OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE -  PETERBOROUGH, N.H. (April 15, 2008) – Reinforcing its commitment to be the leading outdoor retailer in the northeast, Eastern Mountain Sports announced Wednesday, April 16, three new store openings this spring: Moorestown, N.J. on May 2; Dulles, Va., a new market on June 20; and North Conway, N.H. on June 27.  With four additional locations scheduled to open later in 2008, all stores feature expanded apparel and gear offerings and a revitalized store format designed to appeal to younger consumers featuring a hub to share experiences, to swap stories and to plan trips.

“Our goal is to be the best outdoor retailer on the east coast,” said Will Manzer president and CEO Eastern Mountain Sports. “We are re-energizing the Eastern Mountain Sports brand by reconnecting with our climbing heritage and offering a wider selection of apparel and gear relevant to today’s outdoor consumer. As we enter new markets and expand in our current communities, we are enhancing the store experience with floor staff (guides) who are deeply passionate about the outdoor lifestyle and will educate consumers about the right product for their personal needs through authentic expertise. Eastern Mountain Sports is much more than a retail venue, it is a community.”

The larger selection of outdoor apparel and gear will include Eastern Mountain Sports’ proprietary products such as its outerwear layering system SYNC, System Three winter sports outerwear, and Techwick, its proprietary, versatile, moisture management base layer.  All new stores will have custom bike shops, offering an around-the-clock “bike tech” for repairs and maintenance. Like all other Eastern Mountain Sports stores, the new stores will have “Foot Gurus,” sales associates specially trained to analyze feet and provide custom fitting.

Since late 2004, Manzer, formerly of Perry Ellis Menswear, has led the company assembling a new management team from respected brands around the U.S., including Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike ACG, Pepsi, Reebok and The Limited. This team includes product developers, sales veterans and accomplished business professionals with proven track records.

“True to our goal of creating a sense of community for consumers with a love of the outdoors, our grand opening celebrations include a hydraulic climbing wall bus offering free climbing lessons for all skill levels from our Climbing School professionals, Eastern Mountain Sports Schools clinics, community outreach programs, free community cookouts by local restaurants and live music from local bands. It is a true celebration of the outdoors.”

Founded in 1967 by two New England rock climbers and based in Peterborough, N.H., Eastern Mountain Sports is one of the nation’s leading outfitters of outdoor gear, clothing, footwear and accessories with 65 retail stores in 12 states.  Eastern Mountain Sports designs and sells products for outdoor adventurers who participate in a variety of sports, such as mountaineering, backpacking, camping, hiking, adventure racing, climbing, kayaking, mountain biking and snow sports.  Eastern Mountain Sports product and technology is tested by its product development and quality assurance teams in conjunction with the Eastern Mountain Sports Climbing, Kayaking and Ski Schools.  More information is available at www.ems.com.

In line with a new management platform aiming at the ongoing development of the pillar brands of the Group, Quiksilver Europe announces the creation of a new key position for the Roxy brand with the appointment of Carla Annunziato as General Manager of Roxy Europe.

With 27 years of experience in retail, wholesale and merchandising, Carla Annunziato will lead the Roxy Europe team - composed of Maritxu Darrigrand as Roxy Marketing Director, Valérie Thévenot, as Head Designer Roxy and Txerra Diaz, Sales Director Roxy – and implement the global growth strategy for the Roxy brand in Europe.

“The Roxy brand enjoys a steady growth in Europe since its creation 17 years-ago, but still has an incredible untapped potential awaiting to be exploited in all European markets, “ said Pierre Agnes, President of Quiksilver Europe. “The unparallel experience of Carla in the development of lifestyle brands coupled with the talents of her dedicated team will result in new innovative projects for the brand in Europe and ensure a sustainable growth.”

Before joining the management of Roxy Europe, Carla occupied the position of Vice President for International Business, outside of the US, at Brooks Brothers. Prior, she held positions at Reebok US as V.P. Retail and Sales Merchandising and with Nike Europe & US as Business Director for Women’s, Kids, footwear Men’s active sportswear. She also was part of the growth of Nike Retail Divisions in Europe as Director of merchandise and visual.

