Makia Clothing

Over 10 years ago, I was reading my Onboard mag when I first heard about Joni Malmi. There was just something different about this dude, just watch the Forum vid and you will know what I mean.

Anyway, my wife always complains that I wear surfer clothes that don't really fit my style (and age). And then we argue because as a guy , I don't really want to admit she is right. To my defense, clothes selection is pretty limited, lots of brands but they are all the same.

Where I am from in Europe, I am used to diversity, I feel clothes have more style. I am sorry but being 28 years old, I don't want to look like a clown with all those flashy colors or wearing pants that could fit Jabba the Hutt.

So I checked out last week, the winter collection of Makia Clothing, brand cofounded by Joni Malmi. Let me tell you that those clothes are so fashionable, now I don't have to choose between being classy and snowboard clothes.

Makia Clothings has provided the best of both side.

Flow signature serie

Two days ago , I was writting about the Salomon Sick Stick using eco-friendly materials. Today I'd like to introduce the Quantum, Scotty Lago's signature from Flow.
Scotty's goal was to raise awareness about the construction of the nuclear power where he is from and part of the profits will go to A.S.E.C(Action Sports Environmental Coalition).

“I’m from Seabrook, New Hampshire and the inspiration for my board graphic is from the nuclear power plants scumming up my backyard. I’m not exactly a tree-hugger, but I want to do my part for the environment and that’s why Flow and I are supporting ASEC (Action Sports Environmental Coalition) by donating a portion of this board’s profits to help promote global awareness and responsibility.” –Scotty Lago

No matter what, it is great to have companies supporting association, but I still would have like a board that is greener, getting along with the message.

Pow Gloves

Lots of people are passionate about snowboarding, but only a few decide to become entrepreneur and live their passion to the fullest. With that said, It is a difficult task to get recognized when you have less marketing power than the big players but I think it is important for snowboarders to give some credits to young brands.

Pow Gloves is located in Washington state and after looking at their website, I found couples of models that are stylin' with some amusing description like the Mustacheo:

"A nice stash comes in handy when tracking cougars, posing for photos and of course buying beer when you forgot your ID. Choose the best one for the job at hand, so to speak."

damn it, my Xmas list is getting longer days after days.

What a sick stick: Eco friendly snowboard

Sick Stick is the board from Salomon made out of Bamboo that is available in three size for this season 156, 160, 163.
Back in January 2008, Salomon team won the Volvo Sports Design Award at the ISPO 2008.

Here is more info I could find from the ispo website:
"In terms of design, the SickStick is based on an entirely re-usable bamboo core. The top sheet is made with significantly less acrylic, plastics, fiberglass and resin than conventional boards. Even the resin in the sidewalls could be entirely replaced with durable, waterproof bamboo rods. In each board, 400 grams of bamboo are used to replace 300 grams of plastic, 100 grams of resin and 200 grams of fiberglass.
The Sick Stick is packaged in a cotton-bamboo knit bag instead of a PVC sleeve, while the hangtags are printed on recycled paper instead of coated stickers. In terms of performance, the boards are about 10 percent more resilient at the same stability and flex as conventional boards."

How about that, now I am going to France for Xmas, I hope I go to the Alpes and try this board for a backcountry session.

Learn the right way

I always had so much fun windsurfing, particularly when it is nasty outside, wind guts at 40 knots, 12 feet swell, sand blasting. While some people may think it was crazy, I always found it to be fairly safe. So when I started to see kiteboarders being dragged on the sand or in the air and next second you see them flying toward the parking lot and finally crashing into a car like an insect on the windshield...I always thought this sport was quite dangerous.

Most of my friends who surf would like to start kitesurfing but there is a common belief that if something bad happen, you may not have time to use the safety release.
However equipments has dramatically improved, kite can fully depower, relaunch have never been easier.

With that said, don't expect miracle. Like any other sports the stronger the Elements, the greater are your chances to get hurt. It is certainly more spectacular to see a kiteboarder crossing A1A and crashing into a building during Tropical Strom Fay but consequences could be the same as someone drowning in Big surf.

If you are a beginner, you absolutely need to take kitesurf lesson and the instructor will recommend the equipment that is best for your level. If you are an intermediate kitesurfer, I would suggest to look online for accident stories, hopefully you could learn from mistakes made by others.

Be aware of your own limits, Practice safety techniques, and check your equipment before going out there are simple rules that can reduce the number of accidents.

