deserving Stokie who won the Most Ordinary Extraordinary Job In The World competition and found himself enjoying an entire summer of Stoke Travel. Here he introduces himself and the San Vino Wine Fight festival. If you like what you hear and want to have his babies, follow him @the_social_traveller

All about the San.

First things first A’hoy Stokies, my name is David also known as Duey and I am from Townsville Australia. I won the crazy competition of being “The Chosen One” for the Summer with Stoke Travel Co. You may or may not remember me from the following Wikipedia edit a few years back. If you happen to see me out and about over the next few months, come say hello and invite me for a beer/sangria bong, because you never know what might be in it for you as well.

After a quick flight from the English waistcoat of Stanstead, I was embraced by beers and sangria by the wicked Stokie crew on Barcelona’s main beach for the San Juan festival. The Feast of Sant Joan celebrates the official start of the summer. It is the longest day of the year and what is known as the summer solstice in England. San Juan and the Stokies packed a helluva party and whether you like to shoot fireworks, get high with the locals or kick back to beachside tunes you’ll find more than enough going on. After an evening of beach side debauchery with the Stokies I then relaxed for a few days before making my way with the rest of the crew to Haro for the San Vino wine fight.

The San Vino Stoke campgrounds were alive upon arrival with solo travellers, wine connoisseurs, and all round animals sharing one thing in common — a thirst for a wine fight. It was quite a sight, seeing travellers from all over the world going from strangers to friends within minutes. While I occupied a game of beer pong with a man named Jesus, the punters assembled and begun rummaging the many other party games that Stoke offered.  The stage was set and the pre-party tunes were grooving by Mesmeriser, Hiaground and a free style guest appearance from Kiwi Pips to keep the crowd on their toes. Once the Stoke party concluded and the ground was stained with beer and sangria, I joined the masses and made my way up to Haro’s cobblestoned city centre square where the fiesta really kicked off. I experienced first-hand Spanish late-night culture of dancing, singing and indulging in a sneaky pintxos or two. I boogied alongside the Stokie wildlings until the early hours of the morning with most of us allowing a solid two hours sleep before the Batalla del Vino preparation.

I among many of the exhausted party goers crawled on to the complimentary shuttle bus through the vineyards to the mountains base where we began the war path. Walking ever so slowly up the mountain you can hear screams and cries of enjoyment and pain, as patrons of the event are getting hammered with wine in the distance. I have never witnessed so many happy men, women and children in one place. It felt as though they had been saving up all their communion wine throwing rage for this day and by hell did they let loose on us. By the time we cringed through the gauntlet of wine buckets, guns and hoses we met the battle. It was like a scene from 300, a red bloody mess. Stokies united and fought well, and I am happy to say that no Stokie made it to Valhalla that day. However, some of us did walk away with salty, yet sweet red eyes from the delicious vino that had blessed us. When the fight had concluded, I wandered around Gotham city below where locals had fires going, cooking meat on the spit and knocking back cold ones. After warming up with the locals I caught the complimentary plastic Dexter looking bus back to Haro. On the drive back I sat down reflecting “how did I get so lucky to win this competition through Stoke Travel Co and what wild adventure have I gotten myself into.”

Want to live your own Chosen One experience? Well you can prepare for next years competition, or get yourself a Stoke Travel Passport

The post The Chosen One Does: San Vino Aka The Wine Fight appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/

Things To Do This New Years Eve In London

Get out of there no matter what!

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited. This is the best night of the year, never, ever a let down. Not even once has NYE been a disappointment.

We’re based in Barcelona, but so many of us will be in London this New Year’s Eve we’ve decided to compile a little compilation of super fun things you can do in the capital while you ring in 2019 – the year you’re guaranteed to be hotter than ever before.

Go to your favourite bar – just a way more packed version

New Year’s Eve is the best because every idiot in London heads out and clogs up the bars with their stupid cocktail orders. Hmmm, I don’t know, maybe I’ll go for an espresso martini… No, Jennifer, you’ll take a beer, or a cider, or a vodka soda and you’ll let the rest of these good people, especially me, get a drink as soon as goddamn possible. That’s not to mention every fucken bro in the area clogging up the bathrooms while they take way too long to do their heavily cut cocaine and talk absolute nonsense at each other.

