Shred White & Huge! Maverick’s Goes Off!

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (Shred White and Blue)-After more than three months of waiting, contestants and fans alike were rewarded for their patience with an historic day for big-wave surfing, as Chris Bertish etched his name in Mavericks lore and was crowned champion of the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest.
With waves described by the competitors as some of the biggest they have ever paddled into, and in front of a crowd of approximately 50,000 fans, Bertish outlasted Shane Desmond, Anthony Tashnick, Dave Wassel, Carlos Burle, and Kenny “Skindog” Collins to claim the Jim Beam Jersey and a $50,000 check from prize purse sponsors Moose Guen and Jane Sutherland of MVision and Barracuda Networks.  The total prize purse of $150,000 was the largest in big-wave surfing history, with $50,000 going to Bertish, $25,000 to Desmond in second, $15,000 to Tashnick in third, $10,000 to Wassel in fourth, $8,000 to Burle in fifth, and $6,000 to Collins in sixth.
2008 Champion Greg Long summed up the day perfectly while passing along the Jim Beam Champion’s jersey to Bertish.  “The entire book of big wave surfing was rewritten today.”

Bertish, a native of Cape Town, South Africa was overcome with emotion, adding, “It was an honor just to be here today and paddle out with these other guys.  I flew 36 hours to be here, and this has been a dream come true.”

The competitors were greeted by huge waves as soon as the Contest began, with heats one through four being won by Dave Wassel, Peter Mel, Alex Martins, and Ryan Seelbach respectively.

“These were definitely the biggest waves I have ever paddled into,” said second-place winner, Shane Desmond. After two memorable semi-finals which were won by Anthony Tashnick and Carlos Burle, the hard-charging Bertish pulled through in the final round.
The Gnarly Head Wines “Gnarliest Drop” Award, given to the surfer who pulls off the most impressive drop of the day, was won by Anthony Tashnick.  Commenting on the opportunities that today’s conditions offered, Tashnick said, “There are no excuses on a day like today, it was perfect.  Whatever you wanted, you could take.”

The Jay Moriarity Award, given to the surfer who best exemplifies the spirit and passion that Jay was famous for, was won by Dave Wassel.  Wassel, who thanked the Half Moon Bay locals for accepting him, was also blown away by today’s conditions.  “It was undoubtedly the largest surf any paddle-in contest has ever seen.”

Despite the roughly 50,000 spectators in attendance, the Save The Waves Green Team was able to minimize the impact that the fans had on the area surrounding this world-famous break.  As in years past, Green Team staff members separated trash and educated fans on how to reduce their carbon footprint.   Added Maverick Environmental Manager Joao de Macedo, “Mavericks is a special place for all of us, and we’re thrilled to say that even with all of today’s foot traffic, the Save The Waves Green Team was able to ensure that this  pristine condition.

Mavericks CEO Keir J. Beadling thanked everyone involved in the production of the event.  “As we all know, producing this event is no easy feat.  It takes countless hours of preparation from everyone in the Mavericks extended family.  We’re grateful for the support of all who aided in the staging of this event, as well as for all of our sponsors.  And congratulations to all the competitors on what was truly an historic day out here at Mavericks.”

The full slate of sponsors for the 2009/2010 Contest includes Sony Ericsson, Barracuda Networks, Jim Beam® Bourbon, Moose Guen and Jane Sutherland of MVision, Facebook, the Bay Club, The Corporate Law Group, Gnarly Head Wines, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Airship Ventures, Vertical Response, Surfer Magazine, Oceano Hotel & Spa, Stormsurf.com, Rickshaw Bagworks, GoPro, Mission Chiropractic, and Capture Technologies. FOMO: www.maverickssurf.com.

// Photo by Art Gimbel

Building a Brand: Shred White and Blue in the News

Snow Online (Shred White and Blue)—We’re very stoked on a couple of recent Shred White and Blue appearances in the news, particularly on The Ski Channel.

Here’s an interview that appeared just before Christmas: The Ski Channel
(Big ups to Zeke for taking the time to write our story).

And making The Ski Channel’s top 250 list was like making the honor roll. (I called my mom!): Top 250

Thanks to Steve Bellamy and The Ski Channel for all their support for Shred White and Blue!

