5 Reasons Why Your Boyfriend is a Lousy Snowboard Instructor

By Megan Maxwell  

Learning how to snowboard can be a difficult and stressful time. You fall down every time you try anything new, and you limp home every time you get off of the slopes. Expect to be sore for the first three months of your learning experience.

In addition to being in physical pain for the majority of the ski season, your bank account will also be in pain. After spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on gear and lift tickets, you might not be keen to spend anymore.

6 Sins of Surfing | Unwritten Rules of Surfing

By Zac Heisey

Learning proper surfing etiquette is a major part of becoming a true surfer. It’s amazing how easy it is to spot offenders in the line-up once you know the rules. While slack should be given to beginners who are just starting to pick up the admittedly complex and sometimes fluid list of surfing do’s and don’ts, there are some surfing faux pas that won’t be tolerated. Below are seven of the more egregious offenses in surfing. If you can’t learn to follow these, then it’s probably best to keep your board stored safely on your surf rack.

How to Survive a Big Wave Wipeout | 3 Tips for Surfers

By Natasha Hamilton

Everyone will suffer several wipeouts.  It is part of paying your dues to surf.  Some wipeouts will be horrific and others will be funny bordering on silly.  In fact, the wipeout factor is the reason most veteran surfers love to take out newbies.  Rookie wipeouts provide some serious comic relief.  

even Kelly Slater wipes out

All kidding aside,  before you unstrap your board from your car surf rack, you need to understand that surviving big wave wipeouts is a little bit different than managing medium to small wave wipeouts.  

5 Tips for Planning an Awesome Surf Trip | Beware Surfboard Bag Fees

By London O’Regan

There is nothing better than an awesome surf trip where everything works out:  all your flights are on time, none of your bags/surfboards get lost or damaged, you score awesome waves, you don’t get sick, and all those other things that make a great surf trip.  But these kinds of surf trips don’t happen by accident - you have to put some planning in to make them great.  Here are 5 tips I’ve found in my travels that help make a great surf trip!

1. Know your destination. Before anything else, spend a good amount of time doing research on the destination you are planning to travel to. Know what the weather will be like, average swell size for the season, water temp, how to get to all the spots, etc. It also helps to get to know a little bit about the culture and people of the area. Try to memorize or at least write down a few key words in their local language such as please, thank you, restroom, beach/waves, and of course beer!

How to Become a Ski Bum or Snowboard Bum

By Megan Maxwell   

Living and working at a ski resort in the mountains might be one of the most fun ways to spend 5 months of your life. You belong to a small community of ski enthusiasts. You not only spend months in the mountains, but you get a free season pass as well.

A little bit of planning ahead will help you in your quest to be a ski bum. Here are 10 tips for landing a ski resort job, so you can spend your winter shredding the slopes.

3 Surf Tips for Catching Waves | Know Your Break, Board, and Body

By: Rick Bickerstaff

Let’s face it: surfing is a difficult sport. Those that are able to stand up and ride a wave their first day are few and far between; and rightfully so -- you’re practically walking on water! Being a skater or snowboarder certainly helps, but imagine riding a skate ramp that is constantly changing underneath you...that is surfing. But people do it, and do it well. So what’s their secret? 

Three helpful tips for catching more waves tips: 

(1) know your break 

(2) know your board

(3) know your body

Sunrise session on a weak swell? Better bring a longboard...

How to Duck Dive | 5 Tips for Learning How to Duck Dive

By Zac Heisey

Once you’ve upped your surf game to the point where you are comfortable taking on some larger waves, the difficult skill of duck diving becomes a necessity. Learning to properly execute a duck dive makes it easier to get outside on larger days, allowing you to test your skills in some bigger surf. While a certain amount of strength is necessary in order to duck dive, especially if you have a larger or thicker board, the most important part of successful duck dive is proper technique. Here we will discuss the basics of proper duck diving technique.

Photo Credit: Costa Rica Surf Institute

Surfing Central California | Advantages and Disadvantages

by Connley

Nothing makes me feel more at home than 55 degree water and 20 knot winds howling onshore . There is something beautiful about not feeling your feet after a short half hour of surfing, and wanting to throw up from the brain freeze induced coma of duck diving without a hood. On the Central Coast of California, we surf through these days with a smile, knowing that just around the corner there is off shore winds and sun ready to shine bright.

This coastline is full of surprises, and you never know what kind of conditions you might encounter. This is truly what makes it so great. It is always changing, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. I decided to break the central coast into its advantages and disadvantages, just in case you're thinking about planning a surf trip here.

4 Spots, 5 Years | Los Angeles' Most Popular Surf Breaks

By Rick Bickerstaff

Los Angeles is a tough town, full of cutthroat executives and self-preservationists living alongside an influx of dreamers that will do anything for free if it’s good for their career. LA will either make or break you...actually, even if it makes you there’s a good chance some breaking will still be involved. But as every surfer knows, a good break can be a wonderful thing (see what I did there?), and for me, the last four years have been marked by a different break every summer. So if you’re new to town, here’s the breakdown of what some of our most popular beaches have to offer.

El Porto

Training for Big Wave Surfing

By Natasha Hamilton

Surfing big waves is fun and scary all in the exact same moment.   The difference between surfing and big wave surfing is the same as the difference between being in little league or being in the pros.  

You can die or be seriously injured surfing big waves.  Mark Foo’s death at Mavericks and more recently Maya Gaberia’s accident at Nazare are prime examples of what can happen when you charge the dragon.  If you are going to pull your board off your car surf rack and tear into some big surf, you've got to make sure you're ready.  

To surf big waves, you will need to meet the following MINIMUM requirements:

(1) Swim at least 1 mile in open water

(2) Prone paddle your board at least 5 miles

(3) Hold your breath underwater with your eyes closed for at least 1 minute