Quick Hits Archive: February 28 - March 5

Mar 20 2008 / Los Angeles, CA

March 5, 2008

Billabong Pro Mundaka Reportedly Canceled
Published: 2:58 p.m. PT by Greg

This year's ninth stop on the ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro in Mundaka, Spain, is reportedly being canceled. Unofficial reports have sprouted up across the web, though a message thread on ASP partner website FantasySurfer.com claims unofficial confirmation from ASP sources.

The 2005 edition of the Mundaka Pro was canceled because of poor conditions due to harbor dredging and many surf fans questioned the value of the location though memorably it was at Mundaka in 2006 where Kelly Slater clinched his eighth world title (despite Bobby Martinez winning the event). Speculation is already building over where a replacement contest would be held, though Western Australia is being ruled out as it's being predicted as the location of this year's Rip Curl Pro Search in August.

However, precedent points to the likelihood that there will not be a replacement named. The ASP has not had a 12-event season since 2003 and last year when contests in Fiji and Japan were dropped off the schedule, no replacements were named leaving a 10-event season, which is what would be the case again this season if Mundaka is canceled without a replacement.

When it's official, we'll let you know. But until then, we'll leave you with this photo of Kelly Slater celebrating in what might be Mundaka's most memorable moment...


Nissan Freeride De Tignes Live Webcast On Freecaster.tv
Published: 1:09 a.m. PT by Mike

If you missed the action from the Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro, highlights are still available to watch on Freecaster.tv. On top of that, Freecaster.tv is preparing for the fourth live webcast scheduled for the Freeride World Tour 2008 from Tignes.

There are 44 contestants (16 snowboarders and 16 skiers for the men, 6 women snowboarders and 6 women skiers) competing to accumulate the most number of points in their respective discipline and own the title of Freeride World Champion. A prize purse of $300,000 is there for the taking... The current leader is Austrian snowboarder Flo Orley with two events still to go.

Watch the event below or at the freecaster.tv site

Zoo York Interview At 48 Blocks
Published: 12:59 a.m. PT by Mike

The guys over at 48 Blocks caught up with the Zoo York team while filming for their long-awaited skate video. The team had stopped through San Francisco and had to take a break dude to crappy weather. Check out what Zered Bassett, Lamare Hemmings, and the rest of them have to say about filming the video and touring for the team.

Go to the 48 Blocks



Dunk Vs. Dunk = Dunkwars!
Published: 12:44 a.m. PT by Mike

Nike SB is the biggest skate shoe company in the world right now. I also know that most who own a pair of SB's probably own a variety of the Nike Dunk. And with that kind of variety and over saturation in specifically the Dunk Market, come a lot of unique and different styles, especially with the Nike I.D, which allows individuals to create their own color way. So with the popularity of the Dunk, comes Dunkwars.

Dunkwars is a tournament bracket style site created by Nike where they put some of the Dunk’s most influential sneaker industry pioneers up against one another. In the first round, graffiti artist Skam and his team Tusks, will go up against United Front’s Fraser Avey and his team the Cutters.

This should be fun for those who follow the sneaker culture closely. As for me, I’m not going to follow the competition unless my favorite pair is featured...



The Frozen Seagle Tour: Ready for Flight
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Mike

Nike’s Frozen Seagle Tour is about to go underway for its annual tour north through the west coast mountain resorts to give away loads of swag. The first stop of the tour will include Northstar, CA and the Summit at Snoqualimie where you can have your photo taken and uploaded for an entire minute. Check out these key tour dates.

March 11 Departure from Los Angeles
March 14-16 Northstar at Tahoe, CA
March 23-24 Summit at Snoqualamie, WA
March 25 Seattle, WA

March 4, 2008

Ogio is Litigious
Published: 2:01 a.m. PT by Me

Don't piss off Ogio -- the gear maker sent out a blast Sunday night to the press letting them know that earlier in February the company brought a patent infringement lawsuit against Callaway Golf Company for copying its OGIO Woode organizing top in its bags. Apparently Ogio manufactured bags for Callaway from 2000-2005 and the design was part of those bags and Callaway continues to use the feature.

