That’s right. According to the Plan B site, Sheckler is the latest skater to tackle the Mega Ramp. Wenning? Gallant? Which one of you guys is next?

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE – Weekend storms brought spring powder days to many Colorado resorts with new snow depths reaching as much as a foot-and-a-half in some areas. Aspen Highlands and Beaver Creek were both bestowed 19 inches of fresh snow while Snowmass and Steamboat both received 18 new inches.

Over the weekend 16 inches of powder fell on Aspen Mountain and 15 fell on Vail. Substantial amounts of snow fell in other parts of the state including Crested Butte, who received 15 inches, and Loveland who received 13 inches. And both Winter Park and Buttermilk were blanketed with a foot of fresh.

Copper Mountain, Eldora, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Telluride and Echo Mountain all received more than half a foot of spring powder.

Abundant winter snowfall and spring storms like these keep Colorado’s ski season in full swing. Many resorts have events planned through the end of the season, including Breckenridge’s Spring Massive, Wolf Creek’s Local’s Appreciation Day, Monarch’s Kayak Boatercross, Purgatory’s (Durango) end of season Purgy’s Sacrifice Party, Echo’s Intergalactic Pond Skim and Arapahoe Basin’s Enduro.

Significant snow totals this season have prompted some resorts to extend winter operations. Aspen Highlands is the latest resort to extend their closing date, along with Monarch, Purgatory (Durango) and Wolf Creek.

For more information on ski country’s snow totals, events and closing dates, please visit www.ColoradoSki.com.

Rusty Preisendorfer shaped his first surfboard almost forty years ago, and the La Jolla, California based shaper hasn’t stopped since. After shaping his first board at the age of sixteen, Rusty shaped boards for well-known labels like Gordon & Smith and Canyon while he studied visual arts at U.C.S.D., and earned a reputation as one of the top shapers in the world by his mid twenties when he began shaping boards for 1976 World Champ Peter “PT” Townend.In 1978 a well-spoken South-African named Shaun Tomson rode Rusty’s designs to a World Championship, and in 1983 then sixteen-year-old Mark Occhilupo had one of the most memorable rookie performances in professional surfing history on a Rusty design. Two years later Rusty Surfboards was founded, and a few years after that (’88) Preisendorfer ventured into the apparel game. One of his earliest logo designs—a simple “R .”—has become an international icon.Currently Rusty shapes boards for athletes like Jamie O’Brien, Josh Kerr, and Nate Yeomans, and his EPS Range of surfboards was recently nominated by SIMA as Surfboard Model of The Year for 2007. Transworld Business caught up with Preisendorfer just before he took off on a surf trip to Tavarua. Here’s his take on the current climate of the surf hardgoods market.

How many years have you been shaping surfboards?

Thirty-eight.

There seems to be this perception that you don’t shape anymore. Any truth to that?

It couldn’t be further from the truth. I am as passionate about shaping as I have ever been. When I am in town, I shape seven days a week.

How did you finance the business in the early days?

Retailers were very supportive of me back in the beginning. They seemed to have a little more compassion for a true start-up brand. Bills got paid promptly. I was very conservative and put everything back into the business.

How long did it take for the business to become profitable?

Not long.

Has it become more difficult to grow and be profitable? Why?

We had good growth and profitability up until a few years ago. It has definitely become more challenging.Several factors weighed in. A few years ago we were doing so many boards I felt I had compromised my quality. I made a conscious decision to put quality before quantity.That includes customer service as well as the product itself. Bigger isn’t always better and in my mind we had reached a point of diminishing returns.I refused to use inferior glass shops and inexperienced shapers just to push boards out the door. This, unfortunately stretched out our delivery time to a point where that in itself became a problem. People will only wait so long to get their boards before they start look elsewhere.Clark foam unquestionably had an impact on the market. There was so much consumer confusion and uncertainty that the U.S. surfboard industry still hasn’t fully recovered.The other big factor was people who didn’t love making surfboards jumped into the business. People who loved money started bringing in cheap boards. Boards being sold in Costco, and other retail venues that weren’t core, started a domino effect. The good core retailers eventually had to react. Couldn’t beat ’em so they had to join ’em.

