A few days earlier, Balaram Stack was staying at the Quik house on the North Shore. Fortunately, his trip home coincided with a little drive to New Jersey when it looked like Backdoor.

Someone forgot to tell Cape Cod that the water is supposed to be brown and gray in the winter. Dave Bonanno in the green room.

It’s possible that no one pulled in to bigger or browner barrels on this swell than New Jersey’s Sam Hammer. Word is that his family’s Crab’s Claw Inn, flooded by Sandy, could be open within the month.

Sometimes even the brown water catches the light just right. Luke Ditella, who sparked Rebuild-Recover after Sandy, gets some karma back.

The size made it’s way up to New England for a very nice clean-up. Eric Anderson will think about this one during the annual cold January flat spell.

This is the one where you’re a little down the line, see Hines on this vertical take off and you hoot right before you duckdive.

Pure style. This Central New Jersey wave is so much heavier than it looks.

While it’s southern counterparts had boardbreaking beachbreak, at least Maine has some reef and point options.

Don’'t let this mellow take off fool you. This gray beast had plenty at the bottom.

This is the Outer Banks’ version of the office Christmas party.

While the second of the two swells was a little smaller in New Jersey, the take-offs were actually tougher. Go Tommy.

Long Beach Island’'s Danny Mears is one of the fishermen on the Discovery Channel’'s “Swords” show. He’'s kind of quiet, does his job, and doesn’'t cause any drama. Kind of the same as the last two swells.

This part of the Outer Banks has been sacked by hurricanes in 2011 and 2012. But they’re still standing. And it’s still barreling.

Maybe not as dramatic as a Cortes Bank scoop up, but a nice escape from this impending ice cream headache.

This shot pretty much says it all, rare big swells in an area of the world that might not get over three foot for months at a time, gray, cold, and punishing. But like anywhere in the world, it gets you stoked.