I guess Ogio felt an email was needed since no one in the press apparently is reporting about this. So there you go. Where's my free bag? Just kidding.

Anyway, to end on a positive note about something other than Golf, perhaps you should check out Ogio's Stephen Murray bag that donates all proceeds to the Stephen Murray Family Fund. It's a good thing.

Reward Grows in Dane Williams Case
Published: 1:33 a.m. PT by Me

Authorities are still trying to find suspects in the death of Hurley employee Dane Williams, who disappeared while attending the ASR trade show on January 26. His body was discovered three days later.

The reward for help in finding information about Williams' death has risen to $10,000 thanks to Jack's Surfboards in Huntington Beach contributing $9,000 to the already existing reward of $1,000.

Anyone who has information is urged to contact the San Diego County Crime Stoppers vis the tip line, (888) 580-TIPS.

Read more here.

DC Flagship Store Grand Opening
Published: 1:20 a.m. PT by Mike

Amidst the barrage of hype beast, street wear, and sneaker freaker stores that suit the ongoing trend in fashion within the Fairfax/Melrose district comes the latest addition to the fanaticism. Although open for a few months now, the DC store on Melrose Avenue had their grand opening this past Saturday introducing their beautifully and well-designed flagship store to the public. With free flowing booze and with their onslaught arsenal of some of the sickest skaters in attendance like Colin McKay, Rob Dyrdrek, and Josh Kalis, plus mix in some lovely models, you can say that the store made a lasting impression on some of the surrounding, already dense competitive area. Not to say that they will skew competition away from such existing stores like Supreme, Crooks and Castles, The Hundreds, or even Adidas Heritage, but rather add to an already eclectic mix of an area well known for its street/skate culture.

But all these stores better enjoy whatever spotlight they may be getting because once the Bathing Ape store opens, I guarantee it will top them all as far as look, design, and even grand opening party. And that's coming from someone that's not a fan of the brand.

Check out some pics here.



Element's Future Nature Tour
Published: 12:59 a.m. PT by Mike

Check out the Future Nature Skate Contest tour of California to promote environmental awareness put on by Element Skateboards and Elemental Awareness.

There is a five-city stop and the fee per skater is only $10. Check out the flyer for more info.


Introducing Snowboard TV: Episode 1
Published: 12:33 a.m. PT by Mike

Over at the Snowboard-mag.com is a new series fittingly called Snowboard TV. Episode 1 takes place at the SIA Tradeshow in Las Vegas and includes some really nice exclusive interviews. One of which with New York graffiti artist Stash who did a charity peace for Boarding for Breast Cancer and gives his insight on the latest Snowboard Magazine cover. Other interviews include Justin Benee, DJ Muggs, Blotto, and introductions of new product from Burton, Ride, K2, Forum, and more. Check it out here.

Nike Building the Perfect Shoe
Published: 12:11 a.m. PT by Mike

Technology in skateboarding is something that may often be overlooked and be taken for granted. A lot of time is put into the science of technology in order to maximize one's potential when using a product. For instance, the angle of the nose on your board, or the exact materials used in wheels. Or maybe the exact clipper settings when I'm attempting to create the most aerodynamic haircut for my skate style.

Well over at Nike.com, you can take a look into what goes into making a quality and efficient skate sneaker. They took inspiration from "free technology" in their running shoes, which is the natural foot motion for runners and incorporated that into their skateboarding shoe, the Zoom Tre A.D and found significant results.

This is a really cool and informative video. Check it out over at Nike where lead SB Designer James Arizumi explains what goes into the highly evolved, highly technical skate sneaker.

March 3, 2008

Slater Wins the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
Published: 10:40 p.m. PT by Me

One of the more memorable finals on the ASP World Tour happened Tuesday at the Gold Coast as 8x world champ Kelly Slater battled current world champ Mick Fanning in a thrilling match which featured Slater taking the lead and holding off a late push to take the Quiksilver Pro.

As time began to wind down Fanning needed to find a strong wave to catch up with Slater's combined 17.94 score (8.67 and 9.27) but there were none to be found and his 5.90 ensured Slater would take his 35th career win on the World Tour.

