SNOWBOARDING

With conditions continuing to suck on the East Coast, teenagers Parker Fothergill and Sam Amses of Calais, Vermont, have taken matters—and snow—into their own hands. They’ve been hauling Zamboni shavings from a nearby ice rink to Amses’ backyard, home of a mini snowboard run made out of wooden boxes and Plexiglas. “It’s just not worth going up to the mountains right now,” Amses tells The Barre Montpelier Times Argus. “We were there earlier today but with only one lift open, you had to wait an hour. This is much more fun right now.” Take notes, snow-less people.

 

Idaho boarder survives avalanche
The Idaho Mountain Express reports yet more evidence that avalanches can happen when you least expect them. Snowboarder Seth Murdock triggered a small one last week just above Highway 75 in Idaho. “I heard a little bit of a crack and saw snow starting to move all around me,” he says. “In no time I was buried.” Fortunately, Murdock managed to clear an airhole and keep breathing long enough for some passing motorists to dig him out.

Click here for the Full story > 

 

London Telegraph interviews Shaun White

The Brits have finally taken notice of the Flying Tomato, and despite the fact that he’s been interviewed, what, a million times, they got some pretty good quotes out of him. Our favorite: “I went to one party where literally everyone was some big actor, there weren’t any randoms. I was talking to Tom Cruise and he was, like, ‘I was at home on the couch in my boxers watching you on television. I was nervous for you.’ I was, like, ‘Woah, Tom…!’ ” There’s plenty more where that came from.

Oceanographer Kerry Black, a professor at New Zealand’s Waikato University, wants to bring surfing indoors, and he’s going beyond wave pools—we’re talking artificial reefs. “Our innovation has the potential to turn surfing into a stadium sport where spectators can watch top surfers compete on an international circuit,” Black tells the UK’s Observer. While purists scream, Black’s VersaReef system is being tested at Ron Jon Surf Park in Orlando. But does it work?

As previously reported on lat34.com, David Milch, creator of Deadwood, is now putting together a surfing drama for HBO called John from Cincinnati. Among the revelations in a new popmatters.com interview with Milch: Luke Perry is joining the cast, John may not actually be from Cincinnati and the show is “about the effort to identify the genuine coordinates of reality. It’s such a strange idea. The strangeness of it is its essence. To try and demystify it is probably to do it a disservice. To fix the coordinates of the reality is itself the dramatic structure.” Well, duh.

Click here for the Full story >

Skating and hip hop connect again

The San Jose Mercury News uncovers yet more love between rappers and skaters in a story focusing on Berkeley rap group The Pack and their first single, Vans. “Skateboarding has moved into more and more urban environments, and people listen to the music from their neighborhoods, so it’s only right that the two should be together,” says Thrasher’s Tony Vitello. Rapper Stunna (Keith Jenkins) puts it more simply: “I just think it’s pretty much yin and yang.”

Click here for the Full story >

Transworld Matrix points out that the intro to the stellar ’80s bike flick, Rad, is on youtube. Ridiculous combination of music and BMX skills. If you’re looking for a little retro inspiration, you kind of have to watch this.

Air China, anyone?

If you’re looking for somewhere new and totally different to shred this winter, Beijing alone has 16 resorts. You’ll just have to watch out for the skiers, according to Chinese news site e.sinchew-i.com. “Yeah, a lot of people in Beijing ski like they drive,” says Minh Tuan Khuu, former owner of Beijing’s first snowboarding outlet, Ikon X. (Hey, he said it, we didn’t.) Regardless, China’s got everybody beat in terms of weirdness—one mountain features a main lift that goes directly over an old graveyard. Creeeepy.

Full story >

Don’t have time to watch all of Burton’s brilliant For Right or Wrong (now available for free download at burton.com/movie)? Scoop up some highlights—with Shaun White, Keir Dillon, Kelly Clark, Nicolas Muller, Mads Jonsson and others—in this sweet youtube trailer:

SI swimsuit models love surfers

Not that this really means anything, but Sports Illustrated had five of its swimsuit girls rate the best-looking athletes, and Kelly Slater came out number one. Says bikini babe Brooklyn Decker: “He’s just dreamy. Eyes, mouth, the body structure. A dreamy guy.” Geez, is there anything this guy doesn’t win? No other action sports dudes cracked their top 20, but on the women’s side, Malia Jones came in at number six, Gretchen Bleiler at eight, Tara Dakides at eleven, and Veronika Kay at fifteen. You go, girls!

South African surf feud gets ugly

There’s a huge battle, nay, war going on in South Africa involving major surf sponsors like Billabong and Quiksilver, local surf magazine Zigzag, and local clothing label Mr Price Red. Seems the big boys have been pressuring the mag to favor their surfers over Mr Price Red sponsored riders, and the locals are pissed. “Foreign-owned clothing brands have been given a monopoly on magazine coverage, and it’s damaging surfing in South Africa,” says world #19 Greg Emslie, who left Billabong for Mr Price Red in 2004. “The magazine is the premier voice of surfing but it is ending careers before they have started.” There’s much more, and it’s juicy.

Early look at Skate

Dammit, we just can’t wait for EA to release their much-hyped Tony Hawk rival, Skate. But until that glorious day arrives, here’s a look at a cool Jason Dill promo, plus an early render. Looks like the graphics are gonna be pretty dang good.

