VOLCOM SKATE DAY! CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA

The Volcom Team headed down Cape Town this weekend to show our support and stoke out the locals in the Durbanville area, with a fun day of skating at the local Sports Unlimited Store. A bunch of giveaways were handed out, thrown out and scrambled for by stoked groms over the shops classic mini ramp in the back of the store. Volcom team riders Alan Marola and Lloyd Hodoul were on hand to bust out a demo and amp the locals up, before all headed outside and were treated to free boerie rolls and cooldrinks on Volcom.



After a couple more giveaways and stenciling everyone's boards, an impromptu exit, with all groms in tow, was made over to a local "best trick" comp at a nearby skate park, Where we set up camp for the rest of the afternoon. Some great skating was had by all with Volcom showing more support by sponsoring some best trick prizes of our own including best 360 flip over a sand gap, won by Jean-marc Johannes. Volcom would like to thank Sports Unlimited for the use of their store and all the staff that helped out...

Parko in good company: Slater knows all about heartbreak in Hawaii

OAHU: Kelly Slater says Joel Parkinson's mental toughness is about to face its toughest examination.

Parkinson's loss of the world title to Mick Fanning at the Billabong Pipeline Masters came after he seemed certain to become world No.1 following his three triumphs in the first five events of the year. But an ankle injury sustained in Bali, a string of shock defeats and Fanning's blistering late-season charge all conspired against him. Slater, who lost a Pipe shoot-out to Andy Irons for the 2003 world championship before the lingering disappointment led to an ordinary 2004, claimed Parkinson might struggle to a similar degree.

''Talk about a dominant start to the year with Parko,'' the nine-time world champion said.

''And talk about a more dominant finish to the year by Mick. It's been a great see-saw battle. They were probably battling each other in PE classes at school and now they've been battling each other at Pipe. To have it stolen from under you like Joel has, that's probably pretty disheartening for him right now. Halfway through the year everyone was saying it was going to be boring because Parko was just on fire, but I kept saying to people, 'Don't write it off. Joel runs hot at some stage of every single year, but not the whole year.' It happened. A few of us saw the opening a few months ago but Mick was the only one who could do something about it.''

Slater advanced to the quarter-finals at Pipe alongside Australians Bede Durbidge, Taj Burrow and Dean Morrison. The event is likely to finish today. Parkinson threw everything into this year's campaign and Slater said it would require great resilience for him to do it all again. More resilience than Slater could find after Irons gazumped him. ''What Mick has done here would have Joel really frustrated,'' he said.

''To have the start to the year Joel had, but still lose, I'd say next year is going to be a really tough year for Joel mentally. I had that year in '03 when I came real close but I lost to Andy and that basically threw me for the next 12 months. I'm not saying that has to happen to anyone else but for me, to lose the world title in the last contest at Pipe, that's devastating. You can get scared of putting yourself back in that situation because you might just get disappointed all over again.''

On Fanning, Slater added: ''He's definitely one of the best competitors of all time in the surf game. He doesn't go out and try to light the world on fire like a Dane Reynolds. He goes out to do his job and his job is to win contests. He's one of the best surfers in the world without always being the guy pushing it to the next level. But those guys don't win contests. Mick wins heats and contests, and world titles. He wins in all conditions. He's pretty much the ultimate competitor out here right now.'

Pipeline is the Mecca of the surfing world, and it is at this legendary location that we are proud to announce Volcom's first ever ASP event: The Volcom Pipeline Pro, a WQS 5-star event running with a waiting period from January 23rd – February 5th, 2010.

Volcom has been deeply rooted on the North Shore since the early 1990's. It all started with our first team houses at Turtle Bay, then Rocky Point, then V-Land, and Sunset - until finally settling permanently at our dual beachfront locations directly in front of the Banzai Pipeline.

"To have our own contest in front of the Volcom Pipe Houses is truly amazing," says Volcom Founder and CEO, Richard Woolcott. "I think it's going to be a great event for everyone; the surfers, the spectators and the community. This is something I never would have imagined when starting Volcom... It really is a dream come true."


Pipeline in 2009. Photo by Tom Carey
The Volcom Pipeline Pro will feature a prize purse of US $120,000 and be a great opportunity for locals to get much needed WQS and Triple Crown points.