Good waves were few and far between with Fanning scoring only four waves, though one of them was the top-scoring wave of the final, 9.33.

Before he was even out of the water Slater was being asdked if he would be there at the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach and his answer was the same as it's been.

"I'm still thinking I'm not going to go," Slater he said.

On stage accepting his award Slater looked happy and confident.

"Life's good man, I'm happy," Slater said.

And when asked about the World Tour in general?

"I'm stoked right now," he said. "I'm not too worried about it."

More about the match here.

Slater celebrates the win at the Quiksilver Pro | cr. Covered Images

Lutzka Wins the Slaughter at the Opera
Published: 8:30 a.m. PT by Me

Globe's Slaughter at the Opera went down this weekend in Sydney and the action was intense. There's a bunch of video already popping up on YouTube (one clip is below) but look forward to the full edited show on Globe coming up. When it was all over, Greg Lutzka took the title. Here's your top five.

1. Greg Lutzka

2. Adam Dyet
3. Ryan Decenzo
4. Gailea Momolu
5. Sean Malto

There's more on the Globe site to see.

Scary Mary Bungees on a Bike
Published: 1:30 a.m. PT by Me

It's not the first time it's been done but you won't see women bungee jumping very often on a motorbike. Kiwi FMX rider 'Scary' Mary Perkins celebrated leap year on the Auckland Bridge by doing just that.

There's some video of the jump here for you to check out. Those morning shows in New Zealand leave a lot to be desired, though.

Irons, Slater Move on in Quik Pro Gold Goast
Published: 1:01 a.m. PT by Me

Action continued today (Monday) at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast with Kelly Slater and Andy Irons setting the pace with the two highest-scoring heats of the day. Slater had a combined score of 17.93 to defeat Brazil's Heitor Alves (13.83) while Irons had an even easier time with Ben Bourgeois, 17.84 to 11.33.

All of round three was completed Monday and two heats of round four completed, with Bede Durbidge and Joel Parkinson advancing to the quarter-finals where they will meet.

Be sure to check out www.aspworldtour.com/quikpro later this afternoon to see if action will resume and follow along with the live webcast.

Today's Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Round 3 Results:
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (AUS) 12.83 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 5.23
Heat 12: Tim Reyes (USA) 16.50 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.00
Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.93 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 13.83
Heat 14: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.17 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 10.33
Heat 15: Andy Irons (HAW) 17.84 def. Ben Bourgeois (USA) 11.33
Heat 16: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.33 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 6.00

Today’s Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Round 4 Results:
Heat 1 Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.73 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.17
Heat 2: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 11.50 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 11.17

Remaining Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Round 4 Match-Ups:
Heat 3: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 4: Leonardo Neves (BRA) vs. Mick Fanning (AUS)
Heat 5: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 6: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Heat 8: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)


Slater: Will He or Won't He?
Published: 12:29 a.m. PT by Me

The Gold Coast is celebrating record crowds thanks to the Quiksilver and Roxy Pros and it seems interest in the sport of surfing is at an all-time high, but the question everyone seems to be asking is what Kelly Slater's going to do next.

After advancing to the fourth round of the Quik Pro on Monday, Slater didn't offer any clear answers. Except that he's not going to be competing in the Rip Curl Pro later this month in Bells Beach.

"Just being around the whole energy of the contest makes me kind of want to go home and hide out," Slater said. "I feel pretty good ... (but) I'm not going to Bells."

"I'm just sort of floating right now, figuring out what feels right and I'll figure that out in the next few weeks."

Andy Irons, for one, doesn't yet buy Slater's apparent decision.

"I'll believe it when the first heat goes out ... until then I'll believe he's in every event," Irons said.

If Slater does miss Bells, his attempt at securing world title number nine will be that much harder, though certainly not impossible.

You can read a little more here if you're interested.


Bright, Dillon Win Halfpipe at Nippon Open
Published: 12:02 a.m. PT by Me

Keir Dillon and Torah Bright have scored wins in the halfpipe contest at the Nippon Open. Dillon was one of only two Americans to compete in the event (Drew Brighton being the other) and the only one to make the final, with Japanese and Finnish riders making up the rest of the field.