What has been your most difficult business decision you’ve had to make?

That it is a business.

What changes in the market have made the most impact since you first began shaping?

When I started building boards, most shops were centered on hardgoods. Early on, in many cases, board builders opened shops to sell their boards. They would sell wetsuits and T-shirts as well. The guys working in the stores were quite often owners or had been around a while. They loved to surf.They knew a lot about the boards they carried and usually only offered a couple of brands. More often than not there was a pretty direct connection to the shaper. A customer could walk in and get reasonably informed information about the boards.In the 80s more and more apparel made its way into the stores as the industry started to mature. This was actually a pretty good period. The profits from apparel sales allowed the retailers to expand and start to open more doors. They still embraced the surfboards and committed a fair percentage of floor space to them. Most were still somewhat emotionally connected to them.I saw the first real signs of change in the early 90s when surf shops started to bring in snowboards. The first few winters were unreal for them…the registers rang all through the winter. So surfboards became more of a seasonal product…more so than ever. Shops weren’t pushing to sell surfboards through the cold months. Surf shops became surf, skate, and snow.Instead of restocking the stores with surfboards at the end of summer they’d just switch out their inventory. Then, after a few years the snow market got saturated and surf retailers began looking for other products. Streetwear, shoes, you name it. Surf n’ Whatever Sells. The floor space became so valuable that surfboards virtually became a burden. But being surf shops there was still an obligation to carry some boards.In the last five years, with the imports gaining popularity, another factor has come into play. The margins allow the makers to have warehouses with surfboards ready to fill any holes in the retailers’ racks. So, over the last few years people are less inclined to prebook. Warehousing inventory is a daunting service to provide if the boards are made here. There just isn’t enough margin on our side.

What was your initial reaction to Grubby closing?

Just another silly industry rumor.

How did you cope?

We found a better way.

What tools, machines, materials, and technology do you have access to now that you did not before?

Necessity is the mother of all invention. Some of us just needed to be bitch-slapped and woken up—thank you Grubby. Most of it was already there.

What does that technology allow you to do that you couldn’t do already?

We have stronger, lighter boards. We now have a lot of latitude to experiment with balance points, flex, and the actual design of the board simply because the physical properties are so diverse.

What’s the most exciting board development you’re working on right now?

Custom composites, light cores with new skins and exoskeletons. Generally speaking, anything but outdated, dead cores, compromised polyester resins, and traditional I-beam structure gets my attention. At this point we are just building the custom composites for the team.

What are your thoughts on the current state of surf hardgoods market?

From a business standpoint: completely messed up. The bright side: there is a correction happing. From a creative standpoint: never been more stimulating.

How do you feel about boards coming in from China, Thailand, and other places overseas?

Where they come from is not the problem, it’s the mindset of the people who sell them. The majority of the consumer market is always relatively uneducated and at the mercy of the seller. The seller cultivates the buyer’s trust—trust that he or she getting the right thing. It’s the ultimate win-win bro deal. The price is right. Private label. Labels that have been created purely for commercial reasons—they have no foundation, history, or real design experience. Labels have taken precedence over brands because of margin. These boards have taken huge market share. Like it or not, the consumer has spoken: they want cheaper boards. The established and experienced surfboard brands have a real dilemma. Do we continue to surrender rack space to these poseurs? Or do we offer part of our product lineup in a competitive price tier? Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.Our long-term thinking includes some overseas product. I’ve been using the BMW analogy for a while. We will offer a well-designed, well-built, yet affordable 3 series, which will need to be made overseas. A 5 series, most likely a molded composite. Once again, these will probably need to be built somewhere where labor and overhead costs still keep the price in the mid range. Finally, at the high end, a 7 series, which looks to be a custom composite that we will build here. We will also remain very committed to building custom boards here with various types of construction.

Your take on how to address the demand for inexpensive boards?

A few years ago I sat on a panel, three years ago at one of the Cabo summits. I believe the topic was the future of board building. Randy French was on it along with Todd from ZJ’s, Josh from Hansen’s, Tyler Callaway from FCS, and Renny Yater if I recall correctly. This was a time when Surftech and GSI were rapidly gaining market share and momentum. Surftech is a whole different technology and not price driven. But the Asian-built poly/PU boards are all about price. I recognized the importance of affordable, entry-level equipment. I urged the retailers to adopt an up-and-coming local board builder and use them for this niche. To me it seemed like a win-win. There may be a little bit of management involved for the retailer, but the long-term view is that our great board-building heritage would be preserved and perpetuated.