SNOWBOARDING

Boarders dig closed resorts
The Rocky Mountain News explores the semi-secret, shred-worthy world of Colorado’s defunct ski resorts. Some are completely abandoned, but some, like Berthoud Pass, present a veritable backcountry paradise. “I have a problem with authority, and I don’t like crowds or people getting in the way of a good time,” say boarder Jake Williams, 29. “Even when it’s crowded here, you can always find a line that hasn’t been hit yet.” Best of all, it’s totally free—provided you’re willing to hike, snowshoe, or ski to the top, of course.
Full story >

Lack of snow stings eastern slopes
With Christmas less than a week away, temperatures are in the high 50s all over the east coast. Know what that means? No one’s wearing mittens, and ski resorts are screwed. “[People] are so far away from thinking about skiing,” Valerie Rochon, executive director of the Stowe Area Association, tells the Burlington Free Press. “I’m sure that’s having an impact. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t.” (That’s Stowe’s snowmaking in action in the photo.) Hmm, maybe Al Gore was right.
Full story >

Cheap lift tickets cheap! (Did we mention cheap?)
Did you know a Rocky Mountain Super Pass—good for Copper Mountain and Winter Park—is only $389? Or that a midweek season pass to Idaho’s Lookout Pass Ski Area goes for just $149? The appropriately named top10ticket.org tracks the best lift ticket deals throughout the season. Relax, only one of the current top 10 applies to a nearly snow-less east coast resort.
This week’s top 10 >

SKATEBOARDING

Old pro releases new CD
NPR (yes, NPR) did a big interview with original Bones Brigader Tommy Guerrero about his latest musical offering, From the Soil to the Soul. The piece also features three cuts from the album.
Full story >

While it’s amusing to listen to the nerdy NPR chick talk about visiting to the local skate shop to “get into that skateboard culture groove,” it’s way more fun to watch Tommy bring it old school on his board in 1985’s Future Primitive, thanks to youtube. (Don’t worry, the background music here isn’t his.)



Bam’s ready to march
So Bam Margera is asking the West Chester, Pennsylvania, borough council for permission to hold a holiday parade—partially to honor his impending wedding to Missy Rothstein—featuring pro skaters and horse-drawn carriages. “I think it’s great. It will be quirky, but it sounds to me that it will be appropriate,” says councilwoman Carolyn Comitta. “It seems that it’s short in terms of the length and in terms of the time.” Our only question is, If a veteran of Jackass really wants a parade, wouldn’t he just have one without asking?
Full story >

Andy MacDonald keeps kids off drugs
The Dundalk Eagle reports that Andy Mac’s touring schools to present Str8 Talk, “a motivational program that encourages students to set educational goals and remain drug-free.” It’s a wonderful cause, but it’s probably safe to say that the highlight for most kids isn’t so much Andy quoting Gandhi (he does!), but rather him ollieing over three middle school teachers. Bet they were shaking in their khakis. Nice work, everyone.
Full story >

SURFING

Longboard legend launches African surf mag
Global Surf News reports that Hugh Thompson, a veteran longboard surfer and shaper, will be editing the brand-new African Surfrider magazine. The hype: “Frothing groms and the rip, tear and lacerate contest crew, thought provoking articles on the lifestyle, travel, equipment and brands penned by some of the planet’s most knowledgeable surfers, beautiful and dynamic imagery from the world’s best lensmen—African Surfrider has it all!” Let’s hope.
Full story >

Swell Magnet gets paid
Having offered a free SoCal surf report for years, El Porto’s Mike Durand has decided it’s time surfers started chipping in. Swellmagnet.com doesn’t have the worldwide range of, say, Surfline, but locals love it. “Just looking at a Webcam is one thing, but when one of my guys tells you, ‘There’s 80 guys suiting up in the parking lot,’ you know how the surf is,” Durand says. And considering that a $39 annual membership comes with two T-shirts and a surf DVD, well, it just might be worth it.
Full story >



HEADLINES

Download Burton’s For Right or Wrong free!

Brit skates across Oz

Aussie surfer chomped by shark

Surf legends’ shack sells for $3.3 million

Injured SF surf spectators sue contest promoters


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December 15, 2006

SURFING

From snow to sea

Californians brag about being able to snowboard and surf in the same day, but Brian Tardif of York, Maine, shows them how it’s really done. When you can get from the snow to the shore in one step, that’s the life…even if it’s 20 degrees out. The Portsmouth Herald story is actually about some surfing zone expansion proposal, but we just dug the photo.

Full story >

Matthew McConaughey conked  while surfing

The actor took a break from filming his new movie, Fool’s Gold,  in Australia to hit the waves, but in the end, he was the one who got hit. Smacked in the head by another surfer’s board, he was reportedly so dazed and confused he asked locals where his Malibu home was. Informed he was Down Under, he replied: “I thought I was in California. I forgot I was in Australia until you guys talked to me.” Whoa, trippy.

Full story >

Aussie sentenced for surf rage

A Sydney surfer accused of 29 beach offenses has for the second time changed his plea. John Vincent Dunne, 35, has allegedly slapped a lifeguard, threatened to drown surfers who were not locals, and told them to “f*** off” back to their own beaches. And now he’s switching his plea back to not guilty. Sheesh. If we find out he’s the one who bopped McConaughey, we are gonna be sooo pissed. (Thanks to the Sydney Morning Herald for the sweet pic.)

Full story >

 

 

SKATEBOARDING

His wish come true? A backyard skatepark

When the Make-a-Wish Foundation showed up at Kevin Cornejo’s door, he knew exactly what he wanted, and the 13-year-old Lake Elsinore, California, resident wasn’t afraid to ask. “I said I liked skating and my backyard is huge, so could I have a skate park” he said. “He said he would check.” Now Kevin, who needs a kidney transplant, has a $35,000 five-ramp wonderland where the grass used to be. Nice job, MAWF.

