The BRICKS Are In At The Hampton Skatepark

Jon Millstein Kickflip to Fakie over the bricks. p Brian Sullivan 

Huge thanks to EVERYONE who bought a brick!!! You are forever a part of the Hampton Skatepark. Also a Huge thanks to Sean O'Conner for laying the bricks down!

BELLS BEACH Fantasy Team Talk w/ Pioneers!!!

Well gang as the clock inches closer to the opening hooter it's time to talk Bells Beach and getting your Fantasy Surfer Team in order!!! First off the good news, looks like the Ocean will deliver and we will have some real swell for Bells!!!  That means SIZE and POWER and it means you should adjust your team to have powerful, experienced surfers! Now Shea Lopez, former tour competitor and blogger for Surfer Mag, always has a great preview. Our teams are very similar at the moment so I'm gonna let Shea lead the charge here and I'll do a little chiming in.

"The first two picks are John John and Kolohe. John is molten hot after winning at Margaret River and destroying Kolohe with a near perfect 19.70 out of 20 heat total (an obvious choice here). Kolohe, on the other hand, hasn’t had the best go in heats or with critics (everyone’s a critic) since Snapper. If Kolohe wants to get anywhere near the top of the ratings this year, Bells has to be a great result for him. Because, like everyone says, Tahiti, Fiji, and Pipe are not his ideal venues—Bells is." I couldn't agree more with these two picks, both made my cut.

"My next four Fantasy Surfer picks are all very well-rounded surfers and all regularfoots. I remember watching AI grow from despising Bells and surfing sub-par there to focusing, learning, and destroying people once his talent could be properly channeled in the many different faces of Bells. Jordy Smith is on that level and will have a heat or two, and possibly even an entire event that will stand the test of time at Bells. The other three picks for my team are Julian Wilson, Brett Simpson, and Mick Fanning, as they are all more than capable of putting up Slater-stopper levels of performance" Jordy, Mick, and Julian are all good choices in my book and were on my team last event too. I'm wavering on the Brett pick. He's got the talent but he's had a rough go lately. I could be eating my words but I'm putting Wilko on my team. He's fun to watch and he's got a mean backside hack in big waves. Plus he's a goofy and you gotta have at least one on your team.

"Finally, I saved my last two spots for specialty location surfers Taylor Knox and Adam Melling. These guys are incapable of doing a proper air, but the rest of the world is incapable of surfing as powerful, precise, and on-a-rail as them. When the Bells bowl turns on, there is no canvas in surfing better suited to huge, arcing carves that expose a surfer’s weakness, literally." Good plan to add some power surfers to the roster. This is most likely the only point in the year that you'll see Knox on my team but this wave was made for him.  Melling on the other hand did not make my cut. My eight pick is Josh Kerr. The dude has it all, airs, barrels, and power. Made quarters at snapper and found more barrels than anyone.  I also put Patty G as my alternate.

There are some other sure bets too, Parko always kills it out there as does Kelly. Taj is hot right now and has a great chance at the finals. Owen Wright and Bede are also ones to consider.  It all depends on where you want to spend your 50 Million.

So that's my team as of now. Stoked with it, I even think this might be the one Jordy wins!

I'm starting to get some industry support too! Got an awesome 36 x 24 inch Vinyl Bells Beach banner that will go to the winner of the Bells event from Ripcurl. O'neill wetsuits stepped it up and is donating a suit to the end of the year prize. Creatures of Leisure also has some gear coming our way as does Volcom and Electric. Pretty stoked on how this whole thing has evolved. Not to late to join if you haven't yet.  Get into it!!!!

Club Name; Pioneers Board Shop Password; surfnh       DO IT!!!!

What's HOT at Pioneers

You maybe asking yourself "What's HOT at Pioneers?" Well I'm here to tell you EVERYTHING!!! But let's just stick to all the new goods that rolled in the past few days!


New Surfer's Journal just in today. Features include Simon Anderson's Thruster Grail, Adrift on a Coral Sea: Surfing the Great Barrier Reef, and Surfers' Blood: A Portfolio.  Epic cover shot to of a North Atlantic Slab going off.

First check out all the new Electric Sunglasses we just got in! About a dozen styles in a variety of colors and with or without POLARIZED lenses. Here are a few of the key pieces!

Electric Technicians

Electric Tonette

Electric Knoxville (my personal favorite)

Electric Captain Ahab

Full series from Girl Skateboards. These boards come to you approved by local shred lord Johnny Grasso.  Get after em!

Just in Thrasher 30 Year Anniversary x Independent collaboration truck. 149s and 169s available.

