Photo by Francois Portmann

Portmann and I had the pleasure of working with Akoni Kama on this story from his home on the north shore of Oahu.  During the visit, I got hung up on a blurb from a book that I re-read regularly.  It was a chapter called, “How to Invoke Magic” from a book called Shambhala – Sacred Path of the Warrior.  Not “magic” in the David Copperfield sense of the word, but “magic” in the sense of the power and magic of the world around us.  The author, Chogyam Trungpa, points out that energy, or the power of the universe, is always around us, but it does not belong to us.  The more we struggle to control our world, the more we become subject to the world.  Trungpa uses the analogy, “either you are riding on a donkey, or the donkey is riding on you.”  Magic refers to balance with our universe and discovering “magic in everything” around us.  Or something like that (this guy, Trungpa, is out there).  

To me, the donkey analogy is an excellent lesson for balance in life, and Akoni is an excellent example.  Akoni is a person living with balance and tapping into magic every day.  Balance as a father and a professional athlete.  Think about his charmed life.  Akoni wakes up (on the North Shore), loads the truck with a wide assortment of boards, packs a cooler, puts on shades and flip-flops, and off he goes.  He heads for the hills, or the waves, depending on nothing more than weather and mood - the good life.

By the end of the trip, I decided that Akoni probably wouldn’t ride the donkey, so much as walk next to the donkey.  Unfortunately, the poor donkey will be loaded down with four or five boards, and a cooler full of Red Bull. 

As a native, Akoni is no exception to the Hawaiian riding culture.  He surfs, skates, and mountainboards professionally – a rider’s rider.   Despite Akoni’s extreme occupation and lifestyle, he is a surprisingly grounded person.  Very relaxed with no attitude, no fronts – almost like an old friend from the first time you meet.  Akoni lives his life with balance between family and work pointing out, “the biggest motivator to pursue mountainboarding, and make a job of it, is my daughter…I had to figure out a way to make sports and work come together.”  You could argue that’s why he’s such a strong rider.  Akoni has life sorted out, so he can focus on the ride.  And focus he does.

When the surf is up, Akoni likes to ride a break called Log Cabins which sits about a quarter of a mile south of Pipeline.  Seeing him surf puts everything into perspective.  Akoni is powerful, relaxed, and balanced.  Sick barrel rides, incredible lip blasts - working his craft.  You’re witnessing the source for all the moves he applies to the rest of his life.  

One afternoon, Akoni’s buddies, Darryl Freeman and Ethan Lau, drop by the house to chill before a little afternoon skate session.  We take a short ride into the Waianae Mountain Range along the western portion of the North Shore.  Next thing you know, we are hiking up a steep, freshly paved service road into an area called Peacock Flats.  Think: miles of sticky, black asphalt snaking through lush, green mountains.  As a former X-Games gold medalist, Darryl likes to ride fast and pull insane, stand-up slides.  Meanwhile, Ethan is ripping beautiful lay-backs on a big, old five-footer.  Needless to say, Peacock Flats is an amazing place to ride with awesome views of the coast.

A few days later, we reconnect with Darryl and Ethan to try out some of their favorite runs around their hometown of Honolulu.  We made the drive south from the North Shore in about an hour.  Right away, you can see the excitement on their faces as we drive, zig-zag up Tantalus Drive.  To give an idea about the length of the run, it takes over ten minutes to skate back down at racing speed.  Years earlier, Darryl had organized the “420 Races” down Tantalus until the authorities shut him down.  Damn the man.  

Stepping back through Akoni’s riding evolution; it’s easy to trace the mountainboarding path.  We’ve all heard surfers say that they love to skate when the waves are flat.  What happens when the surfer also happens to ride BMX and lives around mountains in a warm climate?  Well, the heart wants what the heart wants.  Akoni’s heart wants to ride, wherever that may lead, and down whatever path – paved or not.

One of Akoni’s favorite mountainboarding spots is Kahuku Motocross Track.  Kahuku is conveniently located on the North Shore in Velzyland, or “V-land” named after legendary surfer, Dale “The Hawk” Velzy.  Kahuku is a sprawling maze of red, clay chutes and huge banks, or berms.  During the week, Kahuku is closed to Motocross riders, so if you’re lucky enough to be on vacation, or unfettered by the nine to five grind, you have the whole place to yourself.  Early-adopters in any sport get the spoils of new found riches.  

As we see in the history of sports like surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding, there are always a few riders who push the envelope.  Over the last ten years, Akoni has led the way as one of the pioneers for the sport of mountainboarding.  If necessity is the mother of invention, then listen to Uncle Akoni about the early days, “me and my friends were making our own mountainboards…using skateboard trucks - Indy 215s, XT wheels, and making our own decks…customizing them to suit our type of riding.”  Drawing from his surf and skate influences, Akoni was able to drive major, practical improvements in board, truck, and wheel design.  Today, comparing an old mountainboard to a later model is like comparing a Snurfer to modern day snowboard.  Akoni continues to push his ride and the sport of mountainboarding explaining, “I’ve always been open to trying out new products and ideas because I believe the only way to learn and get better is to try everything and see what works.”  Progress is good.