by The Editors on January 30, 2018
Pierre Agnes, 54, the CEO of Boardriders Inc, the parent company of Quiksilver and Billabong reportedly went missing at sea near Biarritz, France, on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, according to an Associated Press story in the LA Times. Boats and helicopters joined the search immediately.
According to Agence France-Press, Agnes went out in his boat early Tuesday and later told authorities that because of fog, he would return later than he’d initially planned. . . The port authority of the Atlantic beach town of Capbreton said the search was launched after Agnes’ empty boat was found washed up Tuesday in nearby Hossegor. In a statement, Boardriders said that 54-year-old Agnes had gone fishing on his “beloved” boat, as he often did in the mornings, and that he had not been heard from since.The port authority of the Atlantic beach town of Capbreton said the search was launched after Agnes’ empty boat was found washed up Tuesday in nearby Hossegor. In a statement, Boardriders said that 54-year-old Agnes had gone fishing on his “beloved” boat, as he often did in the mornings, and that he had not been heard from since.
Our thoughts are with the Agnes family and we continue to hope for the best.
[Link: LA Times via SurferToday]
[Update February 1, 2018: The search for Pierre Agnes has been called off (Wednesday, January 31, 2018) the day after his boat was found washed up on a beach, according to as story in the LA Times. “Maritime authorities had struggled with waves of up to 8 feet and poor visibility Tuesday. They called off the search on Wednesday afternoon after canvassing the area with two boats, a jet ski and three helicopters, saying there was little chance of Agnes being found alive. . . Water temperatures were in the low to mid-50s, and that stretch of coastline is known for its fast, big and heavy barrel waves, making it a popular spot for surfers. At this time of winter there are also perilous riptides and shifting sandbanks.”]
by The Editors on January 25, 2018
TEN: The Enthusiasts Network, parent of Transworld Snowboarding, Skateboarding, et. al., is rebranding their GrindTV website as the all new Adventure Sports Network.
“ASN aims to be the world’s most engaged digital media platform serving the ever-growing outdoor/adventure sports and lifestyle community,” said Norb Garrett, President of TEN’s Sports & Entertainment group. “ASN’s editorial strategy is unique in that it will generate original content around experiences, product, gear and travel while also leveraging TEN’s twelve action-adventure sports brands (such as Surfer, Powder, TransWorld Snowboarding and Canoe & Kayak) as well as building a network of amazing third-party content partners.”
Hey, it’s a plan, right? As a media company you can’t just sit around watching as all your brands whither away to nothing. You’ve got to do something. And this is something. Not sure the world is pining for another wide ranging, general interest adventure sports portal, but there’s no denying that it’s a plan that will look great in a PowerPoint deck. It might even convince a few companies to give TEN some of their marketing dollars, or maybe even create a profitable “partnership”. So that’s good. Plus, it’s got a bangin’ logo. What else do you need in these times?
For the official world from The Enthusiasts Network, please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on January 25, 2018
Wanna watch Gabriel Medina (above) go after current world champion 2 John Florence next year on that surf series operated by a privately owned entertainment company specializing in event and online streamed content production (mostly surfing sport)? According to a story on Forbes.com you’ll have to do it on Facebook, because the days of watching the feed on the company’s website (and then airplaying it your TV) are over thanks to a payment of an estimated $30 million from Facebook for exclusive rights.
Facebook had non-exclusive rights to live WSL events last year with the competitions also broadcast on the WSL’s website and mobile app. Nearly 14 million people watched a World Surf League event on Facebook in 2017. “The exclusivity of this deal will elevate the profile surfing and the WSL have within the Facebook platform,” says Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO.
Thrity-million dollars is a nice chunk for a business that has most likely been losing large sums of money each year since buying the tour. But we can say this, we watched a couple events last season, now if they’re only available on Facebook.com we won’t watch any and we don’t think we’re alone. So long pro surf tour. . .
[Link: Forbes]
by The Editors on January 25, 2018
Five women are reportedly suing Monster Energy over what they call an abusive, discriminatory culture, according to a story in the Huffington Post.
The women’s lawsuits and personal stories paint a detailed and disturbing picture of what systemic sex discrimination does to women’s lives and careers. Women at Monster allege that they were punished for speaking up, saying their professional reputations were tarnished and careers derailed. Egregious behavior by mainly male executives went without consequence.
Monster reportedly states that the “cases are without merit and had nothing to do with sex discrimination, and characterized the women who filed the suits as “disgruntled employees.” For the rest of the story, click the link.
