that's the way to do it

My mom loves to read Paris Match (that the French equivalent of People mag) and she told me about this picture of Branson kiteboarding with a model.

Automatically that's two words I like to hear, but she forgot to mention the model Denni Parkinson forgot to wear a bikini to most male readers delight.

Not to mention that Sir Branson is kiteboard on his own private island

Kelly Slater gets...

17th again (after Snapper) at Bells where he lost against Owen Wright. Owen will then battle against Dane Reynolds.

swell is pumping and waves are so magical, it is pretty amazing to watch particularly when you live in Florida.

they are some pretty good pictures/footage on RipCurl and Surfline as well.

Eric Koston/ Lakai

Eric Koston was one of my favorite skaters while growing up and I have to admit it was maybe a reason why I bought eS shoes at the time.

Then he got sponsored by Lakai Footwear, which just announced the end of their partnership. While it is already a pretty big news, what is the most shocking is the announcement, I love the way they turn a sad news for Lakai and turn it into something positive. They have a good sense of humor and I enjoyed the shoe throwing at the end.

Speak about authencity and talkability...

That's a new site from Kodak dedicated to the snow sports. I think the site is really well done because it is not selling their product anymore (at least less obvious). The site is made to build a relationship with the viewer: share stories, get tips on European resorts that you can download directly to your phone. Job well done.

All those resorts contains load of pictures and videos taken by the Kodak kit so you can get the feel and vibe of restaurants, city and of course the slopes.

This dude must be stoned

At first I laughed pretty hard seeing this reporter falling but then I realized the guy next to her didn't even had the reflex to grab her....

Avalanche....

I was talking to a good friend of mine who lives in Vancouver. Last month we went Helisurfing and told me there were Avalanche all over the place.
I only witnessed once a pretty big avalanche in the Alpes and this stuff is scary stuff.

Action sports made me travel the world

Until I was 15, I never thought of traveling the world, France is a good country. However my life was about to change when I read World Stormrider Guide. At first I only checked the different break, but soon I became in admiration with the beauty that this world has to offer. I learnt about the cultures, traditions as well as hazards, etc..

Soon after I traveled in many countries throughout Europe, moved to the States, lived in Africa for 6 months. I have found that people who have never traveled outside their home country are a bit narrow minded, they usually think their is only one right way, their own.

In order to fully appreciate the experience, you have to be respectful, open and be humble.

Here a video that my wife Leslie showed me tonight that I personally find quite moving.

RIP Shane McCOnkey

BASE jumper Shane McConkey was killed earlieryesterday in a ski-BASE accident in the Italian Dolomites. McConkey experienced problems in the air after launching off a cliff with the expectation of deploying his parachute canopy and then gliding down to the ground

"He did a double backflip off the jump and he has these releasable bindings so they come off in the air and then he flies off in his wing suit," filmmaker Scott Gaffney, a longtime close friend of McConkey's, told ESPN Action Sports in an interview this afternoon via phone.

"But one ski did not come off. And when that happens the drag on the skis causes you to flip over, so the skis go over your head. So he was struggling with the one ski. Then he also got into a bad spin. So he may have never even pulled his pilot chute. And that's coming from JT Holmes, who Shane was with in Italy and who reviewed the footage of the accident. So the combination of the ski, the spin and the pilot chute, apparently. Because you can't throw the pilot chute like that; if you throw it while you're upside down and it wraps around the ski, you're done."

Rossignol in bad shape

I was looking at the first SIA report in December, the ski sales were sharply falling in stores by 16% from Aug/Dec 2008 compared to previous year.

Such a decrease in sale could seriously affect fragile companies such as Rossignol. My thoughts were confirmed this morning when I read the french news: Rossignol is planning to lay off 30% of its employees, i.e 450 employees worldwide but mostly in France that count for 275 employees.


Unlike Rossignol, Burton is doing a bit better due to strong brand recognition by laying off less than 5% of its staff and has decided to reduce employee salaries from 0 to 15%.

A good boardshop filling for bankruptcy

When I used to live San Diego, I went couple of times at Active and I found guys who were very helpful, had the passion for the sport and I had a great experience there. However Board Sports companies are in the same wagon than other industries so I learn today that Active is filling for bankruptcy.

We can't deny the fact that economy is down, that it is on a large scale that affect a lot of companies. However with that said there are opportunities everywhere and at any given year, I have never heard of a business saying: "it is such a great year, consumers spend thousands, there is no competition and it's a perfect world".

Down time just accelerate and show the true profile of companies and in that case bad management. The filling says: "these losses have been caused primarily by the Debtor's rapid over-expansion and market saturation, during which time the company's same store sales were decreasing substantially"

For sure they could have pull it off a bit longer if there was no recession but a company has to grow in revenue, otherwise an expansion is useless.

