The Windy City is home to some of the top spectator-sport听franchises听in the country. Now, sailing is set to become the next one听Chicagoans queue up to cheer for. The takes place near the heart of downtown Chicago on Lake Michigan from June 10 to 12. It鈥檚 the first time in the event鈥檚 164-year history that sailors will take to freshwater. With high-tech foiled catamarans听expected to reach听speeds of over 40 miles per hour, Chicago promises one of the most exciting races of the series. 听Here鈥檚 what you need to know for race day.

The Objective

Like any race, you鈥檝e got to cross the finish line first to win, but this one is made up of听a points-based system spread over six separate听races. The first three fleet races on Saturday are the shakedown events, but are nonetheless crucial and exciting: first place is worth ten points,听second place receives nine points, and so on. For Sunday鈥檚 hotly contested听races, points are worth double. Every race matters and each result carries more weight as the competition progresses.听

Six teams from around the world are competing听for a shot at the . Chicago鈥檚 race鈥攐ne in a series of an expected 10听races鈥攄etermines the seeding and bonus points for the first round of Cup Qualifiers in Bermuda.听

The Venue

New York鈥檚 race in May was subject to light winds and especially damning currents from the Hudson River, and Lake Michigan is also expected to give sailors and spectators an exciting race. With the mile-long attraction Navy Pier serving as a race village complete with a 1,500-seat grandstand, Chicago鈥檚 expansive 18.5 miles of public lakefront offers ample room for spectating.听

鈥淥ur race course is really second to none,鈥� says Tod Reynolds, the director of the . Navy Pier frames the course on the north with the Adler Planetarium to the south. An outer break wall surrounds the rest of the course. 鈥淭he fact that we have four physical walls is really unique,鈥� Reynolds continues. 鈥淭he sailors really appreciate seeing that, and it translates the racing to casual fans much better.鈥�

The Obstacles

Saltwater and freshwater have different characteristics when it comes to buoyancy, and given the highly technical nature of racing hydrofoils, this is bound to be of some concern to the crews. Since this is the first race with hydrofoils on freshwater in America鈥檚 Cup history, commentators and crew members are divided on the impact of freshwater on racing.

鈥淭heoretically, the boats will need a higher speed to lift off and foil in freshwater since it is less dense than saltwater,鈥� says Jack Griffin, a noted America鈥檚 Cup author, speaker, and editor. This effect, he suggests, is minor鈥攅xcept that the shore crews will be unburdened with rinsing the boats off after the race.

Others see the freshwater as a potential to reach new speeds.听鈥淚f we get the breeze, we might set speed records in Chicago,鈥� says Reynolds. According to Reynolds, once the boats are lifted the freshwater could actually lead to greater performance when just the foil is doing the work. Since the boats spend most of their time above water, buoyancy isn鈥檛 the issue鈥攊t鈥檚 all about viscosity.听Freshwater is less viscous than saltwater, so that should mean less drag on the foils, Reynolds explains. 鈥淪ome teams are thinking about bearing their foils, basically changing the angle of attack on the foil to compensate for that change in viscosity.鈥�

While crews can count on freshwater, no one can ever fully predict the weather. Prevailing winds for Chicago in June generally come from the northeast, barreling down Lake Michigan. The northeast winds could result in speed records. However, should the winds swing west, the Chicago skyline could create one of the most vexing wind shadows these sailors will face all season.听

The Holeshot

Winning an America鈥檚 Cup World Series event is all about consistency. To earn enough points to get a shot at the podium, teams need results in all four races. For Australian sailing legend Glenn Ashby of Emirates Team New Zealand, Chicago鈥檚 course requires an aggressive听strategy from the start.听

鈥淭here isn鈥檛 much room to wriggle out of tough situations with the race course confined by the sea wall and so close to shore,鈥� Ashby says, 鈥渟o starting and getting your nose in front early will be paramount.鈥�

Leading the Pack

Emirates Team New Zealand is coming into Chicago hot off a win in New York. Furthermore, the Auckland-based team leads overall in the World Series standings. They鈥檝e consistently placed well this year. However, Chicago is anyone鈥檚 game and any of the six teams stand a chance at winning.听

