Equipment Outfitters

Just about every kid has attempted to jump their bike off something when they were growing up. Those that didn’t certainly never became extreme sport athletes. The small and cruiser-style bikes of the Sixties and Seventies began a shift in how people viewed bicycle riding. Kids found that they were quite maneuverable, and the smaller wheels and fatter rubber tires made them more capable of enduring the thrashing a hard-riding kid could deliver. These new bikes redefined what could be done, and soon kids jumping things found they could jump bigger things, and could ride on softer surfaces, and the idea of dirt racing and jumping just kind of evolved naturally. Read the rest of this entry »

Without question, skateboarding is the embodiment of the outlaw extreme image. Somehow, skateboarding’s unique style and underground culture have been difficult for older generations to understand or appreciate. Skateboarding is a sport that continues to redefine itself, pushing the limits of what can and can’t be done physically, mentally and yes, culturally.

No one is certain of the origins of skateboarding. Some have suggested the first skateboard was crafted by a bored California surfer seeking to polish his skills on a waveless afternoon. Others deny its West Coast origins, and state that the first skateboard was a simplified version of a child’s toy, the push- scooter. Push-scooters were popular toys in the Fifties, made from dismantled roller skates nailed to a board with a crate attached as a balance aid. Remove the crate, and you have a skateboard. Read the rest of this entry »

Snowboarding was reviled for years by skiers and the ski industry. Early on, most mountains would not allow snowboards on their lift systems or their slopes.

These confrontations were when snowboarders, who justly felt they had a right to be on the hill, responded strongly and aggressively in their own defense. More than a few verbal and physical brawls resulted, enhancing skiers‘ perception that all snowboarders were bad news.

These cultural boundaries are now breaking down as skiers begin to appreciate three things; snowboarding is here to stay, snowboarders ride to have fun, just like they do, and snowboarders have attained a level of skill performance that is equal to or higher than skiing in many ways. Read the rest of this entry »

All forms of sport need an element of revitalization or they risk becoming commonplace. Skiing has been a part of life for anyone living near snow-covered or mountainous regions of the globe. With the advent of cheap international air travel, skiing as a sport for the masses progressed until it reached saturation point—interest and participation waned.

And then the surfer-skateboarder axis saw snow glinting on distant hills… Read the rest of this entry »