Good Bye 2009, Hello Twenty Ten

December 31st, 2009. It is 11:27 a.m. and there are only 12 hours and 33 minutes until we welcome a new year. 2010 my arms are open and I am happy you're almost here. 2009 was in all honesty a tough year. Our community lost some family and some good friends. We had one hell of a winter and a very short summer. Our economy went down the tubes and too many of our boys are still fighting in foreign lands. But there are things to celebrate, we have welcomed some newborns to our community and they will no doubt be shredding like mom and dad soon. We have had friends and family tie the knot and some promise to do so in the near future. We have had good surf all year long, Ralph's page has the count at 46 weeks of fun surf. Our community is stronger than ever and we have celebrated at many surf, skate, and snow events all year long.

2010 should be a good year, the winter Olympics starts in another month and the World Cup of Soccer begins in June. The surfing world tour and the new Rebel tour should be awesome with epic HD webcasts. Real men will ride bulls! The shop will soon be filled with stacks and racks of new surfboards from Lost, Stewart, Hobie, Walden, and others. Lots of events too. Contest, parties, beach clean-ups, movie premiers, and live music. I know it is all very exciting and I will keep everyone updated as the year gets rolling!

Now that the water is COLD and everyone is wearing the thick rubber it is important to take care of your gear! We see a lot of warranty and repair issues because when you get a rip some where you feel it when the water is forty. Wetsuits are designed to last and the don't get holes or fall apart for no reason. Take the time and push gloves, boots, and suits off, DON'T PULL, AN NO PARKING LOT STOMPS. Pulling stresses seams and causes tears. Things happen and we understand minor rips and tears are fixable and we always have aqua seal for quick rubber repairs here at the shop. Small waves tomorrow ( I hope) and more for the weekend. We have had a few phone calls about the new lost boards and people have already put their names on the list, anyone else???

Thanks for all your support in 2009, it means everything to us. Big things coming from Pioneers in twenty ten so get ready! Enjoy the evening and we'll see you next year. I'll be at the shop from 12 to 4 tomorrow if you need anything!

This video is epic, it will make you laugh!!!

What Are You On???

Looking at the cover of the new Surfing Magazine three things stick out to me. The first is the title "Surfing Magazine" the second is the guy getting shacked and looking kinda bored with the whole experience, and third are the words "What are you on?". That is a good question, what are you on? How long have you been on it? Is it working for you or are you read to get on something else? I spend most of my time on a 6'0 Lost Round Nose Fish and a 6'2 Lost Stealth and Steve spends most of his time on a 6'1 Lost Speed Demon. I am very happy with my board choices, I actually love my board choices. Matt Biolos, owner and head shaper of Lost Surfboards just won shaper of the year and I think that Lost really does make some of the best boards out there. As Matt puts it "I'm not shaper to the stars. It was never meant to be that way" He goes on to say he shapes boards for the average surfer. Surfers like us. Surfers who surf average waves on a regular basis. His shapes are short, thick, and wide. But more importantly they work, really well.

I read another quote and I am not sure who it is from but it is in reference to a board that is commonly referred to as a fish. "This is not a fish. The dimensions may be similar, but not the design- and not the performance. This board is for ripping when the report says 'stay home'. It is for punting when the judges say, 'do cutbacks'. It is the opposite of retro." That says a lot to me and it sounds like it is describing some of the new boards that Lost is creating for the 2010 year. The Blunt, the Scorcher, and the Motivator. All of which could be described as a fish but definitely are not. After checking out the photos and write up of the Motivator I think that might be my new board for 2010. A 5'10 x 20 x 2 3/8. We are going to start working on our 2010 Lost order so if anyone out there in blog land has their eye on a new board now would be the right time to swing by the shop and put your board on the list.

The Blunt, this one is 5'10 x 20 x 2 1/2

The Motivator, this on is 5'9 x 19 7/8 x 2 5/16.

Enjoy the day, stay warm, think surf, surf a lost.

A Stanceless Existence in 2010

Ahhh.... December 28th. The last Monday of 2009. It feels good to say that, it feels good to be moving on to a new year. A new year full of surf, skate, and snow sessions. But before we get there waves today! Who got some? I found a few with Josh the blue JC jammer. Nothing epic but interesting and fun. Waves are in the waist to chest + range and the wind is blowing lightly out of the SSW. Unfortunately it looks like a SSE wind is going to kick in and bring with it some rain/snow wintery mix. Get your session in now, the sooner the better.

