Based out of Bozeman, MT Spark R&D is rider owned and operated, dedicated to pushing innovation in the sport of splitboarding, since 2005. With a view of the Bridger Mountains from our shop, we design and build splitboard bindings and accessories with backcountry performance coming first.
All of the products are manufactured and/or assembled in a small shop in Bozeman, Montana USA. From machining to anodizing, laser engraving to assembly– everything is done by a skilled team of workers who are also passionate splitboarders. In-house design and manufacturing capabilities allow our products to quickly evolve and provides us the flexibility to cater to niche customers within the splitboarding market. Spark R&D continues to step it up; seeking perfection based on customer needs and rider feedback, keeping pace with the rapidly expanding splitboarding community.
We are really excited to be working with Spark R & D in the upcoming 2011/12 season. We currently have both bindings pictured here available at the shop. Splitboarding in NH is on the come up!!!
The wife, dog, & I recently spent a little time up in Maine. Acadia is beautiful this time of year and it was hard to leave. I brought the rocket but there just wasn't anything breaking anywhere... maybe next time. Just thought I'd share a couple of my favorite photos, enjoy.
This is the best ever and I just had to post it!!! If you ride a ...Lost then you know exactly what I'm talking about... If you're still not riding a ...Lost, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?????
Make sure to go directly to ...Lost and check it out! They are also giving away prizes if you've got something good to add to the list.
Kelly Slater has won his fifth Hurley Pro at Trestles title, defeating Owen Wright in a hard-fought Final that saw the iconic Floridian overtake the young Australian in a last-minute exchange with a final score of 17.50 to 16.74. As for Slater last minute 9 point ride, I'm not entirely sure that was the right score but I'm not in the judging booth. Had I been, that heat would have went to Owen and I'd be writing a different blog here. Check the heat replay HERE and have a look for yourself.
Either way you see it, Slater and Wright’s third consecutive Final bout marks a first in ASP history, as no two competitors have faced off in three successive ASP Dream Tour Finals – a noteworthy statistic in sparking this new rivalry in the battle for the ASP World Title.
Slater roared to life on the Final day, unloading the highest heat-total of competition, 18.40 out of 20 in the Semifinals, and maintained his lethal form throughout the day’s entirety with a consistent display of new-school airs and patented carves to clinch his unprecedented 48th elite ASP World Tour victory and third of the season.
“Owen is tough and he’s been surfing great,” Slater said. “There really are no weak points to his surfing and he’s going to be a standout in every spot. A lot of the guys tried to get him this week and I got lucky in that last exchange. I was taking the first wave of the set under his priority and once I got priority I wanted to wait. It almost looked like there wasn’t a wave after Owen’s. It’s been fun surfing against Owen and surfing Lowers. It’s been a great week and thanks everyone for the crazy support, it’s been wonderful.”
Wright, current No. 2 on the ASP World Title rankings, has continued to build momentum throughout his sophomore year amongst the ASP Top 34 and dispatched of a rampaging Mick Fanning and rookie prodigy Julian Wilson en route to his rematch against Slater, but was unable to solidify the victory over the veteran in the Final.
“I’ve been enjoying the rivalry,” Wright said. “We’ve had some great heats and the last three finals have been great. I’m glad the sets came through at the end. It was a bit of a dud final but I’m glad that last exchange came though at the end. It made it exciting.”
Julian Wilson was a standout throughout the Hurley Pro at Trestles, earning the highest single-wave score of 9.80 as well as the second-highest heat-total of 18.23 in his Quarterfinals win over Joel Parkinson and consistently unloaded some of the most progressive maneuvers of the contest.
“I had a bit of fire after yesterday, not against Joel, but just to show that I could beat him,” Wilson said after his Quarterfinal win. “I’ve dreamed about surfing against Joel and Mick my whole life and yesterday gave me a lot of confidence to go against him today.”
The young Australian got off to a slow start in his Semifinals matchup versus Owen Wright after an interference and was unable to rebound, finishing equal 3rd overall. Wilson now sits at No. 11 on the ASP World Title Rankings.
Heitor Alves who finished equal 5th in New York, continued his giant killing spree at the Hurley Pro Trestles, defeating ASP World Title campaigners Taj Burrow and Adriano de Souza before falling to Slater in the Semifinals to earn his career best result of an equal 3rd place finish.
