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Gardnerville skate park located off Hwy 395 and Waterloo.
This is a great park! Some much room, a huge bowl, rails, and quaterpipes. One sick built park.
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I don't care what Daniel Tosh says about grown ups giving each other high fives! The big reason I returned to school? To get on top of the curve in sustainable business development. The skate and snowboard business is my chance to put it all together and make a difference. Thankfully, I’m not starting from scratch! A few skate and snowboard companies out there are doing just that and as we all jump in to this together we are making a better sport in a better world.
So a big high five to:
Comet Skateboards-an
Oakland based company takes their cradle to cradle mission seriously.
While most of their products are long boards, they do offer a concave
skateboard.
Bamboo Sk8-this
Oceanside based company is using bamboo to create sustainable decks
instead of traditional maple. Bamboo lasts longer which creates less
waste.Venture Snowboards-built from scratch in Colorado, their wind powered building creates sustainable wood cores and eliminate waste with their in-lay technology.
Niche Snowboards-this
Utah company prints graphics on the back of the top sheet to reduce
waste, the reduce green house gases and rock boards with hemp.I love seeing people and companies out there truly making a difference! Look for future posts on how my research on sustainability in the action sports industry is going. If you have advice, insight or suggestions please post them!
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I use this expression a lot when driving. I believe driving through a
green light is something ALL OF US should be able to do without
hesitation. Recently, while expressing my frustration, I came to a
greater realization. Us action sports, adventure lovers know shit or get
off the pot never applies to us. We are movers. We add activity on to
activity. Road warriors on the weekend, snow or shine! At times it
causes us to be less patient with those who cannot manage everyday life.
Because it boils over in to more that our action lives, it’s the way we
operate at work, school and within the family. When looking for a job, I
can see that it’s hard for potential employers to understand this
mentality. Yes I’m in school, yes I run my own internet company and yes,
I can work for you full time and do a damn good job at it! We push
ourselves past the brink, recover and get out of bed to do it all over
again. On a larger scale we saw this play out at the latest X-Games
event in Colorado. Rider Torstein Horgmo crushed the competition with a big-air triple cork. The mentality is to go beyond what you know regardless of the consequences.Football, basketball and soccer have ten times the life spam of the action sports industry, but they’ve tapped out on the freshness they are able to bring to the sport. Their long tradition keeps them going even when the content is stagnant. Venues like the X-Games, Dew Tour and Maloof Money Cup allow anyone with the skills to compete, constantly changing the dynamic of the sport.
And for those not interested in pro start-um? They hike peaks for fresh powder, hit up street spots in the middle of the night and do what it takes to fuel the next level. These sports aren’t easy. The independent and ballsy attitude is in our blood and ingrained in our brains. We see the world ten moves ahead and act accordingly. So next time you’re driving and have to yell “Come on man, shit or get off the pot!” you’ll know why...
****Just a quick note: Don't Google "shit or get off the pot" images just to get something funny for your blog, you're not going to like what you find-lesson learned!
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Indian Hills skate park in South Carson City...
Throughout my blog adventure I will bring you video showcasing different skate parks around the Northern Nevada area. While we have tons of ski resorts with every video under the sun describing the runs, there isn't much on what avid boarders do in the summer. Share your favorite park with us in the comments section!
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I mean that’s what makes money right? Underground, grassroots won’t
get you to the red carpet event, on magazine covers or “McScrooge
swimming in money” rich. Sadly, everyone has figured this out.
The skate and snowboard industry has its fair share of those after the almighty dollar. Shaun White has numerous video games, a clothing line and shoe collection at Target. Quicksilver/Roxy sold their surf brand at Costco. Zoo York is now available in JCPenneys.
And for a while I’ve been devastated. As sports against the establishment, as people willing to break the rules, is the fan base no longer loyal? Have we lost what it means to be a progressive? Or are companies willing to do whatever it takes to sell their product? Is greed the cause?
Shaun White has been on the scene for well over 10 years, so this may be his only way of progressing the brand he has built. Many would argue that he is an Olympic personality now and he should be available to all. Quicksilver and Roxy had overspending money troubles and Costco may have been their only way to redemption. Zoo York? Well I don’t know what happened there.
In my previous blog post, Action Sports Predictions, the experts interviewed stressed bringing the brands back to the core board shops. It would take a large scale event to get everyone on board with this idea, until then growth will remain slow. For now money is being made going through larger retailers, reaching a larger base where customers may have no idea what this brand means or stands for. In a big-box retailer does anyone care what the brand stands for?
