Lift ticket prices seem to be going up all over, but it is rare for a resort to send out an explanation of exactly why their prices are going up and to apologize for it. Timberline Lodge, in that radical, lawless, war zone known as Oregon, did that today.
Their liability insurance, which was difficult to even get, reportedly increased by more than two and a half times, and their deductible is 10 times higher than last year, therefore their ticket prices are going up:
Guests will see increases in peak time lift ticket pricing, tier 2 season pass pricing, and summer ski products. We want you to know: Timberline remains committed to delivering the best possible mountain experience. But without long-term solutions from the State Legislature, the impacts will be unavoidable; higher costs, reduced offerings, and diminished opportunities for recreation in Oregon. This threatens not only skiers and riders, but also rural communities, jobs, and families who depend on tourism.
For the entire letter (including some of the politics behind recreation in Oregon), please follow the jump.
Billionaires certainly do love the idea of wave pools even if very few of them have shown the ability to turn much of a profit. A new pool may be going into livable, lovable El Segundo, California if Toba Capital gets their way, according to a story on Costar.com.
A company tied to billionaire Vinny Smith’s Toba Capital has spent $54 million for a 9-acre slice of the former Raytheon Technologies Campus at 100 Nash in the city adjacent to Los Angeles, according to CoStar data. . . The firm is expected to build a surf park, a type of mixed-use real estate that is gaining traction across the globe with improvements in artificial wave technology and consumer demand for experiences in the wake of the pandemic.
You may remember Mr. Smith from his first pool venture, the Palm Springs Surf Club. Again, if a billionaire just wants to throw a couple ten millions around and get not much in return, we know of a great website they could buy. It’s surf adjacent, has a small, dedicated following, and could make those millions disappear in a myriad of fun ways.
Former pro skater and longtime entrepreneur Erik Ellington is settling in to brew some non-alcoholic beer. It’s called, Easy Does It Brew, according to a profile on MyBurbank.com.
Eleven years sober, he created the non-alcoholic brew company with a clear mission: to encourage people to moderate their drinking while maintaining their social connections. The inspiration struck in 2022 when Ellington tried a non-alcoholic beer while quarantined with friends who had COVID. “Something happened where I felt like I was part of the party. I was participating in it when it wasn’t anything having to do with the alcohol. It all had to do with socialization.”
Sober skaters deserve your support. Click the link for the rest of the story.
Fecesblaster? Poop is really funny, isn’t it? Poop. There we’re laughing again. Butthole, poop, poop. Their product on the one hand, defecation on the other. Product. Fart. Placement. Fart. Fart. Shart. Oh, few things in life are funnier than a thick, bearded man trying to complete his morning constitutional. Fart. Oh, we’re crying from laughing so hard. Bowel movement. Ha! Poop.
This is a year old interview with Sam McIntosh? Maybe. We’d never seen it. Came up in the feed today thanks to BeachGrit via that Derek fellow. Watch it if you want. Especially if you ever loved putting magazines together. Sam McIntosh obviously did. . . and does?
The developers of a proposed surfpark in Jacksonville, Florida have discovered that new estimates on the park’s construction costs may mean no surf park, according to a story in the Jacksonville Daily Record.
The city is seeking to offer a $4.6 million incentive for the proposed Jacksonville Surf Park after its developer, Aventuur Inc., said new cost estimates have put the overall project in jeopardy. . . . The 5.5-acre park, part of a larger, 45-acre space, is planned in the eTown development in South Jacksonville. It has an estimated capital investment of $100 million.
So nice when City government chip in on private businesses isn’t it? See, socialism works for big business all the time. Would love to get a $5 million incentive from anyone at this point. Sidenote, if you have an example of a sustainable, profitable, stand alone wave pool built anywhere, please let us know.
Ron Jon Surf Shop founder Ron DiMenna died on September 6, 2025, according to a story on Florida Today. He was 88.
“Ron was revolutionary,” said Jack A. Kirschenbaum, a retired Cocoa Beach attorney and avid surfer who was a close friend of DiMenna and last saw him in August. “He turned surfing, which was a nomadic, fringe sport practiced by kids into a mainstream retail juggernaut. He saw what no one else saw. He will be sorely missed,” said Kirschenbaum, adding that DiMenna’s grand vision appealed to hardcore surfers and tourists alike, turning the giant Cocoa Beach store into another must-see Florida destination.
Our thoughts are with the DiMenna family. For the rest of the story, please click the link.
Former TransWorld Snowboarding Magazine editor and all-around creative force Andy Blumberg has always believed that the best way to create lifelong snowboarders is to let kids ride free. Now, as co-founder of That Snowboarding Blog, he is outlining his plans to take this program directly to the nation’s snowboard resorts. Here’s how he sees it:
Envision future winters where every kid aged 15 and under in the United States receives free lift tickets and season passes at any ski resort. This isn’t just a feel-good moment; it’s a strategic investment in the sport’s enduring, never-ending nature, a bet that a free experience today creates a paying customer for life. By removing the financial barrier, we integrate snowboarding into the very fabric of their lives.
Sounds great to us, but there is much more to this story. To read the rest, please click the link.
Yes, according to Vans,SZA the singer, is now the creative director at the VF Corps shoe brand. So far this year sales are reportedly 14 percent down. Guess those Vibram soled Cab hikers didn’t right the ship. Then again, maybe Solána Imani Rowe can save them. Hopefully somebody gets her. Vans will have to tread carefully.
The Palm Springs Surf Club will reportedly “undergo a city commission review July 22, 2025” after loads of noise complaints and occasional mechanical problems which have led to pool closures, according to a story in the Palm Springs Post.
Since late 2023, the surf club has generated 66 noise complaints from approximately 16 individual residences in a nearby neighborhood, according to a city staff report. Code enforcement officers have cited the business six times, with four citations resulting in fines that have been paid in full.
The inland surf dream is a costly, difficult thing to make real, apparently. Riding a wave in the ocean seems so much more efficient, right? For more details on the story please click the link.
Lift ticket prices seem to be going up all over, but it is rare for a resort to send out an explanation of exactly why their prices are going up and to apologize for it. Timberline Lodge, in that radical, lawless, war zone known as Oregon, did that today.
