The dream of the perfect artificial wave is turning into a nightmare for Coors brewing heir Doug Coors and his crew at Autin, Texas’ NLand Surfpark.
After clearing numerous legal hurdles regarding dunking people into a pond of standing water, the Wave Garden park opened on October 7, 2016 only to close three weeks later after they were forced to drain the pool to make repairs (flooding local streets in the process), according to a story on KXAN. The park hasn’t been open since.
“While this is disappointing for us all, we turn our focus to 2017 and the exciting plans we have in store. One hint: hops,” founder Doug Coors, whose relatives started Colorado-based Coors Brewing Company, said. In an email to KXAN, a spokesperson confirmed there will be a brewery on site sometime in 2017.
Ah yes, beer — the international problem solver. Sounds like an NLand Brewery might have been a better idea than a surf park. If there’s one thing everyone loves it’s beer. Wave pool surfing in brown water? Not so much.
The developers of NLand Surf Park in Austin, Texas aren’t going to let the financial deaths of roller skating rinks, pay-to-skate skateboard parks, nor indoor ski domes slow down their plans to get the hordes on board with the grand opening of what they are calling the “America’s first surf park,” on October 7, 2016.
“This is an historic moment for surfers around the globe as our second Wavegarden facility is launched. Together, we have scaled this project to a level never before seen,” Wavegarden CEO Josema Odriozola said. “The NLand Training Center is a state-of-the-art surf school with a talented staff of surf coaches from around the world who offer accelerated training for surfers of all levels.”
For now they’ve gotten around a series of ordinances regarding water quality and filtering (according to a story in the Houston Chronicle) and all they have to do is get people to come surf. That may be the tough part because like it or not surfing is hard. Luckily, the park was built by Coors brewing heir Doug Coors.
Current rates to surf the “reef” waves are one hour for $90. Pretty cheap when compared to a trip to Tavarua. Mabye Mr. Coors has something here. Wonder what the “birthday party” package costs? It’s gotta be better than a trampline park, right? For the official word from Nland Surf, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
A master at the notorious Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, one of the world’s most dangerous breaks, Lopez says he continues to surf “pretty much any time it looks good,” even though doing so requires making the four-hour drive between his home in Bend and the distant waves off Pacific City.
Seems a great surf icon is always good for a story, and for business.
We can’t even count the times when we’ve been stuck a lift freezing our asses off during a monster Sierra storm and thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to be sweating it out with two naked Fins in a sauna right now?”
Now we can. And you can to if you visit Ylläs, a resort in the Lapland Province of Finland. They apparently have replaced one of the cars on their gondola with a sauna car and nudity is recommended. You listening Mammoth?
Kauai surfer Keoni Lucas, 35, died Saturday night March 29, 2008 in Santa Monica after falling asleep at the wheel in Santa Monica, California.
Hailed as always positive, outgoing and born for the water, mourners for North Shore surfer Keoni Lucas will honor the 35-year-old who passed away Saturday by dedicating this year’s Annual Irons Brothers Pinetrees Classic to him. The event occurs this weekend.
After 35 years in downtown Encinitas Mike McGill has moved his legendary McGill’s Skate Shop a couple blocks inland and sandwiched it right between Lazy Acres supermarket and Jersey Mikes at the northwest corner of Encinitas Blvd and the 5 (as they say in SoCal). The perfect spot if you’re looking for an organic salad to compliment your corporate sub and Birdhouse Skateboard. It was also the perfect spot for a 35th anniversary party on March 18, 2023 with most of the Bones Brigade and whole host of skate heads.
Everyone was there and thanks to Malik Jones we can see it all: Lance Mountain, Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, Hosoi, Stevie Cab, Kevin Staab, Grant Brittain, Paul “The Professor” Schmitt, Don Brown, Steve Van Doren, Alphonzo Rawls, and apparently of dumpload of professional autograph hunters doing business.
The whole idea of a US Snowboard Team has always been an odd, slightly artificial construct that blooms its ugly head every four years just in time for the media hoopla of the Winter Olympics. Think of the Team as snowboarding’s own Corpse Flower.
This year that blossom is oddly twisted even more by the fact that the Tokyo Olympics were last summer (thanks, COVID) and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are this February. So, while we’re all still trying to figure out exactly what happened to skateboarding culture in the blur that was Tokyo 2020, the snowboard side is ramping up for another go-round at the five ring circus with a just-announced crew that sounds (while we’re on the subject of flowers) like the traditional prep for a wedding: something old (too many to list), something new (Dusty Henricksen), something borrowed (not sure), something blue (or Red in this case).
Here’s how the US Ski and Snowboard Association spins it:
This season will have no shortage of excitement as the U.S. Snowboard Team’s Olympic gold medalists get ready to drop in. Chloe Kim and Red Gerard continue their dominant marches toward the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and veteran Jamie Anderson looks to continue to display her undeniable dominance of the sport. Shaun White will once again represent the U.S. Snowboard Halfpipe Team in pursuit of his fourth Olympic gold medal. . . “The teams have been working super hard and having tons of fun preparing for the big season ahead,” says U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Head Coach Mike Jankowski. “The anticipation has everyone excited and ready to get this 2021-22 action going!”
Oh, and Snowboardcross still exists so don’t think you won’t see Lindsey Jacobellis giving that Gold Medal another go. Congrats to the team. Good luck. We hope US Snowboarding gets you all sorted correctly before the Games begin on February 4, 2022. May you bloom to your full potential, ride beautifully, and refrain from stinking things up too much in Beijing.
For the official team announcement from the US Ski and Snowboard Association, please follow the jump.
The stories that shape our world are the stories that we share. Here are the headlines that caught our eye during the past month. And yes, it was a rough one. But we’re not going to let that get in the way of sharing with you. Click the link for all the stories.
The whole idea of a US Snowboard Team has always been an odd, slightly artificial construct that blooms its ugly head every four years just in time for the media hoopla of the Winter Olympics. Think of the Team as snowboarding’s own Corpse Flower.
