The word from Sporting Goods Business is that the hilariously miss-named zombie brand reanimator Authentic Brands Group (controlled by Jamie Salter) is closing in on a purchase of Quiksilver, Billabong, DC Shoes, Roxy, and Element parent company Boardriders, Inc. For those keeping track, this would make Salter the undisputed king of action sports. No one else is even close.
Authentic Brands Group has proposed a new term loan that it plans to use to support a potential acquisition of Boardriders, Inc., according to a report from Moody’s. . . Boardriders, owed by Oaktree Capital Management, has long been rumored to be on the selling block.
ABG already owns Vision Street Wear, Airwalk, and a very large piece of Volcom. And to think, he started out with the lowly Kemper Snowboards. Talk about tenacity in the business world. Someone hand Mr. Salter a medal!
Snowboarder Nic Sauve and his ER doc wife, Geneviève Gaumond, have built a stylish little mountain get away in the hills on Mont Tourbillon near Lac-Beauport, Quebec, according to a story in Maclean’s.
Inspired by their mutual love of Québécois architect Pierre Thibault, Sauve and Gaumond envisioned a tiny two-floor retreat that used only three materials—bleached wood, grey aluminum and white tile—to minimize visual noise. The build cost roughly $400,000. “We wanted the design, textures and colours of the chalet to be linear, sober and clean, so the house kind of fades away and lets you connect with the surrounding nature,” says Sauve.
The cabin is currently being rented out on AirBnB so if you’re in the area maybe you can stay there. . . or in one of the Sauve’s two other modern masterpieces. All the info is right here: chaletsmicroelement.com.
A group of female Alpine snowboarders has sued former coach Peter Foley, along with the US Ski Snowboard organization, its former CEO and others for “sex trafficking, harassment, and enabling and covering up repeated acts of sexual assault and misconduct,” according to a story on ESPN.com.
Three-time Olympian Rosey Fletcher, 2010 Olympian Callan Chythlook-Sifsof and former national team member Erin O’Malley alleged in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles that Foley, the national federation, its longtime CEO Gale “Tiger” Shaw and the USOPC “conspired and acted in concert with one another to commit unlawful acts.”
No one from the defense has weighed in on this most recent lawsuit. Previously, Foley’s lawyer Howard Jacobs stated that all the allegations were false. For all the details, please click the link.
Thank you, Travis Rice. Thank you for leaving out the helicopters filming helicopters. Thank you for cutting it all down to snowboarding. Thank you for taking the sickest drops, for slicing all those spines. Thank you for the perfect snow and brilliant light. Thank you for the epic POV. But, thank you most of all for riding all those lines so we don’t have to (even though watching this kinda makes us feel like we did)!
Ever since Doug Palladini disappeared mysteriously and suddenly as Vans global brand president on March 17, 2022, we’ve had a nagging sense of “wonder what happened to Doug?” And not being close to Doug it was not a story we pursued with anything nearing tenacity. We’d ask here and there, some would make hints, but no one seemed to have the details, or was willing to share them with us.
Well, last month, on December 28, 2022 Doug shared his story with his Instagram followers. It goes something like this:
On December 28, 2021, I went to see the cardiologist with a strange “twinge” in my left shoulder. Two hours later, I was in the cardiac ICU and two days later I was recovering from quadruple bypass open heart surgery. Today, exactly one year later, as I watch the sun come up over the Sierra’s, I am overcome with gratitude: gratitude to still be here, gratitude for the doctors and nurses who literally saved my life, and gratitude for all of the friends and family who got me through a very difficult recovery. Because of your love and support I am today the healthiest I have been in 20 years, because without health, nothing else matters.
Great news. According to his most recent Insta post, Doug is now an adjunct professor at San Diego State University (his alma mater) teaching, no surprise, brand marketing and communications. As so many have pointed out, those seniors are lucky to tap into a wealth of in-the-trenches wisdom from someone who has done it all and done it well. Seriously.
It is sad to see them go. It really is. Snow Valley, one of California’s last independent snow resorts (a quiet, fun place where neither super mega pass was accepted) has been devoured by the Alterra Mountain Company, according to a press release from the Denver, Colorado based mega resort corp.
“Snow Valley Mountain Resort has been a treasured destination since 1924 and together we will continue its incredible legacy,” said Kevin Somes, Vice President and General Manager of Snow Valley Mountain Resort. “By becoming a member of the Alterra Mountain Company family of destinations, Snow Valley will continue to deliver exceptional guest experiences to ski and snow enthusiasts in Southern California and beyond.”
Sadly, it will also limit the ability of Southern California snowboarders to ride a mountain without handing over all their shred money to the Alterra Mountain Company a year in advance in the form of a super-mega pass. If business goes a usual, Alterra will raise the prices at Snow Valley so high that only super-mega pass holders will be able to afford a visit. Resort consolidation is bad for everyone. Snow Valley, we will miss you. But, we guess somebody’s gonna have to jump. For the official word from Alterra, please click to continue.