Full story >

Christian energy drink sponsors pro skater

We’ve been puzzling over how to relate this information, and have decided an excerpt from the press release says it best: “1in3Trinity Energy Drink is excited to sponsor Richard Jefferson,” says Dawn Pencil Marzka, Director of Business Development. “We have found Richard to be an excellent source of inspiration to inject into today’s youth culture as he truly lives his Christian faith through competitive skateboarding. We’re all for religion—and skaters getting paid—but how exactly does one “inject” a person into “today’s youth culture”? We can’t wait to see.

Full story >

Tony hawks a coaster

You heard right. In March 2007, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is opening Tony Hawk’s Big Spin, on which “four people will sit facing each other in the coaster car as it travels up, down, and around the breathtaking curves of the quarter-mile track—all while spinning its riders round and round!” Feel sick? Not as sick as you’ll be after watching this virtual rendition of the ride.

Big Spin video >

 

 

SNOWBOARDING

Pam Anderson likes to ride (snowboards)

From the Borat star’s web diary on pamelaanderson.com: “Looking forward to Christmas—I’ve been home decorating with the kids all week—lots of baking. It’s beautiful and I can’t wait to take kids snowboarding soon.” Atta Pammy—all you need is a little sweet pow to make you forget all about Kid Rock. Call me, OK?

Pam’s diary >

Maine city builds rails for the kids

In an effort to prove it’s as cool as, say, Portland, Oregon, Portland, Maine is planning to introduce a couple of rails to the city’s big sledding hill in Payson Park, once the snow gets good. WCSH6 reports that: “The rails are beginners’ level, for snowboarders who like to do tricks. One is called a “fun box,” the other, a “kink rail.” ” They’re inaccurate in speculating that Portland is the first city in the country to start up an urban all-terrain snow park”—there are at least two in Colorado—but it’s still pretty awesome.

Full story >

No park needed

Then again, in just 32 seconds of footage from 91 Words for Snow, Nicolas Mueller shows you don’t need fun boxes and kink rails to have a hell of a lot of fun on a slope.

 

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December 11, 2006


Wall Street hearts Volcom

Alyce Lomax of investment website The Motley Fool gets hot for the apparel company. “I believe boardsports, with their thrilling, ever-evolving tricks and focus on individualism, are here to stay, and that the retail markets surrounding them are due to grow. That bodes well for Volcom, as long as it can keep its brand intact.” She’s dubbed the company, “The Best Small Cap of 2007.” Mmm, sounds tasty.

Full story >

SURFING

Transworld Business finds that surfing is blowing up in the Great White North…and businesses like Ron Jon, Quiksilver, Rip Curl, and, hey, Volcom are all over it. “Surfing as a sport is at an all-time high,” says Steve Jarrett of SBC Media, a Toronto-based action-sports publisher. Apparently the country’s one-million-plus snowboarders need something to do when the pow melts.

…Or Alaska
Meanwhile, MSNBC looks into the lives of cold-water surfers. “Surfing is a greedy, selfish sport, and the ultimate is to have the waves all to yourself,” says enthusiast Peter (Pan) Panagiotis. “The colder and nastier it gets, the fewer people you’ll see in the water.” Agreed.

Full story >

…Or Cleveland

You want cold and nasty? The New York Times discovers where it’s really at: Ohio. “It was the kind of day that lives mostly in Cleveland surfers’ fantasies. Pushed by the storm’s winds, water the color of chocolate milk rose 10 feet in the air before slamming onto a beach of boulders and logs. The temperature was 40 degrees and falling.” Eh, you guys can keep those waves to yourselves.

Full story >

 

The Edmonton Journal reports that more than 600 kids went to the ER last year with snowboarding injuries. The paper blames both the use of MP3 players and the lack of helmets, which leaves us wondering: Is it worse to ride in a beanie without earbuds, or in a helmet with built-in headphones? Oh well, guess that’s Canada’s problem.

Snowblind bashed

The new snowboarding doc is taking heat from two of the biggest newspapers in the country, The New York Times (“it never stops feeling like the in-house channel on a ski-lodge television”) and The Los Angeles Times (“tries to touch on every aspect of snowboarding culture, which sometimes makes it feel like a TV travelogue compressed into feature form.”). Ouch.

NYT review >
LAT review >

Cool skateboarding vid 

Some high school kids in Charlotte, North Carolina, have put together some skating footage to the tune of Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks.” Nothing too fancy, just five minutes of pure joy. Do it.

Wii skate game gets rave reviews

The Nintendo Wii is here, and there’s already a game with Tony Hawk’s name on it. Cleverly titled review site thewiire.com has played it, and they dig. “The more time I spend jamming downhill in Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, the more surprised I am by the game’s depth and breadth despite the relatively simple controls.” We wanted to try it, but Mom locked us outside.

Skaters rock skinny jeans

The LA Times reports that skaters are ditching the baggy jeans look in favor of really tight denim: “Blame the teenage Latino skate-punk protagonists of writer-director Larry Clark’s “Wassup Rockers” for helping popularize the look, which turned up recently in Teen Vogue.” Ooh, it’s Teen Vogue?? Let’s run out and get some now!

Full story >

HEADLINES

Maine brawl not skaters’ fault

Surfer finds body (well, half a body) in Pacific Ocean

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We had no luck searching for Rob Dyrdek’s Street Dreams when the 2007 lineup for the Sundance Film Festival dropped last week (Dyrdek says he’s still hoping to show the fictional skate film starring Paul Rodriguez at a private screening during the festival), but we did come across another name you might be interested in: Steve Berra.

According to Variety, the pro skateboarder’s film The Good Life made the cut for the Dramatic Competition at Sundance and “is about how the arrival of a young woman disrupts the life of a young man who’s dedicated himself to operating a faded movie palace in a small town.” The film’s stars include Mark Webber, Zooey Daschanel, Harry Dean Stanton, Drea DeMatteo, and Bill Paxton.

