Here’s the latest from our favorite surfboard manu and shaper. It’s the Lib Tech . . . LostShort Round from Mike Olson and Matt Biolos:
The Short Round bridges the gap between easy riding “cheater” surfboards and the high performance shortboard. The speed comes from a low entry rocker and wide-ish nose, with a forward wide point and generous concave throughout. The performance comes from a moderate, but not flipped up, tail rocker, a double concave through the fins and the same sort of modern bump squash tail you would find on a typical contest style, small wave HP shortboard. All combined, it doesn’t look like anything fancy and there are no gimmicks, but sometimes less is more, and there’s a lot packed into this little surfboard.
Shark Shield is a traction pad that creates an electric field around your surfboard when you’re in the water. According to the company this field is annoying to sharks and “nine times out of ten” it will scare a shark away.
Shark Shield’s innovative tail pad and adhesive decal electrode design is 100 percent user installable on any surfboard, new or old, providing a cost effective and immediate solution for protecting surfers across the globe. When surfers select to install an Ocean & Earth Shark Shield tail pad, they can install the electronics module at any time in the future, turning the board into a shark deterrent. The miniaturized electronic module is completely removable and thus transferable between surfboards.
The shield is currently available for purchase for about $600. Not a bad investment if you enjoy surfing in particularly sharky surf. For the official word from Shark Shield, please follow the jump.
ZEAL Optics announced today (April 1, 2016) that it has officially let the dogs out, with the release of its new canine-friendly eyewear collection, Doggles. The new line, ranging from full-wrap glacier styles for arctic travel, to stylish, yet rugged beachwear for the pup on the playa, hits storefronts today. And yes, they are “bacon-infused.”
We’re fans of Lib Tech Waterboards, so we’re even more hyped when we see them adding to their quiver of durable, repeatable, ripping shapes, like this Ringer for Huntington Beach’s big and tall Ryan Carlson.
“The Ringer” mixes a pulled in performance nose with a wide acceleration platform blended into a double winged swallow tail that offers control and precision in all conditions. A mild single to double concave bottom with a flat exit offers speed and adds a positive, loose feel. The skate inspired concave deck insures a comfortable paddle and locked in front foot traction. Carlson at six four is a big guy who surfs aggressively, traditionally a chronic board breaker… Lib Tech’s rugged Eco Iso construction has been a game changer for Ryan. “I used to go through a board or two a week. It was a nightmare, shapers hated me. My Libs last forever and Olson loves me. So stoked”. Initially introduced as a 6’2” the Ringer is now available in smaller 5’10” and 6’ sizes opening up this magical performance shape to more average sized surfers.
Vans is continuing their 50th Anniversary celebration with the release of their Vans Pro Classic Anniversary Collection tomorrow, March 16, 2016.
Anecdoted by its original year of release, each style in the Vans Pro Classics Anniversary Collection pays homage to influential cultural milestones from Vans’ groundbreaking era of 1966-2000. What began as simple renovations in color, fabric and shape bolstered true connections with action sports icons such as original Dogtown Z-boy Stacy Peralta, celebrated surfer Duke Kahanamoku, and Vans’ skateboarding legend Christian Hosoi.
For the official word from Vans and a closer look at all the shoes, follow the jump.
Vans is launching an all-new Anthony Van Engelen collection on March 12, 2016 and it has some some interesting stuff in it (like the AV Holser windbreaker). To check it all out, follow the jump.
Tatiana Weston-Webb is releasing a signature line of traction with her longtime surf wax and accessories sponsors, Sticky Bumps. She also renewed her contract with the Vista, California based company.
Tati has been with the brand for over 6 years, and this year she will release her signature traction pad for Sticky Bumps, the Tati Signature Traction. 2015 marked Tati’s rookie year on tour, and her incredible surfing resulted in top finishes and earned her requalification for 2016. She finished the year at #7 in the WSL Championship Tour rankings. As the 2016 contest circuit begins in Australia, both Sticky Bumps and Tatiana are eagerly anticipating each event. The Tati Signature Traction will be available online and in stores this summer.
For the official word from Sticky Bumps, please follow the jump.
One of our favorite action sporting GPS smart watches, the Garmin Vivoactive, is getting a nice upgrade this spring with the addition heart-rate monitoring, a completely redesigned case, and built-in snowboard activity tracking. The new watch is called the Garmin Vivoactive HR.
The snowboarding app measures 3-D speed by calculating the speed and distance on an incline versus latitude and longitude. It also provides splits automatically and features Auto Pause, which freezes the timer automatically when users stop or ride the lift.
We like it for the snowboarding app, but not only that, the Vivoactive HR does smart notifications better than most. It allows you to get texts and emails (and even answer your phone) on your wrist without having to dig for your phone and it will run for up to eight days on a single charge. For the official word from Garmin, please follow the jump.
Head USA is recalling six models of helmets sold from January 2015, through December 2015 because the “helmets do not comply with the impact requirements of safety standards for helmets.” In other words, the helmets are not actually helmets.
This recall involves six models of HEAD ski and snowboard helmets: Agent, Alia, Andor, Arise, Arosa and Avril. They were sold in sizes M/L and XL/XXL in black, blue, green white and yellow, with straps in a variety of colors. . . HEAD, the model name, size and “Production Code: Dec. 2014” are printed on stickers that can be found by lifting the lining above the right earpiece.
If you are one of the 440 people who bought one of these helmets please contact Head at 800-874-3235 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at http://www.head.com/index.php?id=1313.
GoPole, our favorite action accessories company, has announced that they’re now offering attachments for smartphones as well as other action cameras.
GoPole is no longer just for your GoPro camera! The Universal adapter (MSRP $12.99) will connect any camera featuring a 1/4 inch-20 tripod connection to any existing GoPole mount. Compatible cameras include Sony Action Cam, Garmin VIRB, Polaroid Cube and more. . . Consumers can also effortlessly capture selfies with their mobile device as well, thanks to the Mobile Clip (MSRP $14.99). This adjustable clip allows users to attach small or large mobile phones, such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy S6, to any standard GoPro mount.
All of their stuff works fine with our Garmin Virb XE already, but this is good news for everyone with a image capturing device. For a complete overview of their new mounts, solar chargers, and more, please follow the jump.
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Head USA is recalling six models of helmets sold from January 2015, through December 2015 because the “helmets do not comply with the impact requirements of safety standards for helmets.” In other words, the helmets are not actually helmets.