Loaded Longboards and Orangatang Wheels at Pioneers in NH

We'll we just got our spring order in from Loaded Longboards and Orangatang Wheels. I definitely when heavy on everything so we should be stoked with what you want for months to come!!! Boards, wheels, accessories, and more!!! Scroll down!

Loaded Tan Tien in flex 1, 2, & 3

Loaded Bhangra in flex 1 & 2

Loaded Dervish flex 1 & 2

In Heat 75mm available in Orange & Purple
4 Presidents available in Orange, Purple, Yellow & in Orange w/ aluminum race core.
Durian available in Orange, Purple, & Yellow
Stimulus available in Orange, Purple, & Yellow
Balut available in Orange, Purple & Yellow (yellow back ordered till next week)

Race Gloves

Freeride gloves

Organic Cotton Tee

New film form Loaded Longboards "Make You Smile" available at the shop!

New Surf Videos at Pioneers in New Hampshire

Busy day at the shop yesterday. Tons of new stuff came in the past couple days. I'm going to try and highlight some of the key items as the weekend progresses. First check out it the new surf videos.

YEAR ZERO by GLOBE

This just won video of the year at the annual Surfer's Poll. The film features the CJ & Damien Hobgood, Yadin Nichol, Dion Agius, and Nate Tyler. The soundtrack is an all original from the band BLACK MOUNTAIN, it's epic!!! I've already watched this video a dozen times and by the end of the weekend it will be two dozen, so good!!!

CHAPTER by Forty-Fortyone Films

Chapters surf movie is a collection of stories told by a world class group of surfers. The cast of eight was selected to balance and bridge the gap between loggers and high performance longboarders. Six world titles and numerous other accolades all come together in one movie. With backdrops including Australia, California, and Hawaii, Chapters visits world class surf breaks and is set to an electric soundtrack. A must see movie for any longboarding enthusiast.

COME HELL OR HIGH WATER by Woodshed Films

The film explores the history and progression of the sport of bodysurfing and the pureness that comes from riding a wave. Shot primary in 16mm, the film takes a unique look at the culture, beauty and simplicity of the sport, capturing the stories and locations of those who belong to this community. From the makers of The Seedling, Sprout, The Present, and 180 South you know this video is filmed and produced amazingly well!

Please Join Us To Celebrate Joanna's Life

It is with a heavy heart that I am the barer of bad news this afternoon... Toby Parke lost the love of his life this week, Joanna Rob. Together they have a beautiful son named Myles. Toby is one of us, a surfer.

There is a celebration of Joanna's life on Saturday March 31st at noon at the South Church on 292 State Street in Portsmouth NH.... It's time for us, the surf community of the Seacoast, to rally around one of our own. Please come and join us in a celebration of Joanna's LIFE.

Grant Taylor is a BEAST

As is everyone else in this video... wow...

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The Best 4/3 mm Wetsuits EVER at Pioneers in NH

Well it's officially spring and it sure does feel like it! All the tell tale signs are there, I'm skating outside afterwork, the sherburn tail on Washington is no longer open at the bottom, and the water is warming up. In fact the water is warming up fast!!! It's approaching 45 degrees which for me is usually the point at which I start to trade the winter suit and mittens in for a 4/3 and 3mm gloves. I can't believe that time is here already!!!

Well right on time both of our FAVORITE wetsuits in the world have just showed up. We are FULLY STOKED with 4/3 Oneill Mutants and 4/3 Ripcurl Insulators!!!! Now if you have one of these suits you know what I'm talking about but if you don't I'm gonna tell you why there are the two BEST 4/3 WETSUITS ON THE MARKET!!!!

First and foremost it all has to do with the removable hood system. Both of these suits feature hoods that securely attach to the suit when you need them and come clean off when you don't. What that means is right now you need a hood, in another two months you won't however all your gonna need for the next 4 months is a 4/3. So rather than wearing your winter suit any longer than you have to of suffering in you 3/2 with a hooded vest you get a Mutant or an Insulator to bridge the winter to summer and summer to winter gap.

Both of these suits are made of the best materials with the best seam construction. The suits will keep you warm but still allow you the flexibility you need to surf for hours and own it the whole time you're out there. Both suits feature chest entries that are easy to get on and off and are backed by the best warrantee and repair departments in the industry.

Steve and I both swear by these two suits and as you know we surf as much as anyone. We spend more time in these two suits than any of our other suits, we done the research and put the time in. We stand behind them both and we know that once you get into one yourself you'll be just as stoked as we are!!!!

SURFING!!!!!!!!

