Dawn Patrol Launches 5.0 Surf Tracking

by The Editors on April 18, 2023

We have a love hate with Dawn Patrol for the Apple Watch. When it works, it’s fun to see how many waves we got, how fast slowly we surfed and save it to analyze later. When it doesn’t work, however, it can be just enough of a tech annoyance to ruin an otherwise good session. That’s why we’re hoping that the newest update (version 5.0) of their surf tracking app will tip the balance in the right direction.

We have made some sleek design changes, increased overall performance, and added more intuitive user interfaces. . . We have enhanced the interface of the surf map. Your surf metrics are laid out in a clean and efficient way to read. . . Get to know how efficient your paddle is, allowing you to measure your strength and ultimately catch more waves. . . Our renewed tidal chart shows the current water level height and spot name.  . . Get to know your spot better and learn at which tides you are catching your best waves.

One thing is for sure–Dawn Patrol is the best way to put a tide chart on the face of your Apple Watch. And it’s all worth it just for that. For all the details, please click the link.

[Link: Dawn Patrol App]

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Gretchen Bleiler Talks The Middle Zone

by The Editors on April 18, 2023

What do you do with an athlete, when they stop being an athlete? Especially if they’ve had serious injuries to body and brain? Former olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler is helping others answer those questions, while dealing with many questions of her own in this profile in The Aspen Times.

“It’s such a sad end-of-life story. These athletes who we were all so inspired by, who made the impossible possible, their mental and physical health can be so deteriorated and debilitating. Their life can become tragic. It should never be like this,” said Bleiler. . . “No one knows how to treat CTE. So many people are not talking about what they are going through. It’s shameful and isolating by yourself. And there’s delayed changes, many times years later. It’s confusing, what is happening to my personality, why is this happening, am I going crazy?” . . . To rebuild the pillars in her life, Bleiler began that deeper journey she had ultimately been craving. She had already received her mediation certification in 2014 through the Chopra Center. She was ready for more.

It’s great to hear that she’s getting things all sorted. For the rest of her mid-life story, please click the link.

[Link: The Aspen Times]

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Tony Hawk’s New Watch Sponsor

by The Editors on April 17, 2023

Tony Hawk has a new watch sponsor and it’s Citizen, according to a story on Fast Company. It’s a smart watch, something Nixon never seemed interested in.

Hawk will be the face of Citizen’s second-generation CZ smartwatch, which was paraded out in Las Vegas at CES in January and is powered by research from NASA and artificial intelligence built with IBM Watson.

Space watch for the future that looks just like a watch. Nice work.

[Link: Fast Company]

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Requiem For The Surf Industry

by The Editors on April 3, 2023

In one fell swoop, the entire surf industrial complex has disappeared from the world. Poof! All the stories, all the late-night parking lot parties and premieres, and all the dreams of kids from the dusty streets of middle America who longed to reach for the beach. Today, Jamie Salter’s oxymoronically named Authentic Brand Group has agreed to buy Boardriders (Quiksilver, Billabong, Roxy, DC Shoes, RVCA, Element, VonZipper, Surf Dive & Ski, and Honolua) from Oaktree Capital for a reported $1.28 billion, according to stories in the Chain Store Age and the Australian Financial Review. Here’s how Mr. Salter spins it:

Along with the great brands and impressive global reach that will come with this acquisition, we see Boardriders’ potential as a thriving online marketplace under Authentic’s ownership,” said Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic, whose brands include Reebok, Eddie Bauer, Nautica and many more. “With Boardriders’ proven retail playbook, we also see tremendous opportunities to accelerate the expansion of its shop-in-shops, branded retail stores, wholesale and e-commerce worldwide.”

By far the funniest quote is from Boardriders CEO Arne Arens:

We are proud of our deep connection to the global action sports community, industry-leading brands and world-class teams,” said Arne Arens, CEO of Boardriders. “Under Authentic’s ownership, Boardriders will be uniquely positioned to expand the reach of our iconic brands to millions of consumers, capture market share in our core categories and grow white spaces, including premium athleisure, training and lifestyle.”