Pay an extortionate amount for club entry

Clubs can offer some respite from the nonsense in bars, but clubs charge a premium on NYE, like a nonsensical premium. Some places will charge you up to a hundred quid and more just to get in and have the privilege of paying too much for drinks once inside. Obviously, being New Year’s Eve in London, once inside you’ll want to get royally smashed, and so you’ll spend the next heck-knows how many hours knocking back overpriced swill and seriously making a mockery of any chance of financial stability in 2019.

Party at home and listen to your housemate’s drunk colleagues talk about work

This could be fun and it could be frugal too. Get a bunch of drinks, get a hold of whatever dealer tickles your fancy (who are we to judge?) and invite some of your hottest pals over. You can play your own tunes, and act like complete imbeciles and nobody will judge you or charge you or get in your way. BUT, as we’re young, and London is expensive af, we all have housemates, and those housemates are going to want to invite their mates, and while you’ve been meticulous in your friend cultivation, maybe the individuals you cohabit with have not. So now you’re off your trolley in your own house and all these awkward twats turn up whose only thing in common is that the four cans of cider they’re carrying were all paid for by the same Debbie from accounts, and despite the fact that these are the most boring conversations in the universe, they decide that they want to ring out the old and ring in the new by talking about, oh, I don’t know, fucken spreadsheets or something, thereby rendering you completely sober and putting you in bed by 1:30am.

Stand around in the pissy drizzle to watch some dumb fireworks go bang

New Year’s Eve is cool because the city will put on some fireworks, and they’ll go… zinnnng, POP, and you’ll go, Ooh, ahh, and that’ll be grand, and then someone will pickpocket you and then you’ll get soaking wet because the weather is shitty, and there’ll be nowhere to dance to warm up and the Tube will be a nightmare to get home, so you’ll try and walk and you’ll get mugged and then die of hypothermia.

Do nothing

The best option thus far is to do absolutely sweet FA and stay at home, watch a bit of telly, and wake up fresh the next morning, greeting the new year without a hangover and with a cheerful disposition. Maybe get a bit of gym time in on January 1st and then when you’re walking home cry and cry and cry and cry because my god what have you become?

Ride a private party train to Edinburgh for Hogmanay with Stoke Travel and get well pissed up with absolute legends at the world’s greatest New Year’s Eve party

Really, was there any other option? We’ve got a private train A WHOLE TRAIN that leaves London on the 31st, ferries (trains?) us up to Edinburgh while we mingle across seats and carriages, drink and dance around, play drinking games, and we then go and enjoy the world’s best New Year’s Eve party, if not the only one really worth participating in. We rage all night, and then the next morning we jump back on our train and ride home, broken, perhaps, but not poor and not bored and not miserable. We ended the marvellous 2018 the right way, and we did everything we could to ensure that 2019 will be an absolute cracker.

There are still seat available on the Stoke Travel London to Hogmanay Express, but you’ll be wanting to book them as soon as you can, because given how shithouse New Year’s in London is, we know this trip is going to sell the heck out ASAP. Click here and book now.

The post Things To Do This New Years Eve In London appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/

Freshers Week 2018: How to Survive It

I am a survivor. I am strong. I kept my head held high during the hardest of times. Well, not when I was throwing up the countless £1 Jaeger Bombs. Anyway, you are reading this because you are about to sign off your liver and plan its own funeral. Or you’re curious as to how it is possible to wake up for your first 9am lecture (FYI – it is like climbing Mount Everest in flip-flops). Read on and learn how to survive Freshers Week and anything after.

The first night

Ah, you have said the emotional goodbyes to your hometown friends, families, dogs, cats, whatever. You are now in the unknown, surrounded by strangers who you may love, hate and kiss (oioi). The sun dissipates among the cloudy skies, which means it’s time to crack open the first beer and finally commence Freshers Week. But wait, the tension is awkward.  What can you do to ease it? Drinking games of course. It is the perfect opportunity to mingle with your roommates and discover their darkest secrets on the first night. Pre-drinks are reaching the end and it’s time to stumble out of the kitchen into the dazzling city lights. For me, this is where it gets blurry. What I can advise to stick with your flatmates and remember your way home. Two simple things. Enjoy your first night and remember to drink responsibly – no one wants to wake up already ashamed of their existence and covered in sick, trust me.

The morning after

Write off.