“I decided to take a hiatus from skateboarding, not only to heal, but to direct a movie I had written called The Good Life,” writes Berra on his homepage. “It had been my ‘other woman’ for many years, but because of my commitments as a professional skateboarder I couldn’t pursue it 100%.”

Since the film is decidedly not a skateboard film and Berra is still working on his part for the upcoming Alien Workshop video, hold yourself over by checking out clips of his part in the DVS film Skate More and footage of

Just when the DC Shoe Co. bus thought it was getting a minute away from the madness, it all started back up again this week with the DC BMX team loading up for its December to Remember tour.

The lineup serves as a reminder of just how deep the blood on this team runs –  Chad Kagy, Corey Bohan, and Allan Cooke are names you’ve been hearing a lot here on Lat34 – and also proves that the next generation of BMX is equally exciting, with riders like Edwin Delarosa, Chris Doyle, and Robbie Miranda. DC is showing its hand by bringing a few flow team riders along for the tour: We’re guessing Michael Clark, Tom White, and Craig Mast are pretty psyched for the opportunity, and we’ll assume those are names we’re all about to become very familiar with.

“The fellas on the team always see each other at various competitions throughout the year, but the December to Remember tour is a rare opportunity for the team to come together, have fun, and just ride,” according to the news folks over at DC Shoe Co.

The team has no real schedule, no set agenda, not even a definitive road map for where they’re headed, but if you live in the Southwest somewhere between Vista, CA and Austin, TX, keep an eye open for the DC bus. It’s hard to miss, but Fuel TV will be on the footage in case you miss it. 

Tired of waiting for new DVDs to drop at your local skateshop? Many companies are starting to drop free footage into regular Podcasts: With iTunes 7 and free Podcast  subscriptions, you’ll have a few good answers when Santa asks why you keep bugging him about that Video iPod. We like the Elementality footage from Element, the bi-monthly DC Shoe Co. Skate Trick Tips video podcast, the Strange Notes stuff, Volcom’s comprehensive Transmissions, and the international flavor of Puzzle Sk8TV – the European Skateboarding Videomagazine.

Fire up iTunes 7 (free download here >), search for “skate podcast” and go nuts looking for the latest from your favorite companies, your local shop, or the aspiring filmers down the street. Did we mention it’s all free? Free! 

It’s always fun to find a favorite up-and-comer, then follow them as they start blowing up big: We like Jimmy McDonald, a 20 year-old am from Bethesda, Maryland who learned his game on the streets of Washington, DC, recently claimed the King of New York title, and is ready to rule the rest of the place.

McDonald is “flow trash” at 5boro, Volcom, és, and Spectrum, and has been busy scrapping for small change on the East Coast – he picked up $1,000 for a wall ride at the Back to the Banks contest this summer, won the Manhattan Bridge contest in October, and took the DC King of New York title after wins in Staten Island and the Bronx and top-three finishes in Brooklyn and Queens.

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SURFING

Senegal celebrates 40 years of foam
The filming of The Endless Summer brought two American surfers to the Ngor village in Senegal in 1966. They found some sweet waves and introduced the Senegalese to the wave-riding life. Forty years later, surf tourism has grown up in Dakar, and even some of the locals are picking up the sport. And just like in the U.S., some families don’t want their kids to surf!

Autistic child finds peace on the waves
Looking for a long, heartrending, but ultimately uplifting story about redemption through surfing? Acclaimed writer Paul Solotaroff writes in The Observer about his struggles with an autistic son, and how things changed for the better the day the kid found himself on a surfboard. You may never take the waves for granted again.

SNOWBOARDING

Snowboarding company introduces skis (yes, skis)

In a shocking development, a snowboard company is making serious skis. Palmer Snowboards has unveiled two new pairs of sticks as part of its Palmer Project. “We are building skis, and not just freeride or freestyle skis the way most people would expect from a company like Palmer,” CEO Jurg Kunz says. “But we’re building carving skis, too. And we’re doing it by introducing the next evolution in ski technology.” That evolution is called DPD, Dynamic Power Distribution. Sounds yummy.

Click here for the full story >

Utah resorts plug podcasts
Tired of fumbling with resort maps and brochures? Seven Utah resorts, including Park City, Snowbird, and Brighton, have hit on a solution, offering downloadable podcasts on their resorts. The free podcasts offer tips on terrain, lifts, runs, lodging, and amenities. Yes, they’re thinly disguised promos, but they’re worth checking out. We’ll try to overlook the fact that they misspelled Shaun White’s name on the site. It’s not nearly the sin that listing boarder-hatin’ Alta first is.

Click here for the podcasts >



SKATEBOARDING

UK school offers skateboarding class
Screw dodgeball. Bruntcliffe High, a secondary school in Leeds, England, has introduced skateboarding lessons into its physical education curriculum. There are currently a dozen 11- and 12-year-olds enrolled in the 12-week course. “It’s for kids that are getting a bit switched off by PE,” says school sports coordinator Alex Tate. “We’re trying to offer them alternatives to the normal core subjects that they do, to hopefully enthuse them. When I told them about it, they thought it was brilliant.” Well, duh.

Click here for the full story >

November 30, 2006

Website helps amateurs get sponsored

Oceansiders Scott Tilton and RJ Kraus have created a killer site to connect action-sports athletes with sponsors. In its five years of existence, SponsorHouse.com has been behind 258,000 sponsorship hookups. “We have an intimate knowledge of how hard it is for aspiring athletes to approach companies for sponsorship and vice versa, for companies to manage athletes and their sponsorship requests,” Tilton tells twsbiz.com. “SponsorHouse.com is simply the medium or connection point where athletes and companies can find each other and communicate.” Sounds good to us.