A Fundraiser for Frank Long

Snowbird, Utah (Shred White and Blue)—This a personal note from Matt Long, whose father Frank is a dear friend of Shred White and Blue and of skiers everywhere. Any and all contributions – prior to or after the fundraiser are greatly appreciated. Matt’s e-mail address is at the bottom of the note:

On September 4, 2009, father, husband, avid skier, and Little Cottonwood Canyon local Frank Long suffered a terrible accident in Valle Nevado, Chile. On the last run of the day Frank suffered a brutal crash that compressed his C3, C4, and C5 vertebrae. The accident has left Frank without feeling through much of his body.

Dust on crust, poor visibility, and an unmarked cat track sent Frank over a 4-5 foot drop where his upper body and face took most of the impact on a cement-like road. After ski patrol responded he was airlifted to a hospital in Santiago where he underwent emergency surgery. A difficult week at the Chilean hospital followed before Frank was placed on a medevac flight to Miami.

Frank will return to Utah on January 14, 2010 to continue his fight to take back control of his life. Help us get Frank back in the mountains where he belongs and doing what he loves with his friends and family.

The Tram Club is hosting a fundraiser on February 20, 2010 at 5pm to help Frank with his ongoing recovery and medical expenses. We are asking for items or services to be donated for a raffle and silent auction. Anything you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. To make a donation please contact Matt Long 774-994-0145 – mlongima@aol.com, Nancy Pinnell 801-455-5177 – nancy.pinnell@utahhomes.com, or Brian Van Steenkiste 734-626-0311 – brian_van_ggs@yahoo.com

Spotted in a bag of backcountry gear

American Made: Postal Snow, POW & The Splitboard Revolution

Postal Snow

Airmail, America (Shred White and Blue)—Shred White and Blue is heading to the Olympics this week, ready to hand out stickers, deliver a few t-shirts and mail some missives about how our homegrown shredders are handling the scene north of the board. To that end, the new Shred Mail stamp should come in very handy.

The U.S. Postal Service is commemorating the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with the issuance of a snowboard stamp created by Illustrator Steve McCracken. In Wiki-scoop fashion, it’s not the first time stamps featuring Olympic themes have been invoked to help ‘send it.’ During the first modern Olympiad in 1896, Greece issued 12 commemorative stamps. And since 1932, when the Olympics were held in Los Angeles, U.S. stamps have honored the Games.

Jeremy Jones and POW Ride Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill (SWB)—Jeremy Jones (8-time Big Mountain Snowboarder of the Year!) along with a coalition of winter sport filmmakers and industry representatives shared a new perspective on climate change with lawmakers on Capitol Hill: the economic, social and intangible values of winter.

Jones represented Protect Our Winters (POW), the environmental non-profit he founded in 2007, and was joined by Chris Steinkamp, Executive Director of POW, big brother Steve Jones, Founder of Teton Gravity Research (TGR), Elysa Hammond of Clif Bar and Elizabeth Burakowski from the University of New Hampshire.

The two-day agenda included a screening of Generations, a film about climate change, to a theater of Congressmen and environmental leaders, and a meeting with key lawmakers from US mountain states to discuss how climate change effects winter sports culture and the $6 billon winter sports industry. Said Congressman Jared Polis, (D-CO). “The ski industry is the lifeblood of my district and climate change is already taking a toll.” FOMO on POW, check here http://protectourwinters.org. (you can find the Generations move there as well). Or watch a clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPCObLVislY

The Splitboard Revolution

The Backcountry, Colo. (SWB)—Longtime SWB buddy Mike Horn – when not riding deep backcountry pow in the mountains around Crested Butte – keeps a keen eye on the latest developments on the snowboard scene. What does he says is the next big sensation?

“Splitboards are going to go mainstream,” says Horn. “The companies like Never Summer and Venture that have been honing this market for years are going to see brands like Lib-Tech and the new Jones Snowboards introduce their own big mountain boards for backcountry stash skinning.”

In the SnowPress Show Daily, the official magazine of the SIA Snow Show (just held in Denver for the 1st time), Horn writes, “Not only are there at least eight snowboard manufacturers producing splits—Jones Boards, Lib-Tech, Atomic, Burton, Never Summer, Prior, Venture, and Voilé—but two big mountain heroes named Jeremy Jones and Travis Rice will have their own signature decks.”

These guys at Spark are making very cool splitboard bindings – check out their how-to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuiTKdFVttc