Happy New Year Folks!

We were lucky enough in beautiful San Diego to be blessed with a perfect NW swell for 5 days in a row over New Years.

There is truly nothing better than paddling out with friends on a sunny New Years day with perfect waves.

Make it a great year.

Enjoy the footage….

The best surfer in the lineup, biggest spray or biggest smile?

Let me begin by saying that I am surfer. Devout through and through.

I’ve said that surfing is my temple, my sanity, why I do what I do.

But from time to time, I have had the question pop into my head; are surfers the most selfish athletes in the world?

Because despite surfing being one of the best ways to connect directly with nature, it can also feel more like a battle when interacting with other surfers in the lineup.

Allow me to demonstrate…

A few weeks ago I was out with a good friend of mine, John, at well know spot in Encinitas, Ca. The sun was shining, its was hot, no wind, and being one of the first truly beautiful days of the summer, the beach and the line up was packed.

The surf however, was very meager, call it 1-3ft at best.

John and I were joined by a few of the local boys who regularly surf this spot. After a few waves, a peak pops up where I have clear priority going left. Out of nowhere, a frothed out (for the record, I hate using the word “froth{ed}” to describe surf “stoke”, but it perfectly explains this guy) maniac paddles underneath me trying to go right. We both miss the wave and I offer an very mellow,

Me: “Come on man, no need for that”.

For which I get a reply of…

Frother: “F*ck you dude! That was my wave!!”

Me: “Whoa buddy, its cool man”, I reply trying to deter any further hostility from the guy.

F’r: “F*ck you, you wanna take it to the beach!?”

What? Really? It’s like, barely waist high, and this guy wants to fight over a wave that he tried to snake?

Me: “Easy buddy, no thanks… No big deal man, we’re only surfing here, no need to get carried away, you can have all my waves if you want ‘em”.

F’r: “F*ck you man, f*ckin’ get outta here”, he yells as he spashes water at me, obviously trying to instigate an altercation.  I then sit there with a blank stare, no response.

Let me also mention that I’ve been surfing this wave fairly regularly for about 15 years and I, nor any of the locals out that day had ever seen this guy. Ever.

Ultimately, despite several of the local boys offering backup, nothing happened. Why? I wouldn’t to react to him. You can’t get in a fight if the other guy doesn’t fight back; I just stuck to that strategy.

I think inside he realized he was being an idiot because he ended up paddling away from us down the beach. John later said that he noticed him scratching around like crazy towards any tiny wave that moved, trying his hardest to win the contest that was going on inside his head. Go figure.

I used to react to guys like that, get flustered in the water and have admittedly been in my share of verbal disagreements in the past (I’ve actually had a crazy bastard jump on me after one of these verbal exchanges and literally try to drown me), but thats another story for another time…the point I’m getting at is that at my ripe ‘ol age of 35 I’ve realized its not worth getting pissed off when your surfing because…1. It’s surfing, 2. It’s not MMA, 3. ITS SURFING.

But why does stuff like this even occur?

The mainstream stereotypical archetype of a surfers is the earthy, hippy, Spicoli types stoned out of their minds looking for some deep connection with nature.

And while some are definitely stoned out of their minds, it seems few are there (consciously) for that nature fix.

So why is the guy next to you, who desperately wants that set wave as bad as you, secretly praying that you get eaten by a shark or that you’re a kook and can’t out-paddle him to it?

If you’ve ever been out in a packed lineup with really good waves and a surly crowd (think pipeline, snapper, lower trestles, j-bay, rincon, etc, etc.), you may know what I mean…it’s not exactly a love fest where everyone is best friends hooting each other into waves.

Not that it totally has to be like that, but I sometimes wonder why some guys are even out in the water. They don’t seem to do it for any of the above mentioned reasons, and they sure as hell don’t do it because they want to share their waves with the guy next to them.

So the million dollar question I would like to propose: why do surfers get so agro with each other in the lineup?