Defending America鈥檚 Cup winner Oracle Team USA has special ties to the Windy City. Founder Larry Ellison grew up in Chicago and attended college near the race site. 鈥淩acing in front of the American crowd is always a boost for Oracle Team USA,鈥� says Oracle tactician Andrew Campbell. 鈥淚f the crowds we had in New York are any indication, this is going to be great鈥攁nd we know Chicago gets out for summer events.鈥澨�

The post America鈥檚 Cup World Series Hits Fresh Water for the First Time appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

For professional and amateur paddlers alike, summertime means competition is in the air. Kayakers compete in a wide range of events, including straight-laced gates and听booze-fuelled free-for-alls.听This season, we鈥檒l see competitions that span the spectrum,听from grassroots jams to paddling on the world stage at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. But听Vail鈥檚 upcoming , running from June 9 through 12,听aims to keep the sport鈥檚 mountain culture at the forefront of the competition.听

As one of the epicenters of mountain life鈥攖hink: trails, rivers, and plenty of places to grab a cold brew鈥擵ail hosts kayaking events that are听both high-octane and authentic. This year's GoPro Mountain Games will feature four: a fast and steep run on Homestake Creek, a freestyle session at the Vail Whitewater Park, an American Gladiators-meets-boardercross sprint (yes, there are kayakers in the water tasked with knocking down racers), and a four-mile down river rally. Spectating is free and amateur paddlers are encouraged to register alongside some of the top professionals.

While creeking events thrive on the connection between paddlers and the natural environment, slalom events are largely held on manmade courses. With the change of venues, comes a noticeable shift in atmosphere. While racers have largely applauded the technicality of Rio鈥檚 course, there鈥檚 no doubt that a concrete ditch is a far cry from a mountain stream.

鈥淭he differences in experience between slalom races and events like the GoPro Mountain Games are quite stark,鈥� explains Aaron Mann. With a foot in both creeks, Mann serves as director of communications for USA Canoe/Kayak (the national governing body for the sports) and competes in creeking events. He鈥檒l paddle听in this year鈥檚 GoPro听Mountain听Games and attend the Olympics as support staff for the athletes.听

Slalom, Mann says, is result-based and requires a very intense level of focus when you are both on and off the water, which can create an intense听environment.听But it鈥檚 that stress, the crowds, and the commentary听that appeal听to fans of Olympic paddling.听鈥淛ust qualifying for the Olympics is incredibly challenging and stressful,鈥澨齭ays first-time Olympian Michal听Smolen. 鈥淭he Olympics host the best of the best.鈥� And that alone is a large part of what makes the Games great.

The slalom and sprint events found at the Olympic-level of the sport dramatically differ from the familiar and festival-like atmosphere of creek competitions. Few paddlers hit the water in the hydrodynamic fiberglass boats used in the Olympics, and it鈥檚 safe to say no one听cracking听IPAs听between runs is giving any thought to making gates.听Commitment to the fun-filled roots of the sport听sets the听GoPro Mountain听Games apart, says Tom Boyd, director of PR and communications for the Vail Valley Foundation听鈥淲hen kayakers get together, or tour around an area riding the runoff, they will go听creeking听in the morning and then go hit a play spot in the afternoon,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l run rivers, they鈥檒l freestyle, they鈥檒l choose their own way.鈥�

The post Returning Kayaking to its Roots appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Bikes take us to some pretty beautiful places, and sometimes a smartphone camera just doesn鈥檛 cut it. But carrying a camera, even a lightweight point-and-shoot, can be a hassle when you鈥檙e in the saddle. Enter , which makes for easy on-the-bike camera access.

The shoulder strap is cut long to hang just above your tailbone, and it includes a magnetized cross strap for stability. Thanks to the one-side attachment to the camera, it鈥檚 easy to pull around and shoot with one hand.

$78,

听

The post Mettle Speed Camera Strap appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

If all boardsports trace their roots to surfing, then snowboarding is finding its way home by leaving one seemingly essential piece of equipment behind: bindings.