Union Bindings

This morning I was checking out the Onboard website, my favorite European Snowboard mag. Searching on the web, I have found Union Bindings is making a limited edition for Onboard, not only they look dope but they have some other ltd edition like the Dany Kass.


I really dig what they did with those bindings, use of material/textile, color skims.
Here are some pics and for more info, go check out the Union site

Kiteboarding

Around 2000, Kitesurfing started to be big in France and at the time I did quite a bit of shaping at Raphael Selles Custom but never seriously invested in Kiteboarding as I had a big quiver for wave windsurfing. In addition I saw few serious and deadly kite accidents while windsurfing a La Grande Motte.

Then I moved to the States, put all my energy into surfing, but now I am back from San Diego, Ca, I have no interest in surfing knee high waves. Meanwhile guys and girls in Delray are having a blast kitesurfing.

So last night to learn more about Best Kiteboarding, I stopped by their facility to pick up a brochure. I ended up having a good chat with Troy and Brian, two passionate of Kiteboarding. We joked that while kitesurfers are having a blast, surfers are struggling for a 2 second wave :)

Troy told me that they have some used kite for sale so I am sure I will back soon after selling some of my 9 surfboards.

Your sport.Your music (H2O Audio)

H20 Audio is a company founded by three friends who met at San Diego State University.

With some background in engineering and a passion for surfing, they decided to build a clear, waterproof housing and headphone combination that would help surfers and watersport lovers get motivation from their favorite songs.

Being a passionate surfer, I always dreamt to listen to music while surfing. It has helped me land some tricks while snowboarding so I figure that it would certainly do the same when I surf my favorite South cal surf's spots such as Black's,Swami's or Trestles.

Laird (the God father of Big wave riding) is using H2O Audio. I am going to get the iN2 to listen to my playlist while surfing, even if I will still not have the balls to surf Jaws.

Warm wetsuit Rip Curl

The Hbomb heating elements made of carbon fiber (so that it can't rust) are placed along the spine to warm the core and consequently allows the heart to pump warm blood to the rest of the body. This means we can be warmer for longer.

I was fined with a 4/3 in San Diego but when I used to surf in Cornwall, England I would have loved the Hbomb, it seems the retail price is around $1000.

the lithium ion battery weight 120g and is located in the back in a spot that doesn't reduce flexibility. It takes 3 hours to recharge and can last for 2 hours.

Rip Curl R&D also asked assistance from the Natal shark Board to make sure it would not attracted the sharks, making the Hbomb wearer a nice warm bait.


for more info, the Rip Curl website:
http://www.ripcurl.com/index.php?hbomb

The Office

Most people seat for very long hours everyday, and like others it seems I cannot find a chair that actually I could enjoy sitting in. It doesn't help that many companies don't want to spend money for the comfort and health of their employees.

So for Xmas I am going to wish to have the latest Herman Miller chair that responds to involuntary human behavior (retail price around $1,500).

One major feature of the Embody chair is the spine-like flexing structure for the backrest.The back moves with 56 flexors to support the occupant, and the seat cushion is topped with 93 connected plastic discs, or pixels, to move as the sitter moves. It sounds a bit complicated but it makes sense, people sit differently and applied pressure at different places, so it is kind of like a Tempurpedic mattress.

Snowboard helmet

Smith Optics has asked helped from Portland's Jackalope Studios to design their lasted helmet that is stylish and seems pretty well developed to reduce/eliminate fogging because it is important to realize that goggles and helmet have close interactions.

In addition they have used new technology to combine PC and ABS which enables them to reduce by 20 percent the volume as compared to competitors helmet.

100% Organic Element

I was 16 years old when I started to be a big fan of Element skateboards because if I have to choose between two brands that deliver pretty much the same product but one is proactive toward reducing our foot print on this earth...I sure go to this one.

Most of their clothes are made of 100% organic cotton. Of course with the green consciousness every major brands have now an organic line but the difference is that Element is authentic, they tried to do business in an ethical way and I am glad they have shown the way to others.

Board of the 21st century: Firewire

I started to see Firewire boards in surfshop in the heart of Encinitas and once in a while in the water about two years ago. Now that I am back in Florida, I don't see any but that is about to change as Lost is going to partner with Firewire on at least two models.