A few years ago I read Small Giants by Bo Burlingham. At that moment I decided I would always maintain that philosophy. My business is not about the biggest buck; it’s about integrity and creating meaningful jobs for others. It was about growing in a sustainable and maintainable way. But maybe as a new brand I’m able to have these hopes and dreams.
Going through specialty stores is not the easiest route. But these brands are established, they shouldn’t have to struggle to convince the owner that it’s good product. I’m sure over production, ability to expand and numerous other factors are to blame. This is a big issue with many factors so I will be covering this in future posts…I hope you will leave your comments as to what may be the cause of this sell out mentality.
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Last week Lake Tahoe saw an impressive amount of snow. I, in hopes that Kirkwood’s backside would open, decided to embrace the holiday crowds on Saturday. I rode the Wall most of the day in hopes that I would be one of the first to see the lift to backside turn. But avalanche blasting kept that from happening. In fact, Kirkwood put people on top of The Cirque to monitor anyone trying to cross over. Something I had never seen before.
During my first run, I wanted to make my own line in the powder and sadly, let the front of my snowboard dig in. I flipped over and within a second my mouth was full of snow, made face was buried and I had no idea how far down I had sunk. I used my arms to push myself up, all that did was make the situation worse. I sunk deeper and the snow continued to pile on my face. I panicked.
I knew better. I knew to keep my mouth and nose covered so I would have an air pocket, but it happened so fast. I took a minute to clam down, closed my mouth so the snow inside would melt and slowly moved the snow from my face. I wasn’t far from the surface but it felt like I was 5 feet down. After 10 minutes of pushing myself up and taking breaks to rest, I finally was back on my feet. I was very upset with myself. I knew better and instead I panicked. And I never panic. That was the worst feeling in the world.
Kirkwood is boosting 12 feet of snow from this past storm so the fear of drowning in powder is all together possible.
Avalanches aren’t the only danger, riding in trees, off cliffs and falling in to tree wells are also huge factors in snow sports. You may think you’re a good enough rider to claim what’s untouched in the trees but once you fall you may not have the stamina to pull yourself out. So while you may not think you are in immediate avalanche danger there are some tactics to take in to consideration with every day riding.
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the best thing to do when trapped in an avalanche is to cover your mouth with your hands or arms. That way you create a pocket so you can breathe. Punching the snow in front of you can give you more room to breathe as well. ”Many avalanche deaths are caused by suffocation, so creating an air space is one of the most critical things you can do. Also, take a deep breath to expand your chest and hold it; otherwise, you may not be able to breathe after the snow sets.” Now there are many other things that go into avalanche awareness. If you’re an avid backcountry person you should take a class to better prepare yourself of the dangers. The point of my post is to help you if you’re snowboarding at a resort, possibly alone and get stuck. After Saturday I am making every effort to snowboard in the trees with someone else. Even though they may not be next to you at all times, they do know you’re in there and that could mean all the difference.
For more information about avalanches and courses:
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I’m not going to go in to my business
specifically, but I will spend some time on what it takes to start and
run an action sports company. Recently, Transworld Business (Jan. 2011
Issue) wrote an article “THE ACTION SPORTS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS”
summarizing the 2011 forecast from top industry experts and how each
aspect of the industry can contribute to growth and maintenance for many
years to come. Transworld Business Website
The first piece of advice to catch my eye was from Mark Price, CEO of Firewire Surfboards. To summarize his point, Price urged the support of new brands. The concern is that older, more established brands will be the only ones available and that will cause action sports to lose the “youth culture.” I think this is an identification issue with the sport. Dominant brands are owned by the majority of participants, but you want to hold on to the new comers by offering them something different. This brand might be local, offer new technology, or help underground riders. Any way the emerging brand chooses to differentiate, they must write their story and help the customer feel as if they are part of starting something great.
The second piece of advice was from Pierre-Andre Senizergues, Founder and CEO of Sole Technology. Senizergues take was more on the environmental aspect of the industry. He commented on our ability as a whole to “combat the world economic challenges.” His main focus is on sustaining our planet and our sport for kids in the future to enjoy. As a small business owner who is trying to make a difference with the small amount of products I carry, this advice is very important to me. It can be difficult with costs and limited resources to follow through. If we all put our best foot forward, we can bring awareness, drive costs down and make sustainability part of everyday products.
Finally, a few experts commented on the need to keep specialty brands in specialty stores. A new trend of the actions sports industry is to offer your products in big box retailers in order to make more money, sell extra inventory, or are more comfortable with being in an established retail store. Specialty stores, like Eternal Snow, are finding it hard to keep their doors open and when Quicksilver offers their brand in Costco it’s easy to see why. But larger brand stores are not immune to bankruptcies. As C.J. Olivares, General Manager of Fuel TV, mentioned, bringing buying experience back to the customer and making them aware of the brand benefits is extremely important. Many people will purchase clothing and not know the brand or purpose behind the company. Everyone, including riders, should understand the depth of the industry. We want to hold on to those first movers, those who want the latest and greatest and keep our products under tight distribution.