The news management platform for the pillar brands divisions at Quiksilver Europe – with the nomination of Peter Knoll as General Manager for Quiksilver Europe, Matthieu Bazil at General Manager of DC, Stéphane Weinhold as General Manager of Rossignol Softgoods – reflects the global strategy of the Group Quiksilver Inc. to manage a portfolio of strong global lifestyle brands and support their continued growth.

For more information check out www.quiksilver.com

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE  - Mt. Baker is replacing the original Chair #1 double chair with a fixed grip quad chair this summer. Now is your chance to own a piece of Mt. Baker history - the last of Mt. Baker’s double chairs! And you will be supporting a great cause at the same time, with all sales of the chairs donated to the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center.

Click HERE to bid.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - FLOW recognizes that the progression of women’s snowboarding has come a long way. For three years in a row, the FLOW Myriad women’s specific snowboard has taken the gold in craftsmanship to the next level. Nothing has been compromised or overlooked, just tweaked a little for the female frame allowing the most aggressive of women riders to go BIG. But now it’s time to give something back to the women who ride it. FLOW is proud to announce the 08/09 women’s Myriad snowboard in partnership with the Boarding For Breast Cancer foundation.

Boarding For Breast Cancer “is a non-profit, youth-focused education, awareness, and fundraising organization”. A Portion of the proceeds from the FLOW Myriad snowboard will gladly be donated to B4BC, whose mission is to increase awareness about breast cancer by educating women about the importance of early detection and leading a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the cash donation, FLOW will also be donating one of the Myriad boards for auction during one of the many B4  events that take place every year.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - Transworld SURF’s Chris Cote will join Miss Transworld Surf Heather Rose and Matix team rider Brian Toth on The Daily Habit, airing Wednesday, April 16, at 9 pm Eastern Time (6 pm Pacific Time) and telecast three additional times.

Transworld Surf Editor in Chief Chris Cote is here to talk all things foamy, and he brought along the 2008 Miss Transworld Surf model search winner Heather Rose. Plus, Fuel TV welcomes a ripper hailing from Puerto Rico: Matix team rider Brian Toth. Also, host Pat Parnell takes a look at the groms of the USA Surf Team.

Brian Toth’s sponsors include: DVS, Oakley, Matix, Al Merrick, Red Bull and Dakine.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - San Juan Capistrano, Ca –PacSun’s Battle of the Brands is a tag-team format event which pits eight, four-person teams consisting of two professionals, a woman and a grom under the age of 18. The only brands invited to compete are the USA Surf Team’s Official Sponsors. The high-profile event featuring top international athletes will take place at the U.S. Open of Surfing Surf Stadium on the southside of the Huntington Beach Pier, this Friday, July 20th at 1 pm.

Aside from bragging rights, the winning brand will get a in-store take over in every PacSun store window nationwide in the Spring of 2008. The inaugural event is Surfing America’s way of giving back to PacSun and all the brands that have supported the emerging organization over the last three years.

A separate division will be held for the media sponsors of the USA Surf Team, in which four employees from each Surfer, Surfing, Transworld SURF, Surfline.com and Fuel TV will be competing for a $10,000 ad by from PacSun – the USA Surf Team’s title sponsor.

“We are so pleased that the industry has rallied around the development of Surfing America and the USA Surf Team program–and this event is a celebration of that unity,” said Surfing America Executive Director Mike Gerard. “Support from SIMA, the industry’s top brands, and PacSun create the perfect storm that benefits everyone involved in growing the sport.

Surfing America is an industry-wide initiative committed to funneling the best youth surfing talent in the United States upward–and inspiring future world champions. And we’re honored to have the opportunity to present this event in support of our industry partners.”

