Burton Girls Night Out in Los Angeles!
Burton Flagship Store LA - Thursday, December 13th - 6:00pm-9:00pm

Are you tired of being the only chick in your group when you go riding? Are you sick of outpacing the boys on the mountain? Need a little quality girl time? Start your season in good company with the Burton Girls Night Out

The best shopping night of the year is back with:

GIFT BAGS TO THE FIRST 50 LADIES WHO WALK IN!!!
PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS!!
TASTY TREATS, FOOD AND DRINKS!!
MUSIC TO MAKE YOU SHAKE YOUR HIPS!
VIP TREATMENT FOR THE LADIES!

If you went last year you know you don't wanna miss this! If you have never been it's time to make it an annual event!

****Burton is happy to announce that they will be working with the Chill Foundation to raise money through the Girls Night Out event to help build the self-esteem of undeserved youth in the Los Angeles area through board sports****

Burton Flagship Store Los Angeles
Thursday, December 13th
6:00pm-9:00pm

LAUNCH LA returns to the historic Barker Hangar July 16-17, 2013.

In its second iteration, LAUNCH LA will be returning to the historic Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California on July 16-17, 2013. The event will once again provide a select group of leading lifestyle brands a unique platform to showcase the latest apparel, swimwear, footwear, accessories, and apothecary products in an intimate business environment. Poised at the front end of the critical Spring/Summer buying season, LAUNCH LA offers influential retailers and media a first look at a curated selection of products sure to shape trends in the coming seasons.

LAUNCH LA 2012 Review // Part One from Launch LA on Vimeo.

"There's a fantastic energy here and a very coherent mix of brands."—Krystle Kemp, Buyer at Need Supply Co.

CHICABRAVA Resort Offers Surf Therapy to Human Trafficking Victims in Nicaragua

SAN JUAN DEL SUR, NICARAGUA — Women's National Surfing Champion and CHICABRAVA Founder Ashley Blaylock joined forces with the House of Hope foundation to host Camp Bella, a five-day surf program for women rescued from human trafficking. The life-changing event took place from November 26-30 and was hosted by CHICABRAVA's surf camp in San Jan del Sur, Nicaragua.
 
According to CHICABRAVA Founder, Ashley Blaylock, "During Camp Bella, these girls were free of judgment from their past and were finally recognized as the beautiful, intelligent, and carefree individuals that they are. Whenever they surfed the waves or were even present in the ocean, they were fully alive. It was truly a time of empowerment and healing."
 
During the weeklong Camp Bella program, six former victims between 14 and 16 years of age had the opportunity to engage in surfing, swimming, yoga, sailing, hiking and cooking classes. With the help of certified instructors, the young girls were able to learn the basics of surfing, which was a tremendous challenge considering only two knew how to swim when the program commenced. Yet remarkably, in just one week they were all standing up on their surfboards and riding the waves to shore.
 
"It was so exciting to see their confidence grow by the day," says CHICABRAVA Surf Instructor, Sarah Powers. "In the process, they discovered the joy of being treated with value and the utmost respect, both in and out of the water."

Since CHICABRAVA specializes in empowering women through surfing, Camp Bella offered an ideal opportunity to give back to local women in need. Together with local sponsors, CHICABRAVA was able to raise more than $3,000 to help cover costs for the event and provide additional financial support for the cause.
 
By the final day, the young girls had a sparkle of new life in their eyes, as did those who contributed to the meaningful event. According to House of Hope Director, April Havlin, the novice surfers begged to extend their memorable stay at Camp Bella. "They wished the week would never end," Havlin says. "They learned valuable lessons about themselves - Even talking with them on the ride home, I could sense that many seemed to have a broader understanding of life in general. The surf camp had an impact on them that will last forever."
 
By partnering with the House of Hope shelter in Managua, CHICABRAVA has created Camp Bella to be a quintessential piece in the recovery process for these victims of prostitution. The original goal was to inspire and give each girl hope for a brighter future. Remarkably, in the process healing took place, as these young ladies were no longer girls who were sexually exploited, but rather innocent females with a purposeful future. They were not reminded of their past, but were fully accepted and encouraged to dream about a better tomorrow.
 