"We're super pumped to host an event at Pipeline," says Troy Eckert, VP of Marketing. "This is the place that separates the men from the boys, and we're all very honored to be involved at this level. I'm glad that we are able to step in and support the Hawaiian surfing community."

Volcom has always been dedicated to Hawaii - from supporting a team of world- class Hawaiian athletes and ambassadors, to giving back to the community through local charitable events, sponsorships and organizations. The Volcom Pipeline Pro is the next step in our commitment to Hawaii and we hope you'll join us, either on the beach at "The Proving Grounds" or via live webcast at Volcom.com.

For all Volcom news, go to Volcom.com

Superior Firepower

When Everything is on the Line at the Most Hollow Wave on the

WCT Circuit, the Boards Behind the Curtain Make all the Difference

 

In 2008 Kelly Slater may have dominated the Pipeline Masters on a supremely unorthodox sled—a ride he and shaper Al Merrick dubbed “The Deep Six”—but it was hardly the first time (and certainly won’t be the last time) that somebody took a slightly different tack and introduced the world to something out of the norm.

Over the years the famed Banzai reef has played a vital roll in the progressive development of everything from 7’6” pintail stilettos to 5’6” plugs. In the early 1960s when Butch Van Artsdalen and John Peck were first penetrating the lineup, their boards were the biggest barrier to entry. As board sizes started to creep down, and surfers demanded equipment to achieve performance possibilities. Mike Hynson and Dick Brewer explored the down rail concept; Gerry Lopez and Rory Russell were quick to adopt the new shift in design, and tube riding changed seemingly overnight.

The early 1980’s saw another revolution when Simon Anderson introduced his (then) radical 3-fin Thruster concept – and proceeded to prove its merits by winning the 1981 Pipeline Masters.

This year the 8 finalists in the Billabong Pipe Masters are as motley a crew as you could have ever predicted: ASP veteran brothers CJ and Damien Hobgood, Coolangatta tube terror Dean Morrison, local Pipe specialist Flynn Novak, consummate competitor Bede Durbidge, Backdoor dynamo Taj Burrow, power prodigy Dane Reynolds, and super-freak Kelly Slater. And their surfboards are as varied as their unique talents.

Taj Burrow makes no secret of his love affair with Backdoor – especially when he can get it with only one other guy in the line-up. His quiver starts with a 6’1” Firewire but if it gets bigger (as expected for Tuesday) he may opt for 6’5 or 6’7” All his shapes are 18 1/8 X2 1/8 rounded pins with fixed fins.

Dane Reynolds has been riding a 6-6 proton step up, round pin (his model just made for a little bigger stuff, like Pipe.) The board is single concave and has a lot of curve - kind of an old faithful one from last year.

On Saturday Kelly was surfing this year’s version of his “Deep Six” model. It’s a design from the board he rode at Pipe last year which by the way was his back up board. In short the board is sort of 2 boards stuck together: a gun tail and a short board nose - 5’11” in length and just normal dimensions for the rest , He creased the new one pretty good in his last heat so it’s on the shed getting fixed. The big difference with the newer version: 4 fins as to the 3 fins from last years.
When the comp starts back up however, anything could be pulled out of the bag.

It remains to be seen if Slater’s new-age alternative equipment will have nearly the impact, but it’s a safe bet that as long as people are trying to get deeper in the tube at Pipe they’ll continue to push the limits of the boards they ride.

Watch the action as it resumes Tuesday at the Billabong Pipeline Masters. Van’s Triple Crown has all the action and FuelTV will broadcast the finals LIVE on television.

http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/pipelinemasters/index.html

 

Billabong - USA

For almost two decades, the good folks at the Skatepark of Tampa host the world-famous Tampa Am Contest in their private park, and the best up-and-coming skaters from all over the globe show up for a weekend packed with skating. Hundreds of ams enter and battle it out to see which one will walk away a winner. Tomorrow’s professionals are bred here.

Here were the results.