Based on the following A-list rosters, it’s apparent that each brand is gunning for the win. Here’s the lineup of talent:

Reef
Benny Bourgeois
Jeremy Sherwin
Katarina Lyerly
Tonino Benson

Quiksilver
Dane Reynolds
Clay Marzo
Sally Fitzgibbons
Tyler Newton

Rip Curl
Kekoa Bacalso
Adam Wickwire
Julia Christian - USA Surf Team Member
Adam Lambert

Billabong
Jordy Smith
Cory Arrambide - USA Surf Team Member
Courtney Conlogue - USA Surf Team Member
Cody Thompson - USA Surf Team Member

O’Neill
Pat Gudauskas
Roy Powers
Kyla Lagen
Luke Davis - USA Surf Team Member

…Lost
Shea Lopez
Mason Ho
Leilani Gryde
Riley Metcalf - USA Surf Team Member

Body Glove
Alex Gray
Mike Losness
Holly Beck
Granger Larson

The Media Teams are as follows:

Transworld SURF
Justin Cote
Chris Cote
Jamey Stone
Jeff Baldwin

Fuel TV
Brent Miller
Matt B Taylor
Shannon Waller
Derek Sung

Surfline.com
AJ Collins
Logan Strook
Marc Beaty
Jon Warren

Surfer
Rick Irons
Chris Mauro
Grant Ellis
Jeff Mull

Surfing
Ross Garrett
Evan Slater
Travis Ferre
Scott Chenoweth

About Surfing America, Inc.
Surfing America is the ISA-recognized National Governing Body for Surfing in the United States. The International Surfing Association (ISA) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the World Governing Authority for Surfing, Bodyboarding, and Surfriding

Surfing America Mission Statement
The Mission of Surfing America is to promote the growth, competitive success, and positive image of surfing in the USA and to provide the best possible experience for all participants by encouraging, developing, advancing, and administrating the sport–while producing champions.

Whistler, BC - Phase Two of construction on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola has begun despite winter’s heavy coat of snow on the mountain. Clearing of over 10 feet of snow has begun around the lift terminals to prepare for construction and across the Atlantic Ocean a very important shipment has begun its journey to Whistler.

Five spools of cable, weighing over 100 metric tonnes each, as well as four “smaller” reels, were loaded onto the Rhine Barge “Percora” at the Basel Rhine Port on April 10.
The barge will connect with the ocean-going vessel “Star Indiana” in Vlissingen, Belgium on April 19 and begin a trans-Atlantic journey to Vancouver, Washinton. Estimated arrival date for the cables is May 31. Once the cable reaches Whistler via rail it will take 12 to 14 weeks to string the cable across the valley.

About Whistler

Consistently ranked as North America’s top ski and snowboard resort, Whistler Blackcomb continues to raise the level of mountain excitement for its guests, and has introduced the Symphony Express, a new high speed quad accessing further into Whistler Mountain’s spectacular high alpine this season. Located a scenic two-hour drive north of Vancouver up the spectacular ‘Sea to Sky’ Highway, this resort is home to the continent’s two greatest vertical-rise ski mountains - Whistler and Blackcomb. With over 17 alpine bowls, four glaciers, 200 trails, 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and a one mile vertical rise, the choices of where and what to ski/ride at Whistler Blackcomb from beginner to advanced terrain are staggering. Joined at the base by a vibrant pedestrian village filled with restaurants, patios, cafes, shops, galleries and spas, and surrounded by breathtaking scenery, this four season resort is spectacular.

About Intrawest

Intrawest is a world leader in experiential destination resorts. The company has interests in eleven resorts at North America’s most popular mountain destinations including Whistler Blackcomb, a host venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Intrawest network also includes Canadian Mountain Holidays, the largest heli-skiing operation in the world, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Florida and Club Intrawest - a private resort club with nine locations throughout North America. In addition, Intrawest develops real estate at its resorts and at other locations across North America and in Europe. Intrawest is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Park City, Utah – Park City Mountain Resort today announced $10.5 million in improvements for the 2008-09 winter season including a new high-speed chair lift, terrain enhancements and renovation of the Mid-Mountain Lodge.