Click here for the full story >

Also in the “damn, why did we think of that?” department, a 23-year-old surfer named Michael Appelman has invented a device he claims solves the problem of wetsuit funk. He calls it the Hangair Drying System, and it’s essentially a hanger with a fan inside. For 70 bucks. We wanted to run a photo of it here, but the website is all in freakin’ Flash.

World champion longboarder looking for work
On the other side of the spectrum is three-time longboarding world champ Colin McPhillips. He’s a clean-cut dude with a wife, two kids, a third on the way…and no sponsor. OP dropped him this summer after a decade-long relationship, and at just 31, he’s on the verge of exploring a new career. This says more about the state of longboarding than McPhillips himself. “The industry is making it so that you can’t be a professional longboarder,” he tells the OC Register. Major bummer.

SKATEBOARDING

Zen master teaches holistic, “no fall” boarding
Beaver Creek Resort snowboarding instructor Danny Martin doesn’t do things the traditional way.

SURFING
Besieged big wave rider bounces back

In 2003, Aussie surfer Koby Abberton was charged with lying to police concerning his brother Jai, who had been charged with murder. Jai was later found not guilty, but Koby’s legal expenses cost him two beachside homes, three units, and two cars…and then Oakley cut him loose from a $1 million dollar sponsorship deal. Now things are looking up. Koby just signed a $1 million-plus deal with Analog. “I went bankrupt and all that sort of bulls... but with these new contracts I should be back in no time so I’m excited for it,” he tells The Daily Telegraph. He’s also started his own surfwear brand—it’s called My Brother’s Keeper.

Another surfing dog

So this chocolate lab named Milo in Seal Beach, California, likes to surf with his owner, LA County firefighter Chris Drunasky. “I told one of the other surfers, ‘If a set comes along and we take the wave and cut you off, don’t get mad at me. Talk to the dog,’ ”Drunasky jokes to the OC Register. We were thinking about being mildly impressed by this, but then we found this crazy video. We have no idea where these canines Check out the video below>>

SKATEBOARDING
Skater girls

We gotta give a shout-out to milkandcookies.com for unearthing this surreal, strange, and yet somehow sublime skating vid. We don’t want to say any more, at the risk of spoiling it, but just click here to take a look, and then decide for yourself who among Lucy, Beth, Naomi, Jessica, Titanny, and Nikita is the best skater. Actually, we’re pretty sure it’s not Nikita.

And now for a girl who can really skate, six-year-old Alize Montes. Girl really rips toward the end, and even when she bites it—hard—she doesn’t make a peep. Check it.

SNOWBOARDING
Urban shredding

The flakes haven’t quite hit yet in a lot of parts of the country, but that hasn’t stopped people from strapping in and riding the rails. In Auburn, California, local shop Boards’n’Motion and Rome SDS teamed up to host Box Jam as part of the “I Heart Box Tour.” We’re not sure if groms grasp the double-meaning there, but that’s probably for the best. In related news, the Denver parks and rec department announced plans to put six rails into an urban park to help get city kids hooked on snow sports. Good thinking, guys.

Hot headgear

Burton helmet-maker R.E.D. has teamed up with Motorola to introduce a pretty bad-ass new cranium cover. The  Ordinance Padded Hat features Bluetooth stereo speakers to wirelessly sync up with Bluetooth-compatible phones, plus headphone wheels that allow you to control your music and take phone calls while wearing gloves.

As much as we dig that hat, we’re kind of liking the look of these animal-based helmet covers from crazeeHeads. Yes, the raccoon, panda, lion, monkey, and tiger styles are technically designed for kids, but the website says they fit most helmets. We kinda want to go out and get a bunch. Don’t you?

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Nov.6, 2006

Surfing with danger

OK, it doesn’t happen on the water, but UK newspaper Sheffield Today is freaking out about an extreme craze in England called tram surfing. Teens jump onto the back bumpers of trams while they’re stationary, then hold tight to the windshield wipers as the public trans vehicles zoom down their tracks at up to 30 miles per hour. Says one Supertram official: “To youngsters it’s a free ride that’s a bit more exciting. But they don’t realise the dangers behind it. They could come off at a swing into the path of a tram or car coming in the opposite direction. I’m quite sure they wouldn’t be laughing if one of them got killed.” You know, it was kinda cool when Marty McFly grabbed car bumpers on his skateboard in Back to the Future, but this sounds more like kinda stupid.

EA continues to raise the hype for their new skateboarding video game, Skate, by announcing that Thrasher’s 2005 Skater of the Year, Chris Cole, will be featured. Meanwhile, the reviews are in for Tony Hawk’s Project 8, and they are good. Highlights include a huge number of objectives and missions, cool mini-games like Human Bowling, great multiplayer modes, and the Nail the Trick feature, which lets you slow down time, a la The Matrix, and use the dual analog sticks to execute freestyle moves. We sense a major rivalry a-brewin’. Here are clips of the new Chris Cole ad spot and Nail the Trick action to get it rolling.

Skate park at the heart of culture clash

Florida’s St. Petersburg Times reports on a fascinating culture clash taking place at Tampa’s Perry Harvey Sr. Park. Back in the day, the now run-down area was the site of businesses opened by freed slaves in 1865, Ray Charles’ first recording, and the city’s biggest race riot in 1967. Then in the late ’70s, a parks employee convinced the city council to construct a skate bowl there, and suddenly white teenagers flooded the area to shred. They loved the “Bro Bowl,” and it even appeared in Tony Hawk’s Underground. But now the city is set to demolish the bowl and “revamp” the park while preserving its history. Of course, the biq question is, whose history are they gonna preserve? Quite the conundrum.