Some hard core locals will say its for crowd “kook” control, keeping people out of the lineup who shouldn’t be there. Now if you’re at Teahupoo or Pipe when its maxing over 8′-10′ then I agree, people who don’t have the skill should be out there.

But the crowd is thinned out naturally on its own by the bigger waves way before a barney on a foam board is bobbing around in a lineup endangering other surfers.

To the agro local; who are you to say who can or can’t surf any certain spot? Just because you just happened to be born in a certain area by a certain beach it gives you authority? By that line of reasoning we wouldn’t be able to travel and explore new waves…which is one of the greatest parts of being a surfer!

I call bullshit.

Personally I think agro-ism is some sort of perverse misdirected hostility.

Those assholes hate not being able to land that super awesome air reverse like Dane, or they hate their job, their parents, their roommates, that bitch who dumped them because they’re f**k’n nuts, or what ever…then it comes out in the water as anger towards other surfers who are just trying to enjoy the day.

On the other side of the coin, maybe its ego…

Some surfers are obviously more concerned with catching waves, looking rad and throwing buckets in the face of that kook on the shoulder then sharing the incredible experience of gliding down the face of a wave with anyone but themselves.

It’s quasi-ludacris when you think about how cool the whole experience actually is. Here we are, this living organism who has found a way to ride on the energy of the sun in water form. I mean, if scientist ever discovered that on another planet they would freak out!

All I know is that when ever I see or hear an asshole in the water I ignore ‘em and at the same time pity them thinking, “pour soul, they just don’t get it”.

Not that it’s my place to judge anyone, and without going into a deep diatribe of spiritual beliefs, I’ll just say that in the end we might all just realize that it wasn’t about how much spray came off that cutback or who saw us do it, but that it all might actually be about the entire experience.

Its about being out there, being alive. And most importantly, sharing that experience with those who share your passion with you.

Yet you rarely see this type of camaraderie. What a shame.

I have a proposition… if as a surfer you can relate to anything I’m saying here, then you and I should work to change those unfortunate experiences that can ruin an entire surf session, entire day, or worse.

Maybe I’m just a blissed out idiot, but I believe that if we contribute to a good time out in the water, it can become infectious and perpetuate more good experiences. But how?

My personal favorite way to spread the love is simple, give props to strangers and friends alike.

Example: Some old guy is sitting outside because he doesn’t have the stamina to compete with the pack and his patients is rewarded when he picks off a bomb, give ‘em a “that was the wave of the day man!” as he’s paddling back out.

Some newbie gets a good turn on a section and throws a nice spray, or even a little spray, say “that was sick!”

I know it sounds corny as hell, but guaranteed you’ll make their session. And it’ll make yours too…I know it always does for me.

Lastly, let me clarify that I don’t in anyway believe that all surfers are selfish arrogant assholes looking to kill anyone who dares paddle towards their waves. In fact, I’d say that most aren’t. But there are those lame few whose bad energy can permeate a lineup and ruin your day.

Don’t let ‘em.

And especially make sure that you never let ‘em get to you or EVER discourage you from doing what you love, riding a surfboard on a wave.

Sometimes it can feel like everyone in the water is a bad egg, but they’re not. And don’t let those who are fool you.

Do it because you love it, do it because its fun, because it makes you happy and because it makes you smile…then spread that fun loving, wave riding passion with a smile.

And above all, always remember that at the end of the day, the best surfer in the water is ALWAYS the one who is having the most fun.

Keep paddling, and I’ll see you in the water

-Jason Shurtz

Ahhh, opening day.

You have spent the last 5 months watching old ski movies and weather reports waiting for this moment.

In San Diego, opening day means a quick jaunt up to Bear Mountain & Snow Summit.

Jason Shurtz brings us the earliest of season edits with this opening day footage.

Want to get a 10%-20% return on your money instantly?  Maybe more?

It’s simple really, and I’ll outline the details below.

As far as investments go I think we can all agree that a if we could realistically get a 6-10% return on our money consistently long term we would be pretty stoked.  So how in the world could you instantly get in upwards of a 20% return on your money.  A shady Russian land deal? A no fail new weight berry juice that is going to rid the world of obesity forever?

