Hello Everyone,
I got frustrated with the official Stepchild Snowboards This Video Sucks HD download process so I created a torrent. Start seeding so everyone can get it without waiting weeks. The 100 limit per day download is dumb.
http://www.mininova.org/tor/3184925
Enjoy,
The Speedy Descend
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TEAHUPOO, Tahiti (Tuesday, May 19, 2009) – Bobby Martinez (USA), 26, has taken out the Billabong Pro Tahiti presented by Air Tahiti Nui, defeating fellow Finalist Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, in clean three-to-five foot (1.5 metre) waves at Teahupoo.
Event No. 3 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti survived a marathon waiting period, culminating on the second-to-last available day in improving conditions that peaked for a climactic Final.
Martinez surfed a near-flawless heat, opening up with an impressive 8.73 out of a possible 10 before putting his opponent in a combination situation with a Houdini-esque 9.73 out of a possible 10. Netting the highest heat total of the event, an 18.46 out of a possible 20, Martinez claimed his second Billabong Pro Tahiti and fourth elite tour win, establishing himself as one of the premier tube-riders in the world.
“I feel great and a bit emotional,” Martinez said. “I feel wonderful. I waited for the good ones out there and just got lucky. There weren’t too many waves and I was lucky enough to get a couple of good ones and not fall. Things just seemed to work out for me today. I really don’t know what to say. It feels really special.”
The form surfer of the event, Martinez surfed the majority of his heats on borrowed equipment, having broken most of his surfboards early in the waiting period.
“I actually borrowed a board from Alain Riou (local Tahitian surfer),” Martinez said. “He rides Darren Handley shapes and the board was the same dimensions and pretty much the same board I ride. It was great to find that as yesterday, I was a bit skeptical about today in terms of the conditions and my equipment, but everything worked out perfectly.”
Martinez, who is without a major sponsor at the moment, has rocketed himself from 19th to 7th on the ASP World Tour ratings with today’s win, putting him in excellent position for the remainder of the year.
“I’m not thinking about money right now, but rather I’m thinking about the feelings I have,” Martinez said. “I didn’t start surfing to make money. I started for me, and to win today, you cannot put a price on the feelings I have. I’m really going to let it sink it and enjoy it. It’s a great result, but it’s a long year and anything can happen. Joel (Parkinson) has a great lead, and now that this event is over, my focus goes to the next one.”
Burrow’s efforts in the Final were nothing short of spectacular, collecting an 8.17, a 7.93 and a 7.33, but they were not enough to overtake the Martinez stranglehold on the event.
“I definitely had fun but it was tricky against Bobby (Martinez),” Burrow said. “He had a dream heat. The conditions looked pretty good for your forehand because the judges like seeing you pump on your forehand in the barrel. On your backhand, you just have to park it in the pit and you can’t do much, but Bobby did everything he had to out there and deserved the win. I still had a fun Final, but hard to enjoy out there because I was in a combination situation the whole time.”
Burrow now moves into the No. 2 position on the ASP World Tour ratings, setting the Western Australian up well as he eyes up the next events.
“I’ve had two keepers in terms of results and I’m hungry,” Burrow said. “I’m still kicking and I’m looking to win. The next few events, I feel really strong at and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I’m stoked to get a result at Teahupoo, I haven’t done well here in a few years so it sets me up really well for the rest of the year.”
Aritz Aranburu (EUK), 23, former ASP World No. 39, was the “Cinderella Story” at the Billabong Pro Tahiti. Having failed to advance through a heat in the opening two events of the season, the Basque Country’s first ever ASP World Tour competitor stormed past Californian sensation Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, former event winner Damien Hobgood (USA), 29, Australian veteran Tom Whitaker, 29, and reigning nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 37, en route to a Semifinals berth.
"I’ve had a tough draw throughout the event, but that’s what has kept me motivated,” Aranburu said. “Coming up against the best guys out there, you need to lift your ability. Beating Kelly (Slater) for me is one of the biggest achievements I’ve ever had. I’ve been looking up to him for so long, and just being on tour with him is an honor. To beat him is a major achievement for me."
The career-best result was halted at the hands of eventual winner Martinez during one of the most exciting heats of the event. Despite coming up short to Martinez (15.23 to the Californian’s 17.17), Aranburu’s equal 3rd place finish boosts the European to 19th on the ASP World Tour ratings.
“Bobby (Martinez) is one of the best out there,” Aranburu said. “I had one good one, but he got two good ones, and that was it. It’s my best result ever and I am stoked. I have lots of confidence going into the next events. I just want to go home and train and try new boards for Brazil and J-Bay. The biggest thing for me is to know that if I can do it once, I can do it twice.”
Michael Campbell (AUS), 35, opened his final day affair with a close win over fellow ASP Dream Tour veteran Taylor Knox (USA), 38, in the Quarterfinals, but the goofy-footer’s precision forehand approach wasn’t enough to overtake a rampaging Burrow in the Semifinals.
