You’ve been through that predicament.  You’re watching a sick ROLLERBLADING video with all your closest homies at your mom’s house munching on some Rice Crispy treats and Bobby all of a sudden screams in his girliest voice, “Damn dawg!  Did you see that spot ARLO EISENBERG was totally shredding?  We gots ta hit dat spot up dawgs!  Who’s wit me!??” 

Unfortunately for you, Arlo, and your dawgs, you had no clue where that spot was.  Why?  One reason is because Rollerbladers probably get beaten up at that spot by wandering jocks in lowered S-10 pickups or simply because you and your friends just don’t know.  All of us have experienced this hype from watching skateboard, snowboard, surf, and HEELY vids, just to later be let down due to little or no info on these certain spots. 

Well we now live in 2008, close to 2009 and long are the days when we don’t know squat.  We can literally pull the encyclopedia out of our ass pockets and look up anything in the entire universe, 24/7.  Well ad NEW BREEDERS to your favorites list  (next to HOTORNOT.COM) because now, you can look up any spot in the entire world, any time.  Ever wonder where and how you can get to that spot Arlo was tearing things up?  Look it up on New Breeders.  Ever been on a road trip and you find some obscure city and wondered where to go?  New Breeders will lead you there. 

Check it! 

How often do you explore the backcountry of any mountain range only to find yourself lost?  All you wanted to do is Ski-Blade some gnarly, untouched, virgin snow right?  Well I’m with you brother.  Once too often have I veered off puny Double Black Diamond slopes to take on whatever Mother Nature presents to me.  But once too often have I found myself stuck in a hole or lost in a ditch somewhere, just lying lifelessly as bears or wolves drool at my succulent meaty exterior.  What can I say?  I’m just so EXTREME!

Well those days are over my friend.  Two of my favorite companies, Apple and The North Face have teamed up to create a new and very useful application for your I-Phone.  Sorry Razor users.  This new app will allow skiers, boarders and ski-bladers (such as myself) to navigate through the rough terrain of some of the biggest and baddest resorts around the globe.  And with the help of GOOGLE Maps, you will be able to see a high resolution map of your surroundings.  So no more getting lost for me suckers!  Read the press release below.

SAN LEANDRO, CA, December 9, 2008 – The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, and Apple have launched a new free iPhone application that will prepare skiers and snowboarders with up-to-date weather and map information about winter resorts across the globe.  The North Face Snow Report will prepare consumers with resort-based snow conditions with current and expected snowfall, detailed daily forecasts and wind direction and speed information.

The North Face Snow Report will not only feature hourly weather updates for North America’s most popular resorts such as Killington, Snowbird and Whistler, but it will also offer detailed conditions for many international resorts.

The free application will also help consumers get to their favorite resorts and find their way around them once they arrive.  The Locate function will allow users to easily access driving directions through Google Maps, while the Trail Maps function will provide a detailed lay of the land through high-resolution images.

“The North Face has a proud tradition of leading the outdoor industry in innovation and that is especially true within snowsports,” said Aaron Carpenter, vice president of marketing for The North Face.  “We are excited to introduce this first-of-its kind no-cost offering to give skiers and snowboarders everything they will need when hitting the mountains this winter.”
Consumers will be able to select, save and arrange their favorite winter resorts for easy and quick access to the latest weather information.  U.S. consumers will also be able to access additional information through links to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center, as well as resort specific Web sites.
“It makes it easy to find out where the powder is on the fly, and tells me everything I need to know before I get there,” said world-renown freeskier Ingrid Backstrom of The North Face Athlete Team.

Skiers and snowboarders alike will be able to experience the convenience of The Snow Report for delivering mobile updates wherever their expeditions may take them.

If you thought that watching TONY HAWK dance around in his tighty whiteys with a bunch of jocks while pretending to play music with toy instruments was cool, then you probably need to get your head checked.  That advertisement forced me to puke my Stovetop Stuffing dinner.  Okay, it wasn’t that bad but it was pretty disgusting.  The Heidi Klum spot wasn’t so bad though.  Although I would have rather of seen her sing a SEAL song. 

Well if you liked that ad, it probably was due to the fact you also love celebrities like Paris Hilton and PEREZ HILTON.  The new ADIDAS advertisement should be right up your alley.  Along with having many Adidas sponsored athletes, musicians, and artists, the ad itself makes all these celebrities look like commoners. 