Try again. It’s much simpler than that.  Take note this is not the first time I have talked about simplicity and our uncanny abilities as humans to complicate things.  Ready?  here it is, hold onto your hat.

Spend 10-20% less on the things your are already buying or plan to buy in the future.

Bam.  Sounds too simple right, but think about it.  That is 10-20% instant money back into your pocket, 100% profit.

So how do you do it?  Well honestly if your not shopping online, your crazy.  There are just too many ways nowadays to get better deals, save money and earn cashback instantly when shopping online at the same stores your already shopping on the same products your already buying.  Pair that with rewards programs and double points credit cards and you have a recipe that can start paying big dividends quickly.

Let me give you an example to prove my point.

Every month I buy approx $150 in random stuff from a drugstore.  From shampoo to pet supplies and everything in between.  here is how the two options for buying the same products looks:

Traditional Method-

Products-                                                      $150
Tax-                                                               $12
Gas-                                                               $3
Time-                                                            1 hour

Totals:               $175 + 1 hour of my time

Online Method Using Shop.com-

Products From Drugstore.com-                $140  (products cost less online)
-4% Cashback from Shop.com-                 $6
-5% Drugstore Dollars-                               $7.5
Gas-                                                            $0
Tax-                                                             N/A in most cases
Time-                                                          20 minutes

Totals:   $126.5 + 20 minutes of my time

The differences here are pretty astounding.

Not only are you saving almost $50 but your also and maybe most importantly saving 40 minutes of your time.  When you really break that down, how much is your time worth?  $25,$50-$100 and hour?  So now your savings went up an additional $50 based on your time savings.

Pretty cool huh? But I’m not done yet.  Let’s start factoring in things like:

-Using a double miles credit card:  Now you get 2 points for every $ you spend towards cash rewards or travel..etc  Same purchase, same products just getting more money back in the long run.

-Environmental Impact:  Imagine if everyone took one less trip to the drugstore per month and the impact that could have on the amount of CO2 in the air.

-Car Depreciation:  Now factor in the amount of times you drive to the store and over time how much that depreciates your car.  That is a real cost to you every time you use your car so we have to factor that in.

Hopefully you are starting to see the real costs that add up when you shop in the traditional fashion.  I have just showed you one very basic example in which we could easily save in upwards of 40%+ on a small transaction of $150.  That is real cash back in your pocket and will really add up over time.

How Do I Do This?

Again, this is very simple.  First find a good comparison shopping site that pays you cashback.  Our personal favorite and the one we use in house here is Shop.com.  Why?  Because they are the pioneers in the space, have been doing it forever, they make it easy, they pay you cashback instantly and they have more features than anyone else.  It just makes sense.

Here are a few videos to help you understand and get started with Shop.com this holiday season.

An in depth look at the Shop.com comparison shopping tool-

Have questions on how anything works?  Not a problem, just ask your questions in the comments below and I will answer them personally.

Get signed up for cashback and start making smarter buying decisions here-  Get Signed Up Here

Garrett McNamara has set a new world record, for The Biggest Wave Surfed in Nazare, Portugal.

This record was previously believed to be held by Mike Parsons and was recorded 100 off the coast of San Diego at a place called Cortez bank.  This wave in Portugal is estimated to have been 10-20 feet larger.

Nazare, Portugal is notorious for what the call ‘Rogue Waves” and this monster was part of a 3 wave rogue set that came through on this epic day.

Congrats Garrett, great record, but something tells me….it wont stand forever.

Thanks to the crew over at SurferMag we now have it.

Check out this extremely well put together short video showcasing some of Andy’s best surfing and words of remembrance from some of his closest friends.  It is set to great music and utilizes great imagery.

It’s tough to watch Bruce at the end without shedding a tear, my heart goes out to his family.

Turn it up, put it on full screen and enjoy the video

Thank you Andy for all that you did for surfing and all the people you touched, you will not be forgotten my friend.

What an epic year it has been already on the ASP Tour.

