Westbound Boarder

Now that October has past and November is finally here, winter is just around the corner.  But that doesn’t mean you have to trade in the sand for a pile of snow; winter can be one of the best seasons to surf!  But only if you prepare.  Preparing for the cooler temperatures starts with your wax, and ends with your attire:

Winterizing Your Board

Typically if you surf in the summer in warmer climates (no, no, this does not pertain to Oregon ) you will use a warmer wax.  However, if you use the same wax you use in the winter as you do in the summer, your wax will become slippery, causing you to loose your footing while standing up.  So when prepping your board for cooler water temperatures, choose a cooler (or winter) wax.  One good way to pick a wax is to find out the temperature of the water you’ll be surfing in ahead of time (try Surfline) and find a wax that is suitable for that particular temperature.

Winterizing Your Bod

OK, so, we all know winter is, well, cold, so the best trick to winterizing your bod is buying a nice winter wet suit.  Try to stick with something at a level 3 or above, and if you get really cold I’d highly recommend booties and a hoodie.

So now that your board and bod are officially winterized, you’re set!  Now get out there and start (or continue) surfing!

For those of you reading from the land way down under, ahem, I mean Los Angeles, you and your eternal sunshine can ignore my wisdom from today (however, I would wager there are some sweet indoor skate parks in Southern California). Anyways, in the Pacific NW and most other areas in the West for that matter, fall is in full force and winter is right around the corner, which means no more street skating.

For our skateboard enthusiasts out there, and those looking to cross train for the upcoming snowboard season, you may be surprised to learn that there are a large number of indoor skate parks throughout Portland and Seattle. Here are a few worth mentioning, let us know if we are forgetting any!

• Epic Snow: Now located in NW Portland, it was formerly Grenade’s indoor skate park, but was donated to Epic by Danny Kass and Grenade this year. Now open and ready for your shredding pleasure.
• Department of Skateboarding: In NE Portland, this place rocks. With specials just for the ladies and flippin’ Friday night specials, what have you got to loose?
• Inner Space: This is a Seattle park. Parties, camps, lessons or free skate sessions, Inner Space has it all.
• Skate Barn West: The largest indoor skate park in the NW is located in Renton, WA. It looks pretty siiick.

The ski/snowboard season is right around the corner, and with numerous resorts across the nation seeing their first signs of snow this past weekend, opening day is already in sight.  Which means… time to get your bootie in shape, so you can enjoy a full, tire-free day on the slopes (and not still feel it your next weekend up).

In case you missed our series on getting in shape for the upcoming snowboard season, definitely check it out:

• Establishing a Routine
  
• Beginner’s Workout
• Advanced Workout
• And a fun new toy to try… The Balance Board!

Enjoy!

As you may already know, we have dedicated this week to getting in shape for the upcoming winter season. So why stop with traditional workouts? Andrea informed you all on the work out basics, now it is time to learn about the not so common method of getting in shape before and during the off season - commonly known as the Indo Board (a.k.a - balance board).

• The Balance Board, originally used for surfers, is now a device that all kinds of board sports enthusiasts and athletes alike, use to practice their skills in the off season. Used for both fun and serious workouts, the Balance Board helps riders to develop greater balance, coordination, and increased strength. On top of the perfect cross training tool, the Balance Board is even used for physical therapy, rehabilitation and for preventative injury purposes.

• Can’t wait to get one? Then don’t. Follow these easy steps and make your very own Balance Board, for a fraction of the cost. Here are a few sites to choose from:
  • XShelton.com
    
  • WikiHow.com
  • Instructables.com
    

• Don’t want to bother making one? Buy one from the innovators and the best in the Balance Board Industry - Indo Board.

Go on - try it. What have you got to loose?

Throughout the span of my (Internet) life, I’ve grown to detest e-mail newsletters.  E-mail newsletter, to me = JUNK.  Delete.

However, over the past couple of months I’ve come across a couple e-mail newsletters that sounded somewhat interesting, so I subscribed, and I’ve actually learned to enjoy - even look forward to - my daily/weekly e-mail newsletters.  Prior to my new found love of e-mail newsletters, I subscribed to blogs, etc. in RSS.  However, over the course of a few years, adding one blog here, another blog there, my RSS has become completely overloaded!  I now subscribe to more than 250 blogs, news sites, etc. (several which post multiple times a day) so looking at my RSS can be a bit overwhelming, despite the fact that everything is nicely organized into neat, subject-related folders.

This is the reason I am starting to love e-mail newsletters.  They typically come daily or weekly, depending on what you are subscribing to, and are a great way to get your week’s dose of news from your favorite publications without having to sort through the mess of your RSS.

Here are a couple of my personal favorite e-mail newsletters:

• Transworld Business: Of course, Transworld is most known for its consumer-facing publications (Transworld Snow, Transworld Skate, etc.) but it actually has an awesome industry pub targeted toward people interested in the business side of the board sports industry.  This newsletter is delivered about once per week and brings your dose of board sports interviews with industry experts, shop reviews, etc. straight to your inbox.
• HUCK Magazine: I love HUCK magazine (snowboard, arts, culture and travel glossy for women published in the UK) and after I invested ten bucks into a couple of their paper mags, I stumbled upon their awesome digital site.  This e-mail newsletter is a great way to get your weekly dose of HUCK without having to visit and surf through their Web site each and every day.
• Fitness Magazine: Though its not board sports-related, I still think Fitness magazine has an awesome e-mail newsletter.  Delivered once per day, this newsletter offers fitness and eating tips, plus highlights recent content on the site… and we all know being physically fit is a key component to being a hardcore shred.
• Self Magazine: This one’s pretty similar to the Fitness e-newsletter, but if you want extra variety in your workouts and eating plan, subscribe to both!

As I mentioned above, I’m really just beginning to recognize the awesomeness of e-mail newsletters, so these are just a couple to get you started if you, too, would like to join the fun.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted on any other great newsletters I come across.  Also, stay tuned because Westbound Boarder has an e-mail newsletter of its own coming your way soon!  One for sure to top anyone’s list, in fact.

Do you have any other favorite e-mail newsletters?  If so, what?  Leave a shout out in the comments!