When France hosts the Olympic Games in 2024 their surfing venue is going to be a short 22 hour plane ride away in French Polynesia a.k.a. Tahiti, home to the monster wave Teahupo’o. Of course you already know this and we just watched the mostly boring contest from there last week. That said, the leaders from the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (including Owen Wright, Stephanie Gilmore, Tony Estanguet, Italo Ferreira and Jean-Philippe Gatien, pictured above) visited Tahiti during the contest to officially check things out. According to the ISA:
The ISA and Paris teams held productive discussions on key elements of the surfing competition in Tahiti and toured core elements of the planned Olympic surfing location. Agenda items for the meetings covered major topics such as the 2024 event format, competition schedule, infrastructure, sustainability, athlete accommodation and broadcast services.
Nice work if you can get it. For the rest of the official details, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Bloomberg, a company known for running with pretty much any business rumor they blindly stumble into, announced yesterday (August 17, 2022) that Burton Snowboards was looking for a buyer with the following: “The owners of snowboard gear manufacturer Burton are exploring a sale that could value the family-run business at as much as $800 million, people with knowledge of the matter said.”
Oddly, it appears that people with knowledge of the matter may have been a bit mistaken with their information as Burton Snowboards Donna Carpenter imediately set the record straight on IG with the following.
Since the beginning of owning this company, there’s always been rumors about us selling. So many that one year we made t-shirts that said, “Not for sale!” A recent report came out that we’re for sale. It’s 100% bullshit. It was for a nice price, but as I’ve always said, we are family-owned and will remain family-owned.
Wanting to know how much someone would pay for your company and wanting to sell it are often two different things. Not saying anyone was looking around for valuations, but Donna’s message seems pretty clear. That said, with the current state of the world (and weather), it might not be the worst time to take some money from the private equity clowns. Glad to see that isn’t happening just yet.
Surfer Imogen Caldwell just dropped her latest capsule collection of sunglasses in collaboration with OTIS Eyewear. Made from certified biodegradable Eco-Acetate frames, the Decades Collection pays tribute to the iconic looks of the 70s, 80s and 90s.
“In this collection we bring you my three favourite frames to date,” says Caldwell about the release. “The Vera, Goldie and Felix represent bold colourways, flattering shapes and a nod to classic style.”
Sky Brown, the 13-year-old board sports wunder kinder has signed a memorabilia deal with sports collectibles company Upper Deck, apparently.
Along with a diverse assortment of autographed skateboards and helmets, Brown’s portfolio includes a plethora of authentic autographed prints. “Empowered” is a 16″x20″ piece that illustrates Brown in a close-up action shot intertwined with her personal mantra, “Be Brave, Have Fun, and Do It Cause You Love It!”. The piece celebrates her passion for skateboarding and the driving force behind her success within the world of action sports.
Who will buy these authentic action sports collectables? We’ve no idea. Sadly, the collection does not include any good, old-fashion trading cards that smell of stale bubble gum. For the official details or the deal, please follow the jump. [click to continue…]
Walmart, the massive, big box, retailer, and obesity promoter, is a hulking bag of putrescence for so many reasons that it’s not worth listing any of them. But here’s one anyway. Back in February 2022 we mentioned a story about Vans filing a lawsuit against the monster retailer for knocking off most of Vans shoes.
Vans won an injunction against the company in March 2022 that required Walmart to stop selling the infringing shoes. But did Walmart follow that injunction? Of course not, according to a story on Reuters.
Vans told the court Friday that Walmart was “doubling down” with new shoes that are “even more similar” to its designs. It also said that Walmart was still selling other shoes that had been banned by the order. . . Vans’ court filing said Walmart has told the company it would stop selling the infringing shoes but “has not shown that it is actually putting its words into action.”
Vans wants Walmart to be fined $3,000 a day until they stop selling the shoes. But that probably won’t even stop the retail whale from continuing to plow ahead through the waters of copyright infringement, because why should they stop? They’re making boatloads of money. And they do the same thing in almost every category they sell in.
