by The Editors on October 20, 2014
No matter how you looked at it, Sunday, October 19, 2014 was a big day for the ASP and competition surf fans around the world. The Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal was nearing completion, the waves were good, and current ASP leader Gabriel Medina was posed and ready for a potential ASP World Title win. But things didn’t go as planned, or did they?
In his Round 3 heat against Brett Simpson, Medina kept busy getting more than twice as many waves a Simpo, but none of them were bettering Simpson’s opening barrel. When Simpson bettered his second wave score he moved into the lead and things got strange. With two minutes to go in the heat, Medina took a wave in and walked up the beach, even though his last score had him in second.
“I thought I had the score on my last wave, that’s why I came in, but it wasn’t enough,” said Medina. “I’m pretty sad with this result, but I got happier when Kelly (Slater) lost. I was ready to win the Title here, but now I’m focused on Hawaii. I’m happy that I’m still in the Title Race and I know it doesn’t depend the other title contenders, it depends on me. I don’t know yet what I need to do, but I will prepare and train and be ready.”
That kind of mistake seems a little too reckless for someone so ruthless in the hunt for a first world title. In the following heat, a completely lackluster Kelly Slater sat by while Spain’s Aritz Aranburu blazed him 12 to 6.3. Was the surf that difficult to read for the best two surfer in the world, or were both these warriors putting off the battle so they could go head to head in Hawaii? Everyone wins with a World Title showdown at Pipeline: the surfers, the organization, and the fans. And now, thanks to some strange happenings, that’s exactly what we all get. Follow the jump for the official word from the ASP, or click here for live coverage of the Semi-Finals. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 17, 2014
by The Editors on October 17, 2014
This morning, while we were out plowing furrows in tiny waves with our Lib Tech Air-E-Ola waterboard, Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White was making a huge announcement at Southern California’s Rose Bowl. Apparently, Shaun and his friends are going to put on an Air + Style event at the Rose Bowl on February 21 – 22, 2015, according to a post on Yobeat.
“It’s pretty crazy, and it’s come a long way since we first started brainstorming the idea of bringing Air & Style to the U.S. last year,” White told ESPN. “Now it’s official: We’re doing the third stop of the tour for Air & Style at the Rose Bowl, and we picked that venue because Los Angeles is my hometown. A lot of people in Pasadena probably have never even seen snow, but that’s the beauty of it.”
This event will feature skiers, Shaun White on rhythm guitar, and no Shaun White in the contest. And general admission floor seats will only cost $189. (Reminds us of an old Steve Martin bit). Guess the big questions is: does anyone in SoCal want to spend one-third the price of a Mammoth Mountain season pass to watch a bunch of Euro huckers they’ve never heard of spin off a monstrous jump to a edm backbeat? For that answer we’ll all have to wait until February and see.
by The Editors on October 16, 2014
Ever since Lost Boys we’ve thought action sports needed its own vampire story and now, thanks to Monterey, California writer Tina C. Zmak we may finally have it. Her new (self-published) book is titled Dark Surf, according to a story in the Monterey County Weekly. It’s goes something like this:
Tristan is the leader of a group of night surfers, the Nomads. He is the only one capable of transforming ordinary vampires into shapeshifting vampire sharks. He got the ability after a run-in with a shark and some radioactive waste near the Farallones: “[The shark] released Tristan and swam away, pondering the unfamiliar flavor. Deciding she liked it, she circled back and zoomed in for the kill, excited about the idea of eating something foreign and exotic, even if it was bony… As the shark hit the water, Tristan jumped on top of her. He grabbed the shark by the steel-gray gills lined up behind her head. He tore into her, covering her face with bite marks.”
Sounds pretty terrible, but the book features Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Santa Cruz as locations so if you’re up for it click the link.
[Link: Dark Surf]
by The Editors on October 16, 2014
The Wyoming Office of Tourism has just signed Jackson Hole’s own Travis Rice to be the official “voice of winter” for the state of Wyoming.
For those wanting to get up close and personal with Rice, Wyoming is giving fans a chance to ski or ride with Rice . . . Additional contest winners will receive a Wyoming branded, Rice designed, custom Lib Tech snowboard. Follow the conversation about the sweepstakes with the #RoamwithRice or enter the sweepstakes at: http://winter.wyomingtourism.org/sweepstakes/.
If you win you’ll get lots of goodies from Lib Tech and a full two hours trying to keep up with Mr. Rice at Jackson Hole. Good luck with that one. Click the link if you’re feel in’ lucky. . . well, are ya punk?
[Link: Wyoming Tourism]
by The Editors on October 16, 2014
Patagonia pulls together two of the most soulful sliders in the history of board sports and puts them together in a powdery forest in Japan.
An arriving swell. Falling snow. Two forces, or one and the same? Two board sports legends, Pipeline master Gerry Lopez and snow surf pioneer Taro Tamai, have spent a lifetime practicing the art of flow. The Northern Sky digs down to the roots of that shared sensation, as experienced in the mountains above Niskeo, Japan.
They do make it look good don’t they?
[Link: Patagonia]
by The Editors on October 15, 2014
Burton Snowboards has collaborated with sexy boot maker Frye on a new saucy women’s all-mountain snowboarding boot that has all the function plus the fashion.
By far the most fashion-forward women’s snowboard boot ever made, the Burton x Frye boot stays true to the long revered design of The Frye Company’s treasured Harness boot. Like its iconic footwear counterpart, the Burton x Frye snowboarding boot features the distinctive Harness ring, straps and studs that has made the boot a favorite for generations. Crafted with authentic USA-made Horween premium leather and boasting Burton’s top-shelf technologies, the boot looks as good as it performs.
So get your tongues ready, bootlickers. These things are hot, hot, hot. . . Hmmm, wonder when these are going to come in XXXL sizes? For the official word from Burton, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 15, 2014
For years photographer Jack English has been operating Surfimages.com as the go-to site for surfing stock photography. Now he’s opening it to the general online public and offering premium prints, posters and murals through the online store.
“We’ve received a lot of requests from individuals asking if we offered prints for sale,” said Surf Images CEO and photographer Jack English. “For the longest time, Surf Images only licensed images to the commercial market, so we really weren’t able to handle requests from private individuals. Today, I’m happy to announce that Surf Images is now able to offer our beautiful surfing inspired wall art direct to the consumer through our commerce store at surfimages.com.”
To check out what’s on offer, click here. For the official word from Jack English himself, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 14, 2014
While we were sleeping last night those jet setting WCT surfers kicked off Round 1 of the Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal at Supertubos. From the looks of it, Gabriel Medina is well on his way to wrapping up this season before the tour gets to Hawaii and it has the King upping his game.
“It’s always tough in conditions like this and even more so when a guy starts out with almost a 10-point score,” said Kelly Slater. “I just wanted to get myself going, get some waves and start feeling the flow. Gabriel (Medina) is a real competitor. He wants to win the Title more than anyone, and at his age I was the same exact way. You can see that he loves to surf, he loves to get better and improve what he is already doing and he’s got crazy skills.”
For the official word from the ASP (including Round 2 do-or-die match-ups) follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 13, 2014
Seems some skateboard shops will try anything to move product. Recently several Denver skaters have accused 365skateboards.com of offering up sponsorship in exchange for the purchase of a board. When people don’t get the board they ordered their names and personal information was put up on 365skate’s Wall of Shame. The Wall of Shame has been taken down, but the site still appears to be live. Watch the edit for the rest of the story.
[Link: CBS Denver]