Powsurfing (also known as noboarding) isn't听a new concept. The first Skurfers of the 1960s had only staples for traction. Bindings as we know them didn鈥檛 show up until the early 1980s, after which point snowboarding progressed amazingly fast. Now, some riders are going back to the basics. 鈥淚 snowboard so much for the camera that sometimes it's hard to want to snowboard for myself,鈥� says Snowboarder magazine 2015 Rider of the Year Bode Merrill. 鈥淲ith powsurfing, I never get burnt out because it feels like I'm a beginner in a lot of ways.鈥澨�

Snowboard cinematographer Pat Fenelon, who鈥檚 worked with The North Face, Park City Mountain Resort, and Nike likens this shift in snowboarding to a similar transformation in surfing, where the no-holds-barred progression of aerials and contest riding reached such a high level that some in the sport began looking backwards for inspiration. Twin-fins, obscure shapes, and surfing for its own sake found its own relevancy amidst the World Surf League.听

Thanks to new technology, refined craftsmanship, and innovative design, the latest powsurf boards are technical beautifies, capable of powerful carves, surfy lines, and even airs. 鈥淚t's rad that local guys are coming up with individual shapes,鈥� says founder Jeff Pensiero, who sees powsurfing as a big part of the sport鈥檚 future. 鈥淔rom to to to , these are all made by people who love snowboarding and make these incredibly artistic interpretations of snow sliding devices for pure powder enjoyment.鈥�

Take the guys behind Aesmo. Building boards began as a hobby in 2006 for Austrian pro snowboarders Wolfgang 鈥淲olle鈥� Nyvelt and Stefan Gruber. Over the past ten years, their garage-grown project has turned into a full-fledged business. Now their company, Aesmo (also styled as 脛smo), makes what many consider the world鈥檚 most cutting-edge powsurf boards.听

Taking design cues from skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding, Nyvelt and Gruber pair boutique craftsmanship with state-of-the-art CNC machining. The boards (each of which Nyvelt describes as a labor of love), take听multiple days of hands-on attention to produce.听

鈥淲e start with making templates just like surfboard templates,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hen we will draw the outline and make some minor changes.鈥� After that, it鈥檚 time to sit back and reflect on a design. Nyvelt will ride powder in the Austrian Alps around his home to find inspiration. Once he decides on the shape of a board, Nyvelt then determines rocker profile and prepares the mold in his workshop.听

Nyvelt prides Aesmo board on creating a lot of听lift in deep snow and maintaining control through technical lines. An ambassador for pushing the sport and powsurf board design forward, Nyvelt isn鈥檛 concerned with bettering the competition. 鈥淚鈥檓 not interested in who is better than who,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭here are lots of unique approaches and shapes out there鈥攑eople who are great friends鈥攁nd I want each and every board in my quiver.鈥�

The post The Case for Ditching Your Bindings appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Spin a few miles with any crew of roadies and you鈥檒l no doubt hear plenty of talk about data. Cycling computers are capable of measuring everything from power output and heart rate to calories burned and cadence, and they鈥檙e cheaper and more ubiquitous than ever. 听

But even as our rides get more wired, a Los Angeles鈥揵ased company wants to go analog. Last week, released the world鈥檚 first GPS-enabled bike computer that displays speed, distance, vert, and time on a classic analog face.听

鈥淥ur belief in modern analog comes from a very strong position that technology can be great, but current design sensibilities make it such that it demands more of our attention than is often appropriate, or even necessary,鈥� says Rhys Newman, co-founder and CEO of Omata. 鈥淥ftentimes, technology distracts from the experiences right in front of us.鈥�

Newman and Julian Bleecker, fellow听co-founder and company听CTO, are听both passionate roadies who听set out to design an instrument that would rival its competitors in terms of precision鈥攚hile being much prettier.听

The Omata One is听built around a GPS sensor that tracks and records all the metrics. 鈥淥ur R&D team are all ex-Nokia engineers with world-class expertise in precisely the technologies we are using,鈥� says Bleecker.听