The morning after the first morning after

If you are like me, this will be the third time going out. You stumble to the fridge and find…nothing. Well, I hear frying vodka sprinkled with regret is not a great morning dish. So, of course, to survive the chronic alcohol abuse you need glorious nutrition and food. During the day is the opportunity to do an intensive detox workout. Green tea to push how all those naughty toxins, throw in some eggs, fruit and multivitamin tablets then bam you are back to your normal, slightly fragile self. In order to survive Freshers Week and anything that comes after, remember you also need to sleep as well. If you feel like this is a struggle then read this golden piece that exposes 7 sleep hacks to maintain a healthy sleeping pattern.

Remember to attend uni…

OK, so more than likely you will repeat the first 2 steps a catastrophic amount of times. However, it is the Monday and you venture out of the darkness that is your empty bottle-filled room and drag yourself into the daylight; your eyes burn, your skin sizzles like some weird hormonal vampire and your vocabulary is limited to the word “ugh”. Sexy.

You are probably thinking – to hell with that I’d rather stay in bed. But, be assured this will be worth it. It is the time you can meet you coursemates and mingle with people outside of your flat. Throughout the week you will probably attend (or not attend) introduction courses to your degree. Yes, yes, evidently it is not the best thing but it also a chance to grab some cool freebies at the uni too. I bagged a shit-ton of noodles, soups, and the best – free vouchers for Domino’s Pizza. Oh Lordy.

Societies and clubs

We are all human and us humans have something called emotions. It is natural and absolutely fine to deal with homesickness. We have all been there. To try and soothe those rollercoaster emotions, engage with societies and clubs. There are plenty of events throughout Freshers Week in which current members will welcome you with open arms. Quite literally there is a society for everything. You name it – Harry Potter Appreciation Society, Fencing, even a Hula-Hoop society (my dream).

How to make it rain dollar bills and not despair

There are two types of people in this world, those who are neck deep in their overdraft and those who are actually sensible enough to maintain a healthy cash flow. You can guess which one I was. Anyway, there are ways to make your journey financially better. Figure out roughly how much money you will have in total for the year, ensure you put aside rent costs, as that shit is important and can suffer some nasty consequences if you don’t pay. Budget accordingly for each month, and do not take your card out. I learned this the hard way. Oh and make the most of student discounts – NUS, 16-25 Railcard and UNiDAYS will be your lord and mighty saviour.

Or, you can bag a job. There are plenty of student job friendly vacancies out there in the world where the work is flexible and the pay is hella good. We have a bunch of jobs on our website which should hopefully interest you, check them out. Imagine all the Big Mac’s you can buy with a juicy wage. Oh, mamma.

Now that you’ve settled in, it’s time to make your semester more bearable. How about Oktoberfest by train? Hogmanay? Dirty ski weekenders in Andorra? Surfing in Morocco? Nothing makes a semester breeze by like a few booked trips to look forward to… 

The post Freshers Week 2018: How to Survive It appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/

The Chosen One Does: San Sebastian Surf Camp

Every year Stoke Travel chooses a Chosen One, a lucky legend who travels with us all summer long with the mission to simply have as much fun as possible, help out where needed, and document their adventures for us. This year the Chosen One was David “Duey” Spargo, a young Australian traveller who is based in London and who you should follow over on Instagram @the_social_traveller.

Blue water, blonde-haired surf dudes and chicks, Stokies and beach warriors… surfing is just another wicked getaway that The Stoke Travel Co. deliver. What are you doing here, Utah? If you don’t go surfing once when you’re travelling through Europe, you’re 100% missing out.

  1. Learn how to surf

This wasn’t my first time trying to cruise barrels aka stand up on a surfboard, so I was one of a handful of people that had tried surfing before Surf Camp. I was super stoked that I was surrounded by both experienced and inexperienced wave manipulators for my first surf camp. Everyone felt that they were on the same level, a.k.a. level rookie and the only reason why we were together at Stoke Travel Surf Camp was to learn how to surf, have a gnarly time and make life long memories with amazing people.

I was lucky enough to have five days to hit the surf, but Stoke Travel offer a range of deals. Each day includes full surf lessons, yoga and other activities which you can find on their website.

  1. The itinerary: Sleep, yoga, surf, ping pong, eat, party and repeat.

The standard day you wake up early (roughly 8am), have a wicked breakfast and head straight down to Zarautz beach. Once concluding the introductory surf lesson that covers safety and surf etiquette, you head out for a few hours of surf before heading back to camp where lunch is served. The afternoons generally have activities organised, otherwise you are left to your own relaxing devices in the beach house. Within the first day majority of the people within my group were able to stand up on their surfboard and ride some point break waves. Surf Camp united us all and turned us into the Z-boys & girls from Lords of Dogtown in only a few days.

