What’s up everyone? Check out the new “Forget me not” model from JS Industries. It is the newest board that is currently #1 ranked by Joel Parkinson.

This is a new model derived from what Joel calls “best board ever”. This is the board that Parko won Bells on over the Easter Break in pumping waves. This board was designed and built to perform at its optimum as a 2 +1 set up. 2 + 1 Involves 2 large side fins and a small back trailer fin. This setup is ideal for small waves enhancing drive and release. In most cases boards with 2 +1 sets can also have a second life as a standard thruster when the surf gets bigger.

Come on down take a look we also have the fall offerings in stock from O’Neill, Rusty, Quik, D.C., Matix, Volcom, RVCA, Billabong and Element.  So if your in the market for a new board or some new cloths we got you covered.

-Jason (Shop Manager)

When you swing by the shop checkin with us on:
>> Facebook Places
>> Foursquare
>> Yelp

If you missed this years Design for Humanity event presented by Billabong then you are completely bumming on life right now. It is hands down one of the best events for of the action sports industry that is open to anyone in the public! And it’s only $30 bucks with 100% of the proceeds going to Billabong’s charity of choice. This year Billabong chose to feature VH1′s Save the Music Program.

The night was filled with loads of fashionistas, hipsters and all the gorgeous people you could ever imagine. The swimwear fashion show was absolutely beautiful and was loaded with rock n roll/bohemian pieces. Can’t wait until they put those suits up for sale to the public! And for all of you who missed it, there will always be next year!

Shout out to Sergio Luisestevez for taking the most amazing photos of the night and allowing us to use them in our blog! Check out more of his photos from the night on his Facebook page: facebook.com/sergioluisestevez

Check out our photo gallery here: Design For Humanity 2011

Shop Billabong here: KillerDana.com

Last week we had an opportunity to take an amazing tour through the wild world of Element’s headquarters in Irvine, CA. It was no surprise that as soon as we walked into the office we were greeted with smiling faces and even asked to join a hacky sack tournament that involved custom made hacky sacks and skate decks. We were honored to meet both the mens and womens design teams, see a secret room where every deck ever made is stored in a locked cage, and even kicked it in an official board-room.

Becoming what Element is today didn’t happen overnight, but good things come to those who wait. “It took years of hard work, imagination and the will not to give up. We stayed focused, practiced patience, kept our path, and eventually things began to fall into place. In 1992 The Element seed was planted. Our goal was simple, to be the best we could be in the most honest and ethical way possible. We joined together to elevate what we all truly believe in. Today we continue to create the art, direction and message on a constant path to bring progress to skateboarding. We are more than a business; we are a family all on the same journey for the growth within ourselves, Element and all that surrounds us.” -Johnny Schillereff (Founder and President)

What makes Element so special you might ask? Lets start with their incredible roster of employees, amazing athletes/team riders, advocates, and philanthropy programs that they have to offer… not to mention their amazing clothing lines that offer the world the opportunity to shop for a cause by supporting such an incredible brand.

Big shout out to all the amazing people at Element! Tune in to more of our Element Brand of the Month blogs where you can learn more about Element.

Element HQ Photo Gallery >>community.killerdana.com/photos/element-hq

Shop Element: KillerDana.com

Learn More: ElementSkateboards.com
ElementEden.com

Since I’ve moved back to California I have had the pleasure of surfing with some of the west coast’s finest longboarders. It’s amazing to me the things people can do on a longboard now. It’s stylish, it’s fancy, it’s exciting, it’s new wave longboarding. Those are the very people that have inspired me to get better and see where longboarding can take you.

I think every surfer at some point in their life has silently thought, man, I’m getting pretty good. I should go pro. Maybe you enter a few amateur contests and place well. Maybe you even enter a few qualifying contests and do well. If you shortboard, the possibilities seem endless. You start dreaming about trips around the world, warm water, exotic food, empty perfect waves. Wow, what a life!

