In a marriage of opposites, nimble designer-surfer Thomas Meyerhoffer of Montara has joined forces with distribution and manufacturing powerhouse Global Surf Industries (GSI) to unleash his latest design breakthrough on the surfing world:

Meyerhoffer has reinvented the wheel multiple times over during his storied career, but his latest project is one close to his own heart—reinventing the longboard. Developed and tested over the past few years, this new equipment represents a radical departure from the incremental design evolution of the past and potential quantum leap forward in form and function.

The “Modern Meyerhoffer” was sculpted around the principle that longboarders turn off the tail and noseride up front, with the middle of the board an excessive transition zone in between that could be reduced. Accordingly, the board has a relatively traditional nose up front, leading to a tapered waist in the middle, a dynamic, wider rear end and elongated tail for stability and drive. This gives the Meyerhoffer its distinctive organic “parabolic” shape. Meyerhoffer is quick to point out that “the negative curve is only there so that I could shape a more positive curve … as on a surfboard you turn around the positive curve.”

check out the full story by surfpulse

ESPN sits down with Steve Walden to talk about his venture into Strato-Flex boards. The photo speaks for itself.

The Strato-Flex is a series of five stringers. The middle stringer runs the length of the board, just like 99% of surfboards made. But the other four only run two-thirds to half the length of the board. This board bends like a pole dancer. Yowza!

“With thinner, lighter EPS construction, the board flex has never been as apparent. With over two inches of flex on both the tail and nose, I see the need to control the flex, as it is now effecting the integrity of the board design.

The strato controls the flex by limiting it to the nose and tail, where you want to keep some, but maintains that stiffness in the middle of the board to keep the speed and keep the water entry clean.”

Walden put the board down right in the street and stepped on it. Thing just flexed and then popped right back into shape. Now, I’ve seen this demonstration with the Firewire before, but this is a longboard, and a very high-performance longboard. Thinner boards like this do have a tendancy to snap. I’m curious to see what his team riders do with flex control and a stronger overall board.

read the whole article at espn.

Mira Loma-headquartered Active Ride Shop, which sells skateboards, snowboards and related gear at six Inland stores, is being acquired by a group of Florida-based investors for $5.2 million.

A limited liability company called Active Sports Lifestyles USA emerged as the winner among five bidders in a Tuesday auction ordered by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside. Attorney Marc Winthrop, who conducted the auction, said the buyers plan to keep all of Active’s operations intact, including its Mira Loma headquarters and warehouse, as well as its 21 Southern California stores.

Clothing retailer Zumiez had expressed interest last month in buying the chain for an estimated $7.2 million but was not among the final bidders. The sale is expected to be completed by the end of the month, Winthrop said.

read the more of the story at Press Enterprise