Snowboarding

Trevor Jacob Pleads Guilty To Obstruction

by The Editors on May 11, 2023

Remember that time former pro snowboarder Trevor Jacob posted a video in which he ditched his airplane by jumping out with a parachute and let the plane crash somewhere in the Los Padres National Forest near Lompoc, California? Remember how aviation experts called bullshit on his needing to ditch the plane that glides so well? Apparently, the United States Attorney’s Office of Central District of California never forgot. They stayed after him and now Trevor has decided to plead guilty (click the link to read it) to the “intent to obstruct a federal investigation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1519,” according to a story on Court House News.

A felony count of destruction and concealment with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Obviously, he would not agree to enter a plea if he was going to get the maximum sentence, so hopefully he’ll get out from under this with a minimum of prison time. He’s asked for less than two years, so we will see. Neither Jacob nor the government commented on the case.

[Link: Court House News]

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Shaun White: Auto Glass Convention Speaker

by The Editors on May 9, 2023

There are many ways to monetize your fame. One of them is public speaking. One of the saddest is speaking to a room full of sweaty-assed, drunk men in logo’d polo shirts. And if there is anything worse than that, it is being the keynote speaker for an automobile glass sellers convention. No doubt, Auto Glass Week is excited to have noted Hollywood star-dater Shaun White speak. But what is Auto Glass Week you ask? Here, let them explain:

Auto Glass Week 2023 will showcase advancements and innovations in the OE and aftermarket auto glass repair, replacement and calibration industry and forge new professional connections. With new products launches, an expanding market, customers in high demand and an overflow of creativity, the potential in this industry is unmatched.

Exciting, no? Obviously, Shaun White is not afraid to speak to whomever is paying him. Let’s just hope they’re paying him six digits.

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Black Diamond Recalls Avy Transceivers

by The Editors on April 27, 2023

If you’re depending on a Black Diamond Recon LT avalanche transceiver to save your life when you get buried on your next backcountry trip, you might want to update the firmware immediately. Apparently, they can, on occasion, NOT WORK AT ALL.

The recalled transceivers can unexpectedly enter search mode due to interference from other beacons. If this occurs, the device could fail to transmit the position of survivors of an avalanche, resulting in delayed search and rescue operations, which could result in severe bodily harm or death if the skier is buried under snow.

So, don’t use it. Update the firmware, and then pray that the new firmware works better than the last. Side note: this doesn’t appear to be anything new for Black Diamond. They appear to have avalanche beacon recalls every year.

[Link: Consumer Product Safety Commission]

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Gretchen Bleiler Talks The Middle Zone

by The Editors on April 18, 2023

What do you do with an athlete, when they stop being an athlete? Especially if they’ve had serious injuries to body and brain? Former olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler is helping others answer those questions, while dealing with many questions of her own in this profile in The Aspen Times.

“It’s such a sad end-of-life story. These athletes who we were all so inspired by, who made the impossible possible, their mental and physical health can be so deteriorated and debilitating. Their life can become tragic. It should never be like this,” said Bleiler. . . “No one knows how to treat CTE. So many people are not talking about what they are going through. It’s shameful and isolating by yourself. And there’s delayed changes, many times years later. It’s confusing, what is happening to my personality, why is this happening, am I going crazy?” . . . To rebuild the pillars in her life, Bleiler began that deeper journey she had ultimately been craving. She had already received her mediation certification in 2014 through the Chopra Center. She was ready for more.

It’s great to hear that she’s getting things all sorted. For the rest of her mid-life story, please click the link.

[Link: The Aspen Times]

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Requiem For The Surf Industry

by The Editors on April 3, 2023

In one fell swoop, the entire surf industrial complex has disappeared from the world. Poof! All the stories, all the late-night parking lot parties and premieres, and all the dreams of kids from the dusty streets of middle America who longed to reach for the beach. Today, Jamie Salter’s oxymoronically named Authentic Brand Group has agreed to buy Boardriders (Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper, Surf Dive & Ski, and Honolua) from Oaktree Capital for a reported $1.28 billion, according to stories in the Chain Store Age and the Australian Financial Review. Here’s how Mr. Salter spins it:

Along with the great brands and impressive global reach that will come with this acquisition, we see Boardriders’ potential as a thriving online marketplace under Authentic’s ownership,” said Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic, whose brands include Reebok, Eddie Bauer, Nautica and many more. “With Boardriders’ proven retail playbook, we also see tremendous opportunities to accelerate the expansion of its shop-in-shops, branded retail stores, wholesale and e-commerce worldwide.”

By far the funniest quote is from Boardriders CEO Arne Arens:

We are proud of our deep connection to the global action sports community, industry-leading brands and world-class teams,” said Arne Arens, CEO of Boardriders. “Under Authentic’s ownership, Boardriders will be uniquely positioned to expand the reach of our iconic brands to millions of consumers, capture market share in our core categories and grow white spaces, including premium athleisure, training and lifestyle.”