[Link: Huffington Post]
by The Editors on January 23, 2018
Mervin Mfg. is excited to announce the addition of Maxx von Marbod as Sales Director for North America and APAC.
Maxx is a life-long Northwest based snowboarder, surfer, board collector, designer and friend to all he meets. As a snowboarder, he’s seen it all from a frothy grom battling it out in Northwest Series to a seasoned ripper playing a pivotal role at major brands across the industry. Throughout his 20+ year board sports tour of duty, Maxx has managed to stay in love with the activities that help define him; riding boards with good friends on a weekly basis. His love for shred has kept Maxx closely connected to the Mervin Mfg. crew often helping to tweak new products through his valuable R & D feedback only a double decade veteran could provide.
So we guess what they’re saying is that this isn’t Maxx’s first rodeo.
by The Editors on December 15, 2017
Inc. Magazine lays out the story of GoPro’s wild successes and failures in a rather sympathetic profile of founder Nick Woodman which begins with this sentence: Nick Woodman is crying.
After a decade of breakneck growth, GoPro held one of the most successful tech IPOs of 2014, which earned Woodman comparisons to Steve Jobs. But the past two years have been a cautionary tale: botched product rollouts, sweeping layoffs, a giant new initiative shuttered. The company was profitable each year following its bootstrapped launch, but it has lost money every quarter from the end of 2015 until the third quarter of 2017.
Though we’ve always appreciated Mr. Woodman’s ability to recklessly enjoy his successes, we’re not sure there are any major lesson’s to be learned here, however, that didn’t stop him from lining up some life tips. Jump to the end of the story if you don’t have time for the rest.
[Link: Inc.]
by The Editors on December 6, 2017
MERGE4 is proud and stoked to announce the addition of skateboarding legend Eric Dressen to their family of collaborators creating art-driven socks for countless happy feet around the world.
“Eric Dressen is a ‘Skate Lifer,’ and his skating has been blowing minds throughout his entire skate career,” says Jef Hartsel. “In fact, when I first got to meet him after moving to Venice in the 80’s, I remember being extra stoked inside because I’d known of Eric for many years prior from seeing him in his “Who’s Hot” feature in Skateboarder Magazine when I first started skating back in the 70’s. He was still only 10 years young then, and already riding for Logan Earth Ski, the same skateboard company that sponsored and helped to launch Tony Alva’s skate career during his early years after first turning pro.”
For the official word from Merge4, please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on December 5, 2017
Man about shred Nick Visconti (former Tahoe Dangerzoner) has launched a coffee roasting company in Truckee, California called Drink Coffee Do Stuff.
“For many reasons snowboarding and roasting coffee are similar; more importantly, they both require style, Visconti says. “I am proud of our coffees; they are an actualization of my five-year journey as a coffee roaster, and perfectly highlight their origin characteristic with unforgettable sweetness. DRINK COFFEE DO STUFF is committed to creating four season jobs for four season residents, and contributing to a local economic and employment strategy where money made in Truckee/North Tahoe is spent in Truckee/North Tahoe.”
Don’t live in the Tahoe basin? No worries you can still order up all the goods online. Follow the jump for the official word.
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by The Editors on December 4, 2017
In response to President Trump’s historic plundering of America’s protected public lands, Patagonia has this to say:
Americans have overwhelmingly spoken out against the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attempt to shut down our national monuments. The Administration’s unlawful actions betray our shared responsibility to protect iconic places for future generations and represent the largest elimination of protected land in American history. We’ve fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we’ll continue that fight in the courts. – Rose Marcario, President and CEO, Patagonia
For more info, follow the jump.
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by The Editors on November 30, 2017
Good lord, it’s finally happening. Today, December 1, 2017 Boardriders Inc. has made an offer to acquire all of the shares in Billabong at a price of $1 cash per share.
Billabong International Limited (Billabong) (ASX: BBG) confirms that it has received a confidential, indicative and non-binding proposal from Boardriders, Inc. (Boardriders) to acquire all of the shares in Billabong, other than those already owned by Boardriders’ related entities, at a price of $1.00 cash per share, via a scheme of arrangement (the Indicative Proposal). Funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.(Oaktree) have a majority interest in Boardriders. Oaktree, through controlled entities, already holds 19% of the shares in Billabong and is one of Billabong’s two senior lenders.
The idea has been batting around since October 14, 2015 and it looks like the timing is finally right. This still has to pass a unanimous recommendation from the Billabong Board (among other things) but really, what other option do they have? For the official press release from Billabong, please follow the jump.
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