VonZipper : Freethinkers Conspiracy Guild from VonZipper USA on Vimeo.

Ah, the appeal of youth is quixotic, intoxicating, and, for some, fleeting. But for the seasoned few, the allure of youth is ever-present and significant. Unusual as it is to just happen upon someone with this special brand of affection, they are easily identified. Often found leading the charge within a well-edited group of inspired young minds, they say outrageous things worthy of the laughter they elicit. For these individuals, the ideals of youth are native, and in society, they only grow more iconic as the years advance.

VonZipper co-founder Greg Tomlinson

They also gravitate toward youth-centric brands deeply infused with passion, adrenaline, and beauty. VonZipper is a brand that wields such an influence, firmly rooted in the annals of action-sports history—a timeline comparatively short in measure but long in influence. At the forefront, and waxing poetic, is Greg “GT” Tomlinson, an industry mainstay and the brand’s co-founder, who continues to steward the way for the generations ahead. Innately understanding that the tradition is that there isn’t one and that only by forging a new path will his brand continue to stay out in front.

Gifted in hyperbole, verbal parody, and reinvention, we had the pleasure of asking GT a few questions about the state of the union. Keeping in step with his nature, his replies were witty, wordy, and unabashedly entertaining.

The new collection. Photo courtesy of VonZipper

Tell us about the Freethinkers Conspiracy Guild [FCG].
The premise of the FCG is that all people have the right to do everything within their power to achieve the greatest amount of enjoyment possible. The Guild applauds those who question and challenge the social norm, who strive to exceed the constraints of mediocrity and seek out the pleasures of life. Freethinkers’ opinions are formed under the fundamental premise of rejecting the norm. They challenge the stagnation of tradition and authority—doubt everything, find your own light. The FCG is comprised of persons of quality: artists, poets, activists, philosophers, musicians, actors, and renegades alike.

Photo courtesy of VonZipper

How and why was the FCG started? And has it gained a following?
Initially, when we were considering VZ’s architecture, we thought it’d be fun to create a league that honors the ideals of the styles rather than just pull together another collection of eyewear. We thought it’d be kinda cheeky but that it would also provide a deeper purpose—with a little bit of subversion, if you will. We came up with The Guild after some serious late-night poker games and a few too many adult beverages. Why not create a reason for us to put on some big-band music, smoke a couple stogies, and talk about the way things were, might have been, and how they’re gonna be? Some key words that relate to the FCG include: spontaneous, rebellious, moonshine, mindful, independent, enlightened, timeless, Coltrane, hedonism, Ton Up, freewheeling, society, nonconformist, bohemian, Howling Wolf, mindful, swing, liberated, classic, subterranean. Hopefully you get the idea, haha! But, yeah, it’s got a following.

Photos courtesy of VonZipper

Did the FCG group contribute? If so, in what ways?
Of course! We run with a group of like-minded individuals that have similar interests in style and substance. We don’t feign to be something we’re not—the FCG isn’t a focus group. The rule is that if it feels right, we do it. The creativity comes as a response to sitting around the barbershop and talking shit. The conversations that happen in the moments in between, those prove to be most valuable to the cause. There is a never-ending quest to have more fun than ought to be legal. We know how to have fun.

Photos courtesy of VonZipper

Are the people in the film all members of the conspiracy guild? If so, I’d love to name names.
Hell yes they are! They all helped shape the film to make it what it is. Dano is from Dano’s Juke Joint; Freakshow Michael, Schnitzy, and Scotty the Barber are from the King’s Club barbershop; BlakeGod from Noah’s Arcade; TanMan and the Montgomery Crew were involved, as well as the lovely Danica and her old man, Trimm. They are just a few of the many folks that are members of the FCG—they live the life.

Photo courtesy of VonZipper

What’s next for VZ?
Who knows? The future is unwritten, and the road ahead has many curves. The beauty of VonZipper is that it allows us a tremendous creative platform to challenge our creativity and bring unique items and perspectives to the market. We have heaps of new frames and goodies on tap—we are certainly not short of ideas.

Jordy Smith is all smiles after taking his third career ASP victory in Rio at the Billabong Pro. Photo: ASP/Kirstin

De Souza, the current patriarch of the Brazilian contingent on tour, delivered commanding performances all week, and took out 11-time world champion Kelly Slater on his way to the final. With

Brazilian rookie Felipe Toledo will be a hot topic of conversation after his impressive display. Photo: ASP/Kirstin

By finishing second, De Souza has taken over the lead in the race for this year’s world title. Though no Brazilian has ever hoisted a world title, Adriano has been in the number one spot before. In 2011, he won this very event in Rio, giving him the ratings lead briefly, before he went on a serious skid, finishing 13th and 25th in the next two events, ending the year in 5th place.