3. Gnarly instructors

Every experienced surf master can make it look like a stroll in the park, but it is an incredibly difficult sport to become skilful at. Knowing when to pick the right wave and paddling for hours on end can fatigue you quite quickly. The major values that determine your surf each day is the tide, number of surfers out, your training and whatever mother nature throws your way. However, don’t worry as you have the best professional surf instructors along the San Sebastian coast guiding you through all of these variables.

4. Surf Jedi Masters

The best thing I enjoyed about surf camp was that we were in a group. You’re at camp with a big group, but you still get individual help during the surf lessons. When I was at Surf Camp, my group consisted of around 20 people. It was great to be able to meet so many travellers and I felt like I was Dicaprio from the beach.

We headed out in small groups, but there were always at least two instructors out in the water with each group giving it that individual touch. The surf instructors go in the water with the group without surfboards and help guide you to picking the best wave and riding your surfboard.

5. The Stoke Travel San Sebastian Experience

When you arrive at Stoke Travel San Sebastian Surf Camp, it feels like you’re in surfer’s paradise. The beach house is colourful with an industrial feel to it. The instructors and people that work at the Surf Camp make you feel like you’re right at home in the paradise that is Stoke Travel San Sebastian Surf Camp. The Stokie team here live and breathe Surf Camp day and night and their goal is for you to have a wicked time.

6. The Taste and buds

Now I know a lot of you travellers out there are foodies. But imagine the how hungry you are after a day out in the sun paddling your hearts out. It is quite exhausting, however the team at Stoke Travel San Sebastian Surf Camp have got your back and the fuel you need. Not only is the food amazing, your stomach will always be full as it is the most food I have had during my travels. The incredible chefs cater for all health requirements and will hook you up with the most delicious and instagramable meals that you will ever see in a surf camp.

Just to wrap up my experience here is an inspirational quote from my boy Leonardo “I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for. Because it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something. And if you find that moment…It lasts forever.” I won’t ever forget those five days in San Sebastian with Stoke Travel.

Want to live your own Chosen One experience? Well you can prepare for next years competition, or get yourself a Stoke Travel Passport

The post The Chosen One Does: San Sebastian Surf Camp appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/

Stoke Travel Promises An Uncommon Autumn

Say sayonara to summer’s shenanigans in style

It doesn’t matter if you call the season autumn or fall, all that matters is that it starts in Europe on Sunday September 23rd.

That’s the day that we officially say goodbye to summer, when nights are longer than days, and we can guarantee that walking around town covered only by a speedo will be a thing of the thankfully distant past.

With Autumn comes a winding down of our travelling and social life, as we prepare to counter summer’s hedonistic excesses and hopefully improve our financial and physical situations. Autumn is less Ibiza and more burpees; more quiet nights in than wild weeks out.

But while we should be absolutely winding back our hectic summer schedules, that doesn’t mean that we have to pull the handbrake on all the good times. At Stoke Travel we like to fill our autumn with uncommon experiences, some different, perhaps more boutique options for the intrepid traveller.

Ready for some autumn plans? Feast your pumpkin on this lot.

Oktoberfest Trains

Oktoberfest is the perfect way to kick off the fall, and while the party isn’t all that uncommon, the event that Stoke Travel builds around it most certainly is. We’ve got fire breathers and magicians, a tunnel made entirely out of titties and bands and DJs, comedians, pole dancers, and plenty of associated fun things to compliment our all-inclusive, cheapest in Munich, accommodation and meal packages.

But to have a truly uncommon experience, why not ride the train with us from London to Munich. We’ll be rolling out of London on Fridays the 21st and 28th of September, and the 5th of October, and returning the following Monday evening. Not only will these trains be BY FAR THE CHEAPEST WAY TO GET TO OKTOBERFEST, they will also be the most fun, as we’ll be surrounded with fellow party people, and the Stoke guides will make sure the party gets started well and truly before you arrive. Plus, we won’t be mad if you bring booze on board to get nice and lubricated on the train journey. Maybe play one of these amazing train based drinking games.

Or, if you’re not in London, why not ride one of our buses from Barcelona, Amsterdam, Italy or Prague?