Nollie.tv a skate site for girls, is behind this vid, which shows you how to make an Indo-style balance board using only an old skate deck and a 2-liter bottle of water. Check it out—it’s pretty cool.

SNOWBOARDING

So the common perception is that just about everyone who snowboards is approximately 15 years old. But just as the surfers who brought that sport to the mainstream in the ’60s continued to surf as they aged, older snowboarders are all over the slopes. That’s the word from Florida Sports magazine, and they’ve got stats to back it up. Turns out 35 percent of active snowboarders over the age of 16 are 35 years of age or older. And at the 2006 X Games, 10 snowboard competitors were in their 30s. We saw a graybearded dude pull a rail slide at New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain last season. It was gnarly.

The snowsports filmmaking legend has signed a six-year deal with Starz Entertainment that will put his library of films on the air starting this December with a 22-hour “Shred Fest Marathon.” That block will include such films as Impact, Journey, Storm, and Cold Fusion. His 2005 film Higher Ground and his newest flick, Off the Grid (see trailer below), will both premiere on Starz stations in 2007. Yeah, it’s mostly skiing footage, but they throw some snowboarding stuff in here and there to keep us happy.

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Nov.5, 2006

SURFING

Dudes, waves, and veggie oil
Last year, four guys hopped into a pickup truck and drove from Bend, Oregon, to the tip of Baja in search of the best climbing and surfing adventures money can’t buy. Here’s the best part: They converted that truck to run on veggie oil and bio-diesel. Now you can read all about this environment-friendly epic in Jeff Johnson’s Bend to Baja: A biofuel-powered surfing and climbing road trip—and maybe get inspired to have one of your own.
Click here for the full story >


SNOWBOARDING

The Season is on!
It’s the first week of November…do you know where your mountain is? It just might be open. Yes, it’s early, but right now there are lifts running in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Connecticut, and North Carolina. Freakin’ North Carolina! And it looks like Mammoth in California will be opening later this week. So quit reading this story and hit the slopes, people! See ya out there.
Click here for the full story >

Burton + Volvo = Sweet
What happened when German tuner Heico Sportiv teamed up with Burton to soup up a Volvo C30? This 300-horsepower, all-wheel-drive monster is rocking height-adjustable suspension, custom-cut T

oyo tires, and a portable GPS unit—and there are spankin’ new 2008 Burton snowboards and bindings in the back. Plus, peep that sick six-layer camouflage paint job. You’ll never have to pay for parking again!
Click here for more pics >


Resorts Chasing Minorities
The market research is in, and it shows that only 15 percent of snowboarders and skiers are minorities. But, through new approaches to advertising and marketing, plus outreach programs that offer kids a lesson, equipment, lunch, and a lift ticket for as little as 20 bucks, resorts are working to change that. But they’re not just doing it for the betterment of humankind. Let’s face it, they need the business.
Click here for the full story >


SKATEBOARDING

Tony’s so Money (and he Doesn’t Even Know it)
He has deals with everyone from Kohl’s to Six Flags to Quiksilver, he earns $5 million to $7 million in endorsements a year, and Tony Hawk’s Project 8, the latest installment of his insanely popular video game series, drops Tuesday. He’s also a clean-cut, 38-year-old husband and father without any earrings or tats. So how has Tony Hawk managed to keep his street cred? Being the greatest skater ever probably helps.
Click here for the full story >


Van Sant Readies Paranoid Park
Hollywood’s not stopping with Lords of Dogtown and Wassup Rockers. The latest word from va

riety.com is that director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Drugstore Cowboy)  is making a movie called Paranoid Park about a teen skater who accidentally kills a security guard, then tries to cover it up. It’s based on Blake Nelson’s book, and we’re guessing it’ll be a little dark.
Click here for the full story >

SURFING

 

Stolen longboard update #2

Looks like losing his longboard while saving a man’s life is the best thing that could have happened to Dustin Lackey. Cox Communications hooked him up with a new board Monday, but here’s a quick rundown of others who have offered: Janice Williams, the mother of the man he saved; Frank Rideg, father-in-law of surfing star Shane Dorian; Grace Swanson, a local mother of two sons; Shirley Mitchell, a widow whose husband died on the beach three weeks ago; surfing legend Peter Mel himself. If he plays his cards right, Dustin could have SIX new boards!

 

Click here for the full story>

 

Come Surf With Me on DVD

 

Way before surfing was “cool,” UK surfer and filmmaker Rod Sumpter was following wave riders with a camera and making surf movie magic. Now his best film, 1971’s Come Surf With Me, has been digitally remastered with never-before-seen footage and released on DVD. The movie features legends like Eddie “Would Go” Aikau and Nat Young shredding all over the world, plus music from The Challengers Band, the dudes who recorded Wipeout!

 

Click here to watch the trailer and buy the DVD>

 

 

OllyPop Towel improves board skills?

“If you're learning to surf or just improving your technique, you're likely to find the art of 'popping' or 'springing' to your feet on a surfboard is one of the hardest things to perfect… Fortunately, help is at hand with the creation of the world's first ollypop surf towel—the trusty beach towel that doubles up as a surf aid to help you perfect those pesky pop-ups!” Or so claim the creators of this towel with part of a surfboard printed on it. Huh? Hey, they’ve sold over a million of them!

 

Click here for the full story>

 

 

 

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Apparel maker aims to save your ass

So this new company, Aegix, makes snowboard jackets and pants that look normal, but are filled with all kinds of padding to protect you when you catch an edge and land on your ass… or knees or elbows or shoulders or whatever. We don’t know if it works, but the website has a great, bloody video in its “PAIN TV” section of a dude landing on his head on some steps. Hmm, wouldn’t a helmet be of more use there?

