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[Link: The Snowboarder’s Journal]
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Alpenglow Sports is hosting their 18th-annual Lake Tahoe Backcountry Demo at Palisades Tahoe (Alpine Meadows), on January 6, 2024. Participants can test splitboards and other backcountry gear from a long list of companies. The event is free, open to the public and runs from 9 am to 2:30 pm.
The Lake Tahoe Backcountry Demo is for anyone interested in backcountry equipment, whether they are seeking to add to an existing quiver or taking the plunge on a first setup. “The reality is that backcountry gear is expensive and lasts forever, so we want people to get their dream or new setup after being able to put it to the test. This way they can feel confident in their purchase and enjoy being in the wilderness with gear they know and trust,” according to event founder and Alpenglow owner Brendan Madigan. There will be aggressive discounts on the latest and greatest backcountry equipment, but only for participants who register for the event.
Jones Snowboards will be on hand with an incredible lineup of boards to demo including the Ultralight Butterfly, Hovercraft 2.0, Stratos, Mind Expander, Solution/Flagship and the Dream Weaver.
For the complete details, please follow the jump or click here for the website.
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Apparently, Josh Harris and David Blitzer (the owners of the Philadelphia 76ers and NJ Devils sporting teams) have purchased the Mt. Hood snowboard camp conglomerate known as We Are Camp. They’re saying they purchased it in partnership with the one and only snowboarder/business man Shaun White according to a story on TMZ Sports.
“I’m honored to officially partner with We Are Camp along with Josh and David. I’m excited to step in and help elevate a place that’s so special to me, so come June, you’ll know where to find me!”
Shaun White is just the icing on the cake. Looks like We Are Camp got a wonderful exit and now the sports guys can pour money into it for a while. They’ve for sure made money easier ways than running snowboard camps. How long do you think it will take them to flip the camps to the next round of PE bros?
[Link: TMZ Sports]
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Trevor Jacob the talented snowboarder, skateboarder, pilot, and Youtuber who crashed his small airplane for views back in November of 2021 has reportedly been sentenced to six months in prison according to a story on Courthouse New Service.
Trevor Jacob, 30, was spared the 12-month prison term prosecutors sought at his sentencing Monday in downtown Los Angeles. . . “I apologize from the bottom of my heart,” Jacob said in a tearful plea for leniency at Monday’s hearing. “I look back in complete shame on my conduct.” . . . U.S. District Judge John Walter, while acknowledging that Jacob’s regret for the Nov. 24, 2021, stunt was sincere, said the offense required a prison sentence and not just probation, as his attorney had suggested.
Yeah, we’re bummed for him, but just think of the stories he’ll have to tell when he’s back out and on the tubes.
[Link: Courthouse News Service]
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The Arena Group, the company who ended up with Surfer, Snowboarder, TransWorld Skateboarding, Powder and Bike magazine titles after the last round of brand swapping has been accused of using “fake AI writers” to write fake AI generated stories at their flagship title Sports Illustrated, according to a story on Futurism. They’re running zombie titles, why not hire a hoard zombie writers?
“There’s a lot,” they told us of the fake authors. “I was like, what are they? This is ridiculous. This person does not exist.” . . . “At the bottom [of the page] there would be a photo of a person and some fake description of them like, ‘oh, John lives in Houston, Texas. He loves yard games and hanging out with his dog, Sam.’ Stuff like that,” they continued. “It’s just crazy.”
Futurism says that as soon as they asked Arena about it, the stories and writers were gone from the site. None of this is surprising to anyone who has been following along. Arena did eventually claim that the content was provided by a third party who uses real writers to write real stories but sometimes under pseudonyms. But we don’t believe them.
Just so you know, although he may look like an AI generated handsome man, Blair Alley actually exists. . . but Justin Leveille? We’re not so sure about that guy.
[Link: Futurism]
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When Canadian Alpine racer Ross Rebagliati won the world’s first snowboarding Olympic gold medal in Nagano Japan in 1996 it was kind of funny that he immediately tested positive for marijuana. Of course, snowboarders are pot heads. All that.
But Ross said recently, in an interview with CBC News, that when he was being held in Japan on the drug issue he decided that “I am going to fight for this plant for the rest of my life, start a cannabis company and show everybody what cannabis is really all about.” And it appears he’s done something close. . maybe.