Kelly truly looks like he is in some of the best form of his life charging for his 11th World Title as newcomer Owen Wright is hot on his heals.  As a result of the new matchup we have been trated to 3 finals in a row with these two surfing head to head.  The rubber match was an epic showdown at Lower Trestles here in San Onofere just this past week.

Take a look at the last three showdowns between Kelly Slater and Owen Wright-

The Billabong Pro Tahiti 2011 Final – Kelly Slater Vs Owen Wright-

Winner- Kelly Slater

The Quicksilver Pro New York (Long Beach) 2011 Final – Kelly Slater Vs Owen Wright-

Winner- Owen Wright

The Hurley Pro at Trestles 2011 Final – Kelly Slater Vs Owen Wright

Winner- Kelly Slater

The advantage here goes to Kelly of course with 2 epic wins and the moneyball with the win at Trestles which is known for being the deciding contest in the ASP season.  Look for Kelly to maintain this momentum and ride it all the way to his 11th World Title.

Let us hear your thoughts.  Will Kelly win 11?

We love seeing what we like to call crossovers, where you take the skills or equipment form one sport and make it functional in another.

Recently we watched Chuck Patterson skiing big waves with specially designed Wave Ski’s.

Today we bring you the opposite end of the spectrum as the Corey Smith and the boys over at Comune take you on spring break surfing the mountain on all kinds of new experimental boards. Corey says that he has always wanted to deconstruct snowboarding down to the purity of the turn and these boards reflect that.

Surfing the mountain….Enjoy!

I already know the arguments.

Jim Brown, Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan, and of course Jim Thorpe.

A lot of ball focused sports there and I am not knocking that, I come from those sports, played them for years. I also grew up skiing and snowboarding and trying to skateboard, they all have special places in my heart. But the question is on the table.

Who Is The Greatest Multi-Sport Athlete of All Time?

My answer.  Shaun White

My Case:

Snowboarding

• Complete domination of Snowboarding for the last 10 years
• Winning nearly every X-Game Metal available (multiple times over)
• Winner of the Gold Metal at the Olympics
• Dominating Tour Events
• Still innovating with new tricks that no one else can even do

Skateboarding

• Multiple time X-Game Gold Medalist
• Multiple time Tour Champion both Vert & Street
• Integral in taking skateboarding to the world, a true pioneer

It is my contention that Shaun white has done more for his 2 sports than any other 2 sport athlete of all time.  In terms of domination of performance, his track record speaks for itself.  In terms of progression, no one has pushed their sports harder or further than Shaun.  Still going bigger and higher, with tricks that the rest of the world won’t even try, Shaun is still on top.  In terms of being a brand ambassador, Shaun is loved all over the world and has put snowboarding and skateboarding on the map and taken it to levels that even Jake Burton and Tony Hawk could never have dreamed, and guess what, they both love him too.

I am sorry but no other athlete has had that impact on 2 sports.  1 maybe, but not 2.  Maybe they could perform at a high level but they did not dominate and push progression and become world known for both of their sports, no, that’s Shaun’s legacy.

And again, yes i know the arguments, “Well he’s playing around and these guys are out there getting beat up every day.”  Are you serious, have you ever been on a snowboard or skateboard?  You hit the ground.  Hard and repeatedly, and its not grass, its concrete, or ice.  I am just saying if you can show me a harder hit than the one Shaun took in warmups before he went back up top to win the X-Games Superpipe Gold (2:25 in the video below), I will make you dinner.

So there it is, thats my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

If you agree, let me know, if you disagree, definitely let me know in the comments below.