Once the GPS data is captured, it鈥檚 converted to an analog readout. Here, the Omata design team went custom. Bleecker collaborated with the renowned machinists at Japan鈥檚 Seiko Precision, known for its watches,听to create a unique mechanism for job.听

The Seiko mechanism translates the data into a series of analog dial readouts. 鈥淲e have done everything we can to base design decisions on performance, legibility, robustness, and quality,鈥� says Newman. 鈥淭here are no purely aesthetic choices made simply for the sake of aesthetics.鈥澨�

Every design detail,听from dial proportions听to fonts,听was chosen with 鈥済lanceability鈥� in mind鈥攖he idea that when you鈥檙e maxing out on a descent, a quick look at your instrument tells you everything you need to know as quickly as possible.

鈥淲e are very aware that听for some people, things like power, cadence, and heart rate are important. They are for us when we鈥檙e听training for a race,鈥� explains Newman. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檝e engineered ANT+ and BTLE into our product, so that in the future we could create a training edition.鈥� It鈥檚 also part of why Omata听brought in highly decorated Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara听as an ambassador and product adviser.听

After the ride, users can port data into apps like Strava via the device鈥檚 USB-C听port. An in-house app is in development for even easier syncing with third-party platforms, but听for now, Omata is focused on its hardware.

Omata听One is currently ,听where the early backer price is set at $499;听MSRP听is estimated at $599.

The post Omata One Analog Speedometer appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

There鈥檚 a purpose-built bike for just about every type of riding. From snowbound fat听bikes to continent-crossing touring machines, it鈥檚 easy to rack up a hefty stable of two-wheeled steeds. Now听aspiring trail-to-table chefs have a new bike to lust after: the Forager, built as a collaboration between a custom-frame designer and one of the UK鈥檚 leading food advocates.

When 听founder Darron Sven Coppin fired off an email with his foraging-bike idea to his neighbors at River Cottage, he didn鈥檛 expect a reply. After all, , which started as a television show, is a world-renowned culinary school, farm, and study in all things local eating. It鈥檚 also home to celebrity chef, television host, and England鈥檚 most vocal localvore, . A business like that wouldn鈥檛 have time for a small British company building handmade bikes, Coppin thought. So he was shocked when, a few days later, he met with Fearnley-Whittingstall and River Cottage鈥檚 executive chef, Gill Meller, to design the ultimate food-focused foraging bike for the English countryside.

Inspired by the rugged, decidedly British aesthetic of the original Land Rovers, the trio set to work on making the bike as comfortable and capable as possible. Most noticeably, the front wheel features shock-absorbing technology from Nottinghamshire鈥檚 Loopwheels. Made in England, the Kickstarter-backed design comes equipped with integrated suspension for a more comfortable ride. Meanwhile, a dynamo hub powers lights and includes a USB-charging port, so your devices will be juiced up as long as you鈥檙e riding. An internal hub with disc听brakes makes for a reliable, smooth, maintenance-free ride even in the mud.

Of course, it鈥檚 principally a foraging rig, so听Coppin and the River Cottage crew took extra care to outfit the bike with locally produced, bespoke cooking gear. Leeds-based bag and accessories maker produced a custom set of frame packs. Upcycled pots and pans nestle securely into the bags, along with a fire pit, recycled cutlery, and a particularly handsome cutting board fashioned from a boat deck.

And it wouldn鈥檛 be an English bike without a leather .

High British country living doesn鈥檛 come cheap. The impeccably styled and fully听equipped Forager clocks in at $5,670. You can check out the Forager bike in person at the starting April 15 or see it on Channel 4鈥檚 River Cottage.