There was more variety on the women's side, where Aussie Bright took the title followed by American Gretchen Bleiler and Swiss rider Manuela Pesko.

Get the full story and find out about how the win gives Bright the top spot in the TTR rankings here.

Top Ten Final HP Results for Nissan X-Trail Nippon Open

Men

1. Keir Dillon USA
2. Kazuhiro Kokubo JPN
3. Janne Korpi FIN
4. Daisuke Murakami JPN
5. Keito Kumazaki JPN
6. Itaru Fujinuma JPN
7. Kohei Kudo JPN
8. Hiroki Suwa JPN
9. Toni-Markus Turunen FIN
10. Rikuya Narita JPN

Women

1. Torah Bright AUS
2. Gretchen Bleiler USA
3. Manuela Pesko SUI
4. Soko Yamaoka JPN
5. Ellery Hollingsworth USA
6. Yayoi Tamura JPN
7. Shiho Nakashima JPN
8. Keiko Ohkura JPN
9. Kelly Clark USA
10. Rika Hatta JPN

March 2, 2008

Danny Kass, Elena Hight Win Superpipe at Van's Cup in Tahoe
Published: 6:30 p.m. PT by Greg

Yesterday Andreas Wiig made it two straight wins in Slopestyle at the Van's Cup in Northstar-at-Tahoe and today it was Danny Kass' and Elena Hight's turn. Each topped the Superpipe podium for the second-year in the row on Sunday and for Kass it was his third win total, following his win at the first Superpipe event in 2005. Kass held off second-place finisher Louie Vito while Iouri Podlatchokov placed in third (also the second year in a row).

For the women, Cherly Maas missed the podium after making it for the previous two events and Elena Hight dominated the competition, scoring a 92.0 and taking home $11K. Second place went to Lizzy Beerman of Vermont (81.0) and third to Norwegian Kjersti Buaas (75.0).

Sunday, March 2 - Superpipe Finals

Men
1. Danny Kass (Vernon, NJ) - 92.1 - $20,000
2. Louie Vito (Bellefontaine, OH) - 90.3 - $14,000
3. Iouri Podlatchokov (Zurich, SWZ) - 88.3 - $7,000
Women
1. Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA) - 92.0 - $11,000
2. Lizzy Beerman (Weston,VT) - 81.0 - $6,500
3. Kjersti Buaas (Trondheim, NOR) - 75.0 - $3,000


Round Three Underway at Quik Pro Gold Goast
Published: 1:49 a.m. PT by Me

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast had 10 heats of Round Three take place on Sunday and Jordy Smith and Taj Burrow were the big dogs with scores of 19.03 and 19.20, respectively, for their heats.

Also advancing were Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Bede Durbidge. Eliminated in the days action were Dane Reynolds, Bruce Irons and Bobby Martinez. There are still some big names left to go, including Kelly Slater and Andy Irons.

Action is likely to resume tomorrow morning down under and you can see the live webcast at www.aspworldtour.com/quikpro.

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 17.63 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.44
Heat 2: Ben Dunn (AUS) 15.33 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.83
Heat 3: Taylor Knox (USA) 12.56 def. Dayyan Neve (AUS) 12.43
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.00 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 8.84
Heat 5: Dean Morrison (AUS) 16.10 def. Dane Reynolds (AUS) 13.27
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 19.03 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 15.74
Heat 7: Leonardo Neves (BRA) 14.00 def. Neco Padaratz (BRA) 8.66
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.57 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 7.33
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) 19.20 def. Mikael Picon (FRA) 7.77
Heat 10: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.17 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 6.44

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Round 3 Remaining Match-Ups:
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (AUS) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 12: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 14: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs. Adriano de Souza
(BRA) Heat 15: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Ben Bourgeois (USA)
Heat 16: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Luke Munro (AUS)

Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Round 4 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 2: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Heat 3: Dean Morison (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 4: Leonardo Neves (BRA) vs. Mick Fanning (AUS)
Heat 5: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 6: TBA vs. TBA
Heat 7: TBA vs. TBA
Heat 8: TBA vs. TBA


Lineup for Road Fools 16 Announced
Published: 1:01 a.m. PT by Me

The lineup for the latest in the BMX DVD series Road Fools has been announced... Riders include:

Anthony Napolitan
Brett Walker
Brad Simms
Corey Bohan
Chester Blacksmith
Aaron Ross
Nathan Williams
Corey Martinez
Justin Simpson
Dakota Roche
Morgan Wade
Rob Wise
Kurt Rasmussen

Reaction from fans on sites across the 'net are mixed, with half the people thinking the series is old news (despite the strong line-up) and the other half looking forward to the release. No matter what, it'll be good to see some riding from this group.

Check out old Road Fools titles here.

Dubeau Wins Red Bull Crystal
Published: 12:22 a.m. PT by Me

There is plenty of snowboarding action going on this weekend and one of the events took place Friday night at Mont Tremblant in Quebec. Red Bull Crystall had a crazy course that tried to bring the feeling of backcountry action to a man-made course.

Instead of me trying to describe it, here's what Red Bull had to say:

The innovative course design was built and lived up to the challenge, thrilling riders and fans alike with two 20-foot drops - one a rail and the other a box - book-ending a massive 25-foot jump. A giant screen was embedded into the base of the jump to give fans a visual teaser to the riders' descent before they watched the real live thing soar over one of the three features into a landing zone with gaps of 30 to 70 feet.

Action on, the riders were next eyeing a second man-made glacier near the bottom of the hill featuring a final rail module, and a last chance to impress the judges.

Ummm... Dang.

Jesmond Dubeau ended up winning the event taking home $10K. Yan Devo was second ($5K), while Harrison Gray and Nick Barbe tied for third ($2K each).

You can see a couple of photos below and check out the official site here.

March 1, 2008

Andreas Wiig, Cheryl Maas Win Slopestyle at Van's Cup in Tahoe
Published: 6:56 p.m. PT by Greg

Andreas Wiig held off Mason Aguirre Saturday to claim his second straight Slopestyle title at the Van's Cup in Northstar-at-Tahoe. Aguirre took the lead with his second run but Wiig scored huge in the final run of the day which included a Front 1080 to Backside Rodeo 900.

For the women, Cherly Maas followed up a third-place finish in Friday's Rail Jam with a win over Norwegian Kjersti Buaas. Chanelle Sladics rounded out the top three.

Action concludes tomorrow with the Superpipe finals, where Danny Kass and Aguirre are among the finalists for the men while Buaas and Maas headline the women.

Check back tomorrow for the final results.

Saturday, March 1 - Slopestyle Finals
Men
1. Andreas Wiig (Asker, NOR) 93.7 - $20,000
2. Mason Aguirre (Duluth, MN) 90.7 - $14,000
3. Robbie Walker (AUS)88.0 - $7,400

Women
1. Cheryl Maas (Biarritz, FRA) 79.0 - $15,000
2. Kjersti Buaas (Trondheim, NOR) 75.5 - $7,500
3. Chanelle Sladics (Newport Beach, CA) 66.2 - $3,000

Watch the live webcast at Vans.com.



Mikkel Bang Scores Two Wins at Nippon Open
Published: 6:02 p.m. PT by Me

Mikkel Bang is the big winner so far at the Nissan X-Trail Nippon Open in Japan, scoring not only a win in Friday's Parkstyle (Slopestyle) finals but also winning Saturday's Rail Jam. For the women, Jenny Jones scored a win for the Parkstyle finals while Jamie Anderson took second. Anderson did win the Rail Jam on Saturday.

Saturday's heavy snowstorms did make for less-than-perfect conditions for the SuperPipe qualifiers, which saw familiar names advancing to Sunday's finals including Torah Bright and Gretchen Bleiler for the women and Janne Korpi and Keir Dillon for the men.