Yes they are more expensive than regular PU foam board but oh man what a difference in the water. I am far from being a pro but I could feel instantly the difference: it is lighter, more responsive and it simply feels better under the feet.

Until you try, I don't think you can be convinced by words so here are my additional two reasons to switch to Firewire in addition to the performances:
-EPS foam, Epoxy, balsa means a lot less pollution during the processing of a surfboard: not totally green but it is a huge step toward the right direction. and remember ocean is given us so much that is the least we can do.
-Much stronger so the board is going to normally last twice as long, which means it will pay for itself.

I would say the partnership with a brand like Lost is going to be really helpful to popularize the technology.

Image courtesy of Firewire team

dolphin fins

During flat days, I enjoy snorkeling around to check out the reef, fishes and different sand bar. Surfing the web, I found out about this designer Ted Ciamillo who has worked for the past 7 years on developing an efficient underwater propulsion system mimicking dolphins.

So after a bit of research, I found out that his company is developing several light gears for staying underwater for hours.
For more info check out the website www.lunocet.com

Outdoorzy cellphone

No matter what I am doing, it seems my phone always get a beaten, like last winter I dropped it in snow or while at the beach it always get sand in it and has this attraction for my wet wetsuit. Not to mention the numerous time where I dropped it...

I was looking at one that could resist my active lifestyle and I think the G'zOne Boulder from Casio seems to be pretty rugged.
So like many cell phones now days, it has features such as camera, MP3, etc... so I am just going to mention what is of an interest for us active people.

-shock and dust resistance
- immersion (up to 30 minutes), I am not sure if you can make calls underwater though -vibration
- low and high temperature storage
-Flashlight
-Electronic compass
-VZ Navigator-capable – audible maps, turn-by-turn directions and location information

Celebration: pop

We finally arrived to South Florida and it was quite a journey with some long hours of driving. So today we were in the middle of boxes but it was time to celebrate.
When I took my wife Leslie to Reims two years, she discovered the pleasure of drinking champagne. So now it has been pretty much a routine.

I usually open the bottle because the cork can fly at 35mph, but of course this time my wife did not wait for me and was not expecting such a flying object...I was just glad it did not hit her eye.

Looking on the web I found this cork catcher designed by Claude Maufette that looks pretty slick. For more info the website is www.screwpull.com

Moving back to Florida

Well it is time for me to say bye to California, I have tried really hard for the past months to work in the action sport industry but I realized that without any good connections it is extremely difficult to get in. I have not gave up...I am still living my dream everyday: to share my passion for the Elements, teaching kids to respect Nature and be grateful for what we have.

Leslie and I are going to pick up my dad at the airport tomorrow, he is so funny always trying to find a way to come to the US. He first came to the States in 67 and then came back in 69 and during that time he fell in love with the land of the free.

I have to finish packing but this two years in Southern California have been wonderful and I am sure one day we will be back.

Eco surf wax

I have started to see some new brands of surf wax that claims to be eco-friendly and realized that we as surfers must use a lot of those $1 bars.
.
Having one of the biggest brand near my backyard: Sticky Bumps located in Carlsbad, CA: I thought it could be useful for everyone to know that they produce around 20,000 bars a day. Sex wax is going head to head with Sticky so it is fair to say that in total there should be between 50- 60,000 surf wax produce every day.

The main ingredients in surf wax are synthetic rubbers with heavy alcohol agents, or tackifiers, for extra stickiness. Well that doesn't sound too friendly, isn't it?
What that means is that surf wax is a like a plastic bottle , it doesn't bio degrade and consequently it can be swallowed by fish,etc.. The ocean is given me so much and every time I am in the water, I feel in harmony with Nature. So I have taken the choice to pay $2 to get my wax and while it certainly doesn't make a big difference, it certainly show the way to other surfers.

Organic wax is 100 natural made of beeswax, tree resin,etc...So make sure to have a look at your closest surf shop and ask for an eco brand if they don't have any. It is time to change and every small steps count.

Cardboard Surfboard (Sheldrake)

You may have experienced price increase from gas to food and pretty much everything else that you need to buy on a weekly basis.

Summer is coming and my budget for buying a new surfboard is seriously shrinking, faster than a snowball on a South Florida beach.

And then...I found an article about a cardboard surfboard that would cost $100, in addition to be environmentally friendly.

It is currently at a prototyping stage but it does sound promising and when an bio alternative to epoxy gets widely available, I will be able to surf and be eco friendly at the same time.