The post Sven Cycles x River Cottage: The Forager appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When it comes to safe surfing, nothing trumps knowledge and experience. But over the past five years, as big-wave surfers have pushed the boundaries of wave riding and paid the price with unprecedented wipeouts, a new breed of high-tech PFDs has emerged as a critical safety tool.听

After a near-death experience at Mavericks in 2010, Shane Dorian dedicated himself to developing an inflatable vest designed for big-wave pros with his sponsor Billabong. Dorian鈥檚 single-inflation went on to win multiple awards and started a serious conversation about听big-wave safety when it first hit the lineup in 2011. Patagonia followed suit in 2012 with its own iteration, designed to be worn under wetsuits. And just last month, Quiksilver debuted its own buoyancy compensator vest鈥攑ossibly the most technically advanced model yet.听

Quiksilver partnered with , the scuba company co-founded by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, on the new vest, which is designed to take abuse from some of the most turbulent conditions on the planet. The PFD works a bit like a skier鈥檚 avalanche air bag, with built-in gas canisters that听quickly inflate the vest after a wipeout and keep the surfer on top of the water.

The vest has five pull tabs鈥攖wo at the top of the shoulder and two just a few inches below. Pull a tab and you鈥檒l听set off one of the four CO2 canisters (the same kind used for inflating bike tubes) to inflate the vest to three pounds per square inch. A fifth tab, located on the back听of the vest and a safe distance from the inflation tabs, is used for deflation. The vest is good for four inflations before more CO2 canisters are needed. Meanwhile, an oral inflate听valve is available for partial inflation and conserving canisters for emergency use.听

Aqua Lung鈥檚 proprietary overpressure valve has a maximum PSI, above which it dumps excess air to prevent the bladders from exploding. The company tests buoyancy compensators with 5,000 cycles of inflation and deflation. 鈥淎fter 5,000, we had no problems. So we thought we鈥檇 give it another 5,000 cycles,鈥� explains Eric Thorstenson, director of research and development at Aqua Lung听and longtime Southern California surfer. 鈥淪till no problems.鈥澨�

The surfing community is notoriously wary of outside influences in the sport, but Aqua Lung carries some serious credibility in ocean-bound circles. Renowned for design, quality, and reliability, the brand鈥檚 reputation goes a long way on the North Shore. 鈥淎qua Lung is helping make the vest. Is that the biggest no-brainer you鈥檝e ever seen?鈥� said Pipeline local and big-wave pro Jamie O鈥橞rien, who鈥檚 not affiliated with Quiksilver or Aqua Lung. 鈥淲hen I saw that vest, I was like, 鈥楾his is the best vest in the world. How do I get one?鈥欌��

Every detail,听from the number of canisters to the fit and feel of the vest,听was considered for various big-wave scenarios. Aqua Lung and Quiksilver involved athletes in the vest鈥檚听development from the very beginning.

鈥淒uring our initial project kickoff meeting with Quiksilver, we conducted a five-hour scoping meeting with some of their big-wave ambassadors,鈥� Thorstenson adds. The team represents a wide range of surfing perspectives, from seasoned big-wave pro Jamie Mitchell to up-and-coming North Shore charger Koa Rothman. Repeat inflations were a top priority for all of the athletes. After several design iterations and rounds of testing, four canisters turned out to be the magic number for the designers and surfers. In addition to multiple inflations, the vest is听also easier to use than its competitors, thanks to the ability to swap in fresh CO2 canisters without removing the vest.听

Surfers were a major part of the project鈥檚听research and development, performing听extensive testing in extreme conditions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to pull a tab on a mannequin, but when you鈥檙e getting thrown around like a rag doll underwater and you might be concussed, things have got to be nearly automatic,鈥� says big-wave surfer and Quiksilver team rider Jamie Mitchell.

A surfer鈥檚 movement can鈥檛 be restricted either. To keep the vest stretchy, Quiksilver used its most elastic two-millimeter neoprene blend. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e wearing it over skin in Hawaii or over a six-millimeter winter suit in Oregon, you鈥檝e got to be able to paddle and not feel like a zombie,鈥� says Mitchell.