“Thanks God for everything in my life,” Alves said. “This is a good result for me. Adriano is a good surfer, he rips this wave and surfs very well. This is a great event for me and I enjoy this wave.”
Alves’ performance moves him from No. 20 to 14 on the ASP World Title Rankings.
The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season will be the Quiksilver Pro France from October 4 – 13, 2011.
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES FINAL RESULT: 1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 17.50 2 – Owen Wright (AUS) 16.74
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES SEMIFINALS RESULTS: SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.40 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 16.57 SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.74 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.04
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES QUARTERFINALS RESULTS: QF 1: Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.77 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.50 QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.60 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.07 QF 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.67 QF 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.23 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.93
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES ROUND 5 RESULTS: Heat 1: Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.74 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 9.80 Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.27 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.97 Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.23 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.27 Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.67 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.37
CURRENT ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 10 (After Hurley Pro at Trestles) 1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 44,950 pts. 2 – Owen Wright (AUS) 39,900 3 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 35,400 4 – Adriano de Souza (BRA)31950 5 – Josh Kerr (AUS)30,800 6 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 29,250 7 – Mick Fanning (AUS)28,200 8 – Jordy Smith (ZAF)27,500 9 – Jeremy Flores (FRA)23,700 10 – Michel Bourez (PYF) 22,250
Despite having three decades of product innovation under their belts, the designers at Burton are still coming up with big ideas, like how to make high-performance boards smaller. With our 2012 Best of Test top finisher, The Nug & Nug Directional, they’ve done just that. Conventional wisdom has long dictated that a good overall board length should hover around one’s chin but the Nug is meant to be ridden 8-10 cm shorter than your regular board.
By tweaking tip and tail geometry, contact-point flexes, waist width, and camber in a way that compensates for the condensed size, The Nug not only achieves the stability of a conventionally sized setup, but improves upon performance due to the lively characteristics it gains from reduction of weight and materials. To ensure that The Nug can handle all the same conditions as a normal board, Burton has also integrated its V-Rocker reverse camber, Jumper Cable suspension, and Frostbite edges into this compact package. Easy to throw around, light under foot, and surprisingly floaty, it also features V-Rocker, a slight taper in the Nug Directional, and Side Effects to further enhance quickness and floatation. For these reasons riders from the White Mountains to the Sierra Nevadas proclaimed The Nug their top choice in the 2012 Best of Test.
Website: burton.com Best of Testimonials
“I charged, straight-lined it, and tried to go super-fast. I hit some jumps and boxes and it was super-fun everywhere. I rode a 138, but it didn’t feel any shorter than a 150. It was better than any other reverse-camber board I tried; really fun and really poppy.” -Carlos Foralta, Alpine Meadows, CA (Shop: Ground Zero)
“It ripped and gripped. It was great in the woods and was a phenomenal all-around board.” -Bill Langlands, Loon Mountain, NH (Shop: Darkside)
“Super-short and super-playful.” -Justin Berkhart, Snowbasin, UT (Shop: Hole in the Wall)
“It’s stupid fun. You get out there and spin like a top, and you can still have control over it.” -Mike Hogan, Winter Park, CO, (Shop: D and E)
"Beyond STOKED on my Nug! I've got two in every size!!!"
-Buck Rowlee, Hampton, NH, (Shop: Pioneers)
The NUG and NUG Directional is only available at RESTRICTED SHOPS, Pioneers is RESTRICTED!!!
As always PIONEERS is your number one source for all things SURF-SKATE-SNOW on the Seacoast!!! Hit us up with any questions or stop by to see the Nug for yourself!!!
You might not guess it but ESPN has one of the best surf blogs going staffed by some telented writers and surfers. This blog comes to you from Jake Howard and this dude knows his sh*t!!!
"This fall you could wear your wetsuit from last year. You could. You could dig it out from the back of the garage, dust it off, check the sleeves for black widows, and you'd be good to go. Oh, but the glory of a new wetsuit. It's hard to resist. Coincidentally, Rip Curl reached out to us a couple of weeks ago to see if we'd be interested in "field testing" their new Flash Bomb wetsuit -- a solicitation that just so happen to coincide with a dramatic drop in the Pacific Ocean's temperature. Due diligence in mind, we entertained the offer and went surfing. The result: think furry convention meets Mick Fanning.
