So I just came across a great skimboarding video from this year’s Skimdulgence contest in Australia. Theres some really amazing spots and waves there and I can’t wait to go skimboard there myself someday.

Listen up everyone, if your serious about skimboarding you should know who Exile Skimboards is. Company founders Aaron Peluso and Andy Chiavetta have really changed the skimboarding world for the better with their low priced boards and great build quality. Aaron Peluso whos owns SkimOnline, has the biggest resource of skimboarders in the world. Seeing first hand what the riders want and look for have allowed Exile Skimboards to become a leader in the industry.

First of all I’d only recommend investing in an Exile if you want to get into wave riding seriously. If you want to rip it up every weekend definitely look into getting one, because it will last. I’ve personally owned two separate Exile’s and they were both top notch boards. Dealing with Henry over at Exile was always awesome and there more then happy to answer any questions you have.

Anyway my current skimboard is a Carbon Pro Shape with 3/4 foam and you have to love how light, strong and responsive the carbon is. There’s certainly a reason all the pros are using carbon these days for their boards. The carbon version will set you back about $450, with the Eglass and Sglass versions costing $365 and $395 respectively. I personally think carbon is worth the investment if your serious because it will really help not set you back when you want to advance your skills. I’m not saying the board makes the rider because I fully know theres pros out there who could rip a plank of wood, all I’m saying is if you want the best you might as well get the carbon.

With Exile having such riders as Grady Archbold, Paulo Prietto, Brendan Stevens, Brandon Sears and Brad Domke on their team its no wonder there becoming a hit among the people. These are guys going out there and constantly winning contests and having great heats. Anyway make sure to check out Exile Skimboards the next time your looking to pick up a board, you won’t be dissapointed!

Exile Skimboards Team Rider Paulo Prietto Getting Shacked in Cabo

So in the first part of my how to skimboard series I talked about all the beginner stuff, dropping your board and other basics. In this part were going to focus on actually wrapping the wave which involves turning on the wave and riding it back onto the beach.

First off your going to have to find waves that are actually rideable because some beaches and spots just don’t work at certain tides. Ideally you want the waves to be breaking close to to the shore so you can reach them. When there’s a lot of dead water in front of the breaking wave its going to be really tough to get to the wave especially if your a beginner. Choosing the right wave is crucial to skimboarding and its just something you’ll slowly begin to figure out over time.

Secondly you need to run really really fast and get on your board quickly. I can’t stress speed enough when it comes to skimboarding, you have to really push it because it makes wrapping much easier. A lot of beginners will start their run and pickup speed and then slow down to drop. You can’t slow down, try to just picture yourself running onto the board. You run onto it back foot first and then bring your front foot on, all in the same motion of your run. Remember if its windy to kick some wet sand onto the nose of your board to keep it from flying away and busting your shin.

Another important point is getting comfortable with shifting your weight. Remember to put some weight on that backfoot on the transition from the shore to the wave, it’ll keep you afloat. You also want to bend your knees and remember to look at where you want to go. Before you hit the wave your going to want to shift some weight to the inside rail while keeping those knees bent.

At this point you should now be heading up the face of the wave going into a turn and finishing at the top by “slashing” it. This is done through shifting your hips and looking the direction you want to go. Of course timing is crucial but with some practice you should get it.

So get out there and start wrapping some waves. Once you get that first one you’ll be hooked for sure.

Photo: Brad Evers

Nixon is pleased to announce Joel Parkinson as the winner of the fourth and final stop of the 2008 Nixon WTA, after winning the Vans Triple Crown.

Parkinson made a solid showing in this year’s three events, kicking off with a fifth place finish at both the Reef Hawaiian Pro as well as at the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing. He rounded out his performance with a ninth place finish at the Billabong Pipe Masters. Hailing from Australia’s Gold Coast, Parkinson has been a key player on tour all year with perhaps one of the most memorable achievements when he scored the first ever 20 out of 20 at Pipeline.

“It is great to award this very special watch to Joel. Not only does he represent the spirit and drive of today’s top surfers, he also has a serious sense of humor and will be showing off his new watch to all the boys,” stated Chad DiNenna, Nixon co-founder and Marketing Director.

Parkinson will be rewarded for his win with a custom Nixon 51-30 tide watch with nearly two carats of white baguette diamonds on the bezel crowned with a black onyx countdown timer marker. The one-of-a-kind watch also features three crowns to commemorate the event for which the watch was commissioned: a triple gasket screw crown, an easy adjust button to set the tide subdial, and a final crown which houses a compact screw driver to make band adjustments. This timepiece also features a custom-engraved case back along with the names of the three locations of the Vans Triple Crown events etched into the side of the case wall.

This year’s WTA has schowcased unique talent with Ryan Hipwood (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA) and Royden Bryson (ZAF) claiming victory for the previous three Nixon WTA titles. Their respective wins were for heaviest wave in Teahupoo this past May, highest heat score at J-Bay in July and longest tube ride in Mundaka in late September. Competition for the Nixon WTA will resume once again next year in May at the Billabong Pro in Tahiti.

Video content of each of the WTA stops and winners is available to view on billabongpro.com

[Source: EXPN]

Zap Skimboards is the biggest skimboarding manufacturer in the world when it comes to volume. Many east coasters love the boards, the same can’t be said for the west. Pretty much all of their boards cater to the beginner skimboarder on a budget. Their carbon boards seem to be fairly top notch products and it’s the only board I’d consider buying. They retail for a little over $400.

Basically most of their boards are pumped out of a factory and not a whole lot of love seems to go into them. For the money I’d much rather go with a more reliable skimboard company such as Exile, Slotstik or Victoria.

Before I get lots of hate mail of people defending their Zap’s let me just explain myself a bit. I know there are folks out there who could rip on a Zap Bullet no problem but for the money I’d much rather be riding a board that was babied through production. I’ve seen lots of people having problems with their Zap Skimboards due to shoddy construction.