Since Camp Bella was such a positive experience, CHICABRAVA Founder, Ashley Blaylock has committed to making the charity surf camp an annual event.  "It was a monumental and impressionable success," says Blaylock, "not only for the wonderful ladies who made new memories, but also for the people and business that helped along the way. We have been touched by this experience and are looking forward for the next opportunity to impact lives through the power of surfing."
 
To view photographs from Camp Bella, click here:
http://www.chicabrava.com/wp-content/uploads/CampBella2012Photos.pdf

To donate to Camp Bella visit, http://www.chicabrava.com/blog/category/camp-bella.  For more information, visit www.chicabrava.com.

Fit for Anything in Icebreaker Merino
Merino specialist introduces new fit and grading on all its garments for Fall/Winter 2013

Wellington, New Zealand (December 2012) - Merino pioneer Icebreaker is appealing to a new generation of customers by launching a new fit and grading system for all its garments.

Populations' body sizes have changed over time, so the New Zealand-based company hired global fit experts Alvanon to provide it with the latest global fit data to update the fit of its performance and lifestyle clothing. 

Icebreaker's fit project aimed at creating garments that gave maximum ease of movement, are the ideal length, and had no bunching under the arms. The fit also had to be consistent in body length and width, so customers would take the same size in every style from season to season.

Rob Achten, Icebreaker Creative Director and Vice President of Product, says the three new fits - slim, regular and relaxed, depending on the style and intended use - are designed for comfortable, low-bulk layering. "Our base layers, first layers, mid layers and outer layers are designed to layer together like a single garment - without any seam chafing or zip stacking," he says.

"We're confident this will introduce an even wider range of people to the world's best merino clothing."

After creating new size charts and fit blocks, Icebreaker tested its new fit system by recruiting a group of women who all considered themselves a size medium but were actually of different shapes, proportions and body types. The test confirmed that the new garment proportions suited a wider variety of women.

The grading - the variation of fit between sizes - was also increased to capture more customers in the full spectrum of sizes.

Icebreaker validated its grading system by having its garments tried on by a group of men and women ranging in size from extra small to XX large. Their feedback confirmed the fit was much improved, and that a wider range of people looked and felt great in Icebreaker clothing.

The new fit will be introduced for all garments in Icebreaker's Fall/Winter 2013 collection.

To see a video about Icebreaker's new fit, visit: http://youtu.be/UBQkSeuSy3Q

About Icebreaker
Icebreaker merino clothing for the outdoors, technical sports and lifestyle includes underwear, mid-layer garments, outerwear, socks and accessories for men, women and children. Icebreaker is based in Wellington, New Zealand, and is sold in more than 3000 stores in 44 countries. See icebreaker.com for more information about Icebreaker, and jeremymoon.me for more information on Icebreaker founder and CEO Jeremy Moon.

About Alvanon
Founded in 2001, the Alvanon Group of companies is the global leader in providing full service, integrated fit solutions for the apparel industry. From its head office in New York, operations center in Hong Kong and operating offices in the UK and Germany, Alvanon provides customised fit strategies and product development tools to the world's leading fashion brands, retailers, lingerie, swimwear, sportswear, mail order and corporate clothing suppliers. Alvanon's fit offer combines the world's largest database of 300,000 body scans with the unparalleled expertise, products and services provided by a team of over 70 dedicated sizing and body shape professionals.

Patagonia Develops Big-Wave Inflation Vest

Portable Self-Inflation Vest from Patagonia on Vimeo.

VENTURA, Calif. — Patagonia Inc., a leading designer of core outdoor, surf and sport-related apparel, equipment, footwear and accessories, announces today the creation of a Portable Self-Inflation vest.

"Inflation vests are pretty much mandatory if guys are going to go out and push it in big-wave conditions the way they want to," says Jason McCaffrey, Patagonia's director of surf. "Our main concern right now is to have a product that will help improve safety when surfing giant waves."

A while back, Patagonia's Research and Development division, known as The Forge, began work on an inflatable vest. The company turned to Patagonia ambassador and big-wave surfer Kohl Christensen for ideas on what would make the ideal inflation vest.

"We sent Kohl early versions last winter and gathered feedback," says Walker Ferguson, Patagonia field testing manager. "What we got back was fairly consistent - we needed a vest that could be incorporated in a variety of suits, support multiple inflations, and be deflated easily."

