The BBC questioned Burton Snowboards China CEO Craig Smith on why the company continues doing business in Xinjiang, China in spite of reports of human rights violations a.k.a. genocide in the region.
Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million members of the Uyghur minority community against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls “re-education camps”, and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms.
Obviously, China is big business and that is the reason Burton, Tesla, and Intel and many other global brands are there. For his part Smith said that human rights are not his area of “expertise.” A nervous, stumbling interview for Smith and a serious problem for Burton and many other companies as well. But profits do come first. It’s only business afterall.
Smith has added 21-year-old Australia big air and slopestyle snowboard pro Tess Coady to their global snow team.
“Tess brings a truly unique style, personality, and flare to snowboarding that keeps us on the edge of our seats before she drops into each run. This x-factor mixed with her pure love for the sport is infectious. We’re thrilled to introduce Tess as a member of the global SMITH team and proud to have her passion and talent representing female athletes in Australia and around the world” said Thomas Edgar, SMITH Marketing Manager, Australia.
For all the official details from Smith, please follow the jump.
A Shoc, the energy drink company backed by Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., has just signed a $15 million sponsorship deal with Thrill One, the Costa Mesa, California owners of Street League Skateboarding (among other action sporting assets), according to story in the Financial Post.
The two-year agreement is worth as much as $15 million and will let Thrill One invest in live events, locker rooms and media production. As part of the arrangement, A Shoc will be featured throughout Thrill One’s various assets, which include Street League Skateboarding, Nitro Circus daredevil action sports shows, Nitro Rallycross and a production house.. . . “It’s going to be a game changer for our existing properties and will level them up,” said Thrill One Chief Executive Officer Joe Carr. “We’re going to be creating a lot more content throughout the year.”
A Shoc promotes its caffeine delivery liquid as a natural energy drink designed for performance enhancement with no sugar added.
The history of Grindline Skateparks is something every self-respecting skateboarder should know. Thankfully, Thrasher Magazine has made it easy for all of us with Grindland.
“Grindland – Red, Monk and the Birth of DIY” is the story of Mark Scott and Mark Hubbard, two visionary skaters from the Pacific Northwest who, along with dedicated friends, kickstarted the modern DIY/concrete skatepark revolution. From the early days of Burnside to 2019’s Rip Ride Rally, this film explores the friendship, struggle, triumph and tragedy of true iconoclasts, hellbent on building the skateparks of their dreams.
Great work by Michael Burnett and Matt Bublitz. Enjoy!
Gotta give Emerald credit. They’re definitely doing all they can to get people to their Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver January 26-28, 2022 (a.k.a. the peak of the Omicron wave).
OR and the Board Retailers Association are reportedly giving away three nights free lodging in a convention center adjacent hotel room if you are a member of BRA and were planning on going to Denver, but cancelled because it was too expensive. Here’s the official word:
Were you planning to go to the OR-Snow Show January 26-28 but don’t have enough funds to pull it off? BOARD RETAILERS ASSOCIATION AND OUTDOOR RETAILER ARE OFFERING “SCHOLARSHIPS” TO HELP YOU AFFORD A TRIP TO DENVER FOR THE SHOW! As a BRA Member you can qualify for 3 complimentary nights at hotels near the Convention Center at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show. Over $600.00 value! Email doug@boardretailers.org to confirm that you qualify and are added to the recipient list.
Not sure that would do it for us, but if you’d like to go, please hit them up. We’re still waiting for the winter show to move back to Las Vegas where it belongs!
Volcom has decided to ante-up and purchase the rights to outfit the 2022 US Olympic Snowboarding Team.
“The Volcom team is honored to be the official uniform provider for the U.S. Snowboard Team and provide for world-class athletes on snowboarding’s biggest global stage,” said Ryan Immegart, CMO of Volcom and Liberated Brands. “Volcom was the first brand to combine the cultures of surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, music and art and the original pioneer of the action sports industry. Thirty years later, Volcom’s ‘True To This’ spirit comes to life through these uniquely designed uniforms created exclusively for some of the world’s greatest snowboarders.”
A little OG VeeCo 90s punk patterned power suits with knees patches? Volcom really does mean business. Click play for the entire announcement. How do you think they look? Leave a comment.
It’s a New Year. Time to bury those old habits, get out the list, and start working toward the new you in 2022. Or, just grab another Indian Summer Latte and scroll through this list of stories that you should have read last year. We’d put them in order of importance, but that would take way too much time and it would eliminate the joy you’ll find discovering a story you didn’t know you wanted to read. Take it away.
Lots going on here in the world of news headline lists. This one is a big one because, well, we’ve been doing other stuff lately. But here it is anyway. Sharks, COVID, and all that jazz.
There’s a question we asked ourselves, while watching The Ultimate Surfer — Is this the pinnacle of surf entertainment? Was merging a group of washed and ok surfers with Survivor the best idea ever conceived by a man formerly employed by Oprah? Then we asked a followup: if we can seriously consider the first question, then what business do we have choosing stories for a long list of important action sporting news? The answer to the second question was is easy. We have no business. None whatsoever. Enjoy!
The Snowsports Industries of America announced today (September 8, 2021) that they officially “postponed” the 2021 Snowbound Festivals in Denver and Boston until 2022 due to COVID-19. Obviously, this means the events have been cancelled, but cancel is such a loaded term these days.
Over the last year, the Snowbound team has been working to run the festivals as planned and we all believed that we were nearing the end of the pandemic. In reviewing the latest public health guidelines and the most recent health and safety protocols, we felt that even with mask mandates and proof of vaccine or a negative COVID test requirement, we could not guarantee a completely risk-free environment for winter enthusiasts of all ages.
One more bummer to throw on the pandemic dumpster fire. For the official word from SIA, please follow the jump.
Smith has added 21-year-old Australia big air and slopestyle snowboard pro Tess Coady to their global snow team.
A Shoc, the energy drink company backed by Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., has just signed a $15 million sponsorship deal with 
Gotta give 