Steve found this video with the father of all modern skateboard tricks, Rodney Mullen, being interviewed by Tony Hawk. There is no doubt that Rodney has crazy skill but I really never new that Rodney was just plain crazy. Maybe crazy is a bit harsh but I really had to watch this video about 3 or 4 times before I could comprehend what he was really getting at. I am still not sure but I think he is trying to train himself to be stanceless... No regular, no goofy, stanceless. Both ways are natural... The thought of stanceless had never crossed my mind until hearing this interview and it's crazy. He also talks about jamming his leg in a car wheel well and pulling it to the point where the bone would break every day for a couple of years... I am still not sure about what he is talking about there. Check the videos below and watch them a few times and wrap your brain around the possibility of a stanceless existence in 2010.

Dissent TV: Tony Hawk with Rodney Mullen from DissentTV

Dissent TV: Tony Hawk with Rodney Mullen Part 2 from DissentTV

This is another Mullen Video... It's pretty much Rodney Mullen Day. So why not put him up here skating too.

So party on and Celebrate Rodney Mullen Day.

Red Bull is doing New Years Eve Right, Again...

Well nothing like waking up to victory at sea conditions and the sound of the howling wind when you really wanted to surf. Steve just rolled in claiming that the surf is HUGE and there is no where to surf. And with swell in the 12 foot range and 30 mph onshore winds I can agree with him without even looking at it. Tomorrow will be a better day, tomorrow we'll surf. Maybe even this afternoon if we get lucky.

Red Bull is doing it again. They are helping another action sports athlete achieve a dream. This New Years Eve Travis Pastrana will jump his Subaru STI off of a pier onto a barge in the middle of LA Harbor shattering a World Record. The past two New Years Eves with Red Bull have pushed moto cross to new limits. Check videos of those stunts and parties HERE. The videos below are a preview of Travis and his world record attempt. Check it out. This guy never ceases to amaze me. Really...

I hope to see everyone in the water tomorrow getting some waves and sharing some stoke. Enjoy the day, we're here till 5 and if you need anything swing by.

Merry Christmas

Well it's Christmas Eve,  there are some fun little waves out front, and things are looking good. Steve and I are at the shop all day till 3 to help you with your last minute shopping.  We'll be watching Christmas movies and eating tons of junk food.  Swing by, say hello, and come enjoy the holidays with the Pioneers crew.

My absolute all time favorite Christmas Movie.  The 24 hour marathon starts at midnight on TNT.  That's tradition!

Body Glove wants to wish you a Merry Christmas and I think I speak for all the guys out there when I say "thank you body glove".

Enjoy the Holiday, Enjoy your time with the ones you love, Enjoy the waves.  We'll be at the shop all day after Christmas and we'll see you in the water!

It's a Cold Finger Stinger Out There...

So first off a cold finger stinger is when you surf too long or in gloves not thick enough for the temp and you finger just get so cold they start to hurt.  The stinger part comes from when they start to thaw out and they sting like hell.  This morning I got my first cold finger stinger of the winter! The waves this morning were small, knee at best, but I shared those knee high waves at sunrise with Buck. It felt good to get a few, I didn't surf yesterday or all week for that matter. Even though the waves were small this morning and I only surfed for 45 minutes my stoke is still there, I love to surf.  Today is off to a great start, fun little waves with a friend, hot shower, good breakfast, and I heard a great song on the radio on my ride to the shop, CCR one of the best bands of all times???? Maybe. 

The big day is right around the corner.  Santa is coming to town.  The shop is still stocked with the goods and we really do have something for everyone.  We got a bunch of  Sector Nine Longboard Skateboards which seem to be on everyones list.  Pioneers tees and Hoodies for that person that wants to represent NH when they're living far away from home.  Gloves and hats for keeping warm, and rad flannels and pants to keep you in style.  Our good buddy Ry Guy picked up a new Lost Firewire yesterday and in doing so joins an elite club of Firewire/Lost riders.  I love mine and I will give everyone Ryan's report as soon as I get one.  If there is someone special on your list, who has been really good,  don' hesitate to pick them up a new surfboard.  Get them the right one and you might even see them shed a tear of joy.

Surfline posted some photos of yesterday's swell that really smacked both Jersey and Long Island with snow and waves.  Check it HERE!  

If you still got some shopping to do come see us, we're here till 7 tonight.  Otherwise enjoy the day!

IT'S SNOWING!!!!