And while he took on other jobs to fund his dreams, he kept at it, founding medical marijuana dispensary Ross’ Gold in 2013. And on Feb. 8, 2023 — 25 years to the day since he won gold in Nagano — Ross’ Gold products started being sold in licensed dispensaries, a moment Rebagliati said gave him as much pride as his Olympic victory.
Way to stick to it, Ross. Still doing snowboarding proud after all these years. For all the details from an audio interview with Ross, please click the link.
[Link: CBC News]
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Shaun White’s ascent from snowboarder to cultural zeitgeist is perfectly represented in his new book from Rizzoli titled Airborne. See photos from when he was just a SoCal kid who loved skateboarding and snowboarding. Watch as the fame machine grabs hold of him and sends him into the orbit of rockstars, fashionistas, and Hollywood girlfriends. Here’s how Rizzoli sets the scene:
Some of the world’s best action-sports photographers capture White performing his extreme snowboarding and skating tricks around the world–from his groundbreaking aerial maneuvers such as his Double McTwist 1260 on Olympic half pipes, to his radical skating tricks such as his Frontside 540 Sky Hook at the X Games. White exceeded the imaginable limits of snowboarding and raised the bar for other snowboarding competitors to try to keep up with him. Narrated by White with detailed commentary throughout, this book is an autobiography in images and an intimate glimpse into the life of a celebrity athlete: training, competing, on the road and in the spotlight.
It’s obviously another Shaun White celebrity product, but if you’re a fan then this is the book for you. Click here to buy it.
[Link: Rizzoli Books]
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There really is no escape from the ski business gobbling monster known as Alterra Mountain Company. They’ve just added world famous Mike Wiegele Heliski to their growing porfolio two short years after the founder’s death in 2021, according to a story that appeared everywhere, but we’ll link to Ski Area Management.
“Alterra is the ideal partner to celebrate and preserve the legacy that Mike Wiegele left behind,” said Elias Ortner, general manager of MWHS. “This will propel this operation to new heights, allowing us to enhance the guest experience further and deepen our existing community and loyal guest partnerships.”
We’re happy for at least some of the Wiegele family, sad for everyone else. Monopolies are bad. Don’t mind us. We’ll just keep saying that. . . over and over and over.
[Link: Ski Area Management]
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From the “wonder what The Arena Group is going to do with all their zombie magazine brands” files comes news that Arena has partnered with AcTVe to launch five FAST (stands for free, ad-supported television) “channels” with their action sporting brands, according to story on Deadline.com.
Powder Mag, Surfer Magazine, Transworld Skateboarding, Bike Mag and Snowboarder will provide the backbones for the new channels, which will debut globally this fall. The channels will be available on free, ad-supported streaming platforms like SportsTribal, FreeMovies+ and FreeCast, as well as via Roku, Vizio and Samsung. More distribution platforms will be added in 2024, the companies said.
We have absolutely no idea what these “platforms” are, who watches them, or what this means for the brands. Nor, do we believe they will spend any real money on content. So what is going to be on the channels (aside from paid advertising against no viewers)? If you understand any of this, please let us know in the comments.
[Link: Deadline.com]
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Today (September 27, 2023), Jamie Salter’s Authentic Brands Group announced that they have chosen Costa Mesa’s Liberated Brands as the licensee for several of their recently purchased Boardriders brands.
In the deal, Liberated will run retail and e-commerce ops for Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, RVCA, Honolua and Boardriders in the US and Canada. They will also act as the official licensee for the Billabong, RVCA, and Honolua brands. The press release makes it seem like they’ve reached outside Authentic Brands to do a licensing deal, when it’s actually more of an inside play. ABG owns a rather large chunk (officially a “minority stake”) of Liberated Brands so they’re basically licensing the brands to themselves while building in a little distance. Here’s how Nick Woodhouse explains it:
“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Liberated,” said Nick Woodhouse, President and CMO at Authentic. “As evidenced by their focus on the growth of Volcom and Spyder, Liberated’s unwavering commitment to innovation and community engagement makes them the ideal partner to take on Billabong, RVCA and Honolua, as well as the retail operations for the best lifestyle brands inspired by skate, surf and snow. Together, we look forward to implementing our strategic vision for growth and expanding the brands’ presence in the US and Canada.”
Yes, your own business usually makes a great “partner.” Sorting out the facts of this announcement are well above our pay grade, but let’s just say it is always entertaining to see how these businesses shuffle things around. Side note: if you’re a graphic designer, Liberated is looking for a few good people to shape the vision for the brands moving forward. For the official release, click the link.
[Link: Authentic Brands Group]
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