“Our goal is to have more of our guests explore the diverse terrain that our mountain has to offer,” said Peter Curtis, president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort. “We’ve accomplished this with our groomed Signature Runs, Mountainzone trail maps, personal mountain planner and terrain enhancements, which began with Motherlode Meadows. The $10.5 million in improvements takes us one step further to providing the best downhill experience for our guests.”

Park City Mountain Resort’s new high-speed quad chair lift, Crescent lift, replacing and realigning the existing Ski Team lift, will begin near the base of the Resort and extend to Crescent Ridge (also known as Ski Team Ridge). The new chair lift will significantly increase accessibility out of the base area as well as to the front-side runs, which are some of the Resort’s best advanced terrain. The new lift takes guests almost twice as far as the Ski Team lift and in less time. In addition, the new lift will provide access to a majority of the Resort and direct access to lifts including Silverlode, Bonanza, King Con, PayDay, Town, Pioneer and McConkey’s.

To complement the new lift, the Resort is making terrain enhancements to improve the skiing/riding experience on the mountain including a new run and expanded snowmaking. In addition, Park City Mountain Resort will assume operations for Mid-Mountain Lodge in the 2008-09 season. The Resort will renovate the Mid-Mountain Lodge to further develop on-mountain dining.

Finally, as part of its environmental commitment, Park City Mountain Resort is offsetting 100 percent of its power consumption from renewable energy sources beginning in June 2008. This purchase of 13.9 million kWh of renewable energy credits (RECs) will avoid nearly 19 million pounds of CO2 emissions annually, which is equal to removing 1,853 passenger vehicles from the road or powering 1,100 average American homes for a year. For more information, visit saveoursnow.net.

About Park City Mountain Resort

Park City Mountain Resort, celebrating its 45th anniversary, is located in the heart of Park City, Utah and is only 40 minutes from the Salt Lake City International Airport. The Resort is spread out over 3,300 acres and offers groomed Signature Runs™, bumps, powder, trees, eight peaks, nine bowls, four terrain parks, and the Eagle Superpipe, North America’s largest superpipe. The Resort has received numerous accolades, most recently being named a top-ten Resort by the readers of SKI and Skiing magazines as well as earning the title “Terrain Park(s) of the Year” by Transworld Snowboarding magazine for the fourth year in a row. Park City Mountain Resort is committed to being the leader in environmental sustainability in Utah. For more information, visit parkcitymountain.com or call (800) 222-PARK

The 2008 British Snowboard and Freeski Tour returns this summer, announcing six new dates, introducing a brand new venue and continuing to represent and showcase the highest level of Snowboard and Freeski competition in the UK.

New to the British Snow Tour, Halifax Ski and Snowboarding Centre will join the list of existing and successfully tested venues: Chatham, Norfolk, Castleford, Milton Keynes and Glasgow for 2008. By adding new venues and continuing to incorporate a dedicated schools tour program, which will visit over 6,000 kids and give away 1,000 lessons, the British Snowboard and Freeski Tour will create new breeding grounds for emerging talent and continue to provide a path from grass roots participation through to international competition.

British Snow Tour dates for your diaries:

5th & 6th July 2008 – Halifax, British Big Air Championships
12th & 13th July 2008 – Chatham, British Slopestyle Championships
19th & 20th July 2008 – Norfolk, British Snowboard/Skiercross Championships
20th September 2008 – Castleford, British Slopestyle Championships
27th September 2008 – Milton Keynes, British Big Air Championships
4th October 2008– Glasgow, British Snowboardcross/Skiercross Championships
The 2008 British Snow Tour will also be returning to this year’s Metro Ski and Snowboard show for the Invitational Championships, to keep up-to-date with new event news and info, check out the British Snowboard and Freeski Tour website

The British Snowboard Tour continues to be the only UK event to award competitors with prestigious Ticket to Ride (TTR) points and TTR World Snowboard Tour Ranking. Giving UK riders the opportunity to not only win British Championships Titles, but secure World Ranking Points. Artificial Events = TTR ONE(1)STAR event, Indoor Events = TTR TWO(2)STAR event, The BRITS = TTR THREE(3)STAR event.