“It felt like I was a bit out of rhythm in the Semifinal,” Campbell said. “I wasn’t able to capitalize on the waves I got and Taj (Burrow) posted a couple of really strong scores mid-heat that left me wanting.”
Although falling short of a Finals berth, the journeyman competitor’s equal 3rd place finish boosts him from 29th to 16th on the ASP World Tour ratings.
"This is going to do a lot for my cause,” Campbell said. “I’ve had average results this year and last year too, so a third is pretty special for me. All of the heats have been hard and sometimes the luck goes your way. I’ve had a bit of luck this time around, but I’ve also spent some time here and I know it pretty well. Stoked to get a result and looking forward to the next one."
Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, suffered an unfortunate Round 3 loss at the Billabong Pro Tahiti, but after two event wins to open the season up, the Gold Coaster remains the frontrunner on this year’s ASP World Tour ratings.
The next stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour will be the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil from June 27 to July 5, 2009.
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 18.46
2 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.10
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.86 def. Michael Campbell (AUS) 10.00
SF 2: Bobby Martinez (USA) 17.17 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 15.23
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.33 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.06
QF 2: Mick Campbell (AUS) 12.84 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.17
QF 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 15.93 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.67
QF 4: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 11.66 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.66
REMAINING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) 13.17 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 10.16
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.57 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.67
Heat 7: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 12.56 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 9.16
Heat 8: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.43 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.40
CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 3000 points
2 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 2318 points
3 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 2208 points
4 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 2196 points
5 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 2174 points
6 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 2076 points
7 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 2025 points
8 – Tom Whitaker (AUS) 1932 points
9 – Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 1886 points
10 – Kieren Perrow (AUS) 1742 points
10 – Taylor Knox (USA) 1742 points
10 – Damien Hobgood (USA) 1742 points
Stepchild & 32 just put out the new teaser for their 2009/2010 snowboarding video called, This Video SUCKS!!!. But don’t worry this video won’t suck. Featuring JP Walker, Stian Solberg, Markku Koski, Simon Chamberlain and Joe Sexton this video is bound to be action packed and showcase some of the best snowboarding….Stepchild now has the best team in the biz. Enjoy
At the second stop of the ASP 2009 at Bells beach Joel Parkinson wins again after the Gold Coast win last month. For Parkinson this win was sweet, "Winning at home is probably the most special win you can have but this is the most special trophy you can have,” Parkinson said. “There is not another trophy in surfing that holds the prestige and honor list that this has. To be back on the trophy again and to hold it for a year is going to be amazing.”
Not to be out done in this competition Adam Robertson, the young local, finished second. Throughout the course of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Robertson went toe-to-toe with the world’s best surfers, eliminating Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 23, Tom Whitaker (AUS), 29, Bede Durbidge (AUS), 25, among others in the process. Despite not having a major sponsor, Robertson’s nine-heat effort proved to all that he’s capable of world-class surfing. Robertson’s effort at the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach will go down in history, as the young natural-footer’s runner-up finish is the highest ever by a Victorian at the prestigious competition.
2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Final Results:
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.40
2 – Adam Robertson (AUS) 13.37
Also Jody Smith also had a really good run at Bells and probably the best result of his career finishing 4th. While Kelly Slater was knocked out again in round 2 for the second time this year, this time by Owen Wright.
I just wanted to pass you along this amazing video on the making of a snowboard from the Elan Factory in Austria. Elan is one of the best factories in the world that are producing snowboards. Many of the biggest names in the biz have their snowboards manufactured there.
The reason why this is a really good video is because they show you more of what it takes to produce a snowboard. So sit back, watch and learn how the best are making your snowboard…and they probably did because this year they manufactured 90% of the boards out there.
http://broblog.snowbroader.eu/2009/04/15/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-snowboard-manufacturing/
Working there in the engineering department would be my dream job.
Hello all,
I’m just getting back in the swing of things since I have been so busy with work and just snowboarding.
I happen to stumble upon the Stepchild 2009 / 2010 hardgoods and softgoods lineup and I wanted to share it will all the Stepchild lovers out there. I currently have Simon Chamberlains first pro model and it’s the best board I have owned….so much fun. Also it’s so awesome that JP Walker signed with Stepchild last year because now they have one of the best teams around, look out for their new video in the winter of 2010 because it should be a killer.
Well here it is the Stepchild 2009 / 2010 hardgoods and softgoods catalogs. I am also hoping to demo a couple of these boards at the WSSF this weekend and next in Whistler.
Stepchild 2009 / 2010 Softgoods
Stepchild 2009 / 2010 Hardgoods
Hello white gold surfers,
Sorry for the long long delay with regards to my Whistler updates but I’m going to give you a quick update on the Whistler conditions and what I have been up to there.
