The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau is a strange surf contest beast. We never really like to get too excited about it because it so rarely happens. When it was announced that it was on this week, we let ourselves get amped. Shame on us as this morning Quik event director Glen Moncata called it off.
“Unfortunately, the Bay is not going to call the day today. The surf is not what we expected,” Glen Moncata, Quiksilver Event Director, said. “What we need is need eight hours of solid 20 foot surf, 40 foot faces, and unfortunately this storm got pushed way up North of us, so we are just not going to be able to run today.”
Waiting for a monster swell is a tough game and the window is open until February 29, 2016. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. For the official word from Quik, please follow the jump.
Update at 10:48 AM February 10, 2016: Due to a swell that did not materialize the Eddie has been called OFF by organizers. Whoops!
What a week for Quiksilver. They slip out from under hundreds of millions in debt (where did all that money go?) and they’re calling The Eddie on for Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at the world famous Waimea Bay.
This will be the ninth time the event has been run in 31 years. Yes, it’s momentous.
Organizers anticipate a solid day of surf that will meet the event’s strict wave face height requirement of 40 feet, with favorable light winds in the morning, turning light trades by afternoon. . . “It has taken us six years to pull the trigger, but this is the first swell we have seen that is truly lining up as an Eddie swell,” said Event Director Glen Moncata.
For the official word from Quik (including complete heat line-ups), please follow the jump.
We didn’t watch much of the 2016 Volcom Pipe Pro held January 27 – February 2, 2016, but we were lucky enough to catch the most stacked finals we think we’ve ever seen at Pipeline yesterday (February 2, 2016): Kelly Slater, JOB, Bruce Irons, and Makai McNamara.
At first we were wondering why 2 John Florence wasn’t in the mix, too, but Makai’s first wave (and his complete commitment to the task) made us realize we could get by without Mr. Blue Moon in a Pipeline final. Oh, and Kelly Slater’s surfing was pretty near perfect, which is always good to see.
For the official word from Volcom (including results) please follow the jump.
As part of their 50th Anniversary celebration Vans is kicking down 50 different colorways on the Sk8-Hi (our favorite shoe of all time).
The Sk8-Hi serves as a canvas for new color offerings, vibrant prints and premium material upgrades, while its timeless form provides a framework for design enhancements including deconstructed uppers, zip back detailing and slim sole construction. Each new enhancement stands alongside the original Sk8-Hi colorways that were first introduced almost 40 years ago.
What a great way to celebrate. For the official word from Vans, please follow the jump.
We always thought of Larry Gordon as a skateboard manufacturer. Gordon’s Fibreflex skateboards were some of the first quality boards we ever rolled, but his roots in surfing are what made him a household name. Gordon died in his San Diego, California home on Friday, January 1, 2016, according to story in the San Diego Union Tribune. He was 76.
“He was about quality and performance,” said his daughter Debbie Gordon, who now manages Gordon & Smith Surfboards and Skateboards with her brother. “You get the best surfers out there on the board. They’ll give you feedback. . . He was an incredible surfer as well,” she said of her father, who in his latter years suffered from Parkinson’s disease. . . Before he’d ask you anything else, he’d say, ‘Did you surf today?’”
Gordon will be missed, but all the work he did to help the business and creative side of skateboarding and surfing and the brand he created will never be forgotten.
We know this is late, but now that the backwash has settled and all the details have been leaked on Kelly Slater’s epically perfect Lemoore, California wave pool (thanks, Swellnet and Reddit) the big question becomes: would you surf in Kelly’s foamy, brown water?
We’d definitely stop each time we made a run up I-5 and get thrown over the falls a couple times even if it was in a pond filled with industrial farming run off because the wave is just that beautiful.
Thursday, December 17, 2015 was a good day for Brazil on Oahu’s North Shore. Adrian de Souza won The Pipeline Masters In Memory of Andy Irons and the 2015 World Title. While Gabriel Medina lost to de Souza in the Pipeline final, he became the first Brazilian to win the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
“It’s an incredible feeling and so special in dedication to my good friend Ricardo dos Santos,” de Souza said. “I have this tattoo in memory of him — he had the same tattoo that said ‘Strength, Balance and Love,’ and that’s all I needed to win this World Title. This is all in dedication to my brother as well, who bought me my first surfboard for seven dollars and now I’m on top of the world. What a dream to be a Pipeline Champion Master like Jamie [O’Brien] and Kelly [Slater] and Bede Durbidge, just so many names going through my brain now. There’s no words to describe how I’m feeling right now.”
For the official word from the content creation company behind the event, please follow the jump.
Whenever someone proclaims, “You Can’t Script This,” as a certain action sporting content creation company recently did regarding the 2015 world title race, our first thought is always, “Wait, they’re going to script this.” While judging can occasionally be scripted, The Pipeline, itself follows never follows anyone else’s script, ever. And, yesterday (December 10, 2015) The Pipeline flipped the script for round 1 of the Pipeline Masters In Memory of Andy Irons and launched surprises for everyone.
Follow the jump for the official word, or click here to watch round 2 eliminations live.
Wanna get waxed up for the one you love this Holiday Season?
For the next three days (December 11 – 14, 2015) Sticky Bumps is cutting prices on everything they sell online by 40 percent and throwing in free shipping (in the USA). All you have to do is use the code “LASTCHANCE” during checkout.
This deal includes wax, traction, board bags, candles, stickers, shirts, etc. . . Why are we telling you this? Because we feel so bad about not doing our annual 12 Days Of Gifts feature, that’s why. Remember, the code word is “LASTCHANCE.” Click the link and wax it all.
It’s been decades since Oakley has designed a pair of sunglasses that a skateboarder would wear. Their Frogskins were about it and they were released in 1985. Now, thanks to some input from skateboarders Eric Koston, Sean Malto, Curran Caples and skate photog Atiba Jefferson Oakley has a pretty smooth set of shades that not only look good, but come with some needed function for anyone who has ever clipped their glasses over the neck of their T-shirt. They’re called the Oakley Latch.
“It was just amazing to team up with three skate legends and see this frame come to life,” said Jefferson. “We collaborated with the Oakley design team on all elements – from frame shape to logo placement – to develop a truly signature product that I know we’re all really proud of.”
The “latch” is located behind the hinge on each side of the glasses and allows the glasses to be locked on to the neck of a T-shirt. We had a little trouble latching the shades to the shirt (it often took two hands), but once the latch is attached our days of spilling our sunglasses onto the street were over.
The Latch retails starting at $130 and can be purchased online at Oakley. For the official word from Oakley, follow the jump.
Update at 10:48 AM February 10, 2016: Due to a swell that did not materialize the Eddie has been called OFF by organizers. Whoops! 
Wanna get waxed up for the one you love this Holiday Season?