Being green is hot and if that mean I will save money, it's even hotter.

Von Zipper + Skullcandy

Walking done the aisle at the ASR show in San Diego, I saw some pretty cool products, not to mention all the cute girls in bikini.
my friends have asked me what is the best product that will be coming up next season. My answer is simple the co-branding of Von Zipper + SkullCandy.
The graphics are amazing and I love listening musci while snowboarding but I hate having some regular headset so here is the perfect combo.

The three models will be the Dojo Skullcandy Ribbons & Gold, the Chakra Skullcandy Intersection, and the Feenom Skullcandy Replicator.

Smart car

Well I started to see those tiny cars in Europe in those big glass building next to the freeway almost 10 years ago, but I am starting to see those tiny car in downtown San Diego.

Living in the SUV capital of the world I always thought a Smart will not be safe for American road. While road rage is everywhere and French people can get pretty aggressive, we all have tiny cars so it is just fair game, but imagine having an Escalade changing lane, I am not sure if they will even feel crushing the Smart.

My wife and I have two cars but we mostly only use the same car to go surfing, grocery shopping
or going to Big Bear so I can see having a Smart to go to work or going out instead of having my Element.

It is not only because the gas mileage is much better than on my car, Mercedes use friendlier materials that pollute less during the manufacturing process and can be later recycled.

So my wife and I tested a Smart last weekend and I was actually pleasantly surprised: it is comfortable, fast and fun...I will certainly not drive 10 hours in it but this barely happen anyway.

I would highly recommend a test drive, it is fun and you will have certianly have a good conversion later that night on other ways to become more ecologicoly responsible.

Spy Optic: "Expect the best"

With So many sunglasses brands, It may be difficult to create a brand uniqueness.
Spy sunglasses are genuinely hand-crafted in Italy but most importantly they get inspiration from the legendary Southern California coast, where surfers are able to catch the best waves in the world.
The youth culture is permanently evolving and Spy is managing to stay true to its core customers and provide unique and stylish sunglasses.

Pigeons - Todd Francis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TInWHsW74I


Todd Francis has worked on graphics for skateboard companies since 1993, he did the illustration for Bam Margera and Jeremy Wray and helped define Skate companies such as Element, Stereo, Real Skateboards.

Well it is now possible to see his work on Oakley sunglasses, named the Eyepatch. Everyone knows about the excellent quality and performance of Oakley sunglasses but I really find interesting that a Eyewear manufacturer explores the fact of adding some original graphics that resonates with the Action sport subculture, so what better example than having Todd using some sick pigeons patterns for Oakley.

WeAretheSuperlativeConspiracy: WESC

WeSC-WeAretheSuperlativeConspiracy was founded by six skateboarders and snowboarders in 1999. they have their roots in a subculture that sets its own rules and follows its own trends.

The major difference with other brands is that they speak about "life after skateboarding", while many other skate brands have good clothes that would do just fine for fashion streetwear, WeSC has became synonymous of what it is cool to wear after a skateboard session, which quite frankly shows the power of a good marketing strategy: the Brand.

In addition they are reaching people in the art, music industry that has always shared some common roots with the action sport lifestyle.

to compete in today's market, one must be innovative

I grew snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing. Every month I get in the mail my favorites mags. I love to read cool articles about the lifestyles, trips,etc... but something that bother me is that half the mag are loaded with ads.

I think it just become a routine, I briefly look at the ad but frankly if you ask me later what ad I saw I may only remember an ad with Kelly, Taj, Parko or Bruce. Most surf brands think it is enough put the face of a pro surfer and a nice surf picture.

How am I going to believe that X sunglass print ad is going to help me in my surf. My two cent of advice is think outside the box: to compete in today's market, one must be innovative.

So my award for the only ad in mag that have sparked my interest is Insight, they are unique and creative which then make me think that there stuff is like their ads. Clearly it seems I am not the only one appreciating their work, because the result sparked a 50% increase in clothing clothes sales.

“We wanted to do something different,” says Insight Marketing Director Jesse Faen. “Most companies simply sponsor athletes or add their logos to action photos. Our company is not so much about an individual surfer as about a mentality. The response to our prop campaign has been incredible. We’ve had a lot of attention from international surf magazines. Across the world, our accounts were blown away by the originality. Most importantly, our customers have gained a deeper appreciation for what Insight represents.”