Now take that dream and replace shortboard with longboard. Do you still have the same fantasy? It’s sad, but the opportunities for professional, or even semi professional longboarding, seem to be dwindling.

I entered my first ASP Qualifying tour contest a few summers ago. I had no idea what I was entering into, but it seemed exciting. And it was! I had been training with my friend Steven, who was on track to come on top that year in the tour. I didn’t even make it out of my first heat (thanks Jen Smith!), but I was pumped anyway. It sparked my interest to train more and enter whatever event came next.

When I went home to start looking up events and follow the QLS and WLS I came to a very sad realization. Wow, only 6 events a year for the QLS and only 3 are in California. Man, you have to fly to France, Costa Rica and Hawaii just to earn enough points to be considered for the world tour. And then if you are lucky enough to get there, the top placing athlete has earned less than $5,000 the whole year?! You would spend at least two times as much just in travel expenses. So much for that dream.

It seems like there are only a handful of people that can earn enough from contests and sponsors to make it as a professional longboarder. On top of that, the only ones that seem to live with a comfortable amount of money, are the artsy ones.

Longboarding is comparable to women’s sports. There’s no money in it, and even if there was, no one is following it anyway! Does anyone reading actually follow professional longboarding? Can you name 5 professional longboarders? Didn’t think so.

Since I started to follow longbaording just a couple of summers ago, it has gotten even worse. Sponsors have stopped sponsoring, purse money has dropped, and contests have gone from a few in Cali, to none. Will there ever be a future for longboarding?

I hope, I pray, but I think not.

-Stephanie

Every Monday we like to hook you up with free stickers! This week we’re handing out some random mystery stickers to anyone willing to tell us about their favorite action sports (surf, skate, snow, wake etc.) blog or website. Just paste the url link in as a comment.

20 comments will be picked at random to win stickers. Please use valid email. Contest ends May 2nd 2011.

Get your shop on: KillerDana.com

Every Monday we like to hook you up with free stickers! As we bid farewell to our Brand of the Month Volcom, we want to give you one last opportunity to win free stickers!

To enter to win free stickers please tell us a little bit about how you first heard of Volcom and why you dig it.

20 comments will be picked at random to win stickers. Please use valid email. Contest ends April 4th 2011.

SHOP VOLCOM: KILLERDANA.COM

When I come back home after hours spent in the water, either surfing or kiteboarding, the only thing I can think of is FOOD, and I’m pretty sure you’re not much different than me. If you’ve read last week’s blog post (Tahitian delights), you already know that Tahiti and her islands offer a great variety of cuisine, from traditional Tahitian to Chinese & French. Restaurants, hotels, local eateries can be found everywhere. So if you’re planning to come to Tahiti, here are a few places I like to go to and that you might want to try after a good day of surfing. Of course, I’m not going to draw a whole list of restaurants, that’s not the point. My idea here is to give you the point of view of a local who likes to relax with her friends and eat in cool surroundings without having to pay too much.

I want to start with probably the most renowned places: the “Roulottes”, food trucks serving pretty much every kind of food you can think of: pasta, pizza, Chinese food, crepes, barbecue steaks & French fries with their choice of sauce, kabobs, and even Tahitian food with the famous “poisson cru” (raw fish). If you and your friends don’t want to eat at the same roulotte? No worries, you can sit down at the roulotte of your choice and order from another one, they’ll bring you your plate as soon as it is ready. If the most popular area for the roulottes is Papeete’s waterfront, you can find them pretty much everywhere. They open around 6pm and stay open till (very) late. Some even stay open all night, waiting for the hungry party-goers who get out of the night clubs at 3am.

The place is colorful, and if there is just one place you have to go to when it comes to eating, that’s the one. You won’t find any fine cuisine over there, but the roulottes are the most popular place to eat here in Tahiti: “We surfed allll day and there is nothing in the fridge! Let’s go to the roulottes”. The waterfront area has been recently renovated, and they sometimes have live entertainment on the weekends. If you want to grab a beer before, go to the 3 Brasseurs, which is only a few minutes walk. You might even stay here to eat, their food is good and affordable.

