by The Editors on April 1, 2015
After a grueling year on the WSL World Tour in 2014, Smith International team rider CJ Hobgood wanted to get away and press the reset button before another big year in 2015. Together, with fellow Smith Team Riders Brett Barley and Alex Smith, the three made an impromptu mid-winter strike mission to the Caribbean side of Panama for some of the punchy, tropical beach breaks.
Life Beyond Walls: Panama is a behind-the-scenes style edit that follows the three surfers from three diverse areas as they enjoy the simple life of surfing, eating, surfing, and sleeping for five days. The clip was filmed and edited by Jon Hetchkopf with accompanying photos by Mark Welsh.
by The Editors on March 30, 2015
We tweeted it the other day (after reading about it on Yobeat.com). Everyone has been posting about it. But for your pleasure, the official explanation of why Factory Media has finally decided to go digital with most of its titles and stop wasting everyone’s time, money, and coffee table space with printed issues.
Darryl Newton, CEO of Factory Media, said: “The prospect of focusing wholly on the areas of our business that are experiencing unprecedented demand is both logical and incredibly exciting. Last year saw a leap of over 200% in our branded-content production activities, with digital ad revenues up by 25%. Although moving on from our heritage as a magazine publisher is an emotional shift, it also represents a significant opportunity to create even more content for a significantly larger online audience without the barriers of accessibility and affordability.”
As we said in our tweet, the only reason they went as long as they did with print is because many misguided marketing people still have massive chubbers for paper and ink. Not sure why, but they do. Unfortunately for those who print magazine, those marketing people are slowly being phased out. And because of that many media companies are no longer interested in printing magazines that no one is reading. For the official word from Factory, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on March 30, 2015
Not content to own nearly every major winter resort in North America, Vail Resorts announced today that it is adding Australia’s Perisher Resort to their portfolio at a cost of approximately $136 million in cash.
“The acquisition of our first international mountain resort is a significant milestone for our Company. We’re thrilled to welcome the guests and employees of Perisher, Australia’s largest and most iconic resort, into the Vail Resorts family and deepen ties with one of our most important international markets,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “This acquisition is part of Vail Resorts’ continued strategy to drive season pass sales and build loyalty with guests from around the world. Australia is one of the most important international markets for ski resorts across the Northern Hemisphere, generating an estimated more than 1 million skier visits annually to resorts in North America, Japan and Europe.”
And yes, if you’re wondering, next year’s Vail Epic Pass will now include unlimited access to: Perisher, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, Canyons, and Park City. If you’re going to take a year off to shred the world, this might be the year to do it . . . all year long. For the official word from Vail Resorts, please follow the jump.
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by The Editors on March 30, 2015
Zumiez decided it would be a good idea to have a “celebrity appearance” by Steven Fernandez and Keelan Dadd at the Stonewood Center Mall in Downey, California on Saturday March 28, 2015, but when more than “2,000 screaming girls and adoring fans” showed up the police shut it all down, according to a story on ABC 7.
“The clothing store and event staff were overwhelmed with the large crowd inside the mall, which caused the business to close their doors and cancel the event,” Downey police released in a statement. . . Authorities could be seen in riot gear and stores had their security gates closed as crowds were dispersed. The mall was temporarily closed, but reopened by 4:30 p.m.
Ah, the cult of personality powered by social media.
[Link: ABC 7]
by The Editors on March 30, 2015
We’ve all seen his work on Vans shoes, Burton Snowboards, and Flip Skateboards, but Laguna Beach, California’s AR4T Gallery is giving us all a chance to get a much closer look at Taka Hayashi’s incredible work in a solo show titled Portraits of Nature.
Central in Hayashi’s works are landscapes, birds, symbols and cultural signatures that refer to tribes worlds apart: Native American craft, ‘80s skate culture, North African tribal art, and ‘60s psychedelia, to name a few. The mystery is in how Hayashi traps, and then connects, quick flashes and deep feelings of these worlds on canvas. . . Working in charcoal, ink, gouache, watercolor, acrylic, and spray paint, this new series by Hayashi is presented in a range of earthy tones, vibrant hues, and black-and-white, and range in size from 24”x36” to 51”x51”.