Here is a short list of a few of Shauns victories over the years:

2011

• 1st Winter X Games Superpipe – Gold
• 1st Summer X Games Vert – GOLD
• Shaun White Skateboarding (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC)

2010

• 1st Gold Medal 2010 Winter Olympic Halfpipe,
• 1st USSA Grand Prix Finals
• 2nd USSA Grand Prix #3
• 1st USSA Grand Prix #2
• 1st USSA Grand Prix #1
• 1st Dew Tour Skateboarding Vert – Wendy’s Invitational
• 1st Dew Tour Skateboarding Vert Championships
• 2nd Summer X Games Vert
• Shaun White Skateboarding (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC)

2009

• 1st Dew Tour Northstar Superpipe
• 1st Dew Tour Northstar Slopestyle
• 1st Dew Tour Mt Snow Superpipe
• 1st Dew Tour Mt Snow Slopestyle
• Winter X Superpipe: GOLD!
• Snowboarding Grand Prix GOLD!
• 1st Chevy Grand Prix Olympic Qualifier #1 Breckenridge,
• Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage (Wii only)
• Spike Award : Chariman of the Board

2008

• 1st Summer Dew Tour Champion Vert
• Winter X Superpipe: GOLD!
• Winter X Slopestyle: Bronze
• Burton European Open Slopestyle 1st
• Burton European Open Superpipe 2nd
• Burton European Open Overall Champ
• 2nd TTR World Snowboard Tour Record
• Shaun White Snowboarding (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip (Wii)

2007

• Burton Global Open Champion ’07
• TTR World Tour Champion ’07
• Olympic Gold Medalist, halfpipe, 2006 Winter Games
• Six Winter X Games gold medals (4-peat in Slopestyle)
• Undefeated in 2005-2006 (12 snowboard victories)
• First person to win a gold medal at both Summer and Winter X Games
• First to sweep snowboard Grand Prix halfpipe season
• Three ESPY Awards
• Two-time Most Outstanding Athlete of Winter X Games
• Silver medalist, skateboard, Summer X Games (2005)
• ’07 AST Skate Vert Champion
• Transworld Snowboarding Rider of the Year
• Snowboarder Magazine Top Ten Rider of the Year: (Read the story)

2006

• 1st Dew Tour Skateboarding Vert-Rightgaurd Open
• 1st Chevy Grand Prix Olympic Qualifier #3 Mt. Bachelor OR,
• 1st Chevy Grand Prix Olympic Qualifier #4 New Jersey,
• 1st Chevy Grand Prix Olympic Qualifier #5 New Jersey,
• 1st Honda Session Rail Jam, 1st Honda Session Slopestyle,
• 1st Winter X-Games Halfpipe,
• 1st Winter X-Games Slopestyle,
• 1st Gold Medal 2006 Olympics Halfpipe,
• 1st US Open Slopestyle and 1st US Open Halfpipe.

2005

• 1st Chevy Grand Prix Olympic Qualifier #1 Breckenridge,
• 1st Chevy Grand Prix Olympic Qualifier #2 Breckenridge,
• 1st Dew Tour Skateboarding Vert-Panasonic Open
• 1st Innsbruck Air and Style
• 1st Honda Session-At-Vail Slopestyle,
• 1st Honda Session-At-Vail Rail Jam
• 1st Winter X-Games Slopestyle,
• 1st Nippon Open Halfpipe
• 1st FIS World Cup Lake Placid.

2004

• 1st Innsbruck Air and Style,
• 1st Honda Session-At-Vail Slopestyle,
• 1st Honda Session-At-Vail Rail Jam
• 1st Winter X-Games Slopestyle.

2003

• 1st Winter X-Games Halfpipe
• 1st Winter X-Games Slopestyle
• 1st Global X-Games Halfpipe
• 1st Bear Mountain Vans Triple Crown Halfpipe
• 1st Bear Mountain Vans Triple Crown Slopestyle
• 1st Phillips US Open Slopestyle
• 1st Session At Vail Slopestyle
• 1st Session At Vail Jib Jam
• 1st Artic Challenge Slopestyle
• 1st Nippon Open.

Surfer, skier and all around waterman, Chuck is one of the guys pushing sports to a new level.

So it should come as no surprise when your out tow-in surfing and Chuck wizzes by you on a pair of…..yup, you guessed it ski’s.

For a few years now, Chuck has been perfecting his equipment and technique on some of the biggest waves in the world.

Check him out and keep it up Chuck!