We Got the Shirts!

We got 100 T-shirts just in time for the holidays, and appreciate all the good e-mails from those of you who have been representing the SWB colors at your favorite surf and snow spots. Happy Holidays! Thanks for all your support.

These are super soft all-cotton t-shirts, with a nice fitted feel and a really clean look. Seriously, we’re really stoked on how these came out. Order up an XL or a L in the blue, and we’ll send it over for $26.50 (that’s w/shipping in the U.S.). Want the M? It’s the classic SWB logo in white for $22 + shipping. Order now and we’ll drop you a few extra stickers to tag your boards and bikes and stuff. Order soon for us to ship in time for Christmas.

Want one? Click here!

3 Cheers for Powder (& More American-Made Decks that Scorch the Soft Stuff)

Shred America (Shred White and Blue)—Yeah, winter is finally here and we’re back on board with another round of decks made by fellow shreds in the U.S.A. There’s been a lot of Colorado coverage, I know, but home is where the heart is… and where lots of killer snowboards are made.

Never Summer SL-R Snowboard

$499.99
Sizes [cm]: 151, 155, 158, 161, 164
neversummer.com
Made in Denver, Colo.

Never Summer’s Colorado-crafted SL-R features rocker & camber (R.C. Technology) and Vario Power Grip sidecut. It’s an extremely agile, all mountain freestyle deck that offers quick edge-to-edge response and maintains a forgiving tip and tail for smooth takeoffs and landings. NS retained the bomber construction but buttered things up with the right amount of rocker and a medium flex. This board excels from the park and pipe to the steep and deep.

Testers’ Take
• “Classic Never Summer battle-ready construction, great flex for freestyle.”
• “Floats in pow surprisingly well for a freestyle board.”
• “Freestyle? I call it fun-style.”

Venture Storm

$985
Sizes [cm]: 148-182.5
(available as a solid version or a split)
venturesnowboards.com
Made in Silverton, Colo.

Emblazoned on the Storm, as well as the rest of Venture’s boards is a photograph of an actual snow crystal taken by Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley. That is the only delicate component of their bomber-built boards, handcrafted in Silverton, Colo. Buttressed by p-Tex sidewalls and a poplar / ash bookmatched core (Venture slices vertically laminated blocks of wood in half and reassembles them to make full cores with consistent edge to edge density and stiffness) the Storm is available in a split and solid version, and waist widths from 24-27cm.

Testers’ Take
• “Very fun to ride—be the star in your own slasher film—REE! REE! REE!”
• “This board moves like a disc jockey’s hands at a rave; super quick.”
• “Don’t be too pushy or you’ll end up on your ass.”

Voilé Mojo

$895
Sizes [cm]: 154, 161, 166, 171
voile-usa.com
Made in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains

Sized for men and women, the Mojo cast a spell on testers this year, dominating in powder and earning high marks for ease of turn initiation with the same directional shape, dimensions and traditional camber as last year. Testers of both sexes succumbed to the Mojo’s magic.

Testers’ Take
• “Springy, sprightly; picks its way down steep slopes and is most responsive to short radius turns.”
• “Gets the Mojo flowin’ in wide-open pow.”
• “The Mojo is light underfoot and has a smooth torsional flex; it’s tough to beat for technical terrain where quick, reliable turns are a necessity.”

Sunday Shout Out: Squaw Named West’s ‘Greenest’ Resort

Squaw Valley, Calif. (Shred White and Blue)—The 2010 Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition ski resort environmental score card, just released, ranked Squaw Valley USA as the highest scoring Western ski resort for environmental initiatives.

This is the third consecutive year Squaw Valley USA received an ‘A’ grade from the Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition, a third party group that supplies a comprehensive analysis of ski area environmental efforts.  This year the coalition grouped the criteria for which the ski resorts were evaluated into four categories – Habitat Protection, Protection of Watersheds, Addressing Global Climate change, and Environmental Policies and Practices.  Report card data is obtained from an annual survey and public records from government and environmental agencies. Freedom of Information Act and Public Records Act requests are filed with appropriate land managers to identify ski area development projects and management plans each spring. All document sources and detailed information about the grading criteria can be found on-line at www.skiareacitizens.com.

“The environment is our asset,” said Chairman and CEO Nancy Cushing. “A beautiful and pristine mountain experience brings guests and employees to Squaw Valley. It is our duty to make every effort to protect that experience.”

From the geothermal heat pump that heats the entire Squaw Kids Children’s facility, to the multimillion dollar water run off filtration system in the parking lot, the state-of-the-art heat exchange system at High Camp’s Ice Pavilion and Lagoon & Spa, and comprehensive forest re-vegetation projects that help to preserve Squaw Valley’s natural eco system – aspects of the conscious environmental commitment are ingrained in Squaw Valley’s culture.

Squaw Valley USA’s exemplary work in 35 categories in regards to preservation of sensitive areas within ski resort boundaries, water conservation and commitment to recycling and alternative energy rendered the resort the highest score of the 83 resorts evaluated.

Maverick’s – How to Watch the Super Bowl of Suring

Half Moon Bay, Calif. (Shred White and Blue)—Mavericks Surf Ventures, Inc. has a wide-ranging series of options for remotely watching the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest.