Top Ten Results for 2008 Nissan X-Trail Nippon Open Parkstyle (Slopestyle)
February 29, 2008

Men
1. Mikkel Bang NOR
2. Kazuhiro Kokubo JPN
3. Jaakko Ruha FIN
4. Peetu Piiroinen FIN
5. Janne Korpi FIN
6. Masaharu Nakao JPN
7. Antti Autti FIN
8. Drew Brighton USA
9. Charles Reid CAN
10. Mario Käppeli SUI

Women
1. Jenny Jones GBR
2. Jamie Anderson USA
3. Izumi Amaike JPN
4. Claudia Fliri AUT
5. Kelly Clark USA
6. Mitsumi Takahashi JPN
7. Meri Peltonen FIN
8. Ellery Hollingsworth USA
9. Sina Candrian SUI
10. Yuki Ueno JPN

2008 Nissan X-Trail Nippon Open Rail Jam Results
Saturday, March 1 2008

Men: Mikkel Bang ($2,000)
Women: Jamie Anderson ($2,000)

Get more and see the live webcast at the official site.


Guldemond and Aguirre Win Rail Jam at Van's Cup in Tahoe
Published: 1:48 a.m. PT by Mike

The Van's Cup has kicked off in Northstar-at-Tahoe, with Chas Guldemond (who was third in the slopestyle event in '06) and Molly Aguirre each taking the top spot in the Rail Jam. Check out the top three results below with the payout. Action continues today with slopestyle and continues tomorrow with the Superpipe contest, which was won last year by Elena Hight for the women.

We'll bring more results as they happen!

Friday, February 29 – Rail Jam Results

Men
1. Chas Guldemond (Truckee, CA) - Prize: $10,000
2. Brandon Reis (Dublin, NH) - $7,000
3. Kade Madsen (Sparta, NJ) - $3,000

Women
1. Molly Aguirre (Mammoth Lakes, CA) - $3,000
2. Desiree Melancon (Riverside, CA) - $1,500
3. Cheryl Maas (Biarritz, FRA) - $1,000

Watch the live webcast at Vans.com.


WESC/STEREO Art Show in Santa Monica
Published: 1:33 a.m. PT by Mike

An art exhibit featuring multiple activists from the WE Superlative Conspiracy is having an opening reception party this weekend in Santa Monica's Bergamot Station in conjunction with Nylon Magazine. Some of the artist exhibited will include Chris Pastras from Stereo, Clint Peterson, Jason Lee as well as guest artist Sage Vaughn. This event will be taking place TODAY (March 1), from 6:30 pm to 8:30.

If you can make this event, it would be a great opportunity to see some of the most influential people in skateboarding, as well as experience an event put on by one of the most progressive lifestyle brands in WESC. Not to mention Bergamot station is a really nice location.

Check out the flier for more info.



I Said Liptricks, Not Lipsticks
Published: 1:09 a.m. PT by Mike

Here's a different kind of event for you snowboarders. Echo Mountain is throwing a one-of-a-kind rail jam with a very unique set up. Liptricks Not Lipsticks happens today and you can find out more info below. And not to mention it's an opportunity to win some huge prizes. I just hope that the name of he event won’t scare the chicks away or else it will be a sausage fest.

Check the flyer yo!


Amph: The Progressive Surf Company - Soming Soon
Published: 12:43 a.m. PT by Mike

Amph is a new company where surfing and art will mix -- encouraging encourage creativity and out of the box thinking to help evolve what is considered the everyday standard. Here's some more from the release:
Pushing the sport of surfing in the name of Amph are Charly Martin, Christophe Allary, Hugo Savalli and Justin Mujica. The four surfers form part of The Amph Program – dedicated to breaking the boundaries of surfing with radical and progressive tricks. With no rules or limitations, the riders will be pushing themselves on the best waves around the world in order to bring something fresh to the sport.

As for the product, the line will consist of work created by young-up-and-coming artists who see no boundaries in art. They will now have a platform in Amph to showcase their surf and urban inspired pieces. Look out for Amph this March. Visit the website here.



