2 Lightning-Fast Actions for your Address Book!

If you’re serious about your career, business or social life, becoming a member on Facebook and LinkedIn is a MUST.

For the purpose of this post, I’ll assume that you’re already on these sites and have already built out a sizeable network of friends, acquaintances & current/former employers, coworkers & suppliers.

If not, get on it! All it takes is a search and a click “add connection” for LinkedIN or “add friend” for facebook. You might want to invest 30 minutes in your profile, since, afterall, hundreds if not thousands of people will likely have access to it.

1. Add your Facebook contacts to your address book. 

Go to: http://danauclair.com/addressbooksync/ Follow the easy instructions to download the program. Once in the program, you’ll be able to quickly import all your facebook contacts, merge duplicates (if those contacts are already in your address book) and add contacts that don’t already exist in your address book from facebook. It will also add a facebook picture to every contact, and create a link to that individual’s facebook page for quick access from Address book. Unfortunately you’ll have to perform this export/import periodically as there is no built-in automatic syncing.

Estimated Time: 5 – 15 minutes

Do it now! Seriously don’t put it off, you’ll spend 5X more time thinking about doing it than it takes to just do it now.

2. Add your LinkedIn contacts to your address book.

Maciverse has a great article on this with step-by-step instructions. Check it out at: http://www.maciverse.com/quick-tip-imported-linkedin-contacts-to-address-book.html. Unfortunately you’ll have to perform this export/import periodically as there is no built-in automatic syncing.

 

Estimated Time: 5 – 15 minutes

Do it now! Seriously don’t put it off, you’ll spend 5X more time thinking about doing it than it takes to just do it now.

3. Sync with gmail.

Gmail has built in automatic syncing with iCal and Address Book. Simply go to your application’s preferences and set it up!

Estimated Time: 2 – 5 minutes

Keep it real!

 

 

 

WANTED: Graphic Designers, Illustrators and Artists

Let’s make a deal.

• Would you consider your art “definitely not crap” awesome?
• Can you produce art that is engaging, professional and interesting to look at?
• Do you have a style that you feel would ‘fit’ the Plunder brand?
• Would you like to meet with the CEO of Plunder Ventures to present your work?

The Opportunity
Plunder Ventures is a sales agency that specializes in Generation-Y targeted consumer products. We are in the ‘design phase’ of launching what will be our flagship website.

Theme and Style

Plunder Ventures has always envisioned a dark, edgy, over-the-top motif for our brand. Don’t tame your ideas. Anyone who knows the founder (or who has peered in his notebook) knows that an out-of-the box idea is a prerequisite.

Contact Tristan to schedule a meeting or phone call: Tristan.Parlette@gmail.com

Our first storm…

Perhaps, you’ve been reading my blog for a while or you’ve heard me drunkenly ramble on about my business ideas and plans. You may recall a business I described called PlunderSome.

Oh, she will be a mighty fine ship.

Andrei Calinescu and I cofounded the vision and the partnership. We both agreed to give it a go. However, building that a ship capable of getting us to that vision proved extremely difficult.

PlunderSome is the founding inspiration behind Plunder Ventures. Six months in. I can’t believe it’s been half a year since I embarked on my journey to build PlunderSome, the worlds best *ucking toystore. (Another working slogan was “Cool. Shit.”). Today, while our man-power is down, decision making is up, and a new course is being plotted under a new model.

Plunder Ventures is a business that brings awesome products to Canadians. That will always been the defining value behind the company. Less crap, and better stuff for everyone. We wanted to create a place where you didn’t wonder “hmm, is this shit I’m buying going to be good?” Plunder Ventures’ is founded on the principle that it ALL has to be good, no matter what the price point.

In the beginning, we went to go about filling that toystore. It took time, but once we compiled our toys, we quickly realized that the business wasn’t going to get anywhere without a plan, and that arranging deals needs a process. So the two partners went about creating a business plan.

Each plan crumbled under the pressures of time, prompting the next plan. While writing so many incomplete plans have been a costly time expense, the cost of switching is worth every second, even considering the business model is now on its 3rd reconstruction. All of those changes in ‘plans’ offered valuable lessons from the past, and important implications for the future.

Lessons such as creating a task-management structure, and defining processes to evaluate performance is improving how Plunder Ventures’ guides work towards the direction of the founder’s goals.

Reality checks, however harsh, cannot be construed as failures. They are triumphs, since an accurate depiction of reality, free from our own self-delusions is something that most of us rarely achieve.