Possibly the coolest thing about the new vest? Quiksilver plans to make it for the mainstream鈥攏ot just the pros. 鈥淪afety is a fairly new topic in the world of surfing, and it鈥檚 only concerning top professionals, but we鈥檙e seeing rapidly growing interest from nonprofessional surfers around the world,鈥� says Peyo听Lizarazu, head of global research and innovation at Quiksilver (and a big-wave charger in his own right). 鈥淲e clearly envision that these types of devices will be coming to mainstream use in the next few years. The same way you have avalanche air bags in the mountains, we think the same type of device will become a regular piece of equipment for recreational surfers in the near future.鈥�

There鈥檚 no concrete timeline for getting a recreational model to customers, but Lizarazu suggests professional models should hit the market this year. He is quick to note that inflatable vests are by no means a substitute for fitness, ocean knowledge, and experience. 鈥淭his is only one element to stay safe,鈥� he adds. 鈥淲e will aim at making purchasers of the Quiksilver and Aqua Lung inflatable vest understand that using this equipment will not be the only and best solution to improve their safety in the ocean.鈥�

The motivation for professionals and recreational surfers looking to progress is the same: surf another day. 鈥淲hen I was growing up surfing Waimea and all these spots,听honestly, I was scared to drown,鈥� says O鈥橞rien. 鈥淭hat was my biggest fear in life. I鈥檓 not saying I can鈥檛 still drown, but with these vests, they鈥檙e going to find me and be able to help me. I love life far more than I love surfing.鈥�

The post Inflatable Vests Are No Longer Just for Big Wave Pros appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Surfers come in all shapes and sizes. Wetsuits do not.听

While a small range in sizing might not make or break performance for most garments, the fit of a wetsuit requires precision. Too big and you鈥檒l be chilly, as water cycles in and out. Too small and you鈥檒l limit your range of motion鈥攐r worse, split a seam in the lineup. 听

Custom suits are cost prohibitive for most surfers, costing up to twice as much as their off-the-rack counterparts, but Los Angeles-based is changing that. The brand utilizes the latest Computed-Aided Design (CAD) production techniques to reduce the cost of made to order wetsuits without skimping on quality.

Here鈥檚 how it works. Carapace鈥檚 sleek measurement guide walks customers through 12 essential measurements for the suit. Instructional videos ensure the most accurate numbers and cut down on the likelihood of error in measuring.听Once you submit your data, Carapace鈥檚 software compiles the proportions to create a unique pattern. This algorithm speeds up the production process, keeping costs down. After the pattern is drawn and cut, each suit receives careful individual treatment. Every panel is double-glued and each seam is taped by hand鈥� a process that takes up to five hours for one suit.

The brand offers both surfing and diving-specific wetsuits. Surfing wetsuits are available in various thicknesses in two types of neoprene: the highly water-repellant premium ($495) and the fleece/spandex combination ($395). From measurement to delivery, Carapace Wetsuits take around three weeks and come with a one-year warranty.

The post Custom Wetsuits, Designed by Computers, Made by Hand appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

On December 18, Kelly Slater released footage of himself surfing a man-made wave. And though the pond-bound break is a far cry from the idyllic ones we鈥檙e used to frothing over, it鈥檚 the most exciting surf video in years.

There are a few unique things about the wave. For one, the 11-time world champion surfer designed it himself, with help from the geniuses at . The barrelling, head-high wave breaks flawlessly and without fail to produce a 45-second ride. Its face, speed, power, and shape put it in league with world-class breaks鈥攕omething no other artificial wave has managed before.

鈥淭here have been a lot of attempts to incorporate artificial waves into the sport, or even just into a training forum,鈥� says Dave Prodan, vice president of communications for the . 鈥淚 think that in terms of replicating a shape that鈥檚 desirable for training, Kelly is head and shoulders above what we鈥檝e seen before.鈥�

So far, Slater and his team have released very little information about their future plans for the project or how the technology, which has been under development for the past decade, works. But it鈥檚 markedly different than anything else out there.

Every waterpark worth its snack bar boasts a wave pool. Generally, these oversized swimming pools create waves by pumping walls of water through hydraulic tanks. The waves are more brute force than studied design, and it鈥檚 reflected in the result: that offer as much to top-notch athletes as ripples on a lake.听Even , which manages to make nine- to 10-foot waves using a similar technique, only gives surfers rides of a few seconds. 听

The man-made waves outside the waterpark are a bit better. uses patented hydrofoil technology to create breaks with better shape and longer rides than their pumped counterparts, using a fraction of the energy. With an eye on recreation and competition, Wavegarden plans to open its first U.S. location in Austin, Texas, in 2016. The company claims it鈥檒l offer 35-second rides with wave ranging from one to six feet.

