The 1970's represented a transformative era for surfing, characterized by the professionalization of the sport and the rise of surf journalism as a primary vehicle for cultural dissemination.  During this decade, Surfer magazine - often referred to as the "bible of the sport" - played a pivotal role in defining the aesthetic and lifestyle of the surfing subculture.  The publication frequently featured iconic photography that captured not only the technical prowess of professional surfers but also the cross-disciplinary athleticism of individuals who navigated both the ocean and the mountains.  This poster featuring Jackie Dunn and David Mow is a quintessential artifact of this period, reflecting the "lifestyle athlete" archetype that gained prominence in the 1970's, where the pursuit of extreme sports like surfing and skiing were often intertwined in the counter-cultural ethos of the time.

     This poster highlights the surfing figure Jackie Dunn alongside the skier David Mow and serves as a historical document of the era's visual marketing strategies.  In the 1970's, Surfer magazine posters were highly sought-after collectibles that adorned the walls of surf shops and bedrooms across the United States, effectively turning athletes into cultural icons.  Jackie Dunn was a notable figure in the competitive surfing circuit during this transition from the longboard era to the shortboard revolution, a period extensively documented in historical accounts of the sport.  The inclusion of David Mow, a skier, on a Surfer magazine poster is indicative of the magazine's broader editorial approach during the mid-to-late 1970's, which sought to bridge the gap between "board sports" and "gravity sports," acknowledging that many practitioners of the era were dual-sport enthusiasts.

     The production of such posters involved high-quality color photography and large-format printing, which were hallmarks of the Surfer magazine brand under the leadership of editors who prioritized visual storytelling.  The rarity of these items today is attributed to the ephemeral nature of paper posters from that era; many were damaged by humidity, sunlight or the simple wear and tear of being displayed.  This particular poster, which notes a "small tear," is representative of the condition in which many vintage surfing collectibles are found, yet they remain highly valued by collectors for their aesthetic contribution to the history of surf culture.  The intersection of surfing and skiing in this context also mirrors the development of the "extreme sports" industry, which would eventually explode in the 1990's, but found its roots in the cross-pollination of these communities during the 1970's.