Does the custom board have a future?

To me, it has a very bright future and it is also the most appealing part of the business. The challenge will be how to manage it. It’s important to keep the brick and mortar retailers involved. People need a place to go to touch and feel the boards. However, it would be impossible to physically stock a fraction of what we do here. Customs are a great option. My boards have become so technical and we have so much to offer in terms of design and forward-looking construction, it would be very, very difficult for anyone outside of my factory walls to guide a customer in the right direction.I think it’s important for us to talk to the end customer so that nothing is lost in translation and they don’t miss out on something that could profoundly affect their surfing. When the custom is ready, what better place to pick it up than a surf shop? The customer can get his decking, leash, wax, board bag, and new boardshorts at the shop. There just needs to be some equity in the board equation for all the extra time the builder needs to commit in order to fulfill the customer’s needs.

How long do you plan to continue shaping?

I’ll be checking the edges on my coffin.

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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE – Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe, one of the west’s largest ski resorts and a premier year-round playground, named McGarrah/Jessee to handle its U.S. branding efforts, according to a press release issued Monday, March 31.

McGarrah/Jessee will be responsible for helping tell the Heavenly story to a wide national audience. They’ll do that through TV, radio, print and direct mail advertising in national outlets and select regional markets. McGarrah/Jessee’s integrated design group will be involved in branding on-mountain attractions and the relationship also includes media buying and planning.

“McGarrah/Jessee has a reputation for working with brands who have an authentic story to tell but who face formidable competition,” said John Wagnon VP/Marketing for Heavenly Mountain Resort. “That makes them a perfect fit with us.”

Known for its 4,800 acres of terrain spanning two states, jaw-dropping views of Lake Tahoe and extensive nightlife and après-ski entertainment options, Heavenly attracts guests from all over the world. Recently, the New York Times said “If there’s any resort in America that can claim to be all things to all people, this resort fits the bill.”

Skate photographer Travis Howell is up on the interweb. Check out his photos here. Over the next couple months he’s giving away ten prints, so click on the fish for details. 

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE -  Once again, the blame is on the weatherman. The forecast was calling for sunny skies and warm temps Sunday, March 30, at Mammoth Mountain, CA, but instead the weather kicked up once again with wind and snow. The slopestyle competition at the 2008 Roxy Chicken Jam was postponed until Monday, March 31.

The event kicked off at 8:30am with slopestyle qualifiers where five lucky ladies will move on to the finals session. The finals are scheduled for 11:00am where the women will be fighting for the Swatch TTR World Tour Champion Title and a chunk of the $110,000 TTR Prize Purse.

Torah Bright, Kelly Clark, Jamie Anderson and Kjersti Buaas all have a shot to win the World Tour Title and $50,000. Jenny Jones, Sina Candrian, Claudia Fliri and Cheryl Maas will all be battling for a spot in the TTR Top 5 and some serious end of season cash.

Stay tuned to www.ttrworldtour.com to see how the drama unfolds at the 2008 Roxy Chicken Jam and find out which lucky lady gets crowned the Women’s Swatch TTR World Tour Champion. Watch the latest update from the 6-Star Roxy Chicken Jam in the video player.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE – Last November, Backcountry.com announced its decision to redefine athlete sponsorship. Stepping away from the dyed-in-the-wool tradition of logo-ing up athletes and sending them off to shred in hopes of some photo and video ROI, Backcountry has instead charged its pros with actively driving traffic to the e-tail site via social media.

Big-mountain rulers Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and Ingrid Backstrom were the first to join the team. Backcountry now welcomes:

Jeremy Jones (Big Mountain)
Erik Roner
Cody Barnhill
Jamey Parks
Rachael Burks
Julian Carr
Nick Devore
Will Cardamone
Noah Howell
Chris Davenport
Andrew McLean
Kasha Rigby
Drew Tabke
Jess McMillan
Tyson Bolduc
Chris Tatsuno

Rounding out the team are Karl Meltzer, the master of ultra-enduro mountain running, Don Bowie, super-accomplished high-altitude mountaineer, and Julia Niles, alpine climber, first descender and cancer survivor.

