Barreling waves, postcard sunsets and glorious sandy beaches provide the perfect backdrop to relax and numb your ski fever. Incorporating a surf trip into the ski off-season has it's endless rewards, benefits and experiences. It can also be a proactive way to maintain your current fitness levels or get in shape. Burning almost 160-200 calories per hour and providing a complete body work out, surfing will leave you buff, toned and bronze. What more could you ask going into a winter riding season?

The best surf generally occurs during sunrise and sunset, so to maintain a healthy mind frame you can catch a sunrise surf session at 5am or mingle in the nightly party life and ride the evening waves. Surfing equals travel and travel equals new experiences and friends from around the globe. One of the most ideal ways to meet people is in the water; don’t be hesitant to chat with others while waiting for a set to roll in. Local people are gold mines of information from surf breaks to tourist attractions; they will blow your travel agent out of the water. While on local territory be sure to respect the locals and not over welcome your visit. Do not be surprised by the copious amount of surfers who are also skiers and snowboarders, there is a good chance that they have spent a season riding North American slopes. With parallel cultures and direct links with the natural world the only different between wave riding and snow riding is the season. And the temperature.

Once you have the motivation, dig your board out and purchase a grand bottle of sunscreen, a plane ticket (discounted due to the season) and your nearly on your way. Fall season provides the prime backdrop to travel overseas because the summer crowds have not infested local surf spots and towns, and it's a cost effective time (off season). Don't worry if don’t have a board to your name, all local board shops are itching to clear out last years stock. Make sure to buy a board during this desperate clearance time, if you wait till late November or early December board prices with skyrocket generally by a 100-200 dollars, due to such an increased influx of travelers. Keep on the look out for desperate travelers looking to sell there boards in order to pay for there plane ticket home. The ideal location to check for surf sales is on hostel bulletin boards or backpacker travel agents, your guaranteed to spot boards for under the $200 price mark. Remember you can always sell your board to a local surf shop or a pawn broker or another weary traveler for some surplus pocket change. If you have never surfed before, literally no worries, surf school and surfboard rentals are like grocery stores (on every block). Renting is also a great alternative if you’re planning a short journey or have never ventured into tropical waves before.

The last element to your session is calling up your Australian mate that you meet on the slope last ski season, or skowering through your address book for your sun-godess and sun-god friends. Generally people are more than happy to hear from a long lost friend that’s looking to visit.

A fall surf session will keep you sane during the long fall days and have you experiencing a new element of life. And upon your arrival home you will be immediately immersed into snow glory and your tropical escape will evaporate for another season.