The last couple of weekend in February the conditions have been off and on. One day during the weekend you’ll get a shitty icy day of riding but sunshine which is always good, but I would take pow over sun. While on the Sunday if you are lucky, like I have been you get a pow day. For some reason the last 3 week Sunday have been power days with about 10 to 15 cms.
The weekend of February 7th has been the best of the year so far and there has not been that many good days this season so compared to other years it was as best good. During that weekend we got about 30 plus cms of snow over 3 days so we decided to hike out and build a kicker. We first tried in Bagel Bowl on the Saturday but the snow coverage wasn’t that great, to wind blow. On Sunday I suggested hiking into Flute to find a spot to build. It was the best decision because we found a hidden spot that had the best features to build an amazing kicker.
A couple of us sessioned the kicker all day on Sunday, hiking up and jumping down. We had suck an awesome session that we lost track of time that mountain patrol found us to say that the mountain was closing and we had to get the hell out…..it was 3pm and we starting sessioning at 10am. It was such a fun but exhausting day.
The last two weekends have been shit to ok. Not much snowfall so the runs where pretty icy especially for the Valentines day weekend. But don’t worry thing will get better in Whistler if history is on our side. March and April should start dumping snow and it has already started this past week. So be patience and watch the forecast closely for the next little while….winter is not over.
Winter 2008 / 2009 Prediction
Whistler Snow Forecast
Well hope you get out and enjoy some powder lines this weekend and I’ll be back up in Whistler to shed and give you an update on the Showcase Showdown competition happening on Sunday.
Showcase Showdown
Hello Fantasy Surfers,
Just wanted to reminder you that the new season has officially started and you can start your picks for the Gold Coast Quiksilver Pro. The Quiksilver Pro starts on Feb 28th so get your picks in before the actual comp date.
http://speedydescend.blogspot.com/2008/09/fantasy-surfer-leaguebe-part-of-action.html
On February 28th, 2009 Showcase Snowboards is holding their annual competition called the Showcase Showdown. The Showdown is a combined pipe/park comp that features the best pro riders in Canada. This is a really good event to attend because the level of riding is so good.
Showcase Showdown website
Usually this comp is held on Blackcomb mountain at the superpipe location but this year because of the shitty snow conditions it is being held at the base of Whistler mountain, next to the GLC. This will be even better because you don’t have to take the gondola then walk up to the Blackcomb superpipe.
So if you are in Whistler during the weekend of Feb 28th stop by the base of Whistler and watch the comp. Every year the park/pipe gets better and better. Here is a detailed schedule if you are interested.
http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/showdown/09_ShowcaseShowdownSchedule.pdf
Hello again, sorry for the long delay between posts but I have been so busy with work that my blog has been suffering.
I just wanted to let you know about one my favourite events in Whistler that is happening….it’s called Out of Bounds: Tales from the Backcountry photo exhibition. This is an amazing photo exhibition that feature some of the best photographers work within the BC mountains. Some of the photographers featured in this years exhibit are as follows:
Alex Wigley
Andrew Bradley
Andy Anissimoff
Blake Jorgenson
Bradley Slack
Brian Baker
Brian Hockenstein
Bruce Rowles
Cam Unger
Dagan Beach
Dave Henkel
Greg Eymundson
Jonathan Kirby
Larry Jung
Nicolas Teichrob
Pete Cussrin
Rich Glass
Todd Hellinga
Joel Sweet
Out of Bounds is being held from Feb 1st to 28th at the Millennium Place in Whistler and I’m pretty sure it’s free to drop in and view these great pieces of work. If you’re in Whistler and enjoy photography and the mountains don’t miss this feature.
Hello all,
Sorry for the very long posting delay but I have been swapped with work after I returned from vacation.
This pasted weekend I was up in Whistler, as I usually am, and came across a Stepchild demo tent near the Roundhouse. Stepchild bought out there 2010 models for everyone to demo. Now what tipped me off that this was happening was that I saw a 2010 JP Walker 151 in the village.
So I headed up Whistler to see if I can get a closer look at the new models. Stepchild had the new Chamberlain, Power stick, Jib stick and the JP Walker. Now the shitty part of this all is that I forgot my camera that day and can’t show you any pics of the new boards.
Since I already have the first Chamberlain pro model and really wanted the Walker 151 this year I decided to demo the 2010 JP Walker board. The only size left of the demos was a 157….Yes I said 157. The sales rep told me that the JP model has a 147, 151, 154 and a new 157. The 2010 board seemed to be the same construction as the 2009 version and is also available with the RETT. The board was super poppy and about the same stiffness or just slightly softer than the Chamberlain. The 2010 JP Walker 157 also rode pretty smoothly and held its edge while ripping down the hill.
Wish I had more time on this board to give you more details but the rep said they will be back for Telus festival in early April so I really demo it properly for to post a full write up.
In the mean time here are some recent pics from the Stepchild blog…..JP’s 2010 board looks so good.
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