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Huge surfboard sale tomorrow in Venice right off Lincoln. Over 30 boards from various shapers in all conditions. From $10 on up or some for the price of the repair. Other goods as well Come hang tomorrow grab a coffee, beer, or just check out the goods starting at 10am.

@surfboardsbyjustinswartz
815 Commonwealth Ave
Venice, CA 90291
Ocean Park 26's Kevin Osborne takes an unusual spring break this year. A California Quadfecta. Surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and skiing all in one quick 4-day trip. Starting at his home break in Santa Monica and ending up in the snow covered slopes of nearby Mammoth Mountain. Along for the ride on his trip is his faithful dog, Ava and to get photos of the journey, his buddy Steve Rodriguez of Six12 Media.


Kevin and Ava pose in Santa Monica with equipment for the upcoming California Quadfecta (Surf, Skate, Ski, & Snowboard)

DAY 1 Surfing and Skateboarding
We started our Mammoth odyssey off with a surf at Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica. Conditions were pretty good with 2-3" glassy waves rolling into the Bay. After catching a few, we jumped back in the truck and got started up the 405 to the 14, and eventually to the 395 into the Eastern Sierra Mountains.


On the Road: heading up U.S. Route 395 loaded with skis, snowboards, skateboards, photo equipment, and dog, with the Eastern Sierra Nevada in the background.


After a few hours of driving, and passing through the small towns of Lone Pine, Bishop, and Big Pine, we made our first stop at the Volcom Brothers Skatepark in Mammoth Lakes. This awesome skatepark, on Meridian Boulevard, is one of the coolest parks this author has ever ridden, with many free-form bowls, and natural landscape elements built into the park. Riders can hit large natural boulders, skate around giant living pine trees, and cruise through a number of smooth bowls, all with the beautiful snowy mountains in the background, and the clean, fresh air filling your lungs. This is a super fun stop and a great warm up for the slopes.


This shot shows why this is such a cool skatepark. This area of the park was built around an existing pine tree, and actually has part of a boulder sticking through the concrete that Kevin is turning above.


Another reason why this skatepark is so cool is that there are natural boulders all around that have been incorporated into the design of the park.


Kevin popping an ollie out of one of the many bowls.


Dropping into a bowl between two gnarly rocks at the lip.


Next up was dropping off our gear at our cabin and taking Ava the dog out for a romp in the snow and a walk through the town of Mammoth Lakes, before heading over to the Mammoth Main Lodge to pick up our lift tickets. The spring conditions were excellent, with over 50 feet of snow this year, all lodges were open, and all lifts were running. After checking out the Main Lodge and the Village, we picked up a pizza and headed back to the cabin anticipating a great day on the slopes.

DAY 2 Snowboarding

The next morning we had our boards and were on the snow with the first lift and heading to the top of the mountain. The snow coverage on the mountain was the best we have seen in seven years, and the boarding was great. We covered the whole mountain from the Eagle Lodge to the powder fields of the Backside. The crowds were very light and we barely waited in a lift line the whole day. We found a bunch of fun obstacles to hit, including the park areas and the super pipe. We even found some cornices and jumps that still had soft powder landings that we were sending it on.
It's the end of April, and the mountain is still covered deep with snow.


Lofting an air off of an ice cornice situated on top of a soft powder landing field.


Snowboarding. Jibbing off the top of a buried tree.


Another frontside air off of the ice cornice.

After hitting the Yodeler for some traditional cheese fondue and giant Bavarian pretzels, we headed back to cabin to hang with Ava and prepare for the next day's activities.

DAY 3 Skiing

Another clear sunny day greeted us as we started off at the Mill Lodge lift, with me on my skis and Steve boarding again. It was another great day on the mountain with us tackling some of the most difficult runs including Cornice Bowl, Dave's Run, Scotty's, and Monuments--all Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond runs. We again traversed the mountain to cover thousands of vertical feet during the day.


The obligatory shot at the very top of the mountain, but this time, with over 50 feet of snowfall, the sign is almost completely buried.


Heading down through the trees on the backside of the mountain.


Catching a little mid-mountain air.


Close encounter with the camera.


Coming down the steeps from the top of the mountain on Dave’s Run.


An overview of Mammoth Mountain and the Eastern Sierra.

This time at the end of the day we visited The Village area which boasts over ten excellent restaurants and bars. We finally landed at the Kitchen 53 after checking out a number of spots including the Alpenhof, the Smokeyard, and the Whitebark. We sampled some of the local Mammoth Brewery Golden Trout beer as we watched snowboard and ski videos on the 4K big screens, as we munched on poutine and burgers.


We finished off the night with me winning the Goggle Tan Competition in the Kitchen 53 bar, racking up major G.N.A.R. points, which was a very proud moment.

DAY 4 Downhill Skateboarding

On the way out of Mammoth the next day we pulled off the highway to get some dramatic skate shots with the huge Sierra Nevada in the background. You always see guys taking shots like these and we wanted to get our own, which Steve did brilliantly.
Kevin does a backside kickturn to control downhill speed.


A classic shot of Kevin rail grabbing a turn with an impressive mountain backdrop.


