We’ve been super stoked on big mountain Jeremy Jones’ sponsors lately. First he signed up with the American Pistachio Growers, then he got hooked up with Vermont Peanut Butter.

Now he’s taken to outrunning avalanches for The Silver Bullet. What’s worse is that his beer run is for some country singer who is likely recognizable among people who listen to that kind of music.

We can’t really fault him. He’s a great stuntman and light beer reportedly goes real well with nuts.

[Link via Yobeat]

Tony Hawk is back at it again. As he does every year he’s asking (yes, asking) people to hit up the Tony Hawk Foundation for free money (up to $25,000) to be used for building skateboard parks. There is a catch: eligible parks must serve at-risk youth in low-income communities. And he’s done a lot of this.

Having awarded more than 500 grants since 2002 to skatepark projects in all 50 states, the Tony Hawk Foundation has seen 80% of the skateparks it’s helped fund open and begin serving almost 13,000 youth daily. In addition to its domestic Grant Program, the Tony Hawk Foundation has also provided critical Technical Assistance to thousands of skatepark projects around the world. In many instances, the foundation’s Technical Assistance has helped communities avoid costly mistakes and delays. Tony Hawk Foundation staff assisted over 1,000 communities in 2012 alone.

The Tony Hawk Foundation is doing great things in this world. To find out how you can help support, or apply for some funding for a skateboard park in your neighborhood follow the jump. One more thing: applications must be turned in by July 1, 2013 to be considered.

Continue reading ‘Hit Up The Tony Hawk Foundation Now’

Hitchhiker Kai a.k.a. Caleb Lawrence McGillvary, the “home free” surfer who described himself as “straight out of Dogtown” after saving a woman’s life when the man whose car he was riding in purposely began ramming people with his car, has reportedly been arrested for murder of a New Jersey lawyer, according to a story on NBC News.

Officials believe McGillvary, 24, killed Joseph Galfy, who was found in his Clark, N.J. home on Monday, dead of blunt force trauma. Prosecutors say Galfy met McGillvary in Times Square Saturday night, and brought him back to his house to spend the night. . . They say they believe the two men had a sexual encounter.

McGillvary posted on his facebook page that he woke up in a stranger’s house “realizing that someone had drugged, raped” him. And then asked, “What would you do?” Well, not going home with a New Jersey lawyer would be a good start. But we don’t know the life Kai lives. Either way, it would seem he’s up for the celebrity trial of the summer.
[Link: NBC News]

Skateboarding doesn’t go much deeper, kinder, or funnier than with Jason Lee and Chris Pastras. Just watch this edit and you’ll understand what we’re talking about.

Real Skateboards co-founder Jim Thiebaud has partnered up with the guys from Green Day on a skateboard collaboration that will help raise funds for the Children’s Hospital & Research Center in Oakland, according to a story in the New York Daily News.

“It’s a true collaboration with Green Day,” Thiebaud told the Daily News. “I’ve been friends with Billie Joe for more than 15 years. I grew up in Berkeley and Oakland. When you were a punk rocker or a skateboarder, you stuck out, so you got to know everyone in the scene.” . . Mimicking the graphics for Green Day’s latest, multi-album release, “Uno!,” “Dos!,” and “Tré!,” Real is issuing custom skateboards that the company will sell in skate shops and online. Proceeds will go to Children’s Hospital.

For the rest of the great story behind a group of really good guys, click the link.

[Link: NY Daily News & Green Day]

Ken Block drives through some Russian snow in a mass tangle of GoPro cameras. He also blasts out a skier on his way down the mountain. Would have been more fun to see Block out on the Russian dash-cam highways of death, truthfully.

Power House Productions, the nonprofit organization behind Detroit, Michigan’s Ride It Sculpture Park, got a little help from the Tony Hawk Foundation in the form of a $30,000 donation (including $5,000 from THF board member Kevin Rose) to help continue construction on the “skatescape along East Davison Street.

“Being recognized by the Tony Hawk Foundation, a name synonymous with the highest level of the sport, is a point of pride for the neighborhood,” said Mitch Cope, Co-Director of Power House Productions. “These kids just can’t believe it. . . Ride It Sculpture Park has always been a very personal project for us, in part because it mixes aspects of our youth that were such big influences—skateboarding and art—and also because it has the greatest potential for impact in our neighborhood of any of the projects we’ve done. It’s a focal point for creative, social activity that is free and open to all.”

For the official word from the Tony Hawk Foundation, as well of a list of the rest of the Winter 2013 THF Skatepark Grants, follow the jump. Continue reading ‘Tony Hawk: Motor City Skatepark Man’

It’s rare to read a celebrity snowboarding story without seeing that the person died while doing it, but it appears that Justin Bieber who has been having health problems took some time off to make a few Euro laps on a snowboard in Switzerland, according to a story on AceShowBiz.

“Snowboarding this morning and working this afternoon. We go hard,” the teen star tweeted, before raving about his encounter with some Beliebers, “Love to fans i met today. thanks for the letters.” He added in another message, “I like #switzerland #BLESSED.” . . Bieber was in town to perform at the Hallenstadion in Zurich as part of his “Believe” world tour. He will head to Italy afterwards and continue his European leg until May before hitting Dubai and South Africa and eventually return to the States for the remaining dates.

Guess the guy just needs to get outside more during the day.

[Link: AceShowBiz]

The ATL Twins, Brandon Biebel, Harmony and Rachel Korine, and Chad Muska all together following the premiere of Korine’s film Spring Breakers. Maybe someday we’ll understand why. Until then, we’ll just blame it all on Chris Nieratko.

[Link: Vice via Powder & Rails]

Tony Hawk discusses how he got started, his break with Per Wilander and how he learned to say, “No.” In a Inc. magazine How I Got Started feature.

When we first started, I was doing all the marketing and all the promotional materials myself. I was OK at it, but I wasn’t the most qualified person. Finally, one of our team members said, “Your ads aren’t very good. You’re better at skating. Why don’t you let me take this over?” . . . So I took a step back from the business and focused on skating. I stopped being so involved in the day-to-day operations and became more of an adviser. The company was growing, and everything was working out pretty well. But all that changed when we started to move outside of the skate world.

For the rest of the story click the link.

[Link: Inc.com via SkateDaily]