We really haven’t followed Shaun White’s thoughts or career for years. Yes, he’s a great snowboarder, and he’s sold some pretty cool houses, but that’s about our only interest. If you’re interested in more than that, like his thoughts on fashion for instance, or more specifically his new line Whitespace then you might enjoy this interview with Footwear News.
Speaking with FN last month, White said that as he enters the next phase of his life, he has big aspirations for the business. “I’m a competitor, it’s what I do, and it’s every little thing I can do to make better products,” he said. “That’s the sort of attitude I took to my sporting career. It’s this endless pursuit of progression.”
Strange. Didn’t think he was making shoes. Oh well, if you find anything interesting in this interview please let us know in the comments, because this story has been linked, not read.
A popular snowboarding brand has just released a promotional video featuring a solid crew of young snowboarders hitting rails in scenic street locations.
The music is just right for the mood, the snowboarding is solid, and the dreamy establishing shots of pristine snow-covered villages about to be shredded by the crew are wistfully beautiful. The cinematography is also top notch, with all the proper angles. It is obvious that the filmmakers and snowboarders worked diligently on this project and for that they should be proud of their work.
We were so impressed with this work that we would joyfully bro-hug every one of the people involved with the production of this content if we could. Thanks for creating such a great addition to the snowboarding media landscape. We look forward to much more of the exact, same thing, over and over again as the season rolls on.
We haven’t even begun to process this yet, but Ken Block, action sports visionary, DC Shoes co-founder, rally car driver, Hoonigan co-founder, and all-around incredible person, husband, and father died today (Monday, January 2, 2023) in Wasatch County, Utah when the snowmobile he was riding reportedly flipped on top of him, according to TMZ Sports. Ken was 55.
According to the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Block was riding a snowmobile at around 2 PM on a steep slope when the vehicle suddenly upended and landed on top of him. . . “Mr. Block was riding with a group but was alone when the accident occurred,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Officials say he was pronounced dead on scene due to injuries he suffered during the accident.
We are completely gutted. Our thoughts are with his wife Lucy and his three kids. (The photo above was the Block Family Christmas photo from their recent trip to Baldface Lodge.)
Honestly, we haven’t been paying much attention to the action sports media space lately, because there really aren’t any action sports media in the space (yeah, props to Thrasher, always). But, someone sent us a link to Emerald’s Shopping Blog and a story about A360 selling the old TransWorld Media and Surfer Publications titles (along with Men’s Journal) to The Arena Group, the current owners of Sports Illustrated, The Street, and Parade for close to $29 million dollars. The purchase includes the brands Skateboarding, Skateboarder, Snowboarder, Surfer, Powder, and Bike.
“For years, consumers have trusted Men’s Journal for exclusive lifestyle content and guidance on travel, gear, the outdoors, style, food & drink and more,” said Ross Levinsohn, chairman and CEO of The Arena Group. “Additionally, the titles within the Adventure Network have long stood for excellence with passionate enthusiasts within the Ski, Surf, Biking and Skateboarding communities. There are natural synergies between these brands and our existing audiences we can leverage and enhance through integration, distribution and our playbook, driving incremental value, growth and profitability. This strategic investment underscores our commitment to diversifying and devoting resources to opportunities where we see the most value across The Arena Group.”
As we all know, online media sites aren’t exactly killing it these days, but apparently The Arena Group (Where The Action Is™) knows some secret to getting paid. But as one industry insider told us, “Honestly, this seems like more bad media consolidation. Just stacking lots of money-losing things together rarely results in making money. They seem like they’re just building towards an acquisition by Hatchette or Condé Nast or someone bigger.” It doesn’t look like this insider is alone. Arena’s stock dropped 11 percent on today’s news. (Or was it that half percent rate hike.) You be the judge. For the official word from The Arena Group please follow the jump.
The word from Sporting Goods Business is that the hilariously miss-named zombie brand reanimator Authentic Brands Group (controlled by Jamie Salter) is closing in on a purchase of Quiksilver, Billabong, DC Shoes, Roxy, and Element parent company Boardriders, Inc. For those keeping track, this would make Salter the undisputed king of action sports. No one else is even close.
A group of female Alpine snowboarders has sued former coach Peter Foley, along with the 
Ever since Doug Palladini disappeared mysteriously and suddenly as 
It is sad to see them go. It really is. 
We haven’t even begun to process this yet, but 
Honestly, we haven’t been paying much attention to the action sports media space lately, because there really aren’t any action sports media in the space (yeah, props to Thrasher, always). But, someone sent us a link to 