We know Mr. Arens has to say this, but does anyone really believe it? We don’t. In the meantime, make sure you buy from. . . well, authentically authentic action sports brands that are privately owned and funded. If you know of any, please help us out and leave them in the comments.

[Link: Chain Store Age and Australian Financial Review]

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Circe Wallace On The Bomb Hole

by The Editors on March 31, 2023

Yes, you need to watch Circe Wallace for all the reasons. Maybe we’ll list some of them later, but you already know why. 

[Link: The Bomb Hole]

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A Curren Caples Reminder From Vans

by The Editors on March 29, 2023

It begins with Ween and only gets better from there. Just a little reminder of how good Curren Caples is (as if we’d forgotten: thanks Gary). That’s all. Back to work.

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SurfAid Celebrates World Water Day

by The Editors on March 22, 2023

Apparently, today is World Water Day. A chance to celebrate water and raise awareness of the global water crisis around the world. As part of the celebration SurfAid is requesting help in their mission to improve clean water access  in Indonesia, home to the worst drinking water in South East Asia. 

Only 30 per cent of city residents have access to clean water and that number drops to only 10 per cent in remote villages. SurfAid is changing these odds and we need your help. Access to water and sanitation is an integral part of all our programs. We work together with communities and local government to establish clean water facilities and sanitation practices using a mix of practical support, education and sanitation promotion.

If you’d like to help SurfAid in this mission please click the link for more info.

[Link: SurfAid]

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The McGill’s 35th Anniversary Party

by The Editors on March 20, 2023

After 35 years in downtown Encinitas Mike McGill has moved his legendary McGill’s Skate Shop a couple blocks inland and sandwiched it right between Lazy Acres supermarket and Jersey Mikes at the northwest corner of Encinitas Blvd and the 5 (as they say in SoCal). The perfect spot if you’re looking for an organic salad to compliment your corporate sub and Birdhouse Skateboard. It was also the perfect spot for a 35th anniversary party on March 18, 2023 with most of the Bones Brigade and whole host of skate heads.

Everyone was there and thanks to Malik Jones we can see it all: Lance Mountain, Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, Hosoi, Stevie Cab, Kevin Staab, Grant Brittain, Paul “The Professor” Schmitt, Don Brown, Steve Van Doren, Alphonzo Rawls, and apparently of dumpload of professional autograph hunters doing business. 

[Link: McGill’s Skate Shop]

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USPS Drops Art of the Skateboard Stamps

by The Editors on March 16, 2023

The US Postal Service is dropping in on Cowtown’s 21st Annual Phoenix Am Contest on Friday, March 24, 2023 to kick off the launch of their new Art of The Skateboard stamp series.

Fiercely independent and often rebellious, the skateboarding subculture crackles with raw creative energy. The bold artwork emblazoned on a skateboard deck is often as eye-catching and individualistic as a skater’s most breathtaking moves.

The stamps feature art by Crystal Worl, William James Taylor Jr, Federico “MasPaz” Frum, and Di’Orr Greenwood. For all the details (including special info for all you philatelists), please follow the jump.

[click to continue…]

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Shaun Palmer Inducted In MTB Hall Of Fame

by The Editors on March 13, 2023

Seems like this took a little longer than it should have but legendary snowboarder Shaun Palmer is now a member of the 2023 inductee class of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Old snowboarders know exactly how skilled Shaun was at pretty much everything, but the mountain bike world circa 1995 never knew what hit them as Shaun jumped in out of nowhere and dominated the downhill scene, changing pretty much everything about the sport all at once.

Palmer, a world-renowned Hall of Fame snowboarder, scored a breakout performance just one year after getting into the sport. Aboard one of the most-prolific downhill bicycle frames of all time, the Intense M-1, he scored the silver medal at the 1996 UCI Downhill World Championships, missing gold by just 0.15 seconds. His immediate world-topping results captured the immediate attention, and intrigue, of the entire mountain bike community.

Not sure what he’s been up to lately, but it’s great to see him getting a little more credit for all the things he’s done in his multi-sport career.

[Link: Mountain Bike Hall of Fame]

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