Icy Wave  Brian Nevins

It is so nice to see a little bit of snow!  Waking up this morning to a wintery wonderland was awesome!  So good to see some snow sticking to the ground again.  The surf is definitely on it's way up.  The buoys out front are reading in the 8 to 10 ft range but on my drive to work the surf looked to be about waist high and building.  The wind is straight out of the north and blowing hard at 20+ mph.   The swell will build some more and then the wind is going to start blowing out of the NNW toward the afternoon and W all night.  Whatever is left for waves tomorrow morning should be clean and organized.  Hopefully there will still be some waist high sets!

I got an email from Jon Millstein this morning.  I haven't seen or talked to him since around Thanksgiving so you think the email would be "Hey Bryan, what's up?  How's the shop?  I'll be home for a while, let's go skate!"  Nope...  It read "If you miss this one, you are totally blowing it" with the link to Manny's Bangin' from the Berrics that I posted on Friday.  But because Millstein thinks I am blowing it, I am going to post it again right here into today's blog. This is for you Jon. Happy Hanukah. Now let's go skate!

YO CHECK IT OUT!!! Pioneers team skater Manny Santiago gets a Bangin' at the Berrics. Click HERE to see it on the Berrics page and click the link below to watch it now! 

Yeah Manny!!!

 

Of course Pioneers is open today!  We will be here to 5 pm tonight.  Still stocked with all the best stuff for the Holiday Season!  Enjoy the snow and we'll see you soon!!!

White Christmas????

Photo by Brian Nevins

Good morning Gang!!! Some little longboard waves out front this morning on this last weekend before Christmas. There are a handful of folks snagging the little knee high sets that are rolling in!  Steve and I just checked the the surf and weather forecast.  Looks like it is going to be a white Christmas with a few inches on the way tonight and maybe more on Christmas eve and day.  Steve just update the surf forecast so check it on the report page at surfnh.com.  

We just got restocked with Snowboard Helmets!   There is no better investment in warmth and personally safety then a helmet.  We have a bunch to choose from for men, ladies, and kids too! Some of our kids helmets are multi purpose and can be worn while snowboarding, skateboarding, bicycling, or anything else your little Evil Knievil might get into.   Lots of sizes and styles to choose from.  Come grab one before you head out on the hill.

Steve and I will be at the shop till 7pm tonight.  If you need anything come see us, any questions call us at the shop, 603 964 7714.  Enjoy the day.

Baby It's Cold Outside!!!!

Temps drop to the single digits two nights in a row. As Brian Nevins put it, this is "New England's Revenge". The sea smoke on the water yesterday and today was so cool to see and the little slush tubes breaking on the beach transported me to a fantasy world of miniature proportions. Walking along the shore at the wall this morning everything was covered in ice and was sparkling in the early morning sun light. With a good ol' fashion coastal storm headed up the eastern seaboard we should have some waves and snow Sunday and some leftover waves Monday.

Todo Bien owned it last night at the Ashworth and it was great to see everyone who made it out for the show. The holidays are upon us and Christmas will be here in one week!!! The shop is rocking today and we are helping tons of people get all their shopping missions accomplished. If you still got some shopping to do you know where we are and that we'll be here till 7 tonight. We'll also be here all weekend long.

Tons of new stuff rolling through the door and tons of awesome ideas! Watches, boards of all shapes, sizes, and uses. Awesome jeans, tees, and sweatshirts. New videos, shoes, etc. etc.

If you ride a Lost then it is no surprise for you to hear that Matt Biolis, owner and shaper of Lost Surfboards, won surfboard shaper of the year. Hands down Lost are the best boards going. Steve, Buck, and I all ride them and between the 3 of us we have 10, all shaped by Matt Biolis. Looking at the Lost boards in the shop I have 11 boards personally shaped and signed by Matt himself. That is crazy if you think about it you can get the best board for the money shaped by Shaper of the Year, Matt Biolis, at no extra charge. Lost Surfboards, designed for us, average surfers.

If you need a laugh today here it is. Al Kaprielian at his finest. Check out this best of compilation and click HERE to get the full story. 25 years of pure awesome!!!

YO CHECK IT OUT!!!  Pioneers team skater Manny Santiago gets a Bangin'  at the Berrics. Click HERE to see it on the Berrics page and click the link below to watch it now!  

Enjoy the day.

