One of my major gripes about living in the Midwest is that there is always a huge gap from time snowboarding is over to the time we can get on the water and wakeboard or wakesurf. Not to mention we have to deal with the same gap when we go from the water season to the snow season. I like to call these two gaps Fall and Spring. One of my goals is to fill the gaps, and lucky for you I have found another way to do just that. Have you ever heard of a skateboard/longboard called the Freebord?
Freebord came out with an innovative way to turn longboarding/skateboarding into snowboarding without snow. With this board you can now cruise down a hill like you would on a longboard; however it will now feel like you are on a snowboard. Their goal was to replicate the snowboarding experience and bring snowboarding to dry land. With the freebord you have total speed control, you can slide to a stop, and you can now carve down the hill like you would on the snow. It is hard to put into words how the Freebord system works, but I will take a stab at it.
The Freebord is a skateboard/longboard hybird that is longer than your typical skateboard and it has additional caster wheels positioned behind each of the trucks. The board has special bindings to keep your feet attached to the board, and the bindings also help you preform snowboard type maneuvers down the hill . With the addition of extra caster wheels you will be able to slide sideways down the hill as you would on a snowboard. Like I said, it is hard to explain, but if you can imagine snowboarding down an asphalt or concrete hill, you are well on your way to understanding the freebord experience.
Lucky for me, Youtube was invented, and we have fanatics of the Freebord that have produced a few videos of it in action. Since actions speak louder than words, check out the video, and I will let you decide if this is how you want to shorten the gap all of us in the Midwest fall victim to. Enjoy the video, and I hope to see more people Boarding the Midwest All day, Everyday.
In the wakeboard, snowboard, and wakesurf industries you cross paths with many great people. Ragboy and Ragboy Jr. from wake9.com fit this description like a glove. I am pumped they took time out of their day to talk with me, and now I get to share this conversation with you. Enjoy the video, and I hope you get the chance in your life to have as much fun as the people over at wake9.com have.
To the Snowboarding, Wakeboarding and Wakesurfing industries, this challenge is for you! If you have not been to a grocery store, or picked up a bag of Sunchips lately, you must do this now. It will sound a little different, and it might feel a little different than your standard chip bag. That is because it is NOT your starndard chip bag.
The New SunChips Bag
In the past year PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Div. has decided to go green and to do this they have came out with a 100% compostable bag for their SunChip brand. This bag will break down to nothing in 12-16 weeks. Through testing and more testing the SunChip bag became a reality and is now sold in stores all over the USA. Once you buy this product and enjoy the great taste of the chip, you can take the bag and throw it into your composte pile in your backyard and walla it will be gone. This might be bad for states like Michigan where a huge percent of their Ski Hills are built on landfills, but for the overall packaging industry I think you will be seeing a lot more products coming out that mimic the SunChips Bag.
The Challenge!
With a background in Composite Materials Engineering, I see products that are being produced using unique resins, fibers and fillers everyday. The problem? These products are never going to go away after we are done using them. Where do they go? To the landfills (Good for MI Snowboarders). My challenge to the Snowbaording, Wakeboarding, and Wakesurfing industries is to start thinking outside of the box and start using products such as the SunChips bag in your products. To be clear, I don’t ever think the boards that are being produced will be able to become 100% compositable, but I do think we can come up with some inovative ways to use products like the SunChips bag. Can it happen, will it happen? That is up to us to decide. The SunChip bag is at the tip of the iceburg, and some folks are already on board with going green. Now lets take it to the next step and see how much of our products can waste to nothing after we are done using them. Are you up to the Challenge?
Preparing for the Wakeboarding and Wakesurfing season is critical to avoid early season injuries and mishaps. Check out this video where I talk about a few different exercises to get you prepared for the season. For some of us the summer only lasts a few months, so if you prepare early, you will be able to enjoy the water for the whole summer.
For more about flexibility check out this video. If the pros do it, don’t you think you should too?
A new wakesurfing community has erupted! Ragboy and the folks over at wake9.com have started a community where wakesurfers around the world can come together and post events, blog, share ideas, or figure out the next best wakesurfing idea. Wake9.com started in 2009 and has had a huge impact in the wakesurfing community. Through hosting events, participating in other wakesurf communities, and posting great information, Wake9.com will continue to impact the wakesurfing industry. Click the snapshot of Wake9′s new website (shown below), and you will be able to join the community and explore some of the most up to date information in the wakesurfing world.
It is great to see people like this who are pushing the sport of wakesurfing, and I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeve for the 2010 season! Go to the wake9 community, sign up, add me as a friend, and enjoy the ride. I have a feeling this one is not going to end unless you fall off the wave. Keep it fresh, keep it clean, and come with us as we watch this sport grow into the masses.
One of my major gripes about living in the Midwest is that there is always a huge gap from time snowboarding is over to the time we can get on the water and wakeboard or wakesurf. Not to mention we have to deal with the same gap when we go from the water season to the snow season. I like to call these two gaps Fall and Spring. One of my goals is to fill the gaps, and lucky for you I have found another way to do just that. Have you ever heard of a skateboard/longboard called the Freebord?
The Freebord is a skateboard/longboard hybird that is longer than your typical skateboard and it has additional caster wheels positioned behind each of the trucks. The board has special bindings to keep your feet attached to the board, and the bindings also help you preform snowboard type maneuvers down the hill . With the addition of extra caster wheels you will be able to slide sideways down the hill as you would on a snowboard. Like I said, it is hard to explain, but if you can imagine snowboarding down an asphalt or concrete hill, you are well on your way to understanding the freebord experience.
