The greatest surfer of all time has claimed yet another victory on the 2008 ASP World Tour riding his signature FCS K2.1 fins. In the final of the Globe Pro in Fiji Kelly defeated fellow Floridian and FCS team rider CJ Hobgood, and in doing so notched up his 37th WCT win.

The final day of competition produced challenging conditions that proved no match for the lethal combination of Kelly Slater and the FCS K2.1. In the shifting wind effected waves of Cloudbreak Reef off Tavarua Island Kelly surfed with aggression, speed and lightning response, reminding everyone that he still at the forefront of performance surfing.

In the semi finals both Kelly and CJ produced huge scores and mind blowing surfing to take down their respective rivals in Taj burrow and FCS team rider Adriano De Souza. Of the two finalists it was Kelly who maintained his momentum displaying a back hand attack consisting of huge tail throwing turns coupled with impeccable timing to find the barrel.

Event runner up CJ Hobgood was again a standout at Fiji and he was unlucky not to find quality waves in the final. Both CJ and Damien have been riding prototypes of their new signature FCS GOODS-1 fin throughout the 2008 season with great results. With a 3rd and a 2nd in the last two events CJ is validating the performance of this fin which will be released later this year.

FCS Brand Ambassador Richie Lovett watched the event and remarked; “Cloudbreak is a tricky wave to surf. You have to react quickly and anticipate how the wave changes as it tracks down the reef. Speed and timing is the key. Kelly and CJ both looked totally in tune with their equipment the entire event. It was amazing to watch”.

Kelly continues to have remarkable success with his signature fins as he understands the performance advantages associated with using different templates to suit varying surf conditions. The K2.1 is a fast and lively high performance fin ideally suited for tighter manoeuvres. It features a more compact upright design and is available as in a variety of different materials.

The majority of surfers on the World Tour choose to ride FCS in their boards. By riding the FCS system they are able to fine tune their equipment and make travelling a whole lot easier.

FCS is dedicated to supplying high quality products to the world’s best surfers.

For more information on the FCS system go to www.surffcs.com

WETSUITS NEVER DIE

Rip Curl is proud to announce the success of their neoprene recycling project. Never again will this material – so valuable to surfers in cold waters – be treated as trash ! Project Resurrection can now save old wetsuits and production off-cuts from a gruesome end (burial or incineration), by offering worn neoprene a second life : reincarnation as an espadrille or a pair of slaps.

In 2006, the world leader in the production of wetsuits, in partnership with the Conseil Régional d’Aquitaine, launched a research program into the recycling of neoprene. They wanted to find some kind of use for old wetsuits, and for the production off-cuts, which constitute about 150 tons of waste per year.

“Project Resurrection” Beanbags for the Surfrider Foundation.

In July 2007, Rip Curl launched “Project Resurrection” by collecting wetsuits that had come to the end of their life. These collections took place on-site at the Rip Curl Pro Hossegor-Seignosse and in Rip Curl Pro Stores. More than 400 kilos of neoprene were collected in this way. Wetsuits which were still usable were given to young surfers in Morocco via Rip Curl Maroc. A portion of the remaining neoprene was chopped up and used as filling for beanbags, whose outer-shells were made out of old Rip Curl event banners. These one-off, designer beanbags will be auctioned off on the Internet during the Rip Curl Pro WQS 6* this summer. The auction will be available on the event web site, and all the proceeds will be donated to the Surfrider Foundation.

The Basque connection

At the same time, the research initiated in 2006 to find a large-scale recycling program was turning towards footwear, which offered sufficient volumes to absorb the amount of waste generated, as well as using materials that could integrate neoprene. At the beginning of 2007, after numerous attempts at coming up with the right formula, and plenty of resistance testing, a new material was created : “resurrection rubber”, a mixture of chopped neoprene (30%) and rubber.

This material is manufactured in France, and the search for a local product ended up in Mauleon, in the heart of the Basque Country, with the conception of the “must-have” item for summer ’08, the Resurrection Espadrille. With an organic cotton upper, printed with Öko-test certified ink, a sole made of “resurrection rubber”, and a limited distribution zone, the Resurrection Espadrille represents an excellent ecological end product, and stands out as a symbol for the Rip Curl Planet initiative.

A limited series of Resurrection Espadrilles will be sold from the end of June ’08 in Rip Curl Pro Stores, at the Rip Curl Boardmasters in England and the Rip Curl Pro Hossegor in France, at the price of 25 euros.

The Asian Connection

This technology was adopted by our Asian partners in 2007, with the goal of using all the neoprene off-cuts in the manufacture of slaps. All the off-cuts will now be transferred from our wetsuit factory to or slaps production site. This re-cycling allows us to avoid the treatment of 150 tons of waste, as well as replacing the same amount of raw materials. In the Summer ’09 Collection, there will be a total of 8 models of slaps, representing 10% of our range, which will use “resurrection rubber”. A fantastic result for a project, which is very close to our hearts here at Rip Curl.

The Collection continues

In 2008, Rip Curl continues to collect old wetsuits. So don’t throw away those old leaky, cracked piles of neoprene, molding away at the back of your garage! Take your old wetsuit to one of the participating Rip Curl Pro Stores (Biarritz, Anglet, Hossegor, Bordeaux, Merignac, Brest, Paris, Marseille and Chamonix), and Rip Curl will re-cycle it.

And from the 15th of July to the 15th of December, Rip Curl will be giving away a “Project Resurrection t-shirt”, and a 25 € voucher (valid throughout the store from October 15 to December 15 when you spend more than 100 euros), with the purchase of a new wetsuit.

Freakfish have been selling Northcore products for a while now, and have been impressed with their products & ethics, so we asked Northcore if they would give us some background in to what they are all about – here’s what they had to say.

Northcore™ is a British based, surf & boardriding company with an International heritage. Everything Northcore™ does reflects its roots in hardcore cold water surfing producing tough, practical hardware, accessories and custom surfboards of exceptional quality, integrity and design. As a company we aim to continue to support growth in British surfing, boardsports and the creative talent that thrives in our collective lifestyles, by working with the best athletes and by embracing progressive film making, music, art and photography to establish a true sense of a community.At Northcore™ we strive to maintain a socially responsible company ethos by continuing with our Carbon Neutral policy. We plant 750 trees annually to offset our carbon emissions and the long term support of environmental and recycling initiatives is central to our outlook. This years sees Northcore nominated for “The Surfers Path Green Wave Awards 2008”

Above all Northcore™ is about avoiding the soul less corporate pursuit of profit above all else. Of course we’re trying to make a living but is also about having fun, living the life we love, following a path less travelled and hopefully making the world a little better along the way.

Thanks to Northcore for this insight, all the best in The Surfers Path Green Wave Awards.

You can view the range of Northcore products we stock here.

For more information about Northcore visit www.northcore-europe.com