Morocco Surf Adventures

You’d have to be Indiana Jones to find surfing on the edge of the Sahara, where the Atlas Mountains meet the sea, a common travel experience. This is a nice entry point to Arabic and Berber cultures, a place where the sun is usually high and hot, the food amazing, and the waves surprisingly great. Morocco is a short hop from Europe, but really seems like another world. This is a perfect Autumn break, a place to perfect your surfing, or try it for the first time, and tick off a North African country in a completely safe environment, plus you can all that in Stoke style, so you know you’ll be surrounded by absolute legends. Autumn is the perfect time to go surfing in Morocco


Barcelona Halloween Ghost Hunt

We are based here in the spooky Catalan capital, so it makes sense that we have a city-wide ghost hunt to celebrate Halloween. You will be dressing up, like a regular Halloween, and drinking shots, like a regular party night, but with our ghost hunt we’ll have you running around the city centre, following macabre clues so that your night is fun and a little informative. Plus, once you’ve completed the hunt we’ll be raging ghoul style in Barcelona’s biggest Halloween party, so you can safely forget all the scary knowledge you’ve absorbed over the night.

Hogmanay

Officially this starts one week after autumn is finished, but it’s an amazingly uncommon event and by the end of the season you should have your New Year’s Eve plans well and truly locked in. We’ll be riding to Hogmanay on our private party trains from London, raging all night in the world’s best, most authentic, New Year’s Eve party in Edinburgh, and then riding back a train full of broken, partied out individuals. And once Hogmanay is done, we can turn our attentions to the frosty delights of Stoke Travel’s winter schedule. Hurray!

The post Stoke Travel Promises An Uncommon Autumn appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/

What to Expect at Stoketoberfest: an Interview with Stoke’s Festival Designer

We’re here with Josh, who’s lord of design and image here at Stoke Travel.  What does that mean, Josh, can you tell us a bit about what you do at Stoke?

I always like to say that my job at Stoke Travel is a mix between painting porn and dancing in cages. The latter is more a personal release than an actual part of my job description, but I like to believe it’s one of the reasons they keep me around.

In reality (something we like to keep as far from Stoke as possible) I am the festival designer for Stoke Travel. From the initial marketing, to where each marquee sits, down to the styles of lettering on our signs, I work to give each of Stoke Travel’s events our specific festival vibe. A bit of risque, a lot of the unexpected and loads of our particular brand of festival within the festival.

 

What goes into designing a festival like Stoketoberfest?

Stoketoberfest is an event we begin planning from practically the minute it ends the year before. I start collecting inspiration and references from all the locations we travel to and parties we have. Then comes the rough sketches and thumbnails, filling scraps of paper and little sketchbooks I carry everywhere. Once I’ve got my ideas sorted, I begin shopping. Thankfully my gay genes come into play nicely here and I spend hours in markets, sex shops, and the occasional strip club hunting for items to use in the set.

Even with all the pieces bought, the most important factor of designing these festivals is the team who brings it all together. We spend all year searching for the best group of chippies, sparkies and artists to work on our festivals. Everyday we start off with a squat circle, turn on the 70’s Roadtrip playlist, look at the sketch for the day and start creating. The setup for Oktoberfest is as long as the festival itself– around 3 weeks. In that time we create hangout spaces, bars, kitchens, stages, shisha lounges, and an epic main area. By the time we finish, we want the experience of Stoketoberfest to be just as memorable as the actual festival.

In many ways I want Stoketoberfest to have callbacks to all the festivals we have done throughout the year. So if you travelled with us to La Tomatina, you might see something familiar appear again in the world of Oktoberfest. Sometimes you have to be extra switched on to pick up on the reference.

 

So you’ve got some exciting news about the entertainment we have lined up this year?

This year we’ve got a ton of entertainment for the three weeks of the festival: Aussie, Kiwi, and Catalan bands, techno DJs, magicians, circus performers, walking photo booths, carnival games, live paintings, a boob tunnel, glitter people, fire breathers, and of course the Wheel of Misfortune. One thing I’m really excited to announce is that we’ll have DJ Nado, a U.S. Radio DJ with over a million weekly listeners. He’ll be performing our second and third weekends on Friday and Saturday, and broadcasting live through Stoketoberfest back to the US west coast. Another exciting addition to the lineup is MNKYBSNSS. The DJ duo from Bogota, Colombia with number ones on Itunes and Spotify Colombia will be coming to Stoketoberfest to play some sick sets for our second and third weekends.

 

Why MNKYBSNSS?