We know Mr. Arens has to say this, but does anyone really believe it? We don’t. In the meantime, make sure you buy from. . . well, authentically authentic action sports brands that are privately owned and funded. If you know of any, please help us out and leave them in the comments.

[Link: Chain Store Age and Australian Financial Review]

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Circe Wallace On The Bomb Hole

by The Editors on March 31, 2023

Yes, you need to watch Circe Wallace for all the reasons. Maybe we’ll list some of them later, but you already know why. 

[Link: The Bomb Hole]

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Shaun Palmer Inducted In MTB Hall Of Fame

by The Editors on March 13, 2023

Seems like this took a little longer than it should have but legendary snowboarder Shaun Palmer is now a member of the 2023 inductee class of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Old snowboarders know exactly how skilled Shaun was at pretty much everything, but the mountain bike world circa 1995 never knew what hit them as Shaun jumped in out of nowhere and dominated the downhill scene, changing pretty much everything about the sport all at once.

Palmer, a world-renowned Hall of Fame snowboarder, scored a breakout performance just one year after getting into the sport. Aboard one of the most-prolific downhill bicycle frames of all time, the Intense M-1, he scored the silver medal at the 1996 UCI Downhill World Championships, missing gold by just 0.15 seconds. His immediate world-topping results captured the immediate attention, and intrigue, of the entire mountain bike community.

Not sure what he’s been up to lately, but it’s great to see him getting a little more credit for all the things he’s done in his multi-sport career.

[Link: Mountain Bike Hall of Fame]

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Vail Shutters Retail In iKon Aspen

by The Editors on March 5, 2023

Looks like Vail Resorts is no longer interested in keeping their retail businesses running in ikon towns as they shutter retail operations in Aspen and Snowmass. They’re also closing their retail in Telluride (which is on their Epic Pass) bringing the total of closing shops to 19, according to a story in The Denver Post. Branded retail stores getting shut include Burton, Patagonia and The North Face.

“As our leases in the Aspen area came up for renewal at the end of the 2022/2023 winter season, we needed to make a long-term decision regarding the future strategy of our retail operations in the Aspen market. At that time, we decided to close down our retail operations in this market in order to focus company resources on (serving) our core retail markets,” said Glenn Stahlman, vice president and chief operating officer at Vail Resorts.

Looks a little like a tail-between-legs retreat and has nothing to do with Aspen Ski Co’s grabbing a new CEO from Vail’s Whistler Blackcomb. The only reason these mega-corps even get into retail in the first place is to put all the local/independent shops out of business–consolidate and conquer! So, hey, mission accomplished.

[Link: The Denver Post]

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Vail Resorts Shorts International Workers

by The Editors on February 25, 2023

In what should come as a surprise to no one, Vail Resorts is being accused of cutting the hours of many of its international workers because, why not? According to The Summit Daily News, one worker has seen his hours cut substantially since the end of the Christmas Holiday.

When he began working as a back-of-house employee at the Timber Ridge restaurant in December, Queiroz said he was scheduled for 40-hour weeks, but by the middle of the month his hours began to get cut to 32. Then, he hit 24 hours in January. . . Copies of Queiroz’s work schedules, which he provided to the Summit Daily, show that for every week since Jan. 28, Queiroz was scheduled for two days — or 16 hours — not including an unpaid break. He said it’s barely enough money to cover his living expenses.

As in all business, the easiest way to cut costs is to trim labor, and if you already have everyone’s money from the super-mega pass, why provide quality services? That’s right. No reason. Vail has responded with more corporate speak about being “fully staffed” etc. . . but everyone knows what’s going on–too many employees is always better than not enough.

Even thought Vail Resorts in an offer letter (which Queiroz was required to sign) suggested that workers would get 32 hours a week, the company says it doesn’t use employment contracts. After Queiroz factors in the cost of getting to Colorado and his flight home to Brazil, he’s basically paying to work for Vail. Ah, capitalism!

[Link: Summit Daily News]

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Burton Snowboards Under Hacker Attack

by The Editors on February 24, 2023

Burton Snowboards, the largest snowboard company in the world, has been under what local news station is calling a “cyber attack” since February 14, 2023, according to story on MyNBC5.com.

If you’re looking to buy some winter gear or a snowboard from Burton, it might take some time. . . The well-known winter gear Vermont company has been dealing with a major cyberattack since Feb. 14, impacting their abilities to process orders and refunds online.

Currently, there is no way to order products from the Burton website. Guess that’s one of the downsides of cutting out independent retailers and going direct. They still have 56 company stores serving the world, however, so that’s good. For all the details Burton has this posted on their website.

[Link: MyNBC5.com]

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