Backcountry’s team athletes are ambassadors for the site, spreading the love through product reviews, personal profile pages, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, and core websites. Their job is to get the word out to their friends and fans, and in turn drive core customers back to Backcountry.com. Their incentive is a percentage kickback on each sale referred through their network of influence. The harder they work, the more money they make. It’s a whole lot like affiliate marketing on a person-to-person scale.

“These guys now have motivation to participate in community, write product reviews, and make their presence known online however they can — and we plan to do everything we can to leverage their community action,” Backcountry.com Team Manager Jon Atencio said.

For more beta, and to check out all 21 Backcountry.com athlete profile pages, visit the site HERE.

Fallen’s new video, Ride The Sky, has a trailer. Check it out here.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - Two months ago, SUPER was launched.  Now the company has announced a multi-year deal with Blitz Distribution to exclusively distribute its gear to the US and International action sports marketplace.

For those who don’t already know, Blitz is the esteemed distributor of Birdhouse, Flip, Baker and Sk8mafia deck brands, which boast some of the sickest teams in skateboarding. For SUPER, getting linked up to Blitz is a match made in heaven.

“We were initially worried that we would have to take some time off to drive all over and sell boards, but this has now been taken care of. With the extensive Blitz distribution network, you’ll be able to get our boards, no worries,” says Dion Agius, SUPER co-founder. “This collaboration is a perfect fit for us. “Through Blitz, SUPER is now aligned with the top selling brands in skateboarding. That’s right, we’re bringing surf to the street!”

“We are really looking forward to be a part of making history; by changing the landscape of how a surf brand is marketed,” says Per Welinder, President of Blitz Distribution.

With all this said, it’s now time to start looking for SUPER in the shops. The company has been crazy busy getting its Web site ready, which will be launched in early April; and now SUPER is about to start filming for The SUPER Movie, set for release Summer ‘09. Also look out for the upcoming limited edition artist series – the graphics are going to be sick.

SUPER is a rider-driven brand founded in Jan. ‘08 by Clay Marzo, Kolohe Andino, Dion Agius, Ry Craike, and Tosh Townend. Our goal is to progress both the style and tricks of surfing with rider-tested line of surfboards and products developed to meet and exceed the highest demands of heavy shredding.

Blitz has a strong history of brand development, and encompasses some of the most important brands in skateboarding, including Birdhouse, Flip, Baker and recent upstart JSLV Clothing. Blitz distributes its product ranges around the world, and covers all retail sectors from the independent shops through the large sporting good chains. The core goal remains unchanged all these years later – offer the highest quality products, at reasonable prices, and encourage the continued growth of skateboarding as a passion, and way of life.

In more shoe shakeup news, Oceanside’s Duffs and Vista’s Adio both had a round of layoffs and terminations recently.Adio let go of approximately 13 people in various positions. No names were given

Duffs terminated four positions as well, but pros Matt Hensley and Louie Barletta remain with the brand. Genfoot’s subsidiary company, which has since been dissolved, was “Duffs International.” The brand is now owned by Alex Hall, a longtime Duffs distributor based out of the UK. The new parent company is called “Duffs 93, ltd.,” and the brand is simply “Duffs.”Early on, there was a misunderstanding as employees received letters indicating they were no longer part of “Duffs International.” The letter, which came from Genfoot, did not explain that “Duffs 93, ltd.” was absorbing contracts and employees.

“Genfoot didn’t put anything in the contract saying that Duffs 93 was picking up the contracts because they didn’t feel it was any of their business,” explains Duffs president Scott Weaver.

Four out of nearly thirty employees were terminated in the transition.Genfoot is selling of the Oceanside, California-based office that Duffs International operated out of. The new U.S. branch of Duffs will be in a to-be-determined area of Orange County, California.

For more information, see Duffs’ press release HERE.Good luck to the recently unemployed, We hope you land on your feet. Feel free to post your resumes in our forum section!