Portraits of Nature opens on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 6 PM and runs through May 24, 2015. The Artists Republic 4 Tomorrow is located a 1175 South Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, California. For the official word from AR4T, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on March 30, 2015
X Games Boardercross ruler Lindsey Jacobelis has joined action photog/filmer Sky Rondenet (and others) on the Soxxy compression socks team, according to Soxxy founder and NYC PR maven Sarah Stabile.
“Lindsey caught my attention when she won the silver medal at the 2006, Winter Olympics. I felt an immediate bond, as a woman who also grew up in Connecticut, ski racing in New England,” said Soxxy CEO, Sarah Stabile. “I admire her dedication, it requires a true inner and outer strength to compete at Lindsey’s level.”
Few things hold it all together better than a good pair of compression socks. Seriously. For the official word from Soxxy, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on March 30, 2015
A 30-year-old snowboarder who was riding off-piste with his 31-year-old brother has died after being caught in an avalanche in the Valais area (Southwestern Switzerland), according to a story in The Independent.
The pair are thought to have been travelling down the so-called ‘Hannibal corridor’ of Mont Vélan, in the Valais area, when the younger was caught in the slide. . . The accident occurred at an altitude of 3,600 metres and while rescuers were able to reach him quickly, he died at the scene.
He is reportedly the 28th person killed by avalanche in Switzerland this winter. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
[Link: The Independent]
by The Editors on March 27, 2015
It likely wasn’t quick enough for some, but it appears that Andy Mooney’s two year run in the Quiksilver CEO position is over. In a release today, Quiksilver said that Mooney is “no longer with the company.”
From our perspective that is one of the best bits of news out of Quiksilver in a while. On Mooney’s watch (which began January 11, 2013) Quiksilver sold off Mervin, Hawk, Moskova, and Maui & Sons. They lost Kelly Slater and began turning in some pretty big quarterly losses.
At first it seemed the street thought the losses were part of the pain of Mooney’s restructuring (with some help from a down market). By Halloween 2013 the stock was up to $8.11 on the promise that Mooney was pointed the right direction. But by June 2, 2014 it was obvious things weren’t going well and the stock began taking hit after hit until that ultimately left it at $2.25 at the close today (March 27, 2015).
Today’s after-hours dip of 15 percent (down to $1.90) may suggest some aren’t happy about today’s news either, but the Quiksilver board has a plan. It looks a little like this:
. . . Pierre Agnes, President of Quiksilver, Inc., has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer and added to the Board of Directors; he succeeds Andy Mooney who is no longer with the company. In addition, Greg Healy, Quiksilver’s APAC Region President, has been promoted to President of Quiksilver, Inc., and Bob McKnight has been appointed Chairman. All changes are effective today. . . “The board has great confidence in Pierre’s ability and skills to lead our company. His primary focus will be on improving operational execution and efficiencies, and identifying growth opportunities, especially in the U.S. wholesale channel.”
It’s always good to see the people who intimately know the brand back at the helm. We’ll leave it at that. For some deeper thoughts on the news read Jeff Harbaugh’s post by clicking here. For the official word from Quiksilver, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on March 27, 2015
With no snow in their Pacific Northwest homeland Blair Habenicht, Matt Edgers, Temple Cummins, and their crew took off for the land of the rising sun where the snow was stacking in like twigs in a bird’s nest or something like that.
Let The Bird Fly. A motto embodied by a transient spirit, whose sideways sliding migrations, often rolled into motion on an empty gas tank in a limping VW van, inspired this project. . . We flow as one.
Sound good to us. Check it.
by The Editors on March 26, 2015
If you can’t make it to Phoenix, Arizona this weekend (March 28-29, 2015) for the 14th Annual PHXAM brought to you by Cowtown and Vans, then do the next best thing: watch it live online. Some who watch might even win something thanks to a clever online promotion.
Sign up now for the PHXAM “Watch and Win” contest for your chance to win a hefty prize pack from Vans and PHXAM sponsors. Winners will be announced during the Webcast. Cowtown’s 14th annual PHXAM presented by Vans will be webcast live beginning at 11AM PST on Sunday, March 29 on phxam.com and on your mobile device via the Vans Live app, where you can watch all of Vans’ live Webcasts.
For more info, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