For months Christensen and Patagonia engineer Casey Shaw experimented with various pulls, valves and bladder configurations. Each new iteration of the vest would be taken down to the pool and tested. "With R&D, you are always trying to improve the tools you use, without reinventing the wheel," Shaw says. "This project has been a tremendous opportunity to build something that may substantially impact a surfer's experience and improve safety in giant waves."

Eventually, Shaw and his team built a vest that can support four inflations, be worn under a variety of wetsuits (short johns, springs suits, and full suits), features an air release valve, achieves face-up orientation in flat water testing, and allows the surfer to paddle and swim when fully inflated. Presently, a wetsuit must be altered by Shaw and his team to be compatible with the prototype vest. Testers also must go through a safety course before they can use the vest.

On November 30th, Patagonia presented a prototype of the Portable Self-Inflation vest to big-wave surfers at the Big Wave Risk Assessment Summit at the Turtle Bay resort in Hawaii. The response from surfers was resoundingly positive and optimistic.

"I can't wait to see where this kind of gear will be two years from now," says Dan Malloy, Patagonia ambassador and a participant of the summit.

Patagonia has provided a number of prototypes to top big wave surfers in the world to test this winter. The product is still in its test phase, and not available for sale at the consumer level yet. Patent is pending. A video about the vest can be found here: https://vimeo.com/55288281 and http://youtu.be/uNJeIStDn_A

About Patagonia
Patagonia, Inc., based in Ventura, California, is a leading designer of core outdoor, surf and sport-related apparel, equipment, footwear and accessories. With sales last year of $540M, the company is noted internationally for its commitment to authentic product quality and environmental activism, contributing over $47.5M in cash and in-kind donations to date. Incorporating environmental responsibility into product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically grown cotton in its clothing line. Committed to making its products landfill-free, the company's entire product line is recyclable thorough its Common Threads Initiative.

Sunsets, Inc announces NEW head designer for the Sunsets and Swim Systems Collections.

Harbor City -- Sunsets, Inc is pleased to announce Southern California native, Julie Franco as the NEW Head Designer for the Sunsets and Swim Systems Collections. 

Franco has an extended background in the swimwear industry starting at an early age working as a fit model.  Julie studied at Otis College of Art & Design and earned her bachelors degree in fashion design.  She has designed for many swim brands such as Calvin Klein, Jantzen, Puma, Nautica, Ralph Lauren and Speedo to name a few. 

Franco is a woman who truly understands the missy/contemporary market and the needs of specialty D cup women first hand.  Julie has designed swimwear in nearly all corners of the market from juniors to competitive, from designer to private label. 

Sunsets, Inc is very excited to see what Franco will bring to the table to continue the Sunsets, Inc legacy.

Icebreaker Opens First Retail Store in Australia
New Zealand merino wool apparel company opens a TouchLab store in Chadstone, Melbourne
 
Wellington, New Zealand (December, 2012) - Icebreaker, the New Zealand company that pioneered the merino wool adventure apparel category, opened its first retail store in Melbourne, Australia on December 7, 2012, just in time for the holidays. The new 160-square-metre store is located in Chadstone Shopping Centre.

"Australia has been waiting a long time for its first retail store and we've finally jumped the ditch. Chadstone is a premier shopping destination in Melbourne and we're excited to introduce Icebreaker to the multitude of visitors who come to shop its premium stores," says Jeremy Moon, founder and CEO of Icebreaker.

"Melbourne is a perfect fit for us with its active residents who value high performance apparel. Icebreaker has something for everyone - from runners, cyclists and other fitness enthusiasts looking for a natural alternative to synthetics, to Chadstone shoppers with an eye for new and beautiful apparel."

Icebreaker NYC Meatpacking District Touchlab

The Melbourne TouchLab store will feature Icebreaker's complete line of pure merino wool apparel, which includes outdoors, technical sports and lifestyle garments, all made from handpicked merino wool born in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.

Natural, sustainably produced Icebreaker merino is light, odour-resistant, temperature-regulating and highly breathable, which makes it perfect for both Melbourne's cold winters and its hot summers.

