OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE  –   Zered Bassett, Lamare Hemmings, and new recruit, Eli Reed, hit all the local spots to collect footage for Zoo York’s upcoming full-length team video, “ZY State of Mind.” 

“Skating the Bay Area was super important to us because it’s a legendary city that, like NYC, offers unique spots you can’t find anywhere else,” says Zoo York Team Manager Seamus Deegan.  “The footage we collected during our trip will definitely add depth to the new video we’re hard at work on.”

For a taste of what went down in the “City by the Bay,” a new ZY podcast is now available for download through iTunes.   The six-minute clip is also posted on YouTube, so check it out!  (Keyword search: “Zoo York San Fran”).

For more information and to find out what the rest of the Zoo Crew is up to, visit www.zooyork.com.

VAS Entertainment, a company that creates and produces a wide range of action sports DVD’s, announced Friday, March 28, that it has signed a three-picture deal with Standard Films, makers of the world’s top-selling snowboarding film series “Totally Board 1-11,” according to an email from VAS Vice President Dan Strickland.

“It also involves television production and feature film development, so everyone is pretty stoked about it,” Strickland said via email about the deal. Standard has always been extremely independent - so signing this kind of contract is a first for them in their 19 year history.”

VAS Entertainment was purchased three years ago by a private equity group and have been rebuilding their credibility and resources by embracing the changing media landscape and branching out to establish an iTunes and Myspace presence. The company has also been working with other action sports brands, such as Burton and Redbull, according to Strickland.

Standard Films, which just released its most recent snowboarding video “Catch the Vapors,” is also known for producing television broadcast commercials for a variety of action sports related companies and products, according to its Web site.

For more information about VAS Entertainment, go to the company’s official Web site. To learn more about Standard Films, click HERE.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - Sabre released a new pair of glasses that expresses style, class and design, combined into one authentic brand. Die Hippy is made of yuppie like materials with original hippy flare, which together make superior bodaciousness. Take a closer look at .

Element hosted it’s 2008 Fall Eden Collection preview party, featuring artwork, performances and installations from the Element Eden Advocates, Thursday, March 27, at LA’s Hangar 1018, and Transworld was there to snap some photos and get the skinny on what’s happening with this major skate brand and it’s newest project.

The new Eden clothing line was created in conjunction with the Element Eden Advocates - a group of women selected for their inspirational artwork with the purpose of presenting females of all ages with a more realistic definition of what it means to be a woman, according to the Eden site, www.elementeden.com.

For more photos from the event, visit Transworld SKATE. To learn more about the Eden line, click HERE or go visit Element’s official Web site at www.elementskateboards.com.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - The North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) honored three notable persons who have made significant contributions to winter sports endeavors and also bestowed their top awards in the field of snow sports writing and photography for 2007. The awards, this year presented at the Mt. Washington Hotel in BrettonWoods, New Hampshire, were revealed at a banquet on March 29, 2008 that was climax of the organization’s annual meeting.

The Carson White-Golden Quill Award, named after the group’s first president, honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to snow sports in North America. For 2008, the honor went to long-time SnowSports Industries America (SIA) president David Ingemie. Starting out as a marketing director in 1976 for SIA, he took over as president in 1981 and remains so to this day. This native New Englander guides the non-profit winter sports trade association from its McLean, Virginia headquarters.

NASJA’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring a lifetime of snowsports-related innovation, competition, design and other endeavors, was presented to Cecile Ryden Johnson, a well-known watercolor artist who created lasting works of winter scenery, sports and imagery from countless resorts and mountainsides. This nonagenarian, whose work has appeared in Skiing Magazine and in many television specials, is still active in the art world from her Washington D.C. home.

Bonnie MacPherson, the media relations director at Vermont’s Okemo Resort, is the recipient of the 2008 Bob Gillen Memorial Award. This award, named in honor of a former Ski Magazine editor and marketing wizard of Crested Butte and Sugarbush ski resorts, honors an individual who exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism in public relations and media communications. Ms. MacPherson came to Okemo via stints at the Mt. Washington Hotel, and Loon Mountain and Cranmore resorts.

The Harold S. Hirsch Awards, named after the ski clothing pioneer-creator of the White Stag Company, honors the best writers in the snowsports journalism fields of magazines, newspapers, columns and internet and for winter sports photography. The awards were underwritten by prize grants from the Head Ski Corp. and Sport Obermeyer, the ski clothing manufacturers.

In Magazine Writing, Chris Solomon of Seattle, freelance writing for Ski, Skiing and the New York Times Magazines, captured the Hirsch trophy and some Head skis for his 2007 stories. He was a double winner at last year’s awards.

Claudia Carbone of Denver, Colorado, a former president of NASJA and Hirsch winner, took home the Columns honors for 2007 with pieces on Colorado destinations such as Wolf Creek, Keystone and Loveland.

