Occy / image © BillabongPro.com

Last year’s event winner Joel Parkinson badly cut his foot while surfing his home break last week. The footage is gnarly… looks like his whole heel was about to fall off. Reports say that he cut through his whole muscle straight to the bone. Needless to say, Joel will not be surfing in in the event this year… which opens things up to a new winner in 2010.
GNARLY / image © joelparko.com/

Will Dane Reynold’s step up to the plate and shine at J-Bay (I’d be stoked if he looses because my friends Brian and Chris will have him on their fantasy surfer teams) or will his nerves get the best of him like they normally do? Will Jordy (who’s world tour number one at the moment) win his first event at his home break, or will he stay out all night partying and picking up chicks the night before like he did at Trestles? Will Kelly cement his run for a tenth world title, or will Taj regain momentum for his title run? Will Andy Irons finally find his footing, or will one of the wild cards do damage at their home break and throw buckets of water in Andy’s face?

Andy Irons / © Billabong.com

It’s all going down this week, so be sure not to miss the contest. Or check back here for updates…

Webisode 07 – JBay’s Greatest Moments from Billabong on Vimeo.

Find out for yourself here on July 15th

Instead of dishing out the usual dose of marketing bullshit about how great the movie is and what to expect, here are some quotes on the film straight from the riders’ mouths:

“With Pat out of the picture, I might actually have a shot at getting the opener!”
“Nic has such nice hair, I wonder if he is sponsored by Suave?”
“Peter’s so legendary, he doesn’t even need a part.”
“How did John manage to have a better season than last year?!?”
“You think Andreas looks good when he’s filming? You should see how good he looks when he isn’t.”
“Who the F is Austen Sweetin?”

Coming Fall 2010 to a snowboard shop near you, along with iTunes digital download, stay tuned for more information on F’ It at special-blend.com, forumsnowboards.com and foursquareouterwear.com.

That night after looking at the swell reports for Thursday, we saw all the elements coming together. North winds combined with an 8ft swell at 11 seconds. There’s only a few spots that we knew would handle these conditions perfectly, so we set out in search for some fun, peaky A frames. And that’s exactly what we found.

Swell report for Thursday / Magicseaweed.com

So we packed the gear and rolled out. Made sure to bring some cold Tecates for the post surf wrap up. As soon as we rounded the final corner and could see the waves, we knew we made the right call. Perfect A frames were popping up all around and the North winds were blowing perfectly offshore. It wasn’t as big as the buoy report was claiming… but the conditions were pretty much as good as it gets.
Peaky sandbar / Crappy photo taken with my iPhone

The 6.0 North Pacific Quad worked wonders in the waves that were in hand. It was clear that these boards were shaped by someone who has first hand experience of what works out on the Oregon coast. They have a really full nose that allows quick entry into mushier waves, with just the right amount of float so they paddle fast. They have a pretty flat rocker that was allowing me to making sections that I would have probably bogged on if I was on my short board. The swallow tail mixed with the Quad fin set up made the board super loose and skate like when making turns. The first few top turns I made I actually over rotated into a 180 like I was doing a powerslide on a skateboard. Once I figured out how much tork to apply to turning the board it all came together and I had one of the best sessions of my life.
6.0 North Pacific Summer Quad / Photo: Landon
6.0 North Pacific Summer Quad / Photo: Landon

A new 6.0 summer quad, sunny warm weather, offshore winds, A frame peaks, good friends and a cold Tecate. There’s really nothing better in the world.

Thanks to Timberline for all their efforts in developing a top notch park. Skiers should look forward to WEST COAST SESSIONS in the coming months. Not sure what they’re doing this year but they revamp the park and make it big for the session. Looking forward to some fresh snow and some back country access.

Story and photos from Drew Smalley.
Shawn Craddick with a tail blunt and rodeo 540.

Shawn Craddick / Rodeo 540 / Photo: Drew Smalley

Shawn Craddick / Blunt Slide / Photo: Drew Smalley

Shawn Craddick / Rodeo 540 / Photo: Drew Smalley

Shawn Craddick / Blunt Slide / Photo: Drew Smalley

Because of the Super Bowl, we almost had the mountain to ourselves, it ended up being one of the best days I’ve ever ridden. Epic freeriding in perfect powder. I couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face all day long.

Zack Schnepf
Photographer
view website

After many hours of updates, tweaks and design refinement to this site, I am finally feeling comfortable about the functionality and overall look and feel. But now I need your help. I know there are many more improvements that can be made, and I have many more ideas that I’m going to be developing over the coming months. A site like this is always a work in progress. So if anyone has ideas of features or additions you think should be implemented, feel free to let me know. I am also accepting submissions in the form of photos, stories, ideas, events, or anything you can throw at me that are somehow related to the area that we all call home, and that has something to do with the recreational-shred use of the northwest in one way, shape or form.

Submissions will be reviewed and the best ones posted on the site. So if you have anything to submit, shoot me an email at info@northwestboarder.com and I will get back to you right away with ideas.

Cheers,
the Northwest Boarder team.