 

Click here to check out the gear (and vids)>

 

Coombs gets memorial run at Jackson Hole

Last spring, legendary skier and mountaineer Doug Coombs died tragically in Europe. This winter, Jackson Hole decided that the most fitting tribute they could make was to name a ski run after him. “He had such an impact on this resort both professionally and personally, he is sorely missed,” says resort owner Connie Kemmerer. “We hope that with his name now firmly on the map, he will continue to inspire those who enjoy our terrain.” We’re sure Doug would be glad to see that it’s located on the Headwall, the most challenging area on the mountain.

 

Click here for the full story>

 

 

 

SKATEBOARDING

 

Bob Burnquist builds gigorgeous ramp

 

Always pushing the limits, Bob Burnquist has built a $280,000 permanent Mega Ramp in his own backyard, north of San Diego. And it’s friggin’ huge, as this rundown from the New York Times make clear: “Approximately 360 feet long, the ramp is 75 feet high at its apex. That is where riders begin their run, speeding down a 180-foot-long roll-in to a ramp that launches them across a 70-foot gap with trapeze netting below. Landing on a 27-foot sloped section, they then boost up to 50 feet above the ground from a 30-foot quarterpipe.” To clear that gap, you’ve gotta go about 55 miles per hour. Want a ride?

 

Click here for the full story>

 

Skate duds for the tiniest groms

Santa Cruz onesies? Hey, why not? When Jeff Kendall saw a demand from style-conscious parents for cool baby apparel, he met it with Little Ruler, a line of baby and toddler clothing featuring logos licensed from skate brands and punk bands. And they’re not messing around—some of the groups on board include Independent, Vans, Etnies, DC, and Quiksilver, plus The Ramones, Green Day, Black Flag, Misfits, and Weezer. Buy ‘em for your nieces and nephews!

 

Click here to check out the clothes>

SKATEBOARDING

We told you Monday how Dustin Lackey, a San Diego surfer, saved a guy's life in the ocean, only to return to shore to find his brand-new John Carper epoxy Peter Mel Machine longboard stolen. Now the publicity of that story has things looking up for him. The mayor held a news conference in Lackey's honor, a congressman called him with kind words, and a private company has volunteered to buy him a new board. Also, rumor has it that Peter Mel himself is trying to find Lackey to hook him up with a replacement ride. Best of all, the man he helped save is recovering in the hospital from a broken spine. All this, and it's only Tuesday!

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Oct. 30, 2006

SURFING

Eight-time ASP world champ Kelly Slater has been talking a lot about retiring, but here’s something that may change his mind: Rumor has it sponsor Quiksilver has offered him a $10 million bonus if he wins 10 world titles. That’s about $8.2 million more than his career earnings, but is it for real? Quiksilver spokesman Johnathan Jenkins refused to confirm the rumor, saying: “I think you’ll find most elite sportsmen have bonuses written into their contracts.” Hmm. If it weren’t true, wouldn’t he just say, “No.”?

Surfer saves a life but loses a board

San Diego surfer Dustin Lackey had an up-and-down afternoon Sunday. At Pacific Beach, he watched a man take a headfirst dive off a pier, then float in the water, facedown. Acting quickly, he and another surfer held the bleeding man afloat until paramedics could reach him on a jet ski and get him to an ambulance. Then Lackey returned to shore to discover his new $700 longboard—a John Carper Peter Mel Machine, which he’d had for a week—had been swiped. Hey JC, [http://www.jchawaii.com/] maybe you can hook a brother up?

SNOWBOARDING

Last week at a restaurant called Orso in LA, the Flying Tomato had lunch with the world’s hottest pregnant supermodel. There’s not really much else to say, but based on this photo, it looks like they had a lovely time.

Brit invents snowboard stance locator

A snowboard instructor named Sean MacCarron has created a product called StanceFind, “the world’s first fully patented board riders’ stance calibration device.” It’s basically a board-like platform that you stand on and, through the use of biomechanical reference points, figure out the best possible settings for your bindings. We’re still trying to figure out where this falls on the scale between “totally brilliant” and “completely unnecessary.” But if we saw one, we’d definitely try it out.

Mountain Dew redewing image

Say goodbye to those snowboarding, base-jumping, caffeine-guzzling Dew dudes. Mountain Dew is ditching its “Do the Dew” image, which has apparently lost its edge now that action sports have become more mainstream. So, what’s next? "Extreme is no longer extreme," says one PepsiCo exec. "We don't know what the answer is. We're waiting for our agencies to come up with something and we're conducting research. We haven't come up with the Holy Grail yet.” On the upside, the Dew Action Sports Tour will continue.

SURFING

The Road Back

The Nova Schin Festival, presented by Billabong is getting ready to start crackin' on Monday. While some of the worlds best surfers congregate down in the Southern Hemisphere it's interesting to see Neco Padaratz pull a wildcard invite. Padaratz is the true dark horse as he continues down the comeback trail form six month forced suspension due to use of a banned substance. Padaratz tested positive for steroids after the 2004 World Championship Tour event in Hossegor, France. Padaratz has had some success earlier in 2006 and a good showing at the Nova Schin would be a nice way to close out the year.

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Oct. 26, 2006

Hannah Teter’s Sweet Story

We knew Hannah Teter could snowboard, but who knew she could make condiments, too? She’s selling Hannah’s Gold syrup to raise money for a very worthy cause. As she says on the product’s website: “This one-of-a kind, Grade A, Vermont Maple Syrup is being dedicated to the desperately poor children of Africa. Through my partnership with World Vision, this project will be helping those in greatest need.” Not only that, but it goes great with pancakes!