We are always looking for musicians with a great sound that would vibe with the Stoke Travel audience and the feel of our festival, and MNKYBSNSS hits both. The guitars, echoing vocals, and synth background are a great hit with our audience and add to the vibe of our festival in the german forest.

And the line-up also includes some bands that have been touring with Stoke all summer, right?

That’s right. Honey Haze, Mesmeriser and Kiwi Pips will join us again in Munich. These guys have been with us from London Big Day Out (rocking 4000 odd Aussies, Kiwis, and Londoners), to San Vino, then the first ever Stoked in the Park Pamplona and Running of the Bulls, La Tomatina, and finally here.

 

There’s a lot more to the entertainment at Stoketoberfest than just music though, what else can guests expect to see while they’re staying with Stoke?

Guests can expect to never have a dull moment at Stoketoberfest, with all the shows and activities and a rad group of Stokies to hang with. In fact, we pride ourselves on the number of customers that come to Stoketoberfest and have so much fun that they don’t even see the real Oktoberfest.

 

That’s a lot going on for a simple pop-up hostel, why does Stoke do so much more than just set up tents?

Stoke has developed the festival within the festival concept because we believe travel is so much more than your bed. Really, where you lay your head means the least. It’s the people you meet and the things you experience that really matter. That’s why we have implemented the spectacle. (Insert gay hand motions here) The spectacle of chef-prepared meals catering to all tastes (and the most finicky of dietary requirements). The spectacle of staff who are fellow backpackers, students, and travellers who want to have the same good times as you. The spectacle of weird, wonderful and thought provoking entertainment. Production, decoration, theatre, music, all go that extra mile to make your stay so much more than a bed. And of course the spectacle provided by an open bar of unlimited beer and sangria.

Give us the details: What are the important dates, the need to know info?

Stoketoberfest starts September 20th and goes until October 8th. But I’d recommend booking now! Stoke have weekend trains and buses from London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Italy and Prague. There’s camping, there’s glamping, there’s something for everybody to experience at the festival within the festival.

The post What to Expect at Stoketoberfest: an Interview with Stoke’s Festival Designer appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/

Handy German Phrases For Oktoberfest

We’re gonna need more than ein stein, Einstein.

Oktoberfest is fast approaching and all things Germanic are on our minds again. It’s easy for us to slip into the German way of treating beer like water – particularly when the beer has supposed hangover-dodging properties, we have a culinary hit list just waiting to expand our waistlines, and we already know how cute we’ll look in our dirndls and lederhosen.

So now we look the part, and from a distance we could almost maybe pass off for real life Germans. But, as soon as someone gets within earshot of us they’ll realise that we’re not the real deal. That we’re either Canadian, or Kiwi, or Japanese, or any one of the 90 different nationalities that stayed with Stoke Travel last Oktoberfest.

So here’s a handy little language guide to take with you to Munich. You might want to practice these little phrases on your flight there, or on our London-Oktoberfest party train. Danke schon Google Translate!

Hallo! Können wir bitte auf Ihrem Tisch tanzen?

Hello! Can we please dance on your table?

  • When you hit the beer halls you’ll find that sometimes tables are hard to come by – and if you don’t have one, you won’t get served. Solve this problem by dancing on someone else’s, so that way they don’t lose their seat and you can stomp out all of your best moves amongst their bratwursts and sauerkrauts.

Ich sah dich nur von der anderen Seite des Raumes und dachte, “Das ist die Art von Mädchen / Typ, die mir ein Bier kaufen sollte.”

I just saw you from across the room and thought That’s the kind of girl/guy who should be buying me a beer.

  • If you’re talking to Germans there’s a good chance that they’ve got more money than you. Ask them to buy you a beer first, and if they do it means you might be in with a chance at claiming your first German flag.

Wow, du füllst das Dirndl / die Lederhose wirklich gut aus.

Wow, you really fill that dirndl/lederhosen nicely.

  • The traditional Oktoberfest outfits are designed to accentuate your best assets. For girls the dirndls make for wonderful cleavage, and for guys there’s a big bulky flap where your peepee should be. People love being complimented on their physical appearance, unless they don’t want to be complimented on their physical appearance, in which case you should absolutely avoid it.

Nein, nein, trink nicht davon – jemand hat einfach nur gekotzt!

No, no, don’t drink from that – somebody just puked in it!