More Food for Thought on the Great Wave Pool Discussion

Allentown, Pennsylvania's early attempt at creating a chlorinated surf spot, used as the venue for a 1985 pro event. Photo: George

This is a topic Steve and I get caught up talking about all the time!!! Sean Doherty of Surfer Magazine brings his opinion to the table!

"It might not have been a DeLorean, but the cheap rental doing 88 miles an hour through the streets of Allentown, Pennsylvania, with 16 surfboards strapped to the roof was about to deliver its occupants into a blinding future. It was 1985 and the pro tour found itself in the most unlikely location you could dream up for a surf contest outside of, say, Pyongyang or New York. Hundreds of miles from the coast, this group of travelling pros were in Allentown to christen the town’s new wave pool, and their heads were swimming in futuristic dreams of a chlorine-blue Trestles awaiting their arrival. The reality was something else.

“We got out of the car—Pottz, Elko, Mr. X [Glen Winton], and I—and we’re standing there with our boards looking at a swimming pool, going, ‘Is that it?’” recalls Tom Carroll. “I remember thinking at the time, this is the weirdest place on the planet for a surfer to be. The guy running the show added to the vibe. He was this buff guy who wore these tight exercise shorts that made my boardshorts look baggy.”

The waves were fabulously bad. A seismic gurgle from the bowels of the pool preceded an industrial-sized toilet flush, unleashing a knee-high kiddie pool wave. The surfers had seen nothing like it, due largely to the fact swells with a three-second interval don’t exist in nature. The tour’s first—and last—wave pool event was destined to be remembered as a running joke. “But the funny thing was that it wasn’t even the worst wave on tour that year!” laughs Carroll, who’d won the world title the previous year in Florida on waves generated by a boat being driven up and down the beach.

Thirty years later and we’re on the cusp of a legitimate wave pool becoming reality. The technology has now caught up with the dream, with engineers molding concrete and steel to bring water to life, conjuring—if you believe the pitch—head-high barrels, all day, every day. Wave Garden has already begun construction of it’s public facility which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2012. Two other high-profile proponents have wheeled out competing, yet fundamentally similar, designs that utilize a doughnut shaped pool a giant, metal rotating arm used to create the waves. Double-figure World Champion Kelly Slater and avant-garde Australian shaper Greg Webber both have visionary pedigree—Webber exploring what’s possible with a board, Slater what’s possible on a board—and both have been busy re-imagining what surfing might become should their respective imaginariums get off the ground. The world seems boundless and wanton enough right now for it to happen. But being able to construct these great chlorinated Death Stars is one thing. Why you’d want to when you’ve got perfectly good oceans delivering waves for all eternity is another.

Surfing (in the ocean) is considered by the more productive quarters of society (i.e. everybody else) to be a frivolous waste of time. Building small oceans in landlocked cities to go surfing in must surely be considered not only a frivolous waste of time, but also a frittering waste of resources that could surely be channeled toward something more meaningful. It’s Miller’s Air Conditioned Nightmare all over again—surfing meets Disneyland.

Surfing purists are already turning in their future graves at the prospect. They look beyond the novelty of surfing a man-made wave and see what follows: wave pools being used as a phalanx into untapped surfing markets throughout Asia, Europe, and mid-West America. They see a great schism opening up along the Kane-Burkhart line as surfers incubated in these hothouses find their way to the coast. They see an act once instinctive, spontaneous, and performed in harmony with the natural world becoming virtual, programmed, and binary. They see surfing becoming more science than art.

“I remember working it out, clearly,” recalls Tom Carroll of the Allentown wave pool. “The 11th wave was the one to go on. After surfing in the ocean and having to deal with all these variables, suddenly in the pool I could catch the 11th wave and surfing became a mathematical equation. I knew how many turns I could do and where they needed to be on the wave. You could literally choreograph it.” Carroll worked it out so well he eventually won the contest.

But here’s a fundamental question: If surfing is taken from the oceans, is it still surfing, or does it become something else entirely? What makes surfing, surfing anyway? Is it a surfer on a board on a wave, any wave, anywhere, or does surfing imply some connection with the ocean, seeing that’s the only place we’ve ever done it? And what about the great unknowns of surfing? Doesn’t the fact that you have no idea when your next wave is coming, where it’s coming from, let alone what it’s going to do once you catch it, define surfing as much as anything else? Isn’t this where surfing’s magic lives?

When the dream is realized and the novelty wears thin, will standing in line to be spat out of a six-foot indoor tube 30 times in a day live in your memories as fondly and vividly as that the one 6-foot tube you tracked down and surfed on your own in Baja or Bali or at your local beach? Wave pools will never replace the ocean for anyone who grew up in it. But like most change, it will come incrementally, barely noticeable until suddenly there’s a generation of kids in cities all over the world who’ve surfed all their lives but never seen the beach.

