Bright Ideas from the homies at Surefire

Normally I wouldn't even think about posting about a silly flashlight. But the dudes at Surefire know how to build a flashlight that's ready to kick some tail and take some names. In fact, these flashlights are used by some of the hardest of the hardcore- I'm talking Navy SEALS here. Swat teams and police use these flashlights on their tactical weapons. Heck, the flashlights themselves are burly enough to be considered deadly-- some of the models are intended for use in self defense (they have a gnarly bezel that's intended to render the offending party's day pretty crappy). My personal favorite part of Surefire's line is the tactical weapons lights. You can mount an extremely powerful LED light onto your tactical pistol or your rifle to illuminate your target- just like in those movies where the SWAT team always has those rad lights under the barrel of their Glock (it's probably a Surefire tactical light).

These guys also make silencers for your automatic weapons too. I really like Surefire.

Lib Tech breaks free from the bonds of ski design

It's been awhile since anybody did anything really groundbreaking in snowboard or ski design. Lib-Tech went out on a limb and broke the mold of the age-old metal-edge cambered snowboard design. Their flashy new innovation is called magne-traction. The magne-traction takes a simple sidecut design and multiplied it several times along the running length of the snowboard (and their unabashed skinny-ass snowboards[skis]). The point of the extra sidecuts is increased surface contact in any snow conditions.

Lib-Tech got a Transworld GOOD WOOD award last year and Travis Rice seems to love his board, so check em out next time your looking for a new stick. In the meantime, Watch TRice shred while you should be writing your TPS reports.

Outdoor retailer show= FREE STUFF

Twice a year, all the major players in the Outdoor "industry" swarm to Salt Lake City, Utah to see the latest and greatest crap that will be available to buy next year. The OR show, as it's known to industry insiders serves two (2) practical functions. They are as follows: Walk around and drink all the vendors' beer (used to lure buyers and other reps into visiting booths), and gather free power bars and energy drinks or whatever. If you play your cards right and hit some of the booths on the waning days of the show, you can score some pretty sweet stuff. My buddy got a hammock a couple years ago because he timed it right.

I guess it's not really fair to brag about all this free stuff that outdoor retailers get. Most of it comes as a tradeoff to the piss- poor wages most of us make. I guess that's part of the give and take about getting to wear your sandals to work everyday. In the meantime, I'll continue to scrape by- yet have some of the dopest gear around. I'll be eating my free mole poblano energy bars and drinking my HOOAH energy drinks, that I plan on hoarding at the show.

Urban Hipster Culture: FIXIES

Let me start this one off by simply restating 25% percent of this blog's title. FIXIES. Okay. You've probably seen the fixies darting around the coffee shops and vintage clothing stores in your city.

If you're not so in the know (myself included), the fixie is short for a fixed gear bicycle. It's the preferred mode of travel for hard-core bike messengers, and hipster kids. I love riding pretty much any bicycle, but the fixed gear thing has me baffled. I guess I understand the puritanical element of cycling that's all about riding a simple, reliable machine. The thing I can't understand is the fixation (pun intended) on riding a bike with no breaks in super heavy city traffic. Purists would then tell me I have no idea what it feels like to glide through traffic without being fettered by brakes. I would answer that one with a question. Aren't brakes supposed to, on principal, "fetter" your speed? It seems ludicrous to purposely put yourself in a high-traffic situation, then remove the brakes from your steed. But I'm not a hipster either. I just don't get Zen. I'll talk to ya in the ER when some Yahoo decides to change lanes into you.

Shaun White needs a new nickname

I really like those fakish SAT analogy questions Conan O'Brien does every once in awhile. I came up with one yesterday that seems rather relevant. So listen carefully and see if you can complete the analogy. Mt. Olympus is to Zeus as XGames is to ____________. Well if you answered anything other than Shaun White, you are mistaken. Yesterday, the 20-year-old threw it down in the skate halfpipe event to become the only athlete to strike Xgames gold in both winter and summer X. Shaun bailed on his first two runs in the pipe. So the pressure was on to lay down a midas-worthy final run. So White did what he does best. He flowed. It was flawless... under pressure. Which brings me to my next point.

WHO coined that crappy nickname The Flying Tomato? I get it. The kid has flowing locks of Pantene-commercial-worthy Red hair, but c'mon. Let's get something new for this guy. I came up with a few that seem more marketable. I think Shaun might like em too.

Shaun Goldmine White
Shaun don't let him try your sport, or he'll beat you too White.
Kid Podium

via EXPN.com

YOU DO NOT HAVE THE BEST JOB EVER

I wandered over to Transworld Surf's Web page today and what did I behold? Well, for one thing, the US Open of Surfing is going on. But that is a mere sideshow to the real news. The real news is the model search going on for Ms. US Open 2007. The aim of the search is to comb the beach looking for the finest bronzed ladies in the area. The judges of this thing have the best job in the world. Game. Set. Match.

How does one apply for such a position? What are the job qualifications? I really want to know. The judges get to chill in a chair on the beach all day and take snapshots of Beach Girls. Well, there has to be a catch right? What? You have to open your own Red Bull? I guess there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Rally Racing is the new Bungee jumping

The X games started today and the rally racers took to the course for a few practice laps. Subsequently, Subaru launched a WRX Web Site promoting the new 08 WRX. The new model offers a drastic overhaul from previous models. Many test drivers say the new car drives like a shackled version of the little all-wheel-drive rocketships that hoards have come to worship. I guess the folks at Subie are trying to take the brand upscale or something. And that sucks. I'm pretty loyal to my Subaru, but if there's anything I don't want, is a watered down version of the car. I want to blow people off the line in my station wagon. I like the new hatchback version of the car (I'm a wagon guy) but I want the WRX to maintain its bite.

The American team won't be racing in the newer models just yet, but you can bet the rally will become an X Games staple for quite awhile.

Pro Ho's: A Casual Observer's Field Guide

It's about that time of year again. Soon, Mack Dawg, Kidsnow, Absinthe, and all the other crews will criss-crossing the continent promoting snowboarding and all things gnar. This means only one thinng- Pro Ho's.

The Northern Pro Ho, known to the scientific community as the Prohoribulus borealis, is a largely social creature. She can be found looming around after-parties, movie premiers, and tradeshows. Her most distinguishable markings are an overly-orange skin tone, vodka Red Bull-beverage perched precariously in hand, and a tilted trucker hat. The Northern Pro Ho can easily be captured on film, normally flashing hand signals somewhat resembling street gang signs. Despite the Pro Hos outwardly benign appearance, her motives are self-serving. She wants nothing more than free beverages, signed posters, and the notoriety from association with action sports stars. Casual conversation with the Prohoribulus borealis can be extremely difficult, do not attempt to talk in depth. Injury or death from boredom my result.

You may already have encountered the Pro Ho in her habitat. If not, learn to appreciate her beauty from a distance. Enjoy the 08 snow premiers.