Tops in Newspaper Writing for 2007 was freelancer Hilary Nangle, from Waldoboro, in the Great State of Maine, writing for the Boston Globe about her state’s ski destinations and equipment innovation. She is also a previous Hirsch recipient.

Internet Writing honors for 2007 went to About dot com’s Skiing Guide Mike Doyle, from Stillwater, New York. Doyle, who is a first-time recipient, made the jump into cyberspace from stints as the IBEW union’s press secretary and traditional print media.

In the category of Snowsports Photography, Karl Weatherly of Ketchum, Idaho took top honors with attributes the judges describe as “the best sense of light and composition, excellent action, shot by someone with obvious expert skiing skills.” Karl’s photos appear on the Getty Images and Corbis websites and in winter sports magazines.

About NASJA
The North American Snowsports Journalists Association, founded in San Francisco, California in 1963, is the largest organization of its type in the world. Please visit our website at www.nasja.org for more information.




OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - Imperial Motion is pleased to announce the launch of their new website and the launch of the new IM project.  Go check out the new Spring line of goods and see how you can get involved with the IM project. For more information, visit the new site at www.imperialmotion.com.

Sun Diego will hold it’s Third Annual “Spring Break Yo’self” April 12th in Mission Beach, Calf., with a live Web cast at 411.com that begins at 5pm. For more info visit Sun Diego’s official Web site HERE.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - Vertra Elemental Resistance, a premium suncare company, has been nominated for a 2008 SIMA Image Award. The company’s Shane Dorian Kona Gold Signature Sunscreen Face Stick is up for the Accessory of the Year award.

The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Image Award for this category will be given to the accessory product at retail between January 1 and December 31, 2007 that featured the most exciting design, appeal or innovation.

The SIMA Image Awards is the only awards program that gives SIMA members and surf specialty retailers the opportunity to recognize fellow surf industry companies for their outstanding contributions to the surf industry. The goal of the SIMA Image Awards is to identify the surf industry’s most influential companies and recognize them for their efforts to advance and grow the industry over the past year.

“Words can’t express how over-the-top we were upon hearing of the nomination,” said Bobby Higa, Vertra President. “We have always looked at the SIMA Image Awards as the pinnacle of achievement in the surf industry. The companies on that list are a who’s who in the industry and for us to be nominated by our peers and retailers in only our first year of shipping leaves us feeling truly humbled.”

The nominated product, the Kona Gold Face stick was the result of a 2 year collaboration between Vertra and surfing icon Shane Dorian. The foundation based sunscreen stick features a tint that was color matched to Shane’s complexion and personal liking. “I was stoked to be an integral part of such a unique project,” said Dorian. “The prospect of developing a signature product that was ‘out-of-the-box’ so to speak, but yet so relevant to my career as a pro surfer made perfect sense. I truly believe in the product and the fact that I get the opportunity to use my name and image to help raise awareness and promote personal health and safety makes it all the more rewarding. I’m happy the nominating panel felt the same and it is an honor to be recognized by SIMA.”

The winner will be announced May 16th, 2008 at the annual SIMA Surf Summit in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

About Vertra Inc:
Vertra Inc was established in 2004. With backgrounds in both the surf and cosmetic industries, the founders felt the timing was right to introduce a premium line of suncare products into the action sports world. After three years of R&D by their world class team of athletes, Vertra’s premiere line launched in the Spring of 2007. Quality is the brand’s top priority and all Vertra products carry the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Official Seal of Recommendation. Vertra is also the Official Suncare Provider for the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association, the unified voice of Hawaii’s world renowned water safety officers. Vertra products can be found in finer surf, snow and specialty shops nation wide.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - It is one of the longest running, independently produced freestyle competitions in the northwest. Mt. Hood Meadows will present Vegetate ‘08 – a celebration of freestyle snowboarding and skiing – April 5-6, 2008. The event features a SuperPipe Competition on Saturday in the resort’s Olympic-sized in-ground SuperPipe; and a Sunday RailJam Competition, staged right in the base area of the resort. A cash prize purse of nearly $14,000 plus merchandise makes Vegetate ‘08 one of the richest freestyle events in the northwest.

Vegetate was initially presented as a way to raise money for and draw attention to the native wildflower revegetation program, pioneered at Mt. Hood Meadows. The practice collects and cultivates native grasses and wildflowers for planting in areas where soil is disturbed as a way to maintain a healthier ecosystem. The program was honored with a Silver Eagle environmental award. The event continues as a way to create awareness about the resort’s sustainable business practices.
The Vegetate Village will feature a Salomon snowboard demo with samplings from other sponsors. The Full Sail Deck Scene will be grooving to the pulse of DJs from Spun Academy and other talent.

Vegetate ‘08 is sponsored by Salomon, Full Sail Brewing, Monster Energy Drink, Bonfire, Tim’s Cascade Chips, Clif Bar and Spun Academy. Competitor registration and complete event information can be found at www.skihood.com.