During the past four weeks, California has been pummeled by a series of low-pressure systems spawned west of Hawaii. These systems have provided epic surf, and at the same time, phenomenal snow conditions in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For the committed surfer/snowboarder, you would be hard-pressed to find a better place in the world to live during the past month.

The surf cranked for days, and fresh powder dropped in record amounts.

For Leucadia's Dave Downing, life was as good as it gets. Downing, 38, is one of those phenomenal athletes with enough physical and mental skills to become a professional athlete in two different sports. A former pro surfer and current professional snowboarder, Downing still charges in both venues. As a matter of fact, a case could be made that Downing is the foremost surfer/snowboarder in the world.

Downing grew up in Redondo Beach and learned to surf in grammar school. His dad owned a boat and introduced his son to the ocean at an early age.

While attending Redondo Beach High he became immersed in surfing. His role models were pro surfers like Ted Robinson and Chris Frohoff. After graduating from high school in 1986, Downing pursued both a college career to become a fireman and a stint on the Bud Pro Surf Tour.

Downing pocketed money for a lot of heat victories, but fell just short of the top echelon to really make it big as a pro. Veterans like Mike Lambresi and young guns Pat O'Connell, Taylor Knox, and Rob Machado were stealing the show and would go on to stellar pro careers. But Downing proved he could compete with the best surfers in the world -- and he still can.

"Being a top professional surfer is really difficult," said Downing. "It's unbelievable how tough it really is."

During this same time while working at ET Surfboards in the South Bay, Downing was introduced to snowboarding. He went on a ski trip and broke a ski, and his friends encouraged him to try a snowboard. Instantly he was hooked. For the rest of the winter whenever the surf was bad, he jammed to the local mountains to snowboard.

While still working at ET, Downing got a side job working with Burton, now the largest and most successful snowboard company in the world. He logged 70-80 days a year up at Big Bear for the next couple of seasons and landed a couple of photos doing tricks and jumps in snowboard magazines.

In 1992, the Burton team manager phoned Downing at the last minute to be a fill-in on a European trip for Transworld Magazine when one of the Burton riders was injured. He jumped at the chance.

The trip turned into a dream adventure for Downing. He had never been to Europe, and the two weeks in Italy were magical. Bluebird days followed consistent powder dumps.

He teamed with Jeff Curtis, one of the leading snowboard photographers in the world. And to cap things off, he met his future wife, Shannon Dunn. Dunn, also a Burton rider, competed in two Olympics, winning a Bronze medal in half-pipe in 1992, and has won X-Games Gold Medals. They have been married for six years and have two young sons.

Downing made a name for himself in the snowboard industry by charging big and steep backcountry mountains, and his current role with Burton finds him making big mountain descents like those found in the Chugach Mountains near Valdez, Alaska. For the past dozen years he has been filming with Standard Films, one of the top-two snowboard video companies in the world.

"I'm a pro snowboarder," says Downing when asked in airports what his job is. "My job is to make snowboarding look like fun."

Downing spends six months in the mountains and then six months at the beach, basically the dream life of the surfer/snowboarder. His garage is filled with a dozen or more Merrick shortboards, and he is on it whenever he can.

"I've always been surfing, it's too much a part of me, and I've never stopped," said Downing.

His off-seasons have found him in Indonesia, Australia, the Maldives and Costa Rica. A goofy-footer, his fondest surfing memories occurred during his six trips to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia.

"The boat trips in the Mentawai's are crazy," said Downing. "My first trip was with Aaron Chang, Benji Weatherley, Todd Chesser, and Terje Haakonsen (Norwegian world-class snowboarder). We got incredible waves. It's still a magical place and I love going there.

"But honestly, I love surfing in North County. A lot of times I go on trips, but it's just as good around here."

Surf Auction

The Pacific Coast Vintage Surf Auction will be held Saturday at the San Diego Convention Center in Meeting Room 6A. More than 100 items will be featured in a live auction. San Diego's Mike Hynson, of Endless Summer fame, is this year's featured shaper/surfer. The event is open to the public and there is no admission charge to the preview. For more information, go to www.classicsurf.com.

Ed Machado covers surfing for the North County Times. His column appears every other Tuesday. He can be reached at surfed@cox.net. To comment, go to nctimes.com.