True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing, Socrates, the Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC – 399 BC) once said. Over 1,500 years later and his words hold true. He is of course right, but what’s so frustrating is that there’s just so much you can know, if you look. And the more you look, the more you know.

The world, at your fingertips. The web, your most valuable tool, and your biggest distraction. There had to be a more efficient process for dealing with mountains of data. I speak not only the data that was flooding into our minds from the articles and documents and audiobooks, but the accumulated data and information mountain- equivalent to a 1000 businesses of yester-year piled up on my desktop and the towers knowledge that we could climb, if only we had the time and the mechanism. TMI- a term most often reserved for older people talking about their sex lives- is a problem we were having day in and day out as documents, research and unstructured data drowned our productivity and hinder our ability to inch closer towards the prize.

And there was one- a solution that is. Strangely enough, it was a skill that I found deep in the bowels of the internet- a remote island of knowledge that many others, but certainly the vast minority, of all people had learned. This would fuel a vast change in the technology used in Plunder Ventures’ market research engine, and bring the future a lot closer, a lot faster.

Over time, I became obsessive, fussing over every little detail, spending hours and hours plotting away with the business. I neglected the practicality of many things. My plans were scattered about my life, large and unrefined, and largely impractical in the short term. But they were grand all-right.

My partner helped ground me. Bring me back to reality, the right now that we all need to be aware of too. What can be done immediately, and what needs to be done first are important steps, instead of figuring out the whole ocean.

I have spent many a day ploughing through words to meet the hefty business plan requirements that have so far taken months and months away from productive labour. It’s a plan that has felt like it is never going to end, not for a while anyways.

I know it’s not over, and I’m coming to the realization that planning is never going to go away and that ‘completing’ a business plan is only competing a story told to those you want to inspire behind your business with compelling arguments and financial proof.

Today, Plunder Ventures is alive and well, after receiving some recent “structural” upgrades.

Plunder Ventures Inc., a corporation, is the new business and vessal designed to take Plunder Ventures to that next level. Plunder Ventures Inc. is taking over all ownership of Plunder Ventures’ partnership’s dealings. The new company, will continue to pursue its vision, and navigate a course though the marketplace.

The plan is not complete, but it’s getting there. Things are getting clearer by the day, and I am convinced of what Plunder Ventures is destined to become. One by one, I will upgrade every piece of this ship, automating manual processes, partnering with other companies, investing in relationships, and developing offerings.

Oh, and my other goal is to recruit 100 sales people by the spring. You heard me. Stay tuned.

I sometimes look back in time, and think to myself “If I only knew then when I know now!” For Plunder Ventures, this saying holds resoundingly true.

Toronto Boardmeet 2011 Video!

Finally, the day that I actually get around to posting video from the meet is here! Yay, we can all rejoice in seeing 900 longboarders zoom by! Enjoy. 😉

 

 

Toronto Board Meet 2011- More Popular than Jesus in the City!

On Saturday, September 9th, I attended the 2011 Toronto Boardmeet. The Boardmeet is an absolutely massive congregation of longboarders.

The total attendance was more than double what it was last year. From the counts I’ve heard, this years numbers topped 900 longboarders! That’s over double last year’s showing of over 400.

The route began at St. Clair and Yonge at David Belfour Park. View Toronto Boardmeet Route 2011 in google maps for the exact route we took!

As always, I’ve uploaded large pics and scaled them down. Feel free to right click to view the pics bigger and in more detail!

Boardmeet Gathering at David Balflour Park

Nos Fuels Longboarders?

Time for trouble.

The Longboard Mob Approaches

Calinescu and Others Lead the Pack

Boarding down Yonge Street.

Down we go!

May have exaggerated the lighting on this one for added epicness.

Over 900 longboarders stopped traffic along Bloor St.

Gathering from the Stature's Perspective

Attendance

  for Jesus in the City Paled in Comparison to the Boardmeet

A Glimpse of the Turnout at Queen's Park

Tons of girls at this years meet. Could I grab your number real quick?

Longboarding is an all-ages sport!

Longboarding down University Avenue. Sorry Cars! (Longboarders please note and appreciate the insincerity in that apology)

Phew, finally made it to Nathan Phillips Square. Time for a head count!

This may take a while. Line up. All of you.

... I said ALL OF YOU!!!!!

Time to mess up King Street's day!

Time to live it up in Kensington! Lovin' the longboard circle around the kiddie pool!

Thanks to everyone who came out to show their support for this awesome pass-time