  • Oktoberfest isn’t the best place in the world to “table surf”, that is go from table to table finishing off people’s drinks. At Oktoberfest it can be a bit of a walk to the bathrooms, so it isn’t uncommon to see people peeing and puking in their glasses – or at least the recently refilled glasses. Make sure your potential sweetheart doesn’t give themself somebody-else’s-puke breath.

Wenn ich alleine stehen kann, bringst du mich nach Hause, Deal?

If I can stand on my own you’re taking me home, deal?

  • By your third or fourth Maß, which is German for the litre-deep beer glass you’ll be drinking from, you’ll be very truly feeling the effects of the strong Oktoberfest beer. Those effects are compounded if you’ve been sitting for a while – resting those dancing legs – and then go to stand up again. Impress your new friends by standing up all on your own, then continue to own the dancefloor dance-table so that they can’t resist but either take you home, or come home with you, at which point you’ll need to be able to say…

Dein Zelt oder meins?

Your tent or mine?

  • Stoke Travel’s main mating call. Sure, your German friend might not be sleeping in a tent in Munich, but they’ll be so charmed by your bravery and cute attempts to master their tongue, both in language and kissing, that they’ll either take you home, come back to the Stoke camp with you, or put you in a taxi and bid you auf wiedersehen. In any case that’s a win-win-win. Prost!

The linguistic and seductive geniuses at Stoke Travel will be in Munich from the 20th of September until October 8th for all of your Oktoberfest needs. All-inclusive trips include breakfast and dinner, and limitless German lessons from our onsite staff. Come! Bitte!

The post Handy German Phrases For Oktoberfest appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/

Do Oktoberfest Beers Give You Less Of A Hangover?

Oktoberfest is almost upon us, and with it the season that we again start hearing things about the “purity laws” relating to German beers. The purity laws are often wheeled out as the reason why an Oktoberfest hangover is less intense than a regular hangover, when the level of drunkenness the night before is considered, because less impurities in the beer mean a cleaner experience.

A short answer to the title question is that it doesn’t matter how clean the beer is you’ll still be waking up most Oktoberfest mornings either still drunk, or pretty hungover. You just can’t imbibe that amount of beer without it having a negative effect the next day. But that doesn’t mean that German purity laws aren’t worth mentioning, they do make the beer drinking experience a more wholesome one. Known in the local language as the reinheitsgebot the laws restrict German beer manufacturers from putting anything in beer but four ingredients:

Hops, barley, water and, later added, yeast.

The law came into effect in 1516, in the Duchy of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital and Oktoberfest is the biggest celebration of beer and the laws that protect its purity. The law was originally enacted by Duke Wilhelm IV and applied only to Bavaria, and was the world’s first food quality law, but in 1871 the Bavarians insisted that it was adopted by all German states if they were to participate in the country’s unification.

Traditionally, in Germany and Bavaria, the beer was brewed by monks and nuns. In part this was because during the 40 days of lent beer was all that they were allowed to consume, and because of this holy association with beer the purity laws were easily adhered to. You can still find evidence of this from the Augustiner brewery, founded in 1328, whose beers feature a monk on the bottle. While this godly connection has ensured that German beers have remained pure, our extensive field research has conclusively shown that the big gal upstairs doesn’t have an interest in preventing our earthly hangovers.

Today there are more than 1,100 breweries in Germany churning out 5,000 different types of beer. At Oktoberfest there are six breweries producing special Oktoberfest biers, all of which adhere strictly to German purity laws. You can sample beers from the Paulaner, Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner, Hofbräu and Lowenbrau breweries. Or all of them.

Now, to the question as to whether German purity laws prevent you from getting a hangover. The answer is absolutely not. No. Nein. No way. The beer at Oktoberfest, when consumed by the litre, will absolutely give you a hangover. Hangovers work like this: if you are drunk, you’ll have a hangover. The severity of the hangover will be dictated by a) how drunk you were, b) how much sleep you got, c) how tough you are, and d) whether you’re willing to have a morning beer to kill it.

At Stoke Travel’s Oktoberfest camp you can drink all the German beer you want for only €10 per day, making Stoke Travel the perfect place to cure your Oktoberfest hangovers, as well as get the party started for a big day trying the six festival beers, and then hitting up our famous Stoketoberfest after parties, with DJs, live bands, and our twisted carnival installations.  

 

The post Do Oktoberfest Beers Give You Less Of A Hangover? appeared first on Stoke Travel.

Source: https://stoketravel.com/feed/