We’re pretty sure this isn’t the first time a skateboarder has been hit from behind by a cougar and then run for his life, but it may be the first time a skater has used his board in an real mountain lion attack.
According to a story on the CBC, that’s exactly what happened to a skater in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
Parks Canada officials are out with tracking dogs to collect droppings and try to find the cougar. They say they have spoken with a man who says he fought off a cougar attack with his skateboard. . . “They say they have confirmed that a man was knocked down by a cougar in that area Thursday but he swung his skateboard at the animal, causing it to back off,” said Bill Hunt, a resource conservation specialist with Banff National Park.
The man didn’t originally report the attack because he thought it might have been illegal to hit the animal with his skateboard. Which is odd, because all the guys we know who’ve hit cougars weren’t usually worried about the law, they were scared someone would see them with the beast the next morning.
[Editors’ Note: Thank you to everyone who sent us a link to this story. It has been the number one most contributed story in our history. Which isn’t saying a lot, but it’s definitely saying something.]
IVI is trying something with their ecommerce site that even the most bitter online shopper would be stoked on. Now, when people want to buy a pair of IVI shades they can order up to four pairs, try them out for 7 days, then keep the ones they like and send the rest back in a prepaid container. IVI is calling it a Home Showroom.
Keeping in the tradition of attempting the never been done, introducing new and interesting marketing and distribution strategies, IVI’s Home Showroom offers a new buying experience for the sunglass customer, just in time for Summer. In 4 simple steps, online shoppers now have the ability to tailor their buying experience around their schedule.
We’ve been doing something similar for years on Zappos.com, but it’s nice to know someone in action sports is making it this easy. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
Now he’s taken to outrunning avalanches for The Silver Bullet. What’s worse is that his beer run is for some country singer who is likely recognizable among people who listen to that kind of music.
We can’t really fault him. He’s a great stuntman and light beer reportedly goes real well with nuts.
Now this is one collab everyone can gouge right into a wave. Here’s what Brixton has to say about their Futures Fin deal with Captain Fin:
Each fin has it’s own fun graphic. Plus you get a nice shot of Upton freaking out. This set is perfect for your new setup. Be cool stay in school. Honeycomb construction. Check your local shop or the Captain Fin store. Shred.
Ah, yes. A new set up. Guess we could start with a set of good looking fins, right?
Remember those dope iPhone 4 cases that made your phone look like a pair of Vans sneakers? Well, they’re back. And this time they’re built for the iPhone 5 and come in a slew of fancy colors thanks to a partnership between Vans and tech accessory manufacturer Belkin, according to a post on The Full Signal.
The back of the case has the same tread pattern as Vans’ “Off The Wall” skate shoes. It’s not made of the same rubber material, which would probably cause too much friction in your pocket or bag, but it’s close enough and just having the tread pattern there is pretty cool. The edges of the case look and feel like the edges of Vans’ “Off The Wall” shoes, too. The back has a hole through it for the camera and flash, and the bottom has three holes for the speaker, microphone and Lightning charging port.
As it happened last time, they’re going to be difficult to find until sometime in July 2013, but we can wait. Can you?
Tony Hawk is back at it again. As he does every year he’s asking (yes, asking) people to hit up the Tony Hawk Foundation for free money (up to $25,000) to be used for building skateboard parks. There is a catch: eligible parks must serve at-risk youth in low-income communities. And he’s done a lot of this.
Having awarded more than 500 grants since 2002 to skatepark projects in all 50 states, the Tony Hawk Foundation has seen 80% of the skateparks it’s helped fund open and begin serving almost 13,000 youth daily. In addition to its domestic Grant Program, the Tony Hawk Foundation has also provided critical Technical Assistance to thousands of skatepark projects around the world. In many instances, the foundation’s Technical Assistance has helped communities avoid costly mistakes and delays. Tony Hawk Foundation staff assisted over 1,000 communities in 2012 alone.
The Tony Hawk Foundation is doing great things in this world. To find out how you can help support, or apply for some funding for a skateboard park in your neighborhood follow the jump. One more thing: applications must be turned in by July 1, 2013 to be considered.
Every surfer needs someone whose looking out for them and Sebastian Zietz just went with about as big a someone as a surfer can get by signing with Octagon. There he will join other athletes like Michael Phelps, Apolo Anto Ono, Alana Blanchard, Mitchie Brusco, and Jamie Anderson just to name a few.
“Seabass is one of the top young surfers in the sport who carries movie-star charisma that is fresh and appealing to fans and sponsors,” said Amen Teter, Octagon’s Action Sports Director. “The sky is the limit for Seabass. He has the talent to compete and win big events on the ASP World Tour and a personality to match. We are excited about the opportunities to expand his profile.”
We’re sure they are and now Seabass has Amen Teter to reach out to sponsors and say, “Pay me.” For the official word from Octagon, follow the jump.
Kane Stewart, son of San Clemente, California’s longboard shaping icon Bill Stewart, is doing lead vocals in a band with his cousin Brad Shultz (of Cage The Elephant) called Plastic Visions. Their debut EP dropped on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 and this is their first single. It’s called Kamikaze and itsounds pretty good, like The Pixies. Watch the edit and you’ll see.
“The business cannot stand still,” a company spokesman said. “We have previously detailed our plans around transformation and global simplification including retail, and where . . . appropriate we will action them.”
As a reminder, Zumiez tossed in an offer to buy West 49 in 2010 and many are already speculating that they might be in line to pick up some Canadian stores at what will likely be a huge discount over their last offer. Guess this is one more bit of Billabong news that we’ll all just have to wait for.
World Industries has just dropped a new line of Plyagra decks that feature North American maple veneers with a carbon fiber inlay in the top layer to help the boards say stiffer and stronger for longer.
If you’re facing embarrassing performance anxiety the Plyagra just might be the right board for you. They apparently work for Andrew Cannon. Plyagra decks are currently available in fine independent skateboarding shops for $59.95, but we don’t know how long they’ll last.
We’re pretty sure this isn’t the first time a skateboarder has been hit from behind by a cougar and then run for his life, but it may be the first time a skater has used his board in an real mountain lion attack. 
