by The Editors on January 13, 2014
Thanks to no snow at Northstar-at-Tahoe and too much snow at Breckenridge last weekend US Snowboarding has decided to hold a USA only event at Mammoth Mountain this week, meaning three of the five Olympic snowboarding qualifiers will go down at one resort in four days and then the US Olympic Snowboard Team will be named.
Maintaining the integrity of the Olympic qualifying system is paramount to U.S. Snowboarding,” says USSA Director of Freestyle and Snowboarding Jeremy Forster. “One of the keys to our success has been fielding strong Olympic teams chosen from five qualifiers. That is the selection criteria we put forward to the USOC and it is our intent to find a solution so that we can run five qualifiers for both halfpipe and slopestyle.”
How’s that for half the season in one weekend? Follow the jump for the official word from the USSA including the event schedule. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
Slash Snowboards is proud to welcome Mammoth Mountain halfpipe slayer Greg Bretz to the family which includes Johnnie Paxson, Manuel Diaz and Gigi Rüf.
“Greg Bretz doesn’t care, he catches air – to do so he chose the ATV board a couple years back and I knew how valuable his feedback was going to be as he is riding in some of the most difficult situations out there,” says Slash Founder Gigi Rüf. “Greg’s recent accomplishments in the Halfpipe are proof of his dedication in progressing snowboarding. I couldn’t be happier for him. He is onto the next level!”
For the official word from Slash by Gigi, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
Way back in 2010 the Association of Surfing Professionals (and the surfers) thought it would be a good idea to have all of the professional surfers ranked under the same point system (like tennis or golf). The ASP hoped that that would allow surfers to work their way onto the WCT from the WQS during the season and give everyone a better understanding of where they stood, but apparently things never really worked out that well. Not, the first things new “full-fledged ASP Commissioner Kieren Perrow” is doing this year is to fashion a “complete separation of the rankings” for the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) and the ASP Qualification Series (QS).
“The tweaks and alterations that have been made to the technical aspects of the sport over the past several years have been done so with one guiding principle – create a fair and balanced platform for the world’s best surfing to be rewarded,” Perrow said. “The combined ranking served a purpose throughout its time on tour, but the Commissioner’s Office believes that a separated ranking is the best path forward.”
It was a good try, right? For the official word from the ASP, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
Stephanie Gilmore was doing a shoot for Vogue at Australia’s Bondi Beach “recently” when she nearly had a wardrobe malfunction (follow the jump for those photos).
What we hope everyone learned from the above photo, however, is that it’s very difficult to look good surfing next to Stephie. . . even if you’re Laura Enever. More after the jump via The Courier Mail. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
Santa Cruz, California surfer Vince “The Godfather” Collier was about to go fishing the evening of January 3, 2014 when he heard the cry of what he thought was a baby sea otter. Turns out it was a woman who had fallen 30 feet down the cliff along West Cliff Dr., according to a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
The woman, who wore denim from top to bottom, was hard to spot on the rocks, he said. . . “I put my pole down because it sounds like someone is screaming for help,” Collier, 53, said on Sunday as he described his role in helping the Los Gatos woman. “She was in and out of consciousness.” . . . Collier said he climbed back up to West Cliff Drive to direct folks gathered in a parking lot near Merced Street to call 911 while he returned to help stabilize the woman until rescuers from the Santa Cruz Fire Department arrived.
The tide was rising fast and Collier says she would have been swept out to sea if he hadn’t heard her. Thanks to Collier’s work the woman survived with numerous injuries including broken teeth and ribs. If you’re going to be rescued from something in Santa Cruz, there’s probably no one better to be rescued by the Vince Collier.
[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
Having nearly been run down by a moose one time at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we’re quite certain we would never chase one down a run, but Charlie Rush and his friend followed one down a run at Whitefish, Montana and now they’re being charged with a $225 fine for ” harassing wild animals.”
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
In it’s quest to “return to core competencies” or something like that, Quiksilver has offloaded the Tony Hawk apparel brand to Cherokee, Inc. for $19 million, according to a story in the LA Times.
Hawk Designs, which Quiksilver acquired in 2000, owns a line of clothing tied to skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. The brand is sold through Kohl’s Corp., and Cherokee said that relationship would continue. . . Hawk said in a statement that he “will continue to be actively involved in the brand’s development.”
Cherokee owns Sideout (remember that volley brand from the 80s?) and Teen Hearts. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you end up a couple more rungs down the zombie brand ladder.
[Link: LA Times]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
The deadline for turning in an application for a Tony Hawk Foundation skateboard park grant is January 15, 2014.
Offered twice annually, the coveted Tony Hawk Foundation grants offer up to $25,000 for the construction of free, concrete, public skateparks, as well as the prestige of passing the scrutiny of the organization’s Board of Directors. THF Programs Director Peter Whitley says that receiving a Tony Hawk Foundation grant has been cited by past recipients as critical to their qualifying for grants from other organizations: “Communities that receive THF grants gain exposure and can take advantage of that attention to attract additional project sponsors and donors.”
We’re guessing anyone who is serious about getting help with their local skatepark has already filled out the paperwork, if not, follow the jump for more info. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
The things Chas Guldermond will do for some Bear Naked Granola, huh? It is, however, nice to see people promoting some proper food.
[Update: This video won’t play until January 17, 2014 because the Bear Naked marketing people have planned it that way and someone screwed up. If you still care on Friday, check back.]
by The Editors on January 13, 2014
Click here for our Agenda Show Photo Gallery.
Tim Gavin was on the front steps of the Long Beach Convention Center with a couple of friends when we rolled up for the Agenda Show on the morning of January 7, 2014. He was wearing a Filament T-shirt and telling another friend to be sure and come by the booth. “Stop by later,” he said. “It’s booth N-13.”
It likely wasn’t his plan (we didn’t even speak with him), but the industry veteran put us in an optimistic mood from the start. If Gavin were a different sort of man we’re sure he could come up with plenty of excuses to stay away from what is now the largest action fashion and skateboarding show on the West Coast. He’s done this gig before. He’s built and run extremely successful brands (DVS, Matix) and he’s seen them slip away into “reorganization.” But there he was, out front at the show with a new skate shoe brand and a head full of lessons learned the last time around.
It’s seems 2013 is the year of rebirth for many people. Paul Naude is in a similar, though much more high profile, position himself. After building the Billabong USA business up from next to nothing after licensee Bob Hurley started Hurley International in 1999, Naude saw the ship he helped sail nearly sink in heavy financial seas. After a failed attempt to buy Billabong, Naude could have taken some time to “pursue other interests,” however he was out in the Agenda Show aisles putting his considerable reputation and might behind two new brands Vissla and D’Blanc and helping action women’s fashion veterans Mandy Fry and Summer Rapp with their soon-to-launch women’s line.
Click here for our Agenda Show Photo Gallery. [click to continue…]
