Latest Update: September 6, 2001

Bored To Death In Alaska
Ben Marcus is obsessing on his latest idea, the Red Bull/Inserts your surf company name here Midsummer longest day boardercrossover bore riding contest. He's done gutting fish and he's ready for a new adventure. He's also upset about all kinds of things. Here is the latest:
-September 5, 2001
-September 3, 2001
-September 2, 2001
-August 31, 2001
-August 30, 2001
-August 29, 2001

Happy Birthday to Ben
It's his 41st birthday and what does Ben "The World's Greatest Surf Writer" Marcus get? He gets all of his precious DVDs stolen. If you've enjoyed reading his journals then send him a birthday wish by clicking here.

Elan Smutboards?
It's a sad world when you can't even visit a snowboard manufacturer site without being sent to a porn mill. We don't even know what happened to Elan Snowboards on this one. Someone appears to be having a little fun with them.(Clicking the headline may require you to quit your browser. Be careful.)

Question of the Week?
Who is Bluetorch TV "partnering" up with this week? If you know, let us know.

Skateboarding Growing On Loners
A new study by American Sports Data says more kids are getting into "extreme" sports because more and more of them are becoming "loners."

New Zealander Breaks Top 44
Maz Quinn becomes the first Kiwi surfer to make the ASP top 44. Quinn needed 9000 points to guarantee a place in the top 16 and he ended up with 9074 after the Rip Curl Pro Hossegor.

Tallahasse Mayor Want's $1000 Fines
As soon as Tallahassee, Florida's first public skate park is finished next year Mayor Scott Maddox wants to impose a fine on skaters who are caught rolling in the city's streets. Dork.

Aspen Racks Up For Snowboarders
The Silver Queen gondola never needed snowboarder racks before. Now that Ajax is opening to snowboarding workers are busy retrofitting the cars for the coming season.

Gotcha Glacier Beginning To Melt
Who would have thought that an indoor snowboard park in Orange Country would have so many struggles? Doesn't everyone in So Cal. dream of spending a day indoors on fake snow? Apparently Gotcha Glacier investors are beginning to think.

Bluetorch Tanks Running Empty?
On Friday August 25 Bluetorch TV's Executive Producer Mark Jeremias, and Vice President of Marketing Michael Marckx resigned their positions at the company to pursue other options. Is Bluetorch going mainstream to survive?

Billabong Blowing Up
Billabong International easily exceeded almost every financial forecast it made when it listed a year ago and looks to be on it's way to another record year according to main money guy Matthew Perrin. The end result was a net profit of $42.1 million for the year to June 30, 2001.

Marcus Sleeping With the Fishes
Okay, he's not actually sleeping with the fishes, but I'm sure Ben Marcus smells a lot like fish after a long day gutting the things in the Neptune Processing factory. Here's the latest from Travels With Ike.

BMW Builds a Skateboard?
The guys at TheSSN.com found a webpage featuring a futuristic skateboard that looks like someone's engineering school project gone haywire. Picture if you will an M5 skateboard. We want one and we want it now.

Body Boarder Becomes Ninth Shark Victim
An 18-year-old sponger was nipped by a shark Saturday, the ninth person bitten at New Smyrna in the last week. Ben Gibbs of Casselberry was bitten on his upper left thigh and right foot. Apparently Florida sharks are getting smarter.

Florida Surfers Are Not Afraid
If you spent your summers staring out at a flat Atlantic you probably wouldn't let anything keep you off a swell. At least, that's how it is in Florida.

World Wants Their Helmets Back
About 10,000 World Industries helmets are being recalled after they failed to pass tests by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

World's Worst X Games Story Lead
"If you've ever dreamed of busting a gnarly rad slappie along the top of a halfpipe and tranny into a burly casperflip, then you probably love the X Games." -Mark Melhorn of the Atlantic City Press Online trying a little too hard to be down.

Shelter Premieres at La Paloma
Taylor Steele and Chris MalloyÍs latest co-op project launched in Encinitas Friday August 24, 2001 "We havenÍt had a premiere like this in a long time," said Poor Specimen Sales Manager Nino Camillo. Of course other weren't so impressed.

Can Ex Champs Survive?
Swell.com's Nick Carroll profiles the life of World Champ turned businessman Shaun Tomson and discusses the life pro surfers have after surfing. "For years your biggest business decision is whether to use a 6'2" or a 6'8"" Tomson said. And that doesn't exactly prepare you for life as a business man.

The Aerial Generation
Dean Kuipers writes a story for the LA Times about how surfers are borrowing tricks from skateboarders and taking it to the air. Just look at Dana Point local Josh Sleigh. Yeah, he's good.

Child Killed On Motorized Scooter
The death of a 6-year-old San Juan Capistrano boy who apparently crashed while riding a motorized scooter is a tragic reminder that friends really shouldn't let friends ride scooters.

Whipped Reviewed in SF Chronicle
"Maverick's is the sleeping giant of Northern California surfing. Typically, at least a 14-foot-high ocean swell -- and a radio offshore buoy report of "Heavy surf advisory for hazardous seas" -- are needed to make this Goliath awaken and froth at the mouth." You know the rest of the story.

Bray Takes Heli-challenge Day One
Wanaka snowboarder Julianne Bray has followed her World Snowboarding Cup success earlier this year with a win in the free ride on day one of the World Heli-challenge.

Moscow to Build 13 Ski Slopes
The Russians are tired of missing out on snowboarding in their backyards so, they've been busy building hills for people to slide down.

Mt. Hood Not Just For Snow
With the success of snowboarding camps at Mt. Hood, High Cascades Snowboard Camps have launched The Vans Skate Camp. And for kids who skate, it could be the best summer ever.

Skateboard maker rides to Oakland
Jonathan Reese and Jason Salfi the owners of Comet Downhill have moved their longboard skate company to Oakland where the rent is cheaper and they have more room to ride their high-tech, high quality laminated boards. Is slalom really coming back?

The Kid Owns The Shop
Fifteen-year-old Alex Majeska has launched his own skate shop in Crestline, CA. It's called Vicinity and by the looks of it, the kid is doing everything right.

It's Sharky Out There
Travels With Ike Updates
X Games Kick Off In Philly
Pharmacy Demo Riot?

Previous Bags o' Crapola:
-August 20, 2001
-July 31, 2001
-July 5, 2001
-June 19, 2001

Special thanks: to Jim Romenesko's MediaGossip.com