Yesterday's Pipemaster Final was epic.  What a great finish to an awesome year.  The Taj and Slater final was so good.  Big ups to Taj on a great performance and a first place at pipe.  Now that the smoke has cleared Mick stands above all with the World title and  Joel Parkinson won the overall title at the Vans Triple Crown.  Huge congrats also go to Steph Gilmore for claiming both the Ladies ASP title and the Triple Crown title.  Steve and I spent quite a bit of time this past year watching live webcasts of all the ASP events.  The past month has been great for webcasts.  All three of the Triple Crown events and the Eddie have been insane.  I am kinda bummed that the next even isn't until March 2010.  I guess I'll just have to wait and watch snowboard contests to fill the void.

Yesterday I got a session in  and I wore my new O'neill Psycho Freak 5.5/4.5 and I have to tell you that this suit is the real deal.  As far as flexible goes it's unreal.  It is hands down the most flexible winter suit I have ever worn.  Not only was I warm in this suit I was HOT almost to the point of over heating.  Everything about this suit is rad!  Fits great, goes on and off easily, stretches like no other and keeps you warm!  Now at $580 dollars this suit is no small purchase but if  you are the type of person that wants to be as warm and flexible as possible and you surf all winter long this is the suit.  Every other suit in the O'neill line is great too and with suits starting at $330 you can definitely find one that won't blow out your wallet.

Photo by Jessica Jolin

If you are at all stressed of feeling overwhelmed this holiday season I have two suggestions. The first is come see us at Pioneers and we will make holiday shopping real easy for you and the second is listen to Todo Bien live tomorrow night at the Ashworth Hotel in Hampton from 8 to 11 pm.  It should be fun and a great way to see every body during this busy holiday season.

We just got the new Ralph G. Fatello full length surf film in entitled "The Run".  This video documents the insane run of surf that we have had this year.  Super stoked for this one, I think it's going to be a block buster.  Come grab one while supplies last.  

Steve and I are stoked and here at the Shop till 7pm. Just got a big ol' box of skate stuff.  New boards, pads, helmets, mags, etc.   Swing by, we'll be here!

Check this gift idea out.  A beautiful hand carved tide clock by local surfer, artist Erik Zak.  This piece goes for $75 dollars and Erik has other shapes and color to choose from.  Check out Erik's website HERE and swing by the shop to pick this beautiful one of a kind tide clock.  Erik also specializes in carving waves, check out some of his other work on his webpage.

Check out this litle video of our buddy Luke at Waterville Valley.  If you can't tell by the video they are open as are most of the other mountains in New England.  Winter is here, the mountains are open, it's time to SHRED!!!  Come check out all snow gear we have in stock!!! Ride a Banana!  Ride a Burton! Get some Volcom gear!  It's On, Shred Time!

Modern Collective is so EPIC!!!  Best surf video ever?!?!?  People are claiming it!  This video has been in the DVD player non-stop since we got it.  It is an absolute must for your collection if you ride a short board!!!  I am serious, it is that good.

Another day of small scale surf,  might be some little waves once the tide backs out.  Keep an eye on it, the buoys are reading a little ground swell so like I said keep an eye on it.  Skate session tonight, I'll be at Rye after work if anyone wants to skate!  Steve and I are here till 7pm come do some Christmas shopping!

Gift Ideas

The ocean is calm today.  Looks like she will be calm all week long.  Hopefully there will be a nice waist high ground swell for the weekend.  Long range, clean, and fun... keep those fingers crossed. Water temps continue to dip with the strong offshore flow. Our winter wetsuit selection remains awesome and you'll be needing some thicker rubber for the waves this weekend.  If you need it we got it.

The Pipeline Masters this weekend was amazing!  Congrats to Mick on winning the world title! We still have 3 rounds to go through before the whole thing wraps up.  I would like to see Dane make it to the finals, he has surfed really well throughout this event. Check out the highlights below and be ready for the final day of competition to go down some time soon!

Great Ideas for Stocking Stuffers when your on a BUDGET!!!

SURF ACCESSORIES-Leashes $20-$30, Traction Pads $35, Wax $1.50, Wetsuit Shampoo $10

Sunscreen $5 -$20, Wax Scrapers $3-$12

Skateboard Tool  $10

A giftcard for a Snowboard Tune Up $30

Reds Skateboard Bearing $16 -$50

Burton Snowboard Lock  $14

New Snowboard Socks $15-$20

A Skateboard, Surf, or Snowboard Video, we have at least one for everybody's taste, $10- $35

Steve and I are here till 7pm.  If you have any question or you need anything we are here for you!  Enjoy the day and pray for surf!