With a little four-wheeling on an unmaintained two-track road on the way back to the highway, we completed the California Quadfecta in style!

More info on Mammoth's Spring Season: Spring into Action Sports at Mammoth Mountain!
By Kevin Osborne

There was once a time in the not too distant past when people listened to music on vinyl records. The round flat discs were physical objects that contained an album of songs, usually, but not always, from one specific musical group. People would often gather together to listen to an album in a group setting, passing the album cover around so everyone could look at the artwork, and maybe the lyrics, or a picture of the band or artist. There was something comforting about taking an album out of its sleeve and putting it on a turntable, and the music itself seemed to have a richer, deeper, warmer tone than what was to follow.

What was to follow, in order, was the eight-track tape, cassette tapes, and then the compact disc or CD. CDs revolutionized the music industry by digitizing music and storing it on a medium that could be read by a laser and converted to sound waves to be sent out of speakers. CDs had a very clean, pure sound that many found to be a revelation compared to albums, especially albums that had been played a lot and had worn.


But there were some quietly dissenting voices that still liked the rich tones of albums, and still enjoyed the larger graphic packages of albums compared to the quarter-sized CD cases. This quiet dissent slowly became louder as more people discovered or re-discovered the pleasure of album listening and collecting. Albums began to make a comeback as people started unpacking their old album collections or starting new collections, and enjoying the ritual of playing albums on turntables or record players.



An unlikely product of this new world was the reemergence of the record store. One of the agents of this album renaissance was Touch Vinyl, a special record store located at 1646 Sawtelle Boulevard, in Los Angeles. Touch Vinyl was founded with a mission to build community through music. They have achieved this mission by curating and recommending classic albums old and new, hosting DJ sets, live shows and listening parties, and getting vinyl virgins into the culture. They even carry some crafty local products like Ocean Park hats! Now preparing to celebrate their 5th anniversary on July 1st, Touch Vinyl has become a part of the local music community, and has created a cool space to collect and enjoy album music.

If you are an album aficionado, or want to learn more, be sure to drop by Touch Vinyl and check out the shop. And mark your calendar for the 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Listening Party, June 1st, at 8:00 P.M.

Touch Vinyl
1646 Sawtelle Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-933-5540

Instructors and their young passengers catch some of the great waves that came through on April 22 for the A Walk on Water surf outing at Malibu’s Surfrider Beach. A Walk on Water is a Newbury Park nonprofit that provides surf therapy clinics for special needs children. Check out the photos.











There's more photos on the A Walk On Water Facebook Page.
By Kevin Osborne

For over 60 years the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has been a winter-sports paradise for Californians, but the springtime brings its own particular joys that make a trip to the Eastern Sierras a special event.

Due to the nature of its geography, Mammoth Mountain has traditionally had good snow well into the summer months, and this year is no exception with over 50 feet of snowfall and still counting. And with the best winter in over seven years, the drive to the Sierras this season is especially beautiful with an abundance of green grass on the hillsides, and colorful wildflowers in bloom.

Founded in 1953 by Dave McCoy, Mammoth has grown into a world-class resort with 28 lifts and 150 named trails, plus countless unnamed tree, and backside runs--and all of these are currently open for skiing and snowboarding fun. This year’s plans are for the lifts to keep spinning until the Fourth of July, or later.


As the snowy, cloud-covered winter days start to give way to the sunny, bluebird days of spring, the snow softens a bit and the air warms up to create very pleasant conditions for snowboarding, skiing, and other alpine sports. The soft, granular California Corn snow develops, creating fast, harder snow in the mornings, and softer, more forgiving snow in the afternoons. And the fashions change as well with people skiing in short sleeves and shorts--or less! The scene is also set for excellent Pendant- and Apres-Ski activities, such as sunning slopeside and enjoying lunch on the mountain, to bar hopping before the sun has set. Mammoth’s new Village area is perfect for the latter with over 10 bars and restaurants to explore and enjoy. Besides the warm sunny weather, other springtime perks include smaller crowds, and reduced rates at many lodging facilities.


For those so inclined, the Volcom Brothers Skatepark is a great stop on the way into Mammoth, on Meridian Boulevard just before entering the town of Mammoth Lakes. This spacious and open skatepark was designed organically, matching the pre-existing form of the land, with large rocks and boulders sculpted into the ridable terrain. The free-flowing nature of the park makes for very enjoyable riding, with no two runs ever being exactly the same. This is definitely one of the funnest skateparks ever built, and it is also a great tune-up before hitting the slopes.

Other springtime activities in the Mammoth Lakes area include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, hiking, fishing, biking, or just enjoying the beautiful surroundings and the clean, fresh mountain air.

If you are lucky enough to live by the beach, start your trip off with a surf or swim before you hit the road, but either way, now is the time to treat yourself to some excellent springtime snowboarding, skiing, and alpine sports at the amazing Mammoth Mountain Ski Area!


Early Saturday morning before the predicted rain, there were some waves. These photos shot by Six12 Media.










There's more shots in the complete Venice Pier - Saturday 5-6-2017 Gallery.