Icebreaker now has nine North American and six Australasian TouchLabs: Portland, Oregon; New York City (Soho and Meatpacking District); California (San Francisco and San Jose); Seattle, Washington; Montreal and Vancouver, British Columbia (Kitsilano and North Shore); Auckland (Newmarket, Queens St and Auckland Airport), Queenstown and Wellington, New Zealand; Melbourne is its first in Australia. A 16th store, located in Vail, Colorado, will open its doors in December, while a 17th store in Washington, DC, is scheduled for March 2013.

Icebreaker Melbourne TouchLab
Address: Shop 324, Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone, Melbourne
Hours: 7 Days
Tel. +61 3 9568 5502
Email: chadstone@icebreaker.com

About Icebreaker
Icebreaker merino clothing for the outdoors, technical sports and lifestyle includes underwear, mid-layer garments, outerwear, socks and accessories for men, women and children. Icebreaker is based in Wellington, New Zealand, and is sold in more than 3000 stores in 44 countries. See icebreaker.com for more information about Icebreaker, and jeremymoon.me for more information on Icebreaker founder and CEO Jeremy Moon.

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO - The 2013 U.S. Snowboarding Team halfpipe and slopestyle teams, led by Olympians Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT), Scotty Lago (Seabrook, NH), Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) and World Snowboard Tour champion Chas Guldemond (Reno, NV), was named today at Copper Mountain. The team features a world-class roster of 26 internationally ranked snowboarders. They begin their competition season with the Dew Tour Dec. 13-16 at Breckenridge followed by the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix, the first domestic FIS World Cup and a 5Star World Snowboard Tour event, Jan. 10-13 at Copper Mountain featuring halfpipe and, new for this season, slopestyle.

- The U.S. Snowboarding Team named 26 athletes including Olympic champion Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT), Olympic bronze medalist Scotty Lago (Seabrook, NH), and Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT) to its 2013 team.
- Also named to the impressive roster were four-time Sprint U.S. Grand Prix champion and Olympian Louie Vito (Sandy, UT), World Snowboard Champion Chas Guldemond (Reno, NV) and Olympians Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA), U.S. Open champion, and Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA).
- The U.S. Snowboarding halfpipe and slopestyle team makes up for almost half of the top ten athletes, in each discipline, according to the World Snowboard Tour.
- Burton a partner of the U.S. Snowboarding program will outfit U.S. Snowboarding halfpipe and slopestyle teams at the 2014 Olympic games.
- The announcement was made during a fan celebration for Copper Mountain's 40th Anniversary season.
- Copper Mountain will play host to the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix, the first FIS domestic World Cup and 5Star World Snowboard Tour event, Jan. 10-13 with halfpipe and newly added for this season, slopestyle.
- The U.S. Snowboarding slopestyle team looks to make its Olympic debut with hopefuls, World Snowboarding Tour Champion Chas Guldemond (Reno, NV) and four-time X Games medalist Eric Willett (Breckenridge, CO).

QUOTES:

Kelly Clark
The U.S. team has been a huge support and a contributor to the success of my snowboard career over the years. I am excited to be named to the team again, and am looking forward to this next season.

Eric Willett
Snowboarding is about having fun and being on the team brings a whole new element of fun for me. It's great to have teammates who are also your friends to ride with all the time and they push you to progress in competition too. Stoked for another season with coach Bill!

Mike Jankowski, Head U.S. Snowboarding Coach
It's a great way to start off our season with a naming like this and get everyone together. These athletes have been training so hard and it's cool to watch them progress in training and in competitions. I am looking forward to watching each and every one of our athletes achieve their goals for the season. I think we have a really cohesive team and before we know it, it will be 2014 and the Olympics will be upon us and I can't wait to be there with them.