The immediate reaction upon first climbing into the fuzz-lined 3-mil: "Mmm, cozy." It's like putting on a pair of fleece pajamas, or maybe a mink coat, or maybe if you're Matt Wilkinson a cheetah costume you can surf in. It's got all the flex and comfort of a normal top-of-the-line suit, but thanks to Rip Curl's "Flash Dry" lining, it has an extra little tickle in it. The claim to fame is that the Flash Bomb dries in 30 minutes or less. The selling point is that you won't ever have to sling on a soggy suit again. Does Rip Curl pull either off? Pretty much, yep.
"The Flash Dry lining is what we call a double-layer knit fabric." says P.J. Elbing, Rip Curl's Director of Technical Products. "When water hits the top layer it wicks to the second layer of the material. When the water hits the second layer, gravity allows it to drip down and out the bottom of the panel. The result is a lining that is dry and warm to the touch within 30 minutes."
Why it rules: The idea of never putting on a wet wetsuit is pretty dang enticing. As Taylor Knox says, "I used to have to have a quiver of wetsuits, but not any more." Because you can take the suit off, and literally in 30 minutes it will be dry to the touch (I timed it, mine took 18 minutes in the sun before it was good to go again), the worry of cold dawn patrols and shocker lunch sessions is severely mitigated.
"Our development team spent over two years testing and refining the new Flash Dry material," says Elbing. "We went through six versions to arrive at a point where drying time, flexibility, weight, and durability were up to our highest standards. We performed both in-field and lab tests on new developments to quantify key variables such as stretch, weight, warmth and durability. Once we fine-tuned these attributes, we were ready to release the suit."
The seams are taped on the inside and out, so not a drop of water leaks through, which makes the suit all the more toasty. And with the chest zip version you don't get any seepage from the zipper. (A back zip model is available for $30 less, and I'm sure it works fine.) All told, it's a very warm, very well designed suit that feels like it'd would keep you warm even when the water temps start to dance in the low 50s.
In about a dozen sessions the suit was never once rash inducing, which is nice. It moved well in the water, although to be fair, I'm deathly scared of peeing in it. Growing up in colder water I'm a huge proponent of the sacred ritual, but this double-knit fabric and water tight fit has me worried. Otherwise, stoked, it's a great suit that I'd recommend to any one of my gainfully employed friends. At $400 it's not cheap, but then can you really put a price on creature comforts?"
Where to find it: Support your local surf shop. Buy it here at Pioneers, 3/2s and 4/3s in stock with 5/4s on the way!!! We are your number one resource for Surf, Skate, and Snow on the Seacoast!!!!
Been looking at these boards in the Global line-up for a while. We finally added a could to an order and man are we glad we did!!! This board is insane and it's affordable!!! The 9'6 comes in at $765 and the 10'0 comes in at $795...
The Modern Old Skool is an old school design with some modern additions like Super Light epoXy (SLX) technology, making it a lot lighter than it's friends back in the day. This board is a dedicated noserider and features 60/40 rails and a massive 7" squaretail with a deep single nose concave set in a bellied vee-to-vee bottom contour.
The Old Skool's classic shape and tuned 60/40 rails make this board stick in the pocket so you can hang heels or blast drop-knee turns on the shoulder. The single fin box comes with a massive noseriding fin finishing out this gloss polished classic longboard. This is a beautiful board to look at, admire and ride. It has real character both in and out of the water.
Boards are now instock here at Pioneers, hit us up for more info or questions!!!! SURFING!!!
DIMENSIONS LENGTH WIDTH THICK VOLUME FINS APPROX WEIGHT RANGE 9'6'' 23 5/8'' 3'' 76 ltr 9 1/2" Classic Single Ideal for all weights 10'0'' 24 1/4'' 3 1/8'' 83 ltr 9 1/2" Classic Single Ideal for all weights
Wow!!! Just got a rad email from Matt Biolis and the boys at Lost Surfboards. Now I know like Steve and I you are all Lost fanatics so I figured I would share some of the awesome new stuff Lost has going on for their 2012 lineup!!! The best part is if you can't wait all of these models are available RIGHT NOW for custom order!!!! Below you'll find photos and a brief description of each model. Give us a call or swing by with questions or custom orders!!!!
