From the 6.0 house

HUCK heads down to Capbreton, France to check out Nike 6.0's summer hang out.

Tucked behind sand dunes along one of Europe’s finest surfing coastlines in Capbreton is an elegant French villa with double doors and shuttered windows.  But this is no ordinary holiday retreat. For the month of August, Nike 6.0 has seized this 'surf house' and filled it with surfers, snowboarders, wakeboarders and BMXers in an attempt to strengthen bonds between the riders and celebrate the 6.0 team.

Surf mentor Bruno Debauche tells me it is good to get everyone together to make sure they are on the same level. The 'European team' is just a concept most of time, just names on paper. But this week, it's very much a tangible thing.

Says Bruno: “It is good motivation for some of the younger riders like Luis Eyre to be on the same side as Charly Martin and Michel Bourez. But it’s fun too. That’s what the lifestyle is all about. Surfing, partying, sleeping!”

And boy do they do all three. It's hard keeping up with the continental bunch who, by nature of their sports, are all a little bit fucking crazy.

After touching down on Tuesday night, we met the gang muddied and damp on the way back from a session go-karting. The slightly erratic weather does nothing to subdue their thrill-icious appetite. We hear about some pretty rogue tactics from Italian BMX pro Stephan Lantschner (who has the upper body of an angry bull) and baby-faced Nico Von Rupp.

It's a quick wash and change before the entourage is off again, this time for dinner at Rock Food in Capbreton and bowling in Biarritz. Nike surprises everyone with some limited edition custom-made bowling shoes (so rad!) and Marc Swoboda scores the first strike (although he does fall on his bum in the process).

Looking at the higgle piggle of hats, tattoos and boardshorts laughing together in every language from Czech to Tahitian, I am reminded of something Bruno told me earlier. “In the real world there is no way BMX guys would hang out with surfers or any of them with snowboarders. But here they are all united by the same love of adventure and rebellion. It's inclusive and for everyone.”

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