Mavericks CEO Keir J. Beadling explained that that the decision to offer such a large array of viewing options was informed not only by the company’s desire to bring the excitement of Mavericks to as wide an audience as possible, but also by its interest in protecting the area surrounding the world-famous break.  “In an effort to limit crowd impact on the Half Moon Bay area and coastal ecosystems, we are encouraging all Mavericks fans to watch the contest via free live webcast and by attending our live viewing party at AT&T Park in San Francisco.  Both options provide a much better viewing experience than the view from the beach. If you do plan on attending Mavericks in-person, please be respectful and cautious of the natural environment, and leave no trace.”

Millions of fans witnessed the 2008 Contest via a live webcast, and this season Mavericks has launched its most ambitious webcast offering to-date.  For the first time ever, fans can catch all the live action at Mavericks’ official website, www.maverickssurf.com. Also new this year, Mavericks will bring viewers around the world an opportunity to experience the thrill of Mavericks via a live, interactive webcast on Facebook and Ustream.  The webcasts will be powered by Ustream, the leading live broadcasting platform on the internet. The experiences will provide fans with an unprecedented level of interactivity while viewing the contest—sharing their thoughts real-time, through Facebook Connect, with other Mavericks fans everywhere.

As was the case in 2008, the day’s activities will also be available via a unique live webcast viewing event at AT&T Park—“baseball’s perfect address” and the home of the San Francisco Giants.  Ticketed fans can watch the Contest live and in high definition on the big screen in centerfield or from any of the big screens throughout the Club level. Tickets for the AT&T Park viewing event will include in and out privileges and can be purchased for $20 in advance, $25 at AT&T Park, or online at www.maverickssurf.com.

Fans who will be in the East Bay can attend a live viewing event at Miss Pearl’s Jam House in Oakland.  The event is free to attend, but space is limited, so fans are encouraged to arrive early.  For more information go to www.misspearlsjamhouse.com.

For those who want to be even closer to the action, Mavericks has a few spots available on its officially-sanctioned boat tours.  These boats are piloted by seasoned, local captains with knowledge of the area around the Mavericks surf break, and guests on the boats are provided with complimentary parking, lunches and official Contest apparel.  More information is available at www.maverickssurf.com.

Finally, fans who want to experience Mavericks from an entirely new perspective will have the unique opportunity to view this year’s event from the world’s largest airship—Airship Ventures’ Zeppelin Eureka.  The “Eureka” is a 246-foot airship that accommodates 12 guests per trip, and, weather-permitting, will run 30-minute passenger trips in the sky throughout this season’s Contest Day from Half Moon Bay Airport.  The spacious cabin comfortably accommodates the pilot, flight attendant, and up to 12 passengers with luxury features including oversized panoramic windows, an onboard restroom with window, and a unique 180-degree rear observation window and “love seat” that wraps the entire aft end of the cabin.  More details are available at www.airshipventures.com or by calling Airship Ventures at (650) 969-8100, ext. 111.

//photo by: flickr.com/jdegenhardt

‘What is Ski Music?’ Part 1: The 8-Track Years

The Parking Lot (Shred White and Blue)—So there’s this ongoing conversation about what the heck ski music is anyway. Does it even exist? Is someone actively creating it somewhere? Or is it just whatever’s on the car stereo when you’re driving to the hill?

It seems as if there’s always been surf music, with its sunny guitar and that drum roll like a crashing wave. And skateboard thrash with its repetitive angst of insistent bass and strangled chords. And always the multi-sport friendly anthemic rock of Springsteen/Queen/Zeppelin and even Jersey pulp like Bon Jovi or whatever kind of hair metal you still get a secret charge from listening to.

But I couldn’t really tell you what defines ski music – now, or ever. Which is what got me searching my own CD (‘album’) collection, across the Internet and on the ever-indispensable YouTube, where it finally occurred to me, that like music technology (the aural delivery service, if you will), since 1970, what may or may not be considered ski music has undergone four distinctly different eras – encompassing 8-Track, cassette (oh lord, it’s the mixed tape), CD and i-Pod.

And you know what? There are a lot of great arguments for what American ski music just may be about. Here’s a little sample of the early years.

The 8-Track Years

Take it to the Limit: The Eagles
‘Cosmic American Music’s’ greatest progenitors, and the all-time gods of American album rock (because ABBA still kicks their asses in Europe), The Eagles were that perfect pairing of country plaid and blue-eyed soul. And out of all their hits, this was the one that let every skier feel as if every heartache could be burned out by a heavier foot on the accelerator – “You know I’ve always been a dreamer.”

Rock, Stein and the Bird
I don’t know Mark Johnson and have only once got to shake the hand of the great Stein Eriksen (who my father still claims as the greatest race and powder and bird-hunting – wink, wink – skier ever), but this film Mark made of Stein and buddies powder skiing in Alta is video proof of the truth that ‘the powder was always deeper in the early years.’ Powder on, ski gods!
January 5th, 1974, Mark, Stein and the Bird:

Hot Dog and the Return of Mitch Ryder
I will never be able to explain how Mitch Ryder of ‘Mony Mony’ and ‘Devil Blue Dress’ fame suddenly singing a Prince written song in a ski movie happened, but this one hits me every time. The video montage of Squaw Valley steeps and easy descending rhythm of this Hot Dog classic is what I still sing to myself on those bluebird days when I want to match a little mojo to my turn (especially as I wonder which local ski-skiing double is under all those hats and sunglasses ripping those local lines): Hot Dog/Mitch Ryder

Next, Ski Music: Cassettes and The Mixed Tape Years

//photo by Colin O’Brien