Tom Carroll, typical of most surfers, seems willing to give wave pools the benefit of the doubt for the time being. “I don’t know, I’m pretty open-minded on most things. I was in the foyer of a big casino in Las Vegas the other day and as I was standing there waiting to check in and I thought about how cool a wave pool running through the place would be, one of Kelly’s circular ones. If it could happen anywhere, it’d be Vegas, right?” Tom’s telling me this from the departure lounge at LAX, and down the phone line I hear his flight to Honolulu being called. A new west swell arrives the day after he does, or so they reckon. It could be big Second Reef Pipe. It might be Sunset. The only thing for sure is that he’ll be surfing in salt water."

WALDEN HANG GLIDER AT PIONEERS IN NH

Fresh off of the truck and ready for summer waves I give you the Walden Hang Glider!!!

This retro noserider features all the bells and whistles from back in the day. From the Volan reinforced knee-paddling patch for deck durability, to the double split stringer and wood tail block for the classic retro look. The Hang Glider is a nose riding, drop knee cutback work of art. This traditional polyester board has the weight where it counts and a flipped tail with a beautiful pinlined nose concave off a belly to vee belly bottom contour, to keep you noseriding all the way to the sand.

Single fin combined with it’s perfect retro pinlining this board is close to a collectible work of art.

Available in two sizes, 9'6 x 22 1/2 x 3 1/4 (82 liters) and 10'0 x 23 x 3 3/8 (94 liters)

Surfboard and Wetsuit Package Deals at Pioneers in NH

With temps forecasted to be in the 70s today the shop stoke is high!!! Spring is in the air and after a few fun days of summer like waves I know lots of you are frothing to get into the water. So here is the deal we are offering!!!

Come in buy any NSP Surfboard and any O'neill Epic Wetsuit (4/3 or 3/2) and get 10% off your TOTAL Purchase!!! This deal runs till the end of the month and is good for the guys, the ladies, and the kids!!!! With the warm temps and this deal you have no reason not to get stoked about SURFING!!! Get in here and get the gear you need!!!

Get Your Next Lost Board Shaped with an Arctic Blank

Just got this off of Matt's blog. Can't wait to order a new Lost board for myself and have Matt shape it out of these new Arctic Blanks. So simple yet so rad!!! Add a couple colors to the foam as it's being created and when it's done and glassed you have a one of a kind board. Much cheaper than real resin work and easier to ding repair on. Here are a couple photos of some shaped boards. Thinking a new Bottom Feeder would look pretty amazing with some color to it, but then again a Monk Fish sounds pretty rad too.....

If you've got any questions or you want to talk about doing a custom board give Steve or I a call at the shop! Do it now and you'll get it in time for SUMMER!!!!

Friday Morning Surf Flick

Dane Reynolds:

some say he's the best surfer in the world, others say he's the worst...

after starting my morning off with this video I'm leaning towards the best side.

Long Board Skateboards @ Pioneers in NH

Here are a couple of the new Rayne Longboards that just came through

From a snowboarder's standpoint this winter sucked!!! From a skateboarder's appointment this winter was awesome!!! With the exception of a few short periods here and there due to cold or snow we've pretty much been able to skate outside all winter long! As the temps warm up and the sun stays up later my stoke to skate is growing daily! As you all know last year we raised $30,000 mostly through private funding to build the concrete bowl at the Hampton Skatepark. Well yesterday the voters of Hampton chose to approve $35,000 for the continued renovations and improvements at the Hampton Skateboard Park. In a nutshell we'll be seeing new CONCRETE in Hampton in 2012 and we, the Pioneers crew and the skaters of Hampton, couldn't be more STOKED!!! So to all those who've contributed in some way THANK YOU!!!

Paris, Loaded, Orangatang... STOCKED UP!!

As far as longboard skateboard gears go we've got lots and we're getting more daily!!! Brands you'll find in the shop this year are:

Loaded Longboards

Land Yatchz Longboards

Arbor Longboards

Rayne Longboards

Sector 9 Longboards

Globe Longboards

Paris Trucks

Randall Trucks

Bear Trucks

Orangatang Wheels

Abec 11 Wheels

We are constantly adding more brands and remember this list is just a starting point for the year. We're also really happy to check out new brands and hear suggestions from the local skaters about brands they would like to see in our shop. So if you've got a suggestion let us know!