Celebrating 60 years of soles and stripes and they’re doing it with all the Adidas Originals friends including David Beckham, Kevin Garnett, Missy Elliott, and Mark Gonzales. They should have added a few more celebrities though.  Like FIDEL

Are you not yet sold on kite boarding?  Well you should be because it is quickly taking the world by storm.  I give it just a few more years and you will see kite boarding in the Olympics, in the movies, and you will probably even see kite boarders “kiting” to school.  Yep that’s right.  Who says that kite boarding is restricted to water.  It will be the hottest craze around.  As they say, “Kite boarding is the new black”.  While Timmy struggles to skateboard up hill with his kiteless setup, little Joey Joe Joe will be kiting everywhere he goes. 

Just when I had a feeling that kite boarding was in the dawn of being the biggest and gnarliest “extreme sport” to date, a town in Australia decides to place a ban on the most totally broiffic up and coming surf activity.  Anyone caught partaking in the gnarly of gnarliest of extreme sports will be given a $200 fine for “Harnessing the wind” without council permission. 

That sounds like some new world order type of talk if you ask me.  Just like most abundant of natural resources, shouldn’t the wind be enjoyed by everyone?  Well yet again, the up and down world of kite boarding is catching the attention of international community and is taking on the world’s stage as I have said before, the “gnarly of gnarliest” of extreme sports.

Check out the article over at www.news.com.au

Totino’s Pizza Rolls has a contest where you can enter a video on YouTube showing how you “bring the energy of the X Games to your favorite activity” and be entered to win the prize.  So that means it’s not limited to just what you see at the Summer and Winter X Game (Skating, BMX, snowboarding, etc.).   Pretty much everything you can do with a board (wake, skim, kite, etc.) and beyond is fair game and just show in the video how much style and flair you have — like you were doing it in your very own X Games competition.

After you upload your video, judges from Totino’s will pick the top three by Dec. 26 (you have until Dec. 10 to enter).  After that, YouTube users will get to pick the winner, who will be announced by ESPN on Jan. 25 during the ’09 Winter X Games.

The grand prize winner gets a fully-paid trip to Aspen with three friends in 2010 (plus $4K in spending cash).  The first finalist gets $5k in cash, and the 2nd finalist gets a year’s supply of Totino’s Pizza Rolls (52 boxes, to be exact).

Full disclosure — Totino’s advertises on Lat34, but we’d like this contest regardless.

To enter and for more information, check out the YouTube contest page at http://www.youtube.com/RollIntoTheXGames.

Aussie Robbie Maddison continues to build his reputation as this generation’s Evel Knievel with his second-straight New Year’s Eve stunt.

Last year it was a world-record breaking jump (since broken) in the parking lot of the Rio.  Not bad, but any Vegas regular will tell you that no matter how nice it is, Rio is still decidedly “off-strip” and therefore always going to be a red-haired stepchild to the likes of Caesar’s Palace (site of Knievel’s most famous jump).

This year, Maddo moves up in the world by setting up shop with Red Bull at Paris, which definitely ranks as strip-worthy.  The hotel has a replica of the Arc de Triomphe that is about 100 feet high and Maddo will jump on top of the Arc, ride along it, then do a freefall of 50 feet onto a landing ramp below.

This isn’t exactly a world record — unless you count doing something for the first time a “world record.”  But it should be pretty cool to watch.

Maddo won’t be alone on the night.  Kiwi Rhys Millen is going to pull off the stunt he couldn’t attempt last New Year’s Eve due to injury.  He’ll be the first person to attempt to land a backflip in an off-road truck.  Unfortunately, the backflip attempt will take place at a different (as of yet undisclosed) location than Maddo’s jump.

ESPN, as it did last year, will broadcast the event live — assume it will take place around 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET (details forthcoming).

Find out more about the event at www.redbullnewyearnolimits.com or keep reading for the full press release.