But while Wavegarden is something you can surf, Slater鈥檚 wave is something you want to surf. 鈥淔rom what we can see from Kelly鈥檚 video,鈥� Prodan says, 鈥淚 think the surfing community鈥檚 consensus is that this is the best artificial wave that鈥檚 ever been created.鈥�

Just about everyone in the surfing world is itching to paddle into the prototype wave, yet, predictably, some are concerned about the impact of separating the wave-riding experience from the surfing lifestyle.

鈥淲e are at the whim of nature and the ocean to find conditions conducive to the act of surfing,鈥� says Travis Ferr茅, co-founder and editor of , a leading independent freesurf magazine. 鈥淭his new wave pool has taken out 90 percent of the journey, the lunacy, and now presents surfing simply as the act of riding on a wave, depleting it of all the mystery that comes with searching and living like us.鈥�

Commodifying surfing runs the risk of diluting what makes the culture so interesting, Ferr茅 argues. But he鈥檚 reassured by Slater鈥檚 involvement. 鈥淚 must say that if there鈥檚 one person who would be doing this for the right reasons, it would be Kelly Slater,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s core as I鈥檇 like surfing remain, I would not elect anyone but Kelly Slater to bring something like this to the world.鈥�

The post The Race to Create the Perfect Artificial Wave appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

It鈥檚 a crisp summer morning on the Upper Provo with the first beams of mountain sunlight bending through the mist. A handful of dedicated anglers cast flies into the chilly water hoping to catch the attention of one of the resident cutthroat trout before life鈥檚 lesser duties call. Among them is Mike Schneider, a Salt Lake City local and the founder of , a fly fishing apparel line that鈥檚 appealing to the growing new generation of anglers.

鈥淲e wanted to create a laidback collection that really embodies the lifestyle of a trout fisherman,鈥� says Schneider, 鈥淭he search for new water is always on. Our goal was to create pieces that our customers could wear while 鈥榗ommuting to the river,鈥� on the water fishing, to school or work, and still be identified as an angler without having to wear a terrible fitting logo t-shirt that they bought on the sale rack at their local fly shop.鈥�

Driven by the aesthetics of the skate and snow world, this new crop of anglers sees less of a division between their time on and off the water. As Schneider knows, this calls for the meeting of outdoor functionality with street-ready styling. To keep the aesthetics appealing, Causwell opts for timeless branding elements and contemporary fits.

For the line鈥檚 new t-shirts, hooded longsleeves, and neck gaiters, Schneider developed a partnership with materials innovator Drirelease to make the apparel river-ready and virtually dirtbag-proof. 鈥淣ot only is our fabric some of the softest, most comfortable on the planet, it also dries four times faster than regular cotton, removes perspiration quickly while the 鈥淔reshGuard鈥� technology prevents odor,鈥� Schneider says. Most importantly for the summer, the material features a a built-in sun protection rating of UPF 30-plus. 听

Though the brand is designed to appeal to the next generation, staying true to the heritage of the sport and passing on the notion of ecological stewardship in fly fishing is a top priority. 鈥淲e want to make sure the young anglers learn that there鈥檚 an art to casting, a proper way to handle a fish when catch and release fishing, river etiquette and general respect when in and around the river,鈥� Schneider says.

While social media platforms like Instagram may be a factor in driving new anglers to the water, the common thread of exploration, adventure, and a desire to commune with nature remain the same. As Schneider says, it鈥檚 fine to share your day on the river, just don鈥檛 blow up any secret spots.

Keep an eye out for Causwell this summer on their 鈥淐ommuting Rivers鈥� tour across Idaho, Montana,听and Alberta.

The post Causwell Is Hooking the Urban Fly-Fisherman appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.