I would not be surprised to see quite a few companies filling for bankruptcy such as Spy that has never had a positive balance sheet in its creation in 1994.

Danny Kass is the man

While Shaun White had to opts out due to an ankle injury that happened during the training period, other top Pro kept battling for the victory of the prestigious title.

Bunch of people are hating on Shaun which I don't really get as most of those guys are just fat asses who can't even launch a 180 on a bunny slope. Most talk is about talking sh$t about him, and I would prefer to read props on the others guys like Kass, Vito, Lago,etc..

Anyway the winner of this year US Open title is Danny Kass on a GNU BTX... His fith time since 2001. This dude has major style

Three wave Hold down at Marevicks...

My worst wipeout was at Sunset Cliff in heavy 17 feets, I swore that day I could had drown. Check this video out and like me I am sure you will wonder how this Neil Matthies managed to survive a Three wave Hold down at Marevicks.

It is really scary sensation and I can't imagine what this guy had experienced, we are talking about getting pounded at Mav. It is a very humble experience, you realize that you are not invincible, that life can be over the next second...no promises that we will live until 100 years old.
In my case, I tried to stay calm at first but after few seconds what appeared to me to be 1 minutes, I started to panic as in white water you can't really swim up....he is the Man and I am glad he is able to tell his story to others.

SALES.....everywhere:)

Yep that's right, it sounds that most shops are trying to clear their inventory, which means massive clearance from left to right.

Two years I would have gone ballistic on all those great deals. However last year and this year as well has been a bit of a different story, so it has been frustrating not being able to buy.

Nonetheless I can't resist to those Gravis shoes, I have been a big fan since its creation. Go check out burton store

Layoff...what does that mean for us

Well I am not talking about you being laid off, if you are you may want to contact my wife Leslie Juvin as she has done wonders for many unemployed people.

Here I would like to talk about the effects of action sports companies who have laid off many employees and ask the others to work extra hard. But quite frankly we only have two hands,etc... so it is just a matter of time before we see a decrease in customer support, shipping,etc...Just the other day I was talking with my friend in Encinitas who told me that REEF has laid off 40% of his staff.

I have bought RIP CURL wetsuits for many years, like any wetsuit that you would be wearing everyday almost twice a day is gonna see premature damage and I always had excellent customer service.

I sent back two wetsuit beginning of last September....well I am still waiting for them to come back. At least I am glad I am back in florida otherwise I would have had to surf in speedo at Black's.

King of S.N.O.W

The first global online Game of S.N.O.W – the Quiksilver King of S.N.O.W is a pretty sweet concept. A pro snowboarder is submitting a trick and amateurs need to copy it with as much style and power as possible. Then they upload it to the site and let online surfers rate who does it the best.

I find it's a really good concept to involve kids from different countries to push their own limits and compete.

Breast Cancer awareness...

supported by Volcom. Usually I am not into big graphics all over the jacket but in this case it is for a good cause and Jamie Lynn & Volcom come up with good design so if you would like to raise breast cancer awareness, that's the jacket you need because on the slopes or on the streets, you can't really miss it.

The pessismistics say that there are many other types of cancer and everyone knows about breast cancer.Like AIDS, you would guess people would be aware but it is a constant battle to keep spreading the words. Seeing a doctor early for yearly checkup can save life and if it means wearing a purple jacket, I say YES to that.

Surfer Swimsuit issue

My wife Leslie didn't really like the swimsuit issue from Surfers, she even said it is trying to copy Sport Illustrated. I think there is two way to look at it. To her point of view most readers from Surfers are guys and the last thing we are going to remember is the model and brand of the bikini, so it is certainly not really an effective way to promote those bikinis. She would have like to see women surfers modeling and not some chick on top of elephants or in a cage.
The second point of view is ....the Guy point of view: Bikinis is part of the surf lifestyle and those who wearing it nicely are pleasing to the eyes. So if Surfers wants to have 30 pages of girls in bikini, I am not the one who will complain but I would have like a perspective a bit more surf orientated.

Google Underwater

Google satellite view has been so helpful for us to find secret spot along the coast, but now Google is taking it to a new level: Google Earth Underwater. Now you are able to check the best surfspots and get a better understanding on what is the reef like or like at Blacks'Beach look at the canyon.

Ocean lovers see a different reason to use this new application. but this new beta version will also help understanding what makes 70% of our planet, that is not a place to dump all our trash, it needs protection and love.

Always wear underwear...you never know

On January 1st, a skier boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin.the seat was not working properly which made the skier fall when he boarded, however his right ski got jammed and his boot never dislodged.
At least he was wearing goggles and a helmet...aahhh what a great way to start the year.