RED BULL: NEW YEAR. NO LIMITS.
New Year’s Eve Event from Las Vegas to Feature 100-Foot-High Motorcycle Jump and Truck Back Flip By Motorsports Stars Robbie Maddison and Rhys Millen, Telecast Live on ESPN

Santa Monica, Calif. (November 18, 2008) – Deviating from the standard New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking or save more money, two world-class athletes have resolved to break boundaries before the clock strikes midnight on December 31, at Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. in Las Vegas. Robbie Maddison will follow up his history-making motorcycle distance jump with another world-first performance. Rhys Millen seeks redemption for what was supposed to be a New Year’s celebration a year ago before a training accident derailed his plans, but only temporarily.

Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. will be televised live on ESPN/ESPN HD immediately following the Chick-Fil-A Bowl (approx. 11:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. PT). The show will also be simulcast live on ESPN360.com. Viewing of Maddison’s jump at Paris Las Vegas is free to the thousands of revelers on the world famous Las Vegas Strip.

LET IT RIDE Having broken the Guinness World Record for a motorcycle with a leap of 322 feet, 7.5 inches over the length of a football field during the 2007 Red Bull New Year’s Eve event, Maddison will attempt a more finessed, but equally challenging jump this time. The 27-year-old Aussie will jump his bike more than 120 feet high and land on the top of the 96-foot-high and 40-foot-deep replica Arc de Triomphe in front of Paris Las Vegas. What goes up must come down, and Maddison’s not going to argue with physics. Upon completing the jump, he will then drop off the Arc and freefall 50 feet to a massive landing ramp below. Maddison’s impressive resume, in addition to his record-breaking distance jumps, includes a very successful freestyle motocross career. In March, Maddison leapt an astounding 378 feet in Australia.

“I had some doubts last year whether or not I could jump a football field,” said Maddison. “But as I practiced, I got more and more confident and realized I could pull it off; and I did, twice. This year, the doubts are way bigger. The jump has never been done before, but I’m confident in my ability and I believe that as I start training, the dream that seems impossible will become a reality.”

Millen will attempt to become the first person to complete and land a backflip in an off-road truck. The flip will take place at a location to be determined in Las Vegas. Millen’s flip demands the truck to travel a distance of 80 feet at a height of 50 feet. During his final practice before the 2007 New Year’s event, Millen overshot the landing, resulting in injury, damage to his vehicle and his withdrawal from the event. The 36-year-old New Zealand native is fully recovered and more determined than ever. Millen’s motorsports credibility is unrivaled. He was the 2005 Formula Drift champion and 2008 Red Bull Drifting World Championship winner, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb world record holder and has been the lead stunt driver in several commercials and movies, such as Dukes of Hazzard and Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift.

“Last year we attempted what was before then thought impossible,” said Millen. “Laws of physics and vehicle dynamics were pushed to the limits with success, but failure came in one small miscalculation. My body can be broken but my mind cannot. This year, people will witness the first ramp to ramp back flip in an off-road truck – ever!”

Maddison and Millen will be practicing for their epic night at the Red Bull Compound training facility north of Los Angeles, which features massive foam pits for each athlete to safely prepare to make history.

Additional details for Red Bull: New Year. No Limits. will be released in the coming weeks. For event information, as well as information on Maddison and Millen, visit www.redbullnewyearnolimits.com.

In the last few years it seems more and more familiar faces from other action action sports keep showing up in rally car racing.  A few years back, freestyle motocross riders Travis Pastrana and Kenny Bartram made the transition, with success.  In fact, Pastrana has conquered the sport with the same intensity that made him a FMX superstar.

Pastrana won his third-straight Rally America Championship this season, edging teammate Ken Block (founder of DC Shoes) and cementing his place among the best of the sport.

Joining Pastrana and Block on the Rally America Championship series this season was BMX rider Dave Mirra, who juggled his rally racing with BMX contests.  Still, Mirra performed better than any other rookie driver this season and was honored as “Rookie of the Year” as a result.

The first of the 2009 season’s nine stops will kick off on January 30 with the SnoDrift Rally.  Visit the Rally America site for more.

You’ve got the classic and most popular PARTY CLOWN.  Then you have the clown version of a mullet, the BUSINESS CLOWN.  And last but not least, you’ve got the clown who set a higher standard for clown make-up, the IT CLOWN. 

“CLOWNS” takes place at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City so if you happen to be in the area, I strongly suggest you drop by.  The opening reception is on Saturday, November 15th from 7PM – 10PM. 