1st

Luan Oliveira

Sponsors: Flip, Globe, Volcom, Flip Wheels, Matriz Skate Shop
Hometown: Porto Alegre Brazil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd

Ben Hatchell

Sponsors: Zero, C1RCA, Bones
Hometown: Houston TX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd

Nick Tucker

Sponsors: SK8Mafia, JSLV, Bones, FKD, Silver, DVS
Hometown: San Diego CA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th

Jack Olson

Sponsors: 3rd Lair, Volume Skateboards, Osiris (flow), Bones, Neff
Hometown: St. Louis Park MN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  5th

Chris Mendes

Sponsors: Emerica (flow), LRG, Banned Board Shop, Mountain Dew, Silver, FKD
Hometown: Moreno Valley CA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  6th

Felipe Gustavo

Sponsors: Plan B, Silver, FKD, Bones wheels, es Footwear, Nine Star Skate Shop, LRG (flow)
Hometown: Brasilia Brazil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7th

Ron Deily

Sponsors: Zoo York, Vans (flow), Red Bull, NJ Skateshop, Matix (flow)
Hometown: Union Beach NJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8th

Shawn Hale

Sponsors: Ergo, 5Boro (flow), Vox (flow), Indy (flow), VU Skate Shop
Hometown: Joplin Missouri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9th

Mark Suciu

Sponsors: Etnies (flow), Habitat (flow), Bones Wheels, Force, Elm Hats, Atlas Skate Shop
Hometown: Saratoga CA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10th

Clint Walker

Sponsors: Birdhouse, Dekline, Ambiguous
Hometown: Altus OK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11th

Adrien Bulard

Sponsors: Autobahn Wheels, Nike SB, Quiksilver, Hawaii Surf Shop, enjoi
Hometown: Rouen France

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12th

Kevin Romar

Sponsors: Kr3w (flow), Blind, eS (flow), Furnace, Venture, Bones
Hometown: Cypress CA
Notes:

 

 

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FUEL TV did a live webcast on the whole event!

Nike 6.0 Welcomes Mikkel Bang To The Team

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Remembered by many as the hyperactive knee-high 13 year old with pasta stuck up his nose in his first international video section (White Balance), Mikkel has made a smooth transition from super-grom to a stylish 6′2″ tall fullygrown rider. From Oslo, Norway, Mikkel first proved he meant business to the world when he won the Rookie Challenge at the Air and Style in 2006, gaining a wild card spot in the main event. The following year he powered through the knock out big air competition, beating many of the world’s best riders to take second place overall with an incredibly slick switch backside 1080.

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King of jibs and jumps, Mikkel rules in both slopestyle and big air competitions, in 2009 alone he racked up four podium spots at major events including the X Games, the Canadian Open and the Dew Tour. Famous for his endlessly positive attitude and enthusiasm for pretty much everything, Nike 6.0 are stoked to have him on board the footwear team and are looking forward to working with him in the 2010 season.

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Mikkel on joining the team:
“Being a part of Nike is a huge deal, an honor considering all the athletes they have in soccer, golf, basketball; in all different sports. I’m also really excited that some of my friends are on 6.0 as well, Kevin, Mason and Peetu, I’ll get to see them loads more and we’ll have time to ride and have fun together… “

Nike 6.0 corral some of Europe’s best pipe riders for early season BagJump session in Saas Fee.

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Right then. It seems everyone’s at it, but at least unlike Shaun White and his private foam pit, Peetu Piiroinen and the Nike 6.0 gang decided to allow any other riders that were a) around and b) good enough to give the BagJump they had installed at the bottom of Saas Fee’s pipe a good seeing to in late November.

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With pipe riding tearing itself a new exit hole at the contest down under and the Olympics looming, if you’re thinking about hitting podiums then it’s looking increasingly like you’ll need a double cork in the armory. If you’re of questionable sanity, like Peetu is, you’ll just give ‘em a crack on regular pipe walls but it’s nice to have a safety net and that’s what the BagJump boys bring. Riders like Ben Kilner, Ethan Morgan and Manuel Pietropoli stepped up to session with invited friends such as Mathieu Crepel and Iouri Podladtchikov to double-chuck themselves as safely as possible and get the heads round the rotation so that taking it to the real walls won’t be quite such a step into the unknown.

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Notorious blabbermouth Peetu said of the session: “We had great conditions for the bag jump and the pipe was in good shape for everyone to try new tricks in safety. I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

Pipe contests this seasons will be off the hook. Believe.

 

In honor of Jeff’s 30th birthday and to raise money for the JLA Memorial Fund, a group of world-renowned photographers and artists, friends of Jeff and of snowboarding have come together to create a unparalleled body of work titled, I AM SNOWBOARDING.

One photographer is paired with one artist to create an original 30” x 40” piece. A photo of Jeff, shot by the photographer, has been enlarged onto archival canvas upon which the artist paints or uses any medium to create a unique collaborative work.

