Quick Hits Archive: February 1-7
Feb 23 2007 / Los Angeles, CAFebruary 07, 2007
SURF
Quiksilver goes viral
They’ve teamed up with ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi to create this edgy don’t-try-this-at-home viral video. Hey, you bring the dynamite, we’ll bring the board! In a not-so-funny follow-up, Quiksilver’s retail outpost in Seaham, UK received two bomb threats this week, forcing the evacuation of the Dalton Park shopping center. In the immortal words of Mallrat Brodie Bruce (Jason Lee): “I love the smell of commerce in the morning.”
Australian boarder wanted by DEA
According to Australia’s Herald Sun, Australian boarder Daniel James Kneitel, 35, is on the DEA’s most wanted listed for his role in a $13 million drug trafficking ring: “He was charged in connection with a trafficking ring that allegedly moved up to 400kg of marijuana every six weeks from Canada into Alaska and mainland US.” So that’s what that funny smell was.
Full story >
SURF
Summer surfer still stokedThe LA Times tracks down Robert August, who at age 18 starred in The Endless Summer and helped launch the surfing boom. Now 61, he’s spent his life shaping surfboards, and, despite not making a cent from the film, has no regrets: “I still surf. I still enjoy it. I don’t know why. I’ve ridden probably 100,000 waves, but I’m still excited when it’s a nice day and the waves are 5 foot. I can’t wait to get out there.” Sounds like his decision not to become a dentist was the right one.
Full story >
SNOW
Field test: The padded snowsuitNovice boarder (and Times writer) Hugo Martin takes the 10-pound, $590 Aegix snowsuit—which integrates shoulder, rib, lower spine, elbow, thigh, tailbone, and knee padding—for a spin at Mountain High. His review: “At a price of nearly $600, the suit seemed rather pricey for a beginner like me. For that kind of money, I could afford to get plenty of snowboarding lessons to keep the seat of my pants off the snow.” Good point.
Full story >
SKATE
Skate + Urban = Skurban?
By now you’re probably familiar with the skate-hip hop crossover movement, but did you know people are calling it, “skurban”? Yikes. Lil’ Wayne (pictured) is down with the feeling if not the name. In the song, About All That, he raps, “But I’m so DC like fat shoes / I skate away... like later dudes!” Gnarly.
Full story >
SNOW
Skiing: So hot right now
The Boston Globe jumps on the “skiing is big again” bandwagon with this post-X-games column. Unfortunately, the Globe’s case is padded by interviews with three 12-year-old skiers, one of whom says: “Skiing is the thing right now.” Hmm, wonder what would’ve happened if the reporter had interviewed three pre-teen snowboarders…
Full story >
SKATE
In this case, yes, we’ll call it a crime
The AP reports that a 29-year-old convicted sex offender, who posed as a 12-year-old boy to enroll at Arizona schools, may have formed a skateboarding club to victimize kids. Neil Havens Rodreick III shaved, wore pancake makeup, and called himself Casey to enroll at charter schools outside Phoenix, and he recruited skatepark-using teenagers to meet with him at his trailer about the club. Police say none of the children were victimized, but they believe that before he was arrested, that’s what he was planning. It’s a twisted, sordid story, but that’s the gist. Ugh.
Full story >
February 05, 2007
SNOW
June in February: June Mountain Closes for Season
It isn’t only the east coast that’s been spanked by snow. According to the website for June Mountain, Mammoth’s little sister: “Due to unusually light snowfall this season, June Mountain ski operations are closed for the season. Effective Monday, January 29, 2007 through the remainder of the season, all June Mountain season passes will be honored at Mammoth Mountain.” On the upside, nice deal for those season-pass holders, huh?
Full story >
SURF
Hamilton’s Story Hits the Screen
The new Bethany Hamilton documentary premieres in Huntington Beach on February 9th. According to the production company: “Dealing with topics from self-consciousness and courage to faith in God, Heart of a Soul Surfer presents a good message in a fun, exciting way; told from the heart of a young woman with great passion and dedication to God.”
Check out the trailer >
SKATE
The Skater-Friendly Granny
A 72-year-old grandmother has donated $200,000 from her retirement fund to help build a skatepark in Englewood, Florida.“We’re going to have this skate park come hell or high water,” Jean Berlin tells the Herald Tribune. Her children used to skate, her 15-year-old grandson does now, and dammit, we love her.
Full story >
SNOW
NY Times Hearts the Ski Tour
The paper sent a writer to Sun Valley, Idaho, the first stop on the tour, and from the looks of her article, Alison Berkley got the full experience. She details the competitions and the parties in equal measure, and even snags a quote from Lost star Michelle Rodriguez: ‘ “I love people who think of things that are amazing and make them happen,” said Ms. Rodriguez, who wore white fur boots and a matching fur.’ So do we, Michelle, so do we.
SURF
Surf and Song
Emmett Malloy and Rob Machado tell Blunt magazine all about their new flick, A Broke-Down Melody, which fuses breathtaking breaks with banging beats. Says Rob: “Yeah there’s a crazy connection between surfing and music. The two just go together so well. There’s nothing quite like kicking back after a surf and listening to or playing music. When you get to travel with guys like Jack Johnson, it’s just killer.”
SKATE
SoCal High Schools House Skating Meccas
The LA Times finds that area high schools have become renowned for their skating terrain, with people coming from around the world to session it. “You could do a trick no one’s seen before on a certain rail in a place like Ohio,” said Casey Morrissey, 23, who has been skating for nine years. “But if you do it on the Belmont rail, it makes you stand out because you’ve done a really gnarly trick on a rail that’s famous.” Naturally, school administrators are pissed.
SURF
The Honolulu Advertiser reports that a 23-year-old surfer named Robert Martin died after being found unconscious on Wainiha beach. A bystander called 911 after seeing Martin crash in the waves, but emergency personnel were unable to rescucitate him.
SKATE
N.C. Driver Who Killed Skater Pleads Guilty
Rodney Tucker, a 48-year-old North Carolina man whose truck killed 14-year-old skater Tyler Litton in September, has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
February 02, 2007
SKATE
Transition Video Magazine Vol. 2 Out Now
The opening segment of the latest installment of Transition Video Magazine reminds us of just how powerfully Thrasher Magazine illustrator Mike Sieben has twisted our visions of skateboarding to his own sick and strange interpretations. The video mag starts off with a trip "deep into the heart of Texas" to profile Sieben and check in on an art opening at his Camp Fig gallery (R.I.P.) before proceeding on to a profile of Ty Evans, a sneak peak at Steve Berra's private skatepark, and lots of hard rock by the likes of Mastodon, Propaghandi, and Ted Leo.
Order a copy here >
Sieben is one of our favorites, and since he's having a bit of a moment in the 2007 cultural landscape we thought we'd put together a few relevant links in his honor:
He co-founded Okay Mountain, a new gallery in Austin, TX >
He designed the free "Only Monsters Test On Animals" stickers for PETA2 >
His company, Bueno Skateboards, is going strong >
He's featured in a 12-page spread in the upcoming issue (#09) of Art Prostitute >
He's about to have a big solo show at Art Palace in Austin, TX >
February 01, 2007
SURF
The Wave is Coming: Get the Mavericks Greenlight
The waiting period is on: The extremely-big big wave surf contest at Mavericks is going to go down any day now, and the biggest names in big wave surfing will be there with their biggest guns. You can nerd out now on the pre-contest storm watch and sign up to get Jeff Clark’s official Greenlight message sent to your email address: We’ll be following the Mavericks action here at Lat34, but you won’t want to miss the official start or the many resources to be found by clicking here >