We’re all soft. We get easily triggered. So it’s nice to see that the Vermont resort formerly known as Suicide Six is changing its name to “Saskadena Six,” a name that celebrates the indigenous people of Vermont, and is more sensitive to mental health issues, according to a story on VT Digger.
“Much time, care and thought has been invested in the process to choose a name more representative of our values, one that celebrates its 86-year history, honors the Abenaki tradition, and will welcome future generations,” Courtney Lowe, president of the Woodstock Inn & Resort, which owns the ski area, said in a statement. “While the name might be changing, the experiences offered on this beloved mountain are not.”
The new name reportedly means “the standing mountain” in the Abenaki language. But how will the new name affect people who can’t stand? And is this simply another appropriation of Indigenous cultures for business gain? If these questions are in your lane, please weigh in.
Who would have thought that Walmart would be selling helmets that need to be recalled? Apparently, the Tony Hawk signature helmets “do not comply with the positional stability and retention system requirements of the U.S. CPSC federal safety standard for bicycle helmets.”
Luckily, no one who reads this site would have purchased a helmet like this, but if you know someone, tell them to contact Sakar at 800-592-9541 anytime, email at support@sakar.com, or online at https://www.vivitar.com/pages/recalls or www.vivitar.com and click on “Recalls” at the bottom of the page. And yeah, another reminder that you can’t always trust a Tony Hawk endorsement.
In 2019 California Governor Gavin Newsom overturned the board’s first release ruling in Gator’s case and San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan is asking him to do it again, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
In a statement, Stephan said family and friends of 22-year-old Jessica Bergsten “deserve the continued promise of justice in this case. “Our office argued strongly against releasing this violent defendant,” she said.
Governor Newsom has 60-90 days to decide what should happen in Gator’s case. If he doesn’t nothing, then Gator will be scheduled for release. Guess we’ll know sometime in the fall.
With Culture Shifters 2022 at Aspen/Snowmass Burton Snowboards is spreading the inclusivity of snowboarding with the help of a few friends and influencers.
Building off the success of last year’s Culture Shifters, @Zeb Powell, Selema Masekela and the #BurtonTeam assembled a new group of legendary athletes, musicians, artists, and cultural icons to celebrate their love for snowboarding and its community.
Looks like a pretty good trip all around. But one question: what happened to all that Gary Rogers footie?
A different surf shop experience is now open for business in West Malibu, close to Westward and Zuma Beach. SeaNSoul Surf Shop is an extension of the SeaNSoul website, which is fast becoming the place for surfers, bikers, skiers and outdoor people to buy and sell used equipment: Surfboards, wetsuits, snowboards, skateboards – everything.
SeaNSoul founder John Kozlowski is originally from Missouri and Texas, growing up playing football in rural towns far from the ocean. Living and working in New York City for many decades as an executive for Ralph Lauren, Kozlowski fell in love with all things surfing and ocean: “We had a weekend house in the Springs, the bohemian part of East Hampton and close to Montauk where I would surf literally every weeknd year round.”
After 20 years of bright lights, big city, Kozlowski and his wife Erica heard the call of the surf and sun and moved with their two children to Malibu. (Please follow the jump for the rest of the story.)
Walmart, the massive, big box, retailer, and obesity promoter, is a hulking bag of putrescence for so many reasons that it’s not worth listing any of them. But here’s one anyway. Back in February 2022 we mentioned a story about 
We’re all soft. We get easily triggered. So it’s nice to see that the Vermont resort formerly known as Suicide Six is changing its name to “
Who would have thought that Walmart would be selling helmets that need to be recalled? Apparently, the Tony Hawk signature helmets “do not comply with the positional stability and retention system requirements of the U.S. CPSC federal safety standard for bicycle helmets.” 
Former pro skateboarder 