The resulting pieces are one of a kind, the partnerships formed in this project a tribute to the depth of the snowboarding, skateboarding and art communities.

All proceeds from I AM SNOWBOARDING go directly to the JLA Memorial Fund – the completion of the Brothers Skateboard Park in Mammoth and the support of local art.

The collection will be released for the first time in Mammoth Lakes, CA on November 14^th, 2009 and will be open to the public for two weeks through November 29^th. Gallery hours TBA and by appointment. Contact: dawntrue@hotmail.com

Prints are available online through ASYMBOL, and the originals will be auctioned at the end of winter when they are done traveling. Check back for a showing in your area. Contact: tcook@themachinedesign.com

Thank you for being a part of this wonderful project and journey.

For tour date infomation:

http://iamjla.org/?page_id=156

 

VOLCOM V.CO-LOGICAL PRESENTS: ‘GIVE JEANS A CHANCE’

Volcom wants to help clothe the homeless across North America. 100 stores will be part of this program between 11/15 and 12/31.

Customers can donate their jeans into the bin, sign up for the promotion to win a year supply of Volcom Brand Jeans and receive their free VBJ hat (while supplies last – 30 hats per store).

 

 

All jeans will get donated to homeless shelters across the US. Volcom partnered up with the The National Coalition for the Homeless, to select the right homeless shelters nearby all 100 participating stores.

 

For more info, store locations and video go to:

http://www.volcom.com/give-jeans-a-chance/

 

 

The Third annual 'Dirty South' surf contest went off with waves. This year we set that date of Saturday Dec 5 and thats why we added skim, stand up paddle board and prone paddleboard. There were little waves really early from the day before's south swell. It wasn't enough to legitimately hold even the SUP surf contest. So we kicked things off with the paddleboard race from the jetty at South Beach to the 10th street buoy. It was won by local lifeguard Johnny Canellas on his 10'6" board in a time of 34.26 and the top female paddleboarder Lee Emerson-Smith and head lifeguard took second with  37.29 and Lucas Bocanegra 37.48. Johnny took home the new hull bottom single fin from Viking surfboards and he was donating it to their surf academy so others could learn to surf on it.

The SUP world champion was in town to win the SUP race, that also took the same track as the paddleboarders and was 2.1 miles long. Local Hawaiian Roray Kam took second with a time of 30 minutes, with Bob Paskowitz and Jim Levine to follow. Ekolu Kalama of Hawaii wins the race and the Viking 12 foot sup board that was lighter than all my short surf boards.

The skimmers turned out and the conditions were ideal for them as they could even ride the small ripples. The competition was decent and Danny Rodriguez held everyone off, even local surfer/skimmer Wyatt Krapf to take the win at the first skim contest ever held on South Beach as part of the third annual 'Dirty South' surf contest. Maybe Wyatt will get to show off his other skills next year. Danny won a Viking Hybrid short surf board with Bob Marley all over it. The beautiful trophies were made by hand by Red Dog with help from Annie Tworoger. Next years event will take place Saturday Dec 11 2010 and we will continue to hope for the best when comes to waves here in South Beach.

Thanks to all who helped and participated, like Ark Paddleboards: it was alot of fun, especially to see all the smiling faces.

A big thanks goes out to our major sponsors Viking surf and paddleboards and Quiksilver, who provided all the prizes. Thanks to our media sponsors shrimpcreole.com, tubedtv.com, surfguru.com and dadecosurf.com. Thanks to our only fully local sponsor F1rst Shop. Thanks to Elite Flyers for the flyers and posters and to Acm for the t shirts. A special thanks goes out  to the staff of the Miami Beach Life and Rescue for all their help and support

photos provided by Andrew Mckenzie

Johnny Canellas running across the finish line and winning the paddleboard division of the third annual 'Dirty South' surf contest

Paddleboard winners from left to right

LANCE-O, Rolando from Viking surfboards, Lee Emerson-Smith, Johnny Canellas and kneeling third place finisher Lucas Bocanegra

Stand Up Paddleboard start

Stand Up paddleboard winners pictured

LANCE-O, Ekolu Kalama, Rolando, Roray Kam, Sean Collins(in the back), Bob Paskowitz and top SUP female Sandy Raue

Top skimmer in form Danny Rodriguez