Epickly Later'd: John Cardiel Episode 10
Published: 12:29 a.m. PT by Mike

This episode has some really cool archive footage from John’s days with Gonz and some stories about Jake Phelps from Thrasher. I’ve never seen this footage before but it looks as if skating with these guys would be super fun. But you would also have to have major balls because they skate as if they had body armor on. So be prepared to see some nice slams in this one. Not to mention John’s attempt at surgery and the precursor that lead to Gonz tearing his face up at the carwash slant in Hollywood.

Mulanovich Wins 2008 Roxy Pro
Published: 12:00 a.m. PT by Greg

Sofia Mulanovich has won the 2008 Roxy Pro in the Gold Coast of Australia by defeating Sam Cornish is a final marked by a few great waves for Mulanoivch and bunch of poor ones for Cornish.

Mulanovich scored 17.34 on her two best waves, including a top wave of 9.17. Cornish couldn't come close, managing best scores of only 4.33 and 3.50.

The talk of the day, though, was the performance of 15-year-old wildcard Carissa Moore. Moore actually made a splash at this event last year defeating then-defending world champ Layne Beachley. This year, she defeated the current world-champ Stephanie Gilmore as she advanced to the semi-finals.

We've got a lot more about this event here and check out a photo gallery here from the event.

February 29, 2008

Junior Seau: Patriot Surfer
Published: 1:11 a.m. PT by Me

It's no secret that surfing is a hobby of many of the rich and famous, but rarely do you hear about a Super Bowl athlete retiring so he can surf. Well, we might be exagerrating a little bit. New England Patriot Junior Seau isn't retiring to join the ASP or anything -- in fact, it's not sure he's retiring yet. But he's been a pro almost two full decades and needs surgery so he's considering hanging up the cleats.

"I have a choice of playing or a choice of surfing. Those are great choices to have," Seau said.

To be clear, Seau does have other stuff going on, including a restaurant in San Diego, a foundation and golf tourneys. But for him, it sounds like surfing is at the top of the list.

You can read the story here and check out Seau's form below.


Mascot Injured While Surfing. Sort Of.
Published: 12:49 a.m. PT by Me

I'm not sure what it is with action sports and mascots this week. First, we told you about the Roxy Chicken Jam's chicken mascot challenging other mascots to a snowboard contest this March. Now we have the video below, showing Duke's Blue Devil mascot getting injured while "surfing" on Duke students. Hilarious. I would love to see the Devil on the slopes in March.



The Eddie Closes Holding Period
Published: 12:19 a.m. PT by Me
Today marks the end of the holding period for the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau and for another year, The Eddie didn't go off.

"Of course, we would love to have had the contest this year," Contest Director George Downing said. "But the one thing we'll never do is compromise the standards we have set. It's that 20-foot-plus standard that sets Waimea apart from other big-wave venues and that made the place special to Eddie."

In the contest's 91-day holding period, there was only one day of swell that registered as large enough to run the event (Jan. 13). Problem was, the waves were inconsistent and there was too much wind to make the contest worth running.

In the 23 years since the contest began in 1984 it has only been held seven times.


Bowl-A-Rama Winners Include Lasek, Glifberg
Published: 12:02 a.m. PT by Me
Bucky Lasek led the pros and Steve Cabellero led the masters at the Bondi Bowl-a-Rama down under last weekend but that was only one of two Bowl-a-Ramas to take place... The week before in Wellington, NZ, another Bowl-a-Rama took place and Rune Glifberg and Lance Mountain took the titles.

We've got all the winners here and a bunch of photos in our gallery here. And if you want a taste of the photos check out the ones below.

 

February 28, 2008

Slaughter At The Opera LIVE Webcast
Published: 5:33 p.m. PT by Mike

Don't forget to catch the live webcast of The Slaughter at the Opera skate contest this Friday (the 29th) at 7PM. Now, yes, the event takes place on March 1 in Sydney, Australia, but since they are something like 16 hours ahead that means you can watch Friday night. The good folks at Globe promise the basics like multiple angles, live commentary and skater interviews. Scheduled to attend are all the big names including Eric Koston, Rick McCrank, Paul Rodriguez, Jereme Rogers, Chris Haslam, Ryan Sheckler and many many more. This event is a follow up to last year's highly successful event with the highest cash purse in all of skateboarding (until the Maloofs hit the scene this summer with their money cup). Still, $25K to the top skater... I remember back when first-place skaters would win a book of stickers and a gift certificate to Chili's. With that kind of money, you wouldn't expect anything but the best from the top skaters in the world attending.