Thanks, The Pioneers Crew

Orangatang Balut checkout

Pioneers Update

Greetings all!!! I must apologize for the lack of blogs lately. My wife and I took an extended vacation way, way south of the border. We spent the past 6 weeks touring around the south of Brazil and it was an amazing trip. From the cities to jungles and from the beaches to the mountains we pretty much saw it all. I kept a micro blog while I was away and my wife posted tons of pictures to accompany my words. If you'd like to hear more about our adventure it's all right HERE! I hope you enjoy it.

But now I'm back, I here at the shop full time again and because I've neglected the blog for weeks now there is an overflow of blog material to sort through! First thing I have to say is Steve kept the shop in top order and walking back in that first day was so RAD!!! I in all honesty spent the first full hour I was here checking out all the product that came in while I was away! Everything at the shop right now is fresh! New surfboards, new wetsuits, new skateboards, new shoes, and new clothing!!!

To get back into the swing of things I going to post some photos of some of the gear we got in while I was away. This is just the tip of the iceberg though so if you haven't been in in a while be sure to stop by, check everything out, and say hi.

Killer new tank and tee selection from Volcom

A few of the Volcom Trunks we have in at the moment

A couple of the awesome new pieces that you'll find in the ladies section of the shop

Two new shades from Oakley, at the top the Dispatch 2 available in polarized and non and on the bottom the Jupiture Squared also in polarized and non.

SUPER AMPED to be working with ERGO apparel this year. Here is a quick peek of what's in from these guys. We've also got some killer button downs, tees, and jeans too.

How rad is this replica of the 1976 Z-FLEX??? If you're old enough to remember the original then here is something to bring back some good memories!!! Get stoked this one actually rolls!!

Keep checking back as the blog will be updated frequently from here on out!!!

Snapper Rocks Recap

Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast has got to be one of the best rights in the world when the coast of Queensland is blessed with waves. Unfortunately, no such blessing was on offer this year for the Quiky Pro and the competitors were left surfing mediocre chest high waves. There were definitely some upsets and scores that had me scratching my head but before I get into it let's talk about Fantasy Surfer!!!

Thanks to everyone who signed up for the Pioneers Club on the Fantasy Surfer website. Our club house is 75 members strong and it's only fitting that Jon Mackin, the guy who rallied me to get the Pioneers Club started, is our club leader after the first event with 852 points. Make sure to log on and check out how you did as well as check the message board in the clubhouse. Feel free to post some thoughts or to talk some smack up there. The next event coming up is Bells Beach which has fired the past few years, hopefully it fires again this year. That contest starts at the beginning of April so adjust your team as necessary. As for you Jon you now have a target on you back as the man to beat, good luck...

In the end the two people who are always favorites at this event claimed victories with Steph Gilmore returning to her former self and surfing Snapper better than anyone and Taj starting strong and looking like a title contender for the 14th year in a row. Could this finally be the year that Taj does it??? (Side note; Taj rode Mayhem shaped boards for the entire event. Maybe if he had a Lost under his feet for the past 14 years he'd have a couple of world title too)

There were a couple of upsets that made me take notice. Gabriel Medina, the talk and hopes of many goes down early defeated by Yadin Nicole. Maybe the hype was all hype and maybe we'll have to wait to see Gabriel back on some lefts. The other major upset was local boy Mick Fanning falling to the goofy footed Pupo in round three. Mick had an off year last year and it looks like his streak may continue. I'm willing to bet that Mick losing hurt many of your fantasy team's, it sure hurt mine.

The other thing I will say is that watching Adriano de Souza surf gets harder and harder for me with each passing event. It could be that he takes what should be smooth, clean moves and turns them into choppy, ugly maneuvers. None of his waves seem to have any flow to them and every air reverse he did it seemed like he was bouncing out of them rather than ride out of them. I will say his mid wave claim in the quarters made my stomach turn, I can't stand the de Souza claim!!! I couldn't believe he made it to the finals and I was so happy to see Taj beat him.

Slaters post heat LOSS interview was kind of a let down also. He seemed pretty uninterested in the surf as well as the remaining event on the tour this year. Slater made it sound like if the conditions at Bells are poor he'll be somewhere else chasing better surf. All and all I was stoked to see Josh Kerr get the win over Slater, he earned that!

I thought Jordy was ripping the whole event and I think maybe this is the year Jordy really gets after it. If Bells fires Jordy will be on the podium...

Tons of highlights and heats on demand on Quiksilverlive. If you missed anything it's all there and if you never got a chance to get your Fantasy Team together you can still join the fun. All the info is on the blog below.

I hope everyone found a way to get some waves this past weekend, I've been sorting through the photos from Brazil and it looked like it was damn good up there. I'll be back in the shop and in the water at the end of the weeks.

Thanks for reading and I'll be seeing you soon.