Adam’s vision is to create a complex that would include some of the best facilities in the world for sports such as surfing, skateboarding, bmx biking, rock climbing, kayaking, and white water rafting in one location. The facility would also include family friendly activities, including water slides, tubing, instruction and camps.

The complex would include a LEED Certified, 250-500 room resort hotel with gym facilities, a full service spa, and retail shops. The entire development would be a destination resort that could become the athletic center of the city, attracting over 1 million visitors a year, while providing an excellent range of facilities for local residents and serving as a model of how to develop for the next generation of active sports in a sustainable manner.

Each facility would be designed to encourage daily use, but in combination with exterior plazas and outdoor spaces would be able to accommodate large scale professional events, such as the Dew Action Sports Tour and the X-Games.

I spoke to Adam Wagner regarding the proposal and he summed up his vision, “Think of it as a world class training facility for action sports that you would join and become a member of, just like a gym or fitness club.” I have to admit, being able to surf some warm, consistent waves to practice my backside hacks on after work here in Portland, does actually sound fun.

How can you help if you would like to see something like this happen?
As the process moves forward, the Portland City Council, Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), and Portland Development Commission Board of Commissioners (PDC Board), will be making decisions about which of the approximately 95 concepts will be moving forward as part of a short list of proposals. The public input will have an important impact on who will be part of that short list, and we need your help.

If you think this proposal is worthy of consideration, please contact the Rose Quarter Development Project directly through their contact page at http://rosequarterdevelopment.org/contact.php .

To learn more about this project visit their site directly here.

Why did you guys decide to get into outerwear now?

Nike has always been about supporting our athletes and the new generation of riders. We saw the opportunity to further serve the 6.0 riders by creating outerwear that meets their performance and style demands.

How will the team work? It seems like most of your riders already have outerwear sponsors?

Yes, true. We will continue to have riders that are only on 6.0 footwear and apparel, with a small team that will be riding for 6.0 outerwear. Riders that will be supporting the initial 6.0 outerwear launch  are Matt Ladley and Greg Bretz, who will really influence the design and performance of the outerwear collection. The 6.0 rider’s needs and opinions are paramount, so we always make sure that their voice is heard through our product.

Who will your target be?

6.0 is by nature inclusive and fun-loving. We will target riders who ride primarily in the pipe and park who are stoked, optimistic and value functional performance and on-trend style. Also, the entire 6.0 men’s and women’s line is created with an emphasis on eco-friendly materials. All the pieces (men’s and women’s) in the line use Nike Grind trims, which are made from recycled shoe materials. We are also using a lot of materials made from recycled shell fabrics and recycled liner fabrics which is a point of interest for some riders.

How will it be distributed?

The distribution will be a hybrid between action specialty shops, core snowboard and freeski shops.

What other opportunities do you see in the action-sports market?

For Nike 6.0, we want to make a difference by continuing to push our product to be more and more environmentally sensitive.

According to Whistler: November 2009 has seen a total accumulation of 560cm (18 feet) of snowfall, nearly four times that of November’s average snowfall of 148cm (58 inches). This is an increase of more than 19 per cent over the previous record of 469cm (185 inches) set in January 2006, and a 22 per cent increase over January 1992’s record of 459cm (181 inches).

And now, with the record broken, there is still an entire season of skiing and riding to look forward to. With a season that offers 192 days of skiing and riding, Whistler Blackcomb is already over half way towards the resort’s average annual snowfall of just over 10 metres (33 feet).

Check out the latest videos and photos, as well as information regarding what’s open, and the daily snow report here:

whistlerblackcomb.com

“2010 will mark some major changes for professional surfing and the schedule reflects this,” Brodie Carr, ASP International CEO, said. “We’re moving dates of certain venues to ensure that we get the best possible surf as well as adding landmark new events. Across all disciplines, the 2010 ASP schedule will see nearly $12,000,000 paid out in prize money. It’s going to be an incredible year for surfing.”

The 2010 ASP World Tour schedule is as follows:
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, February 27 – March 10, 2010
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, March 30 – April 10, 2010
Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro, April 21 – April 30, 2010
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, July 15 – 25, 2010
Billabong Pro Teahupoo, August 23 – September 3, 2010
Hurley Pro Trestles, September 12 – 21, 2010
Quiksilver Pro France, September 25 – October 5, 2010
Rip Curl Pro Portugal, October 7 – 18, 2010
Rip Curl Pro Search, October 30 – November 10, 2010
Billabong Pipe Masters, December 8 – 20, 2010

The 2010 ASP Women’s World Tour schedule is as follows:
Roxy Pro Gold Coast, February 27 – March 10, 2010
Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach, March 30 – April 5, 2010
Taranaki Women’s Surf Festival, April 11 – 16, 2010
Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, April 21 – 26, 2010
Movistar Peru Classic pres. by Rip Curl, TBA
Rip Curl Pro Portugal, October 7 – 11, 2010
Rip Curl Pro Search, October 30 – November 4, 2010
Gidget Pro Sunset Beach, November 24 – December 6, 2010
Billabong Pro Maui (Tentative), December 8 – 20, 2010

2010 will see nearly 200 ASP-sanctioned events around the globe.

A full schedule and more information can be found on www.aspworldtour.com