We’ll see if Adriano can maintain his roll this time, the next event in Fiji is scheduled to begin on June 2nd.

If you’re keen on the term “limited edition,” ante up. Based on HUF founder Keith Hufnagel’s signature design, the Standard, the IVI x HUF collab has been released in a highly limited run of 100 units in each colorway. Both colors feature Zeiss lenses and handpicked vintage acetates from the archives of legendary Italian acetate developer, Mazzucchelli 1849. Yes, you want a pair. MSRP: $200

With a setup like this, it’s easy to understand why surfers dream of competing in the Hurley Lowers Pro. Photo by Surfing magazine

Fueling the dreams of aspiring World Championship Tour surfers everywhere, Hurley kicked off the first-ever Hurley Pro Video Trials on May 15, leaving a giant question mark in the wildcard slot in the upcoming Hurley Pro, an ASP World Tour event at Lower Trestles in Southern California.

While the wildcard slot has historically been handed to the winner of the traditional trials or a handpicked Hurley team rider, this year Hurley is putting a fresh spin on the selection process by opening the trials to any US surfer age 13 or older, with the winner being decided by an unprecedented qualify-by-video format.

“There’s a whole new generation of American surfers with limitless talent,” says Hurley VP of Sports Marketing Pat O’Connell. “So, instead of limiting our trials to just 16 competitors, we wanted to open it up to any American surfer who can put together a string of amazing waves on video—and then leave it up to a public vote. To us, that is a true wildcard, and we’re confident the public will pick someone who will fit right in with the world’s best.”

The winner of the Hurley Pro Video Trials will receive an all-expense-paid trip to compete as a member of the ASP Top 36 in the Hurley Pro in mid-September.

Think you have what it takes? Hurley is accepting video entries showcasing eight of each applicant’s best waves (two waves per heat in a four-round contest) at www.thehurleypro.com from May 15–July 15. The contest format reflects the actual format of ASP competitions, in which competing surfers are scored between zero and 10 points on their two best waves.

A panel of judges will choose the 16 top contenders in the Hurley Pro Video Trials. The judging panel includes Hurley CEO and Founder Bob Hurley, VP Surf Marketing and former professional surfer Pat O’Connell, Hurley Pro Contest Director Mike Parsons, and iconic surfer Rob Machado.

The top 16 contenders will be placed into brackets on July 29, when the virtual contest opens to fans to vote on their favorite submission in a man-on-man format, with the winner announced August 2.

For details, check out www.thehurleypro.com.

For a taste of last year’s Hurley Lowers Pro event, check out the flipbook compiled by Surfing magazine.

Hurley Lowers Pro 2012 Flipbook

Elsa Bailey’s birthday was May 11 and she wanted to go skiing. Nothing unusual about wanting to ski on your birthday, except for the fact that it was Bailey’s 100th birthday and she is legally blind.

So with friends and family by her side, and with much fanfare, she hit the slopes of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Keystone, Colorado, last weekend for one final run.

“It was something that I planned years ago, that on my 100th birthday I’d have one last ski, then hang up my skis,” Bailey told “Good Morning America.” “I’ve done it for 75 years. That’s a long time. I’ve had enough.”

Not surprisingly, she opted to forego the black diamond runs and took a few turns on Pika Place, a beginner’s learning area, before attending a party at the resort.

Ten years ago, Bailey, who resides in Colorado Springs, celebrated her 90th birthday at A-Basin.

“When I got up on the hill, it wasn’t so much the energy I was worried about, but if I knew how to turn,” Bailey told GMA. “But it comes back to you…Even the people I didn’t know were cheering for me. It was a real fun, fun time.”

Bailey began skiing at age 25 when skis were made of wood and cost $7. She has also been kayaking and scuba diving, and has played tennis. She told GMA she jumps on a trampoline on her deck 100 times every morning—“that activates every cell in your body.”

Her secret to longevity?

“Be active. I do things my way, like skiing when I’m 100. Nobody else does that even if they have energy. And I try to eat pretty correctly, and get exercise and fresh air and sunshine.”

She also told GMA that skiing on her 100th birthday was “one of the best days of my life” and that “I’ll remember it forever.”

Good for you, Elsa. Nice going.

Incidentally, Arapahoe Basin still has a few runs open with spring conditions.

Photos of 100-year-old skier Elsa Bailey courtesy of Arapahoe Basin ski resort Facebook page

Guinness World Records announced this week that a wave ridden by Shawn Dollar last December at Cortes Bank is the largest ever surfed via the traditional paddle-in method.

The wave, according to Guinness, measured 61 feet from trough to crest. Dollar replaces Shane Dorian, who successfully rode a 57-foot wave at Jaws off Maui in 2011, as the record holder.

Cortes Bank is a submerged seamount 100 miles west of Southern California, and big-wave surfers in recent years have begun surfing there when giant swells sweep down from the north.

Because the wave is so large and the swells are so fast-moving, as is the case at Jaws, most surfers catch them with specialized boards via tow rope behind personal watercraft. The paddle method is considered much more daunting.

Shawn Dollar rides mammoth, 61-foot wave at Cortes Bank last December. Photo by Rob Keith/BillabongXXL.com. Top image was shot from the water by Frank Quirarte

Tow-surfers are able to catch larger waves, and the world record in the Unlimited category belongs to Garrett McNamara, who rode a 78-foot wave at Nazaré, Portugal, in 2011.

Dollar was named winner in the Biggest Wave and Paddle categories of the 2012-13 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards competition.

“Is this really happening?” Dollar asked rhetorically after his XXL triumph. “Are we really paddling into waves bigger than what we used to tow?”

Dorian was the XXL’s Ride of the Year champion for a mammoth tube ride at Jaws.

Dragon team rider and big-wave champ, Shane Dorian, will be sporting them all summer. “The Floatable sunglasses are super functional for me and my friends,” says Dorian in a Dragon press release. “For people who spend essentially half their lives around the ocean surfing, fishing, boating, stand-up paddling, or anything else that’s active, knowing you won’t lose your favorite pair of shades if you drop them in the water is key.”

With rubber logos on the outer temple, and water-resistant coatings on the nylon lenses, these things are the only shades you’ll want to wear for outings on the reef or lake. The only thing we’re wondering is: what took them so long?

The H20 Floatable Collection includes The Jam, The Shawn Watson Signature Jam, Chrome 2, Vantage, Cinch, and Double Dos, and can be found floating at a beach near you or in select retail locations worldwide.

Growing up in Arizona, Sierra Blair-Coyle frequented the local outdoor mall. Unlike most young girls, however, it wasn’t the promise of a new pair of jeans that drew her there—it was a rock-climbing wall. At age 8, Blair-Coyle began climbing routes that would eventually lead to a spot on her local climbing gym’s team and send her hurtling toward a career as competitive rock climber. And make no mistake: Sierra climbs to win. She was the youngest qualifier for the 2010 World Cup and just last year placed seventh at the 2012 American Bouldering Series Nationals. There’s no doubt about it: the 19-year-old Arizona State University sophomore is having a moment.

“My biggest professional goal is to help climbing become more mainstream,” Blair-Coyle tells Grind, noting that there’s been an increase in climbers over the past few years. And perhaps it has something to do with Sierra, who certainly seems to have captured the attention of other young, female climbers. And why not? The stunning blonde—who prefers to climb in shorts and a sports bra, a ribbon in her hair—looks like your average college student. She gives an intimidating sport a friendly face and an “if I can do it, so can you” approachability, a combination that makes her a perfect ambassador for Roxy’s Outdoor Fitness collection, an opportunity that allows her to share her climbing knowledge through blog posts for the surfwear brand and partake in photo shoots in remote locations.

“The highlight of my career was deep-water soloing in Maui,” Blair-Coyle says of her most recent jaunt with the Roxy team. “Roxy has given me so many incredible opportunities, like attending photo shoots [and] visiting the headquarters.”

Catalog shoots aside, Blair-Coyle has some serious goals on the horizon—and a serious training plan to help attain them: “My average week is crazy,” she explains. “When school is in session, I usually strength train in the morning and climb after class. I’ll climb and train for two days, then take a rest day.” With a few difficult climbs—a V9 and a 5.13 route—under her belt, Blair-Coyle has every right to keep her feet in the gym and her eye on gold, a looming reality if the Olympic Committee votes her way. “I would love for climbing to become an Olympic sport,” she says. “I will be the first athlete there trying out for the team.”

We’re keeping our eyes fixed on the podium.

Follow Johnie Gall on Twitter.