 

Buy the syrup here>

SURFING

 

HBO Plans Surf-Based Series

Still getting over the WB canceling Summerland? HBO and David Milch, creator of Deadwood (and the guy in the tie), are teaming up on a new “surf noir family drama” to air next summer. The series, titled John from Cincinnati, will focus on a dysfunctional SoCal family—an ex-surf champ, his wife, and their druggie son. So who’s “John”? A mysterious savant who comes into their lives in need of surf lessons. Sounds goofy, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s HBO.

Click here for the full story>

 

 

Surf Legend Unveils 12 Rules of The Ride

Way back in 1977, before surfing boomed and pros started raking in serious dough from contests and sponsors, Shaun Thomson won the world championship. Now 51, he’d like to see a bloated sport regain its class and etiquette. With Gandhi-esque maxims like “All surfers are joined by one ocean” and “There will always be another wave,” his new book, Surfer's Code: 12 Simple Lessons for Riding Through Life, aims to do just that. Hokey? Maybe. But with Sunny Garcia headed to the slammer, maybe the time is right.

 

Click here for the full story>

 

Rip Curl Intros Power-Heated Wetsuit

It’s here. Rip Curl’s H-Bomb is the world’s first wetsuit to use battery power to keep surfers warm. With two fiber-coated elements on the upper back—separated from the skin by a thin layer of neoprene—it’s like an electric blanket you can wear…in the water…without being electrocuted. Says WCT pro Nathan Hedge: “It feels sooo good! It just keeps you feeling warm all over throughout.” Now the only question is: How are the waves in Antarctica?

 

Click here for the full story>

 

SKATEBOARDING

Hip-hop label Sponsors Skate Team

Pharrell isn’t the only rapper supporting skaters. Diplomat Records CEO Jim Jones has started Dipskate, a collaboration with Courtney and Chris Brown of lifestyle brand B. Unique, who showed Jones their skate documentary Know Difference. “When I got the opportunity to see their tape and they told me how the skaters feel when it comes to the Diplomats, I was honored,” says Jones, whose own hit, “We Fly High,” is climbing the Billboard Hot 100. “They feel like we're the realest thing out there and they love everything that we're doing, so it was a beautiful opportunity.”

 

Click here for the full story>

 

Born-again Christian (Hosoi)

In the ‘80s, pro skater Christian Hosoi had it all: money, fame, women…and all the pot, speed and methamphetamine he could handle. But after his career waned in the ‘90s, there was less skating and more drugs. A botched drug deal landed him in prison in 2001. But his girlfriend (now wife) handed him a Bible, and five years later, he’s sober, skating for Quiksilver, and an ordained minister. A DVD about his life, "Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi," hits shelves Nov. 14th. We’re guessing it has a happy ending.

 

Click here for the full story>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Oct. 24, 2006

SURFING

Aussies Surf the 50 states

For no immediately apparent reason, a couple of loopy Australians have decided to surf in all 50 US states. This may seem a little tricky, considering that most of our states don’t have, you know, waves, but Jonno Durrant and Stefan Hunt are prepared to get creative by throwing their boards down on “snow, lakes, rivers, grass, concrete, puddles, crops, wavepools.” (In this pic, for example, they’re tackling the mighty surf hills of Wyoming.) They’ve knocked out nine states so far and, naturally, they’re making a movie about it. We were totally gonna do the same thing in Australia, but last time we checked, they don’t have states.

Click here for the full story >

SKATEBOARDING

Tony Hawk’s Project 8 captures the motion

For the first time ever, the insanely popular skate video game franchise has used motion capture technology to take the game’s reality to a whole new level. (That means they attached those magic sensors to a bunch of pros and had them skate around doing their best tricks.) This sweet video goes behind the scenes of Stevie Williams’’ mo-cap session. If you think kickflips are tough now, try doing them in a spandex suit.

Click here for the video >

SNOWBOARDING

Secrets of Sessions

Joel Gomez dropped out of San Diego State in 1983 to open Sessions, the world’s first snowboarding shop, way back in 1983. Now, 23 years later, the company is still independent and still going strong. Last year, making and selling apparel for skateboarders, snowboarders, skiers, and surfers, it brought in over $10 million. Sessions’ keys to success? Signing a great team of riders, staying true to its roots, and staying positive. “It wasn't scary," says Gomez. "It never crossed my mind that I wouldn't make it, and I didn't think of all the bad things that could've happened." That’s a pretty gnarly attitude, for both the mountain and the business world.

Click her for the full story >

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Oct. 10, 2006

SURFING

Surfing dog more popular than surfing people

 

A dog and his owner got in trouble at a contest in Brazil because the dog, who happens to surf, had more fans than the actual competitors did. The duo rode together on the same board during intervals at the Praia da Tiririca, part of the 2006 Surf World Championship, but not everyone was amused. Said police: "We were called to remove the pair because they were drawing more attraction than the actual competition." Yeah, that really fits with the spirit of the sport.

Where is “Surf City USA”?

A debate is raging in Southern California over which city really is “Surf City USA.” Bruce Noland, the owner of two surf shops in Santa Cruz, is suing the Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau, which has threatened him with legal action for selling T-shirts that read “Surf City Santa Cruz California USA.” Huntington Beach, the city referenced in the 1963 Jan and Dean song, “Surf City,” applied for a trademark on the phrase in 2004. But Noland, whose city has been referred to as “Surf City” in newspaper articles from as early as 1927, just wants everyone to chill. “I think of `Surf City USA' more as a state of mind, not some kind of enforceable trademark or official title,'' he says. Damn straight.

Burton releases For Right or Wrong

The snowboard company announced dates for its global movie tour, which will screen the film For Right or Wrong, in 22 cities over the next month, starting October 14^th in Tokyo and ending November 11th in Innsbruck. “When we set out to create