Day one of the 2012 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach seemed to go well for all of the top seeds, except for Taj Burrow. Burrow came in last against Nic Muscroft and Kolohe Andino in Round one Heat eight. Muscroft seemed surprised by it all.
“My legs are a bit sore after that last wave,” Muscroft said. “I didn’t know if I would have much of a chance against those guys out there, but I was able to get a good wave at the end and got the score. It’s always a pleasure to compete at this level and my best friend Robbo (Adam Robertson) made it to the Finals here a few years ago and that’s given me the confidence to do well here too.”
High men’s score of the day went to Owen Wright with a 17.93. But the day’s highest score was Sally Fitzgibbons 18.84 against Coco Ho and Sage Erickson. For the official word from the ASP follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Twelve-year-old Tom Schaar goes one-half past the 900 with a 1080 on the MegaRamp at Woodward West. He’ll probably start double corking 12s next week, so don’t get too excited about this stop on the Schaar spin meter.
Part 2 of the US Open episode of Powder & Rails kicks off with a voice that sounds hauntingly familiar to us. “This thing goes off, it’s the biggest snowboarding competition in the world.” Yep, seems like only yesterday. . . click here to watch Part 1.
Colorful, plastic skateboarding company Penny Skateboards is kicking off their second year on the planet with a global 2012 product launch on April 1, 2012. Company ounder Ben Mackay say this new range is Penny’s “best work yet.”
Using their proven secret plastic formula as a base, Penny has now upgraded their components to offer riders an even more enjoyable way to cruise around town. Penny and Nickel completes will now come stock with premium custom Penny branded Abec7 bearings, newly refined powder coated trucks and will offer color-coded, heat treated “gum ball” hardware. Available in nine colors in both the 22-inch Penny and the larger 27-inch Nickel lines, consumers should have no trouble finding a color way that will best fit their style.
Travis Rice rolled up to Snow Summit Mountain in Big Bear, California on March 25, 2012 to ride with the kids at Stoked Mentoring’s final Snow Mentor Los Angeles session.
35 Stoked youth, 11 volunteers, two Stoked staff and a camera crew took a bus from Stoked Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles to Snow Summit Mountain in Big Bear, CA to snowboard for the day. Snow Mentors teach under-served youth life lessons through the process of learning to snowboard. The theme of the day for Snow Mentor was “reflection.” . . “We’re thrilled to have Travis Rice join the bus and snowboard with our kids.” says Steve Larosiliere, Stoked’s President. “Having the top snowboarder in the world share his passion for snowboarding and life lessons learned makes a tremendous impact for our kids.”
Australian surfing legend Michael Peterson died today (March 29, 2012) after a heart attack at his home in Coolangatta, Australia, according to a story in The Age. He was 59.
Peterson will be remembered for being virtually unbeatable in competition in the early 1970s and for providing the defining image of the iconic surfing movie, Morning of the Earth, in 1971. . . The greatest tribute to the reclusive rebel from Coolangatta was delivered to his face by the world’s greatest surfer, Kelly Slater, who once told him: “You are better than me, MP.”
His story is one is one of rockstar-like status and one that is sure to endure: A volatile parallel with drugs and a unique and beautiful approach to riding waves. He may be most famously remembered for a car chase that required 35 cop cars to stop him, but more likely that classic cutback shot – surfing’s most iconic ever.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends who stood by him through it all.
Montana’s Bridger Bowl Resort is only running two lifts today after patroller set avalanches yesterday caused some of the biggest wet slab slides seen in years, according to a story on KTVQ.com.
“Avalanche cycles like this one are rare. It was only the second time in my 22 years of avalanche work that I’ve seen wet slab activity on this scale. Yesterday, the ski patrol triggered avalanches with explosives that gouged out groomed runs and road cuts plus put debris up to 20 foot deep in the gullies. New snow yesterday morning, above freezing temperatures, and a moist snowpack sitting on facets had stability teetering. Avalanches broke on soggy depth hoar at the ground. By midday explosives weren’t needed and the patrol ski triggered wet loose slides that would step down to the facets,” Chabot says in the report.
Nice of them to get that all done before they open the lifts back up.