2013 U.S. Snowboarding Team Roster


Name, Hometown, Club, Date of Birth

* Denotes Olympian

** Pursuing degree in Westminster College partnership program

2013 U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Pro Team

Men
Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA, Mammoth Charter School) 12/19/90 *
Matt Ladley (Chicago, IL, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 5/17/91
Scotty Lago (Seabrook, NH) 11/12/87 *
Benji Farrow (Ludlow, VT; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 3/8/92
Louie Vito (Sandy, UT) 3/20/88 *
Luke Mitrani (Bondville, VT) 7/20/90

Women
Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club) 4/10/81 *
Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT; Mount Snow Academy) 7/26/83 *
Elena Hight (South Lake Tahoe, CA; American School) 8/17/89 *
Ellery Hollingsworth (Darien, CT; Stratton Mountain School) 9/2/91**
Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT; Okemo Mountain School) 1/27/87 *
Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 4/24/94 **

2013 U.S. Snowboarding Slopestyle Pro Team -

Men
Chas Guldemond (Reno, NV) 4/22/87
Sage Kotsenburg (Park City, UT) 7/27/93

Eric Willett (Breckenridge, CO) 1/2/88


Women
Jessika Jenson (Rigby, ID) 8/7/91
Jordie Karlinski (Snowmass Village, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club) 8/24/89
Ty Walker (Stowe, VT) 3/3/97

2013 U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Rookie Team

Men
Taylor Gold (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 11/17/93
Brett Esser (Dubuque, IA) 10/12/92 **
Ben Ferguson (Bend, OR) 1/21/95
Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) 5/4/96
Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, MI) 7/6/97
Serena Shaw (Stratton Mountain, VT; Stratton Mountain School) 1/22/95
Spencer Shaw (Stratton Mountain, VT; Stratton Mountain School) 1/29/93 **
Gabe Ferguson (Bend, OR) 4/16/99

U.S. Snowboarding Staff

Jeremy Forster, U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding Director
Abbi Nyberg, U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding Program Manager
Kate Morton, U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding Team Manager
Dave Coombs, U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding Slopestyle Technician
Stu Soars, U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Technician
Lauren Ziaks, U.S. Snowboarding Physical Therapist

Coaches
Mike Jankowski, U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach
Rick Bower, U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Coach
Tommy Czeschin, U.S. Snowboarding Assistant Halfpipe Coach
Bill Enos, U.S. Snowboarding Slopestyle Coach
Spencer Tamblyn, U.S. Snowboarding National Development Coach

Official U.S. Snowboarding Suppliers

Uniform/Licensees
Burton
High Sierra
Smartwool

Eyewear
Zeal Optics 


Wax, Tools, Training Devices and Accessories

Tools4Boards
DeWalt
Dominator
EPS
Kenwood Radios
Reliable Racing
Wintersteiger

Official Education Partner
Westminster College

PUMA's CEO to step down at the End of March 2013

Herzogenaurach, Germany, December 12th, 2012 - The Administrative Board of PUMA SE announced today that, by mutual agreement, Franz Koch will step down from his position as CEO of PUMA and member of the Group Executive Committee of PPR SA, the main shareholder of PUMA SE, at the end of March 2013.

Jochen Zeitz' resignation as Administrative Board Chairman as of December 1, 2012 marks the end of a chapter in the history of PUMA. The company is therefore entering a new phase in its development and is changing its top management structure to take on those challenges.

Franz Koch will remain CEO of PUMA until the end of March, and work in close collaboration with the new Chairman of the Administrative Board, Jean-François Palus, also PPR Group Managing Director, in order to secure PUMA's on-going operational transformation and generate profitable growth.

Jean-François Palus, Chairman of the Administrative Board of PUMA SE, stated:

"Together with Jochen Zeitz, Franz Koch has been the driver of strategic key initiatives and has strongly contributed to PUMA's development over the past few years. I would like to warmly thank Franz for his efforts, commitment and dedication to PUMA, as well as his contribution to evolving the organization and management team. Going forward with the future CEO, who we aim to hire by spring 2013, we will pursue the reorganization of the company, focus on product innovation and marketing, and will continue to devote the necessary resources to the development of the brand. We are now going to write a new chapter for PUMA and thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of the teams I've been meeting around the world, I am fully confident in our ability to realize the huge potential of this iconic brand".

Brendan Quirk is Backcountry.com's new Executive Vice President of Customer Experience
After successful integration of Competitive Cyclist into Backcountry.com's family of stores, Quirk steps up from GM of Bike into new role.

PARK CITY, Utah — Brendan Quirk is now Executive Vice President of Customer Experience at Backcountry.com. In this new role, Quirk will champion every aspect of the customer experience across all specialty retail brands in the Backcountry.com family.

