Peepshow- PMS Misadventure #10

PMS 10: Peepshow's Signature Session at HCSC part 2 from peepshow on Vimeo.

How to: Shop for a women's wetsuit

I’m in the market for a new wetsuit. My Billabong The Solution Gold Women’s 3/2 mm Wetsuit lasted a good 20 months but the seams are ripped and the bright pink lining that used to be is now a light salmon. Don’t ask me why it was pink in the first place, if a wetsuit fits, you wear it.  Anyway, when my foot went through the neck lining I knew it was time to start shopping for a new one. And as we fade into the colder part of the fall season, the water temps in Southern California are sinking into the upper 50’s and a gaping hole down the front of my wetsuit just isn’t going to cut it.

If you’re looking for a new womens wetsuit, visit your local surf shop and try on a few different styles and sizes.  Ask questions and make sure you walk out the door with the right wetsuit. If they don’t have what you’re looking for, ask if they can include your ideal wetsuit in their next order with no added cost to you. If you don’t have a local surf shop, search online. Many websites for wetsuit brands do not have descriptions for their products, so if you’re having trouble, try using a search engine to find an online retailer with the wetsuit thickness you need.

Tips when shopping for a women’s wetsuit:

1.     Style is out- don’t even make this a consideration or priority. There’s no Macy’s of wetsuit stores- there really aren’t that many options out there ladies. Find one that fits and meets the corresponding water temperatures in your region.

2.     Plan on spending $100-$200, and expect this wetsuit should last you over a year, even when you seem to be spending more time in the water than behind a desk.

3.     Different seasons call for different wetsuits. Look at the temperature range for the wetsuit thickness, measured in millimeters (mm). A 3/2 mm is good for 63 degrees and up. A 4/3 will keep you comfortable in 55 degrees and up, and a 5/4/3 mm is good for 48 degrees and up. You also deserve a badge of courage on that wetsuit if you are paddling out in 48-degree water.

4.     Wetsuits are designed in Australia, Europe, and USA sizes, all three will be noted on the sleeve or collar. Australian and European sizes are usually the same, American sizes running two numbers lower. Sizes are sold in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12). See measurement chart for height and weight to find your size.

5.     A key loop is a good feature. Being able to surf without the thought of someone finding your super-secret hiding spot for your key in the parking lot is a plus. I’ve seen (and have done) many stupid methods of stashing bike and car keys while surfing, such as burying the key in the sand at Waikiki, cradling it in a broken part of my front bumper, or wearing the key around my neck on a chain (very bad). Then you get smart and wear boardshorts with pockets in tropical water temps and buy wetsuits with key loops in cold temps.

Happy shopping

Chicks Who Rip Night at 4th Annual California Surf Festival

This past weekend surfers gathered in Oceanside for the 4th Annual California Surf Festival, an event that celebrates surfing culture in history, film, music, and more. Friday night was all about chicks who rip, featuring surf films Oceanides and Leave A Message. It was the US premiere of Oceanides, a women's surfing film presented by Keep A Breast Foundation, directed by surf photographer-turned film maker Lorene Carpentier. The film features stylish women surfers including Rochelle Ballard, Claire Bevillacqua, Julie Cox, Lee Ann Curren, Kassia Meador, Jen Smith, and many other chicks who rip. Nike's Leave A Message women's surfing film was also played, directed by Jason Kenworthy, filmed and edited by Aaron Lieber, featuring Carissa Moore, Coco Ho, Lakey Peterson, Laura Enever, Malia Manuel and Monyca Byrne-Wickey. If you haven't seen this film yet, find the full movie on YouTube- this women's surf film is the most progressive women's surf film ever made. Lorene Carpentier, Jason Kenworthy, Aaron Lieber and surfers Julie Cox, Carissa Moore, Lakey Peterson and many others made it to the Surf Festival for chicks who rip night, making for a night in women's surfing that will not be soon forgotten.

Suzzy Skarulis

Brooks Theatre in Oceanside, CA

Leave a Message

Oceanides

Oceanside, CA

Oceanides Trailer

Nike Leave A Message Trailer

Discover Your Local Mountain in the Off-Season

You love, love, LOVE your local mountain during winter, but how often do you visit your beloved getaway during the spring and summer seasons? Probably as often as you visit your grandmother. This past season I was turned onto using my year-round Snow Summit & Bear Mountain pass during the snowboarding off season and it was magical. Hello, mountain bike.

It took a moment to get over the fact that I was sitting on the ski lift without a board strapped to my foot. Every time the Sky Chair approached the top of the mountain I joked with my friends, "Tips up! Which way are you guys headed? I'm turning right!" But it was truly a treat to enjoy the mountain in the summer on a mountain bike. Snow Summit shuts down the slopes and opens trails designated and designed for bikes, along with the fire trails.

You can cruise at a pace and path width where you can catch up with a friend, or shoot through a narrow line without the comfort of strong brakes through trees and rocks, and everything in between at Snow Summit. The flowers are in bloom, the views are amazing, and the air is literally a breath of fresh air coming from the developed southern California coast. 

I strongly suggest that you check out at your local mountain in the off season. You'll be even more amped on what the mountain has to offer, and heck, you might have already paid for it!

Aloha

Doheny Days 2011

Donovan Frankenreiter

Who could pass up Doheny Days in Dana Point, CA? The two-day concert saw Donovan Frankenreiter, Weezer, Cake, Ziggy Marley, G Love & Special Sauce, Katchafire and many others. Dohney Beach made for a relaxed family atnosphere. The south Orange County beach is a popular longboard break next to the harbor in Dana Point and just a stone's throw from SURFER, SNOWBOARDER, SKATEBOARDER Magazine HQ. Beautiful sunset, full on ferris wheel and great live music, it was a good nod to the end of summer, as the daylight hours dwindle, taking our energy levels and surfing hours with it.

The Donny stache!!

Sailor Jerry Stage

Donovan's version of blue suede shoes

Good time to take a ride on the ferris wheel!

Dana Point, CA

You say pizza, I say California

What do you see in this bit of a pizza slice from Pizza Port in San Clemente, CA?

I see the state of California! I live in the lower cheese, below the pepperoni. So that means the grease represents the Pacific Ocean... gross.