Do you tend recycle bottles as hard as you skateboard?  Do you find yourself reusing paper as fast as you bomb hills on your bike?  Or do you try to place recyclable material in its proper place as you roll around on your recycled Roller Blades?  If so, you may be a bigger fan of the X Games now that they are the most environmental friendly action sporting events known to man.  For the second year in a row, the X Games delivered more than an 80 percent recycling rate at X Games 14.

In the four years since the XGE program’s inception, the X Games have now recycled more than 422 tons of material from both its summer and winter flagship events. These results indicate that progressive waste minimization and resource conservation initiatives implemented throughout the planning and execution of the event continue to drive a new standard for environmental excellence in action sporting events.  If you too are an environmental enthusiast, check out the press release below.  It’s pretty extreme. 

These accomplishments were achieved in part through an innovative composting program designed to capture and divert organic materials from the landfill. Spectators and staff alike were encouraged to participate in this program by composting paper and food products. The staff catering area has excelled in this effort through the use of compostable service products such as cups made from corn-based PLA plastic; plates, bowls and to-go containers made from bagasse, a sugarcane by-product; utensils made from potato starch; and napkins made from recycled content paper. Products like these ensured that a majority of diners’ discards could be composted. In addition, 90 gallons of kitchen grease generated by the staff catering kitchen was recycled into biodiesel and more than 3,500 pounds of surplus food and catering supplies were donated to a Los Angeles area food bank.

 
Custom designed, three-way collection receptacles provided sorting for beverage containers, trash and organic waste in public and back-of-house areas, and included colorful graphics to educate participants about proper sorting procedures. In addition, cardboard and wood were also collected for recycling. Nearly 47.2 tons of wood and cardboard, which represented 61 percent of the total waste generated by the event was diverted from the landfill and either reused or sent to a specialized recycling facility.
 
In another XGE initiative, reusable water bottles were distributed to all X Games staff and athletes as water refilling stations were strategically located throughout the event, eliminating the need for nearly 50,000 individual single-use plastic water bottles.
 
In a continued effort to raise awareness about use of renewable energy and ways to combat climate change, XGE introduced Tour de X, an initiative enabling people to learn about and interact with cutting edge alternative energy technology. Spectators were able to recharge their cell phones, cameras and other personal electronics just by riding specially outfitted Tour de X bikes. Additionally, XGE contributed to help the Arbor Day Foundation plant 5,000 Longleaf Pine trees in the John M. Bethea State Forest in northern Florida to assist with reforestation efforts following the Bugaboo wildfire of spring 2007.
 
“It’s a significant accomplishment to have such high levels of recycling at an event this large,” said Chris Stiepock, general manager and vice president, X Games franchise. “It would not be possible without the commitment of the entire staff and key suppliers who keep the environment top of mind when planning and executing the event.”

Well this woman from France just might be.  Anne Quemere, 42, is planning to take a solo trip across the Pacific Ocean on; you guessed it, a Kite Board.  Now the only difference with Anne and 26-year-old Jason Lewis, is that Anne actually know what she’s doing.  She had already complete the amazing feat of crossing the Atlantic.  What more in the nice warm, sunny, shark and possibly pirate infested waters of the Pacific.  I just hope that her arms are conditioned to take on such a challenge or she might end up like this guy.  Read more about her amazing stunt below and maybe you will be inspired to do something so meaningful with your life.  Like do the Running Man all the way to Alaska. 

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — A French adventurer will set sail from San Francisco on Thursday in a bid to become the first person to kite surf across the Pacific Ocean.
Anne Quemere, 42, the only woman to have rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean in both directions without assistance, will use Pacific winds to propel her in a 5.5-meter (18 feet) craft some 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) to French Polynesia. The voyage is expected to take around three months.

Quemere, who successfully completed a similar kite surf voyage cross the Atlantic in 2006, told AFP she had originally planned to leave on Friday but weather conditions forced her to bring forward her departure date by 24 hours.

“I’m leaving Thursday, departing from the wharf at around 11am (1800 GMT),” she told AFP.

“We had planned for Friday but the weather is going to be more favorable on Thursday so we wanted to take advantage of that window,” she said.

In 2002, Quemere set a new record after traversing the South Atlantic in 56 days in a rowing boat. Two years later she took 87 days to row across the North Atlantic.