Since Backcountry.com's acquisition of Competitive Cyclist in August of 2011, Quirk, Competitive Cyclist's cofounder and CEO, has served as the General Manager of Backcountry's bike division. In those 14 months, he oversaw the Competitive Cyclist integration, mapped out and executed Backcountry's bike site strategy, and grew the company's overall bike business. He will now shift his focus from all things bike to all things customer—a massive responsibility considering the company's overall commitment to customer service and community.

"A huge factor in Competitive Cyclist's success has been Brendan's obsession with product content and the customer experience," said Jill Layfield, Backcountry.com's CEO. "He has a 12-year track record of truly differentiating the Competitive Cyclist brand. In his new role, Brendan will continue to guide the brand experience for Competitive Cyclist, as well as for Backcountry.com and Dogfunk.com."

With this development, Backcountry.com's General Merchandising Manager of bike, Drew Medlock, will now lead Backcountry.com's bike division, working to further integrate the marketing and merchandising teams and optimize the company's bike business.

"The last year was amazing. We integrated our systems and distribution into Backcountry's with zero disruption to the customer experience or our relationships with our vendors," said Quirk. "And we did it while growing Competitive Cyclist's revenue well beyond budget."

He added, "I'm honored to take on the responsibility of obsessing about our customers. And I feel complete confidence in Drew Medlock's ability to drive our bike business forward. He has long been a key contributor to the success of Competitive Cyclist. The more Drew, the better."

SIA Consumer Website Snowlink.com Gets Make-Over, Adds Fresh Content for 2012/13 Season
 
WASHINGTON, DC. (December 13, 2012) - SnowSports Industries America (SIA)'s consumer website Snowlink.com, which re-launched this week, arrived just in time for the 2012/2013 Winter Season.  The site features a fresh look with a new logo, bluebird skies and dynamic easy-to-use homepage. Snowlink visitors will also have a variety of content at their fingertips including featured articles and helpful tips on fashion, gear, safety, instructional advice, a snow sports - specific blog feed, plus links to Resort, Retail and Ski/Snowboard Club finders in their region.

"Each year, we try to improve Snowlink.com and get consumers excited about heading out on the snow. We've enlisted the help of snow sports top instructors, fashion experts and media sources to make it easier for consumers to find everything they need in one spot," commented Mary Cecile Neville, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for SIA. 

 
Here are just some of the new features consumers will find on Snowlink.com:

Women on the Snow:
Snowlink's universal women's section provides the lowdown on girls' getaways, fitness tips from SBC Women and fashion feeds from SNOW Magazine.

Fitness, Health and Well-Being:
Includes fun calorie stats, recipes and discusses the peace of mind snow sports can bring.
 
Gear & Styles:
Snowlink's most popular page the Gear and Styles in the Snow is back and features a long list of trends for the 2013 season, brand gallery, and complete with videos from fashion forecasters Stylesight to help you look your best on the mountain.

Tech & Trick Tips:
The new Tech & Trick Tips page in the Snowboarding section was provided by TransWorld Snowboarding with great advice on choosing a snowboard, setting up your stance and tips for pulling off some classic tricks. Over on the Freeski pages, Freeskier Magazine has provided videos of top athletes.

Tips from the Pros -- Instructional Advice:
Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA), American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI) have created the Tips from the Pros video section to help you move on to the next skill level.

Safety Videos from National Ski Patrol (NSP):
Safety first - check out these videos to remember the rules of staying safe on the slopes.

Buyer's Guides: Ski, Snowboard, Cross Country, Snowshoe 
Check out the season's best consumer buying guides - great for researching trends or finding the perfect skis or snowboard. For skiers, check out Snowlink's section of Buyers' Guides including SKI, Skiing Magazine, Freeskier, Powder Magazine, SBC Skier Magazine and Backcountry Magazine. For snowboarders, there's TransWorld Snowboarding, Snowboard Magazine and Canada Snowboard Magazines Gear Guides. For cross country skiers and snowshoers, there's Cross Country Skier, SkiTrax and Snowshoe Magazine.

SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is the national not-for-profit, North American member-owned, trade association representing suppliers and service providers of snow sports products with constituents in the retailer, rep and resort communities. Annually producing the SIA Snow Show, the largest snow sports industry trade show, on-snow demo and networking environment globally, SIA delivers invaluable data/research reports including the Snow Sports Market Intelligence Reports, SnowSports RetailTRAKTM and Executive Market Summary. SIA also produces the Supplier Show, Sourcing Snow, at the SIA Snow Show; learn more at siasnowshow.com/sourcing. SIA is dedicated to growing the industry through consumer initiatives and websites, snowlink.com and wintertrails.org, marketing resources, services and collaborative programs to increase participation and move product. For more information, visit snowsports.org. SnowSports Industries America, 8377-B Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102-3587 (Washington, DC Area). Phone: 703-556-9020, Fax: 703-821-8276, Email: SIAmail@snowsports.org.

Office Booyz Announce Dates For Second Annual Heli Booyz Trip

After hosting a successful first annual Office Booyz Heli Trip in April of last year, the Office Booyz have officially announced the dates of heli trip round two, and under a new name: The Heli Booyz. The second annual Heli Booyz Trip will be going down April 10-13, 2013 at the Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing Resort in Blue River, British Columbia.

Annual OIWC Holiday Auction Ends Saturday

Still Shopping for the Perfect Gifts?

The OIWC Holiday auction is back and better than ever! OIWC has secured over sixty items and packages from our great sponsors including Isis, Injinji, Moxie, Schoeller, Timbuk2, Gregory, Osprey, Mountain Hardwear, Mountain Khakis, KEEN, Icebreaker and more.



Click here to start bidding and make sure you check back…this is an auction and Santa will be giving these gifts to the highest bidder! The auction closes December 15th at Midnight PST. 100% of proceeds benefit OIWC. Happy Bidding!

Help Ryan Sheckler's Foundation Build A Skatepark on the Port Gamble S'klallam Reservation
Donate any Amount For a Chance to Win Signed Ryan Sheckler Gear, and Donations Larger than $10 Automatically Get Sheckler Foundation Products!

San Clemente, CA - This holiday season, Ryan Sheckler's Foundation is bringing people together to build a skatepark on the Port Gamble S'klallam reservation in Washington state, and they would like your help.

Everyone that donates can enter to win a Ryan Sheckler prize pack, and any donation larger than $10 automatically gets a gift. Give and get: The gifts that donors automatically get include Be the Change Tech decks, the Plan B Sheckler Foundation collaboration skateboard deck or a limited-edition Ryan Sheckler Be the Change New Era hat.

All donations will help the Sheckler Foundation "Be the Change" by building a skatepark for the Port Gamble S'klallam tribe here: ShecklerFoundation.org.

To enter to win the Ryan Sheckler prize pack, make a donation in any amount, and then go to the Sheckler Foundation's Facebook page to enter here: http://bit.ly/sheckler-donation-giveaway.

This Ryan Sheckler prize pack includes: a signed Sheckler Foundation Be The Change Plan B skateboard deck, a signed Be The Change Tech Deck, a signed Be The Change New Era hat, a signed Ryan Sheckler Red Bull poster, one pair of Wire Nixon headphones, a Nixon "Player" watch, a pair of Stance socks, a set of Oakley "Jupiter" sunglasses, a Ryan Sheckler bandana, a Be The Change pin and some stickers!

This contest is part of the Sheckler Foundation's "Be The Change" program that is committed to making people's needs and dreams become reality. To see more, check out this video to hear directly from Ryan Sheckler about the "Be the Change" project, and just how the Native American Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe got involved: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEi8_UrnZ6g.

For the latest details on the "Be the Change" project check ShecklerFoundation.org, facebook.com/shecklerfoundation and follow @ShecklerFoundation on Twitter and Instagram.
About The Sheckler Foundation

The Sheckler Foundation was founded as an avenue for Ryan Sheckler, his family, friends and business associates to give back to the community and industry that they are so grateful for. It is his ultimate desire to contribute to the many causes that directly benefit and enrich the lives of children. It is also his desire to support and fund programs that help injured action sports athletes. To achieve these goals, Ryan will use his influence to raise capital. The money raised will be used to fund medical research that focuses on curing childhood disease, spinal cord injuries and enrichment programs for children in underprivileged communities.