As reiterated in the beginning of the article, 2010 was a difficult year, I personally felt like I was slapped in the face, kicked to the ground and held down till 2011 showed its face. But with the minds of those who know the industry best, I feel like we can’t fail!
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So when my Giro helmet, with built in speakers, decided to go on the fritz at Kirkwood
yesterday, frustration quickly surpassed my excitement. After two runs
of fiddling with the wires I got it to a point where if I didn’t move my
head everything will be just fine. And that got me thinking. Regardless
of your taste in music, you know what it takes to get yourself pumped
up. And I’ve set my playlist accordingly. Now some might say, music
isn’t worth it, you should be one with the sounds of nature. And they’re
right. Hearing the snow crunch and the sounds from other riders is
important. I don’t play music when I’m in the trees because I want to
appreciate the silence and fully enjoy the soft powder. But there comes a
point when solo, groomer riding just gets boring.So I have a few ground rules when selecting my music:
1. I don’t play anything new. I want to immediately sing along, know exactly what word is coming next and follow the melody. I save new music for the car ride to and from the resort.
2. I don’t pick music I’ve listened to recently. I dig up older cd’s I haven’t heard in a year or two. That way the music is familiar but not over played.
3. If the next song isn’t flowing with what I’m doing, I skip ahead. I’m not going to wait through a whole song if I’m not feeling it. I want to be pumped down the mountain and mellow out on the lift. So I adjust accordingly.
4. I rock out! I don’t care whose watching. I pump my fist in the air and sing out loud if I’m alone on the lift. Even if there are people sitting on the chair in front of you, they won’t be able to hear you. So do some dancing hand gestures as your cruising down and don’t waste your time wondering what everyone else thinks. I’ll guarantee they’ll wish they had your enthusiasm.
There are a few things I personally abide by when using music on the mountain. First, I didn’t start out at max volume. When I first used music I wasn’t the best snowboarder. I made sure to keep track of who was around me and the last thing I wanted to do was ride reckless because I wasn’t paying attention. When I increased my ability, I increased the volume. Second, if I’m sharing a lift with a stranger and they would like to chat I put my music on mute. If someone wants to chat snow with you, chat right back. It’s only a chair ride and who knows, you may end up riding the rest of the day with them and making new friends. Finally, don’t let your awesome music cause you to do stupid things. Like jump off a cliff, or ride faster than you should. You can be pumped about riding and still control your actions.
I’d like to share a few bands that got me through the day. I’d love for you to share with me what gets you through a day of solo riding!
AFI-Ataris-Bad Religion-Incubus-Linkin Park-Millencolin-Nickleback-Silverstein-UnderOath-The Used-Unwritten Law-A Day to Remember-No Use For A Name-Chevelle-311-Our Lady Peace-Sevendust
And just as a heads up, I have an older iTouch I’m not fond of. So since I don’t care if it falls in the snow, I take that with me. The bonus is I downloaded Rhapsody for $10 a month. I get all kinds of new music, or older stuff I don’t have a copy of, then I try it out at the gym and if it sticks I put it in my snowboarding play list.
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As the owner of Stallar Skate & Snow I want to positively add to the worlds I love so much, skateboarding and snowboarding. Regardless of what brand you ride we’re all here for the same reason. Fueling that desire to enjoy life, live on the edge and push ourselves to the limit. Regardless of what is going on in our life we turn to our sport of choice and know all it asks from us is respect. But we can’t respect what we don’t completely understand. Throughout the future posts I’ll jump in to entertainment, environment and entrepreneurship as it affects the actions sports world and with this, I hope to meet others who are just as passionate as I am.
While the blog is called The Issues, it centers around everything skate and snow, much like a magazine. I’ll write about some of our favorite riders, make mention of those working behind the scenes to progress the sport. I’ll share my local spots. I’ll follow the effect of global warming on the Sierra’s snowfall, evident by the lack of snow in January. And I hope to share my stumbles, regrets and, most of all, my happiest moments since I started the company.
It was always a privilege to skateboard or snowboard. Living in the Carson Valley didn’t make it an automatic right. I had to work hard so I could go out and enjoy my surroundings. The main reason I started Stallar Skate & Snow was to help those dedicated to the sport but find they are unable to afford it. I want to start a movement of being involved and not just a stereotype.
Please feel free to leave comments or message me. Thank you all for reading along!
Ride without pressure. Progress without conformity.