Another cool place to go is “Place To’ata”, still on the waterfront, maybe a 10-15 minute walk from the roulottes. The area has a few local eateries all lined up serving the same kind of foods you can find on the roulottes. The prices are the same, and they have a nice playground for the kids. Over there, you’ll even find some Japanese food. Want to eat sushis and bentos in a relaxed environment? That’s where you want to go then.

Talking about Japanese foods, and in a different range, my favorite place is the Sakura, a hotel restaurant located on the west side of Tahiti, 10 minutes from the airport. The experience over there is as much about the food as the entertainment, with the chef preparing and cooking your foods right in front of your eyes (classic, but still fun).

Everybody loves pizza. Well, almost. So if you want to try one of the local pizzerias, you can go to l’Api’zzeria, across the water front, which offers a great choice of pizzas, pastas and salads. Their wood –fried pizzas are amongst the most popular in Tahiti. You can either sit inside or outside, under the trees (don’t worry about the rain, there’s a roof as well). This restaurant is very popular, so the service may be a bit slow sometimes. But they’ll serve you cold drinks, home-made breads and butter while you wait for your plate. Another place to try out the local pizzas, is Lou Pescadou, in downtown Papeete. The menu is less extensive, but their pizzas are good (after all, the owner was Italian). I remember going there every Wednesday with my best friend when we were in high school (a loooonnng time ago).

These places all offer good food at a reasonable price (except for the Sakura, but I had to include this place). If you’re looking for fine French cuisine, which of course will come at a higher price, you should try: L’O à la bouche, Le Lotus (hotel restaurant), L’Agora or Le Grillardin. The food is excellent, and the desserts are to die for. Bon appétit! ☺

-Vainui

If you’re coming to Tahiti and you like to eat, this blog is for you!! If my country offers world-class waves and breath-taking landscapes, the islands also provide a great variety of cuisine, reflecting the diversity of its population: Polynesian (with specialties from each archipelago), French, European and Chinese. But for this week, let’s focus more on Tahitian foods, which you’ll absolutely have to try, at least once during your stay.

Our most renowned dish, loved by travellers worldwide, is the “poisson cru”, which translates into “raw fish”: a dish made of fresh raw tuna mixed with raw onions, carrots and cucumbers, marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. It is served cold, which probably makes it the most refreshing dish you’ll get to eat after a good day in the water. Some locals like to have their “poisson cru” with rice or french fries on the side, but the dish is usually enough in itself, and can be found in most restaurants and local eateries (just make sure the fish is fresh before ordering some).

Other local specialties include grilled fish, roasted pork, “fafa” (local spinach), cooked bananas, “uru” (bread fruit), “fei” (a sort of big yellow banana), “taro” (a root growing in humid soils), sweet potatoes, all usually served with coconut milk , either fresh or fermented. Yes, you read this right: fermented. Now I’m going to be totally honest with you: I always go for fresh. Eating the other kind certainly won’t make me sick, but there’s something about the taste that doesn’t work well for me. But you should try at least once, at least, you’ll be able to tell if it’s good or not – because I’m not a good example when it comes to eating… I’m very picky, which drives everybody crazy around me: friends, family. Even my 4-yr-od daughter thinks I’m weird.

Back to the subject, and talking about fermented food. Most foreign surfers I’ve met over here have tried this dish at least once: not only is it a staple in Tahitian cuisine, but they also want to say they did eat it: I’m talking about “fafaru”. Now, what is that? Fresh fish chunks marinated during 2 or 3 days in a mix of sea water and pressed shrimp heads (yes, you read this right once again… now I can see your face from where I am). As you can imagine, the smell after two days of maceration is… quite intense. I’ve never tried and certainly will never try this dish, but I heard that the fish tastes great and “melts” in your mouth (a friend of mine who is from Hawai’i gets some every time he comes to visit… but he eats it with his nose pinched ☺)

If you can have fresh fruit for desert, the most popular desert you can have while in Tahiti is “po’e”, a fruit pudding (made with bananas, papayas, or even taros and pumpkins), traditionally cooked in folded banana leaves and served with coconut milk. My personal favorite is the one made with papaya: I could eat a whole dish by myself!