Go to Globe.tv to catch all the fun and action.

Fourth Annual Roxy Chicken Jam... For Mascots?
Published: 1:22 a.m. PT by Mike

A call out has been made by the Roxy snowboarding Chicken to any other mascots who want to challenge it at this years Annual Roxy Chicken Jam. I'm not sure how many other mascots are able to snowboard but I'm sure that there are a few. Challengers can be of either sex (which is good, I guess, since it's a woman's event) and any age (including college and high school mascots). The Rockstar-sponsored event offers a $4000 winner take-all cash prize (this for the non-mascots) for the superpipe competition and an additional $1000 for the best costume. This event takes place on the 29th of March on Mammoth Mountain.

Hopefully some of my favorite mascots will show up: Caveman from Geico Insurance spots, Masterbating Bear from Conan O'Brien, Colonel Sanders, and Shaquille O'neil from the Phoenix Suns. Can't wait to see who actually enters. Check out the
Go to Roxy site for more. Or, watch this...



Matix: Lord of the Lines
Published: 1:00 a.m. PT by Mike

Finally, a skate contest for the rest of us! Well not me cuz I don't really skate any more but for the rest of you. The Matix Lord of the Lines skate contest is a different kind of event, which consists of three different types of ledges lined up strategically for the contestants to put together the sickest line. Most contests' street set ups are not very indicative of real street scenarios. This Matix set-up though is reminiscent to something like Love Park or EMB which is the terrain most skaters learn their lines. So you will be able to see skaters at this type of contest that would never skate the bigger more traditional X-Games type skate events. Check out the vid…

Go to the
Go to Matix site for the video footage from the recent event at ASR including behind-the-scenes footage and European vids. Tons there.



ESPN's Moto X World Championships
Published: 12:31 a.m. PT by Mike

Awhile back we told you about ESPN announcing the Moto X World Championships in San Diego. Now we have some more details about the event which is going down at Qualcomm Stadium on April 12-13th. Pretty much every type of Moto X will be represented, including freestyle, supermoto, best trick, step up, speed and style, and moto x racing. Coming to participate will be the biggest and brightest in the sport, including Travis Pastrana, Ricky Carmichael, Brian Deegan, Carey Hart, Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg and Jeremy McGrath.

Here's the schedule:

MOTO X WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT AND TV SCHEDULE
*All times listed are Pacific Time (PT)

SATURDAY, APRIL 12
8 a.m. – 9 a.m. SuperMoto Practice
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. AMA SuperMoto 250s, Unlimited, 450s Final
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Speed & Style Practice, Best Trick Practice
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. SuperMoto Final (ESPN / ESPN HD)
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Best Trick Final (ESPN / ESPN HD)
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Step Up Final (Part I) (ESPN2)
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Speed & Style Final (ESPN2)
5 p.m. – 6 p.m. Moto X Racing Practice
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Freestyle Practice

SUNDAY, APRIL 13
10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Freestyle Practice
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Moto X Racing Practice
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Freestyle Elimination
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Freestyle Elimination (ESPN / ESPN HD)
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Step Up Final (Part II) (ESPN / ESPN HD)
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Moto X Racing Final (ESPN2)
4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Freestyle Final (ESPN2)

Go to EXPN if you want more info or Ticketmaster to buy tickets.

Volcom Stone's VQS Series in NC and Cardiff
Published: 12:10 a.m. PT by Mike

The ASP (which had lay days for both the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro today) isn't the only surf tour out there with events going on. Volcom's VQS series contines with its events. Two of the most recent were the Cooterfish event in NC and the Blowfish event at Seaside Reef, Cardiff. To find out what happened, you can check out the updates from Volcom here (for NC) and here (for Cardiff).

View Previous Quick Hits Entries From February 21 - February 27, 2008