Ever find yourself drifting away to far away places, dreaming of scoring empty line ups in tropical water? Me to, but not in the past couple weeks! There is no place I'd rather be for the month of September than right here at home on the right coast. The tropics are active and we're getting our share of hurricane swell, the worlds best surfers were just in NYC scoring perfect beach break and showing the world wide surf community that we've got our days too, and the weather is as good as it gets!!! Plus more storms developing and heading our way.
I hope you all got to be as glued into the NYC Pro as I was but if you missed it check out this snackpack, 18 minutes of awesomeness!!!! It's a really good recap of everything that went down at Long Beach!
As far a shop happenings are concerned it's all about the transition to fall and winter! Like you we are holding on to summer as long as we can but we know what's on the way and we're ready to embrace that too. We're well stocked with 4/3s from Ripcurl and O'neill and our boot and glove racks are stocked as well! Still sticking by my claim the Ripcurl Insulator and the O'neill Mutant are the two BEST 4/3 on the market for surfing in New England. I can't stress enough how versatile, flexible, and warm these suits are due to their removable hood systems. Check the videos below for the tour!
Snow gear is also HERE!!! Burton hardgoods are in the shop and we're working on getting everything out on the floor for you to check out! We've got plenty of NUGS if your in the know and we're expecting all the soft goods shortly. Videos are due in shortly and the HIGHLY ANTICIPATED Travis Rice film, ART OF FLIGHT, is shipping tomorrow. We've got plenty of catalogs and deals on last years gear, while we may not have the snow yet the STOKE for it is HERE at Pioneers!!!
Switch on the HD, Fullscreen it, and turn the volume up to 11!!! Get AMPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With a weeks worth of waves on the way I figured this blog might help you out. It could be argued that skipping out on work during a recession to go for a surf is, well, somewhat “irresponsible.” But ask yourself this: How irresponsible would it be to let the day of the year at your homebreak pass you by? Yeah, that’s what we thought. We consulted a few everyday surfers to get the workingman’s perspective on shunning work to go surf. The next time perfection knocks and you need an excuse to bail from your cubicle, do yourself a favor and consult our list of pointers below.
Work Late... If you’re trying to shun some responsibility at home, working late tends to be a golden excuse. If your significant other has you scheduled to assemble that new end table from IKEA all afternoon, but the forecast is pumping, consider “putting in some overtime” at the office. Turn your phone off so you can really “focus,” grab your suit and board, and commence shredding. As a word of advice, you’ll need to come back from your session looking like you’ve been in front of a computer screen for 10 hours. Spill some coffee on yourself, look disheveled, and most of all, rid yourself of anything that can connect you to your session. “I’ve definitely pulled out of some responsibility at home to go surf and used the working-late excuse,” says Taylor Schultz, who works in marketing. But be warned, “You just want to be careful not to let your wife think you’re having an affair.”
You've got some time to start preparing so keep your eyes on the prize and plan accordingly. Lay the ground work now and reap the benefits later. Katia is coming!!!
After Irene ran her course things were looking questionable for the Quiky Pro in New York. Long Island got pummeled and the city main concern was focusing all it's resources on the city and it's residents. Well the good news is;
THE QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK SURF CONTEST WILL RUN
August 30, 2011
An important update from Long Beach — Quiksilver is working closely with the City of Long Beach to preserve the heart of the ASP World Tour surf contest scheduled to start on Sunday, September 4 in light of the impact of Hurricane Irene and concerns for the Long Beach community, which suffered significant damage from the storm. The Quiksilver Pro is scheduled to start its 11-day "holding period" on Monday, September 5. The Quiksilver Pro Trials presented by Unsound Surf will run on Sunday, September 4.
The situation has been changing daily, and we recognize that City resources are focused on hurricane restoration and clean up as first priority. In that context, we have been informed by the City that the festival and music components of the event are no longer achievable.
The Quiksilver Pro NY is first and foremost about the surf contest and Long Beach has an incredible surfing tradition and spirit. We are committed to holding the ASP tour event at Long Beach so that together we can promote the sport by bringing together the best surfers in the world to this terrific community.
The waiting period starts on Monday and if Hurricane Katia does what it looks like it's about to then both the top 34 and every New Englander is going to be in for a real treat! Get stoked!!!