If you want to taste all these foods, you’ll have plenty of options, either in upscale hotels (on special evenings), local eateries, or better yet, with the local families. But preparing a traditional Tahitian menu takes a lot of time and organization, mostly because the food should be buried and cooked underground. My favorite place for traditional Tahitian food is “Painapo” located on the south west side Moorea, Tahiti’ sister island. Once a month, they put up a big feast, cooked in true Tahitian tradition, underground. The place also serves the freshest fruit juice, served in front of the most beautiful turquoise lagoon. And if you’re not lucky enough to get the big feast while you’re there, at least the “poisson cru” is on the menu. This little restaurant is located 5 minutes away from a killer reef break, so you have no excuse not to stop there after your surfing sesh. ☺

-Vainui

Every Monday we like to hook you up with free stickers! This week in honor of our Brand of the Month we’re handing out Rusty stickers.

To enter to win new Spring 2011 Rusty stickers please take a look at their new marketing campaign below and let us know what you think. The ad features Rusty team rider Josh Kerr airing onto a cartoon SUP surfer, and has brought about much controversy. Killer Dana asks you, what do you think about the ad, do you like it?

Take a look at what Surfing Magazine said in their blog, Oh Rusty, You Rouge

20 winners. Comments picked at random. Winners notified via email. Ends Jan. 24th 2011

SHOP RUSTY: KILLERDANA.COM

Also peep our Rusty Boardshorts Giveaway

Say hello to our newest Brand of the Month, the inventor of the word Trouble, the one and only Lost Enterprises. If you’re not sure where to start with your Holiday shopping, look no further. For years Killer Dana has been watching the Lost clothing brand evolve into what it is today, and artistic, edgy, and inspiring slap into reality that it is.

For the ladies, our Employee Picks this season:
1. Kylie Tank: Kylie is a pretty knit racerback tank with spaghetti straps and an edgy studded gold design on the front. Signature logo embroidery at the back lets the world know you’re a Lost devotee. Your friends will burn with envy when they see how good you look in this killer tank.

2. Jillian Top: This 3/3 sleeve knit top is full of lace and sass. In 100% viscose, it’s comfy and cool and breezy. Dress it up with black jeggings or down with some thrashed jeans and just have fun!

3. Josie Jacket: Just in time for the cooler weather, Lost brings you the Josie jacket. In yarn dyed, cotton/poly flannel with a quilted nylon acetate fill lining, it’s super-warm and cozy. Like wrapping yourself in a big warm hug. Josie is a collared, button front jacket with a bias-cut patch pocket that will look awesome with leggings.

For the Guys our Employee Picks:
1.Voodoo Tee (seen above): The striped knit v-neck is moving in for the kill. Out with the regular tees, in with the new. The Voodoo knit from Lost is the pinnacle of the knit, with blackout stripes over a sweet smoky background. On the back there’s a Lost triangle logo in foil for added effect

2. Rumble Flannel: Are you ready to rumble? We don’t want to fight you. In fact, we want to help you. Help you get into a great style, that is. Like the Rumble flannel from Lost. This warm, simple flannel is good for Fall, because the temps start to dip and you need to keep out the cold. This looks amazing rocked solo or layered with a tee and your favorite jeans.

3. Dead End Woven: Grab yourself the Dead End flannel from Lost. It’s a tribute to the …Lost lifestyle you know and love, even when you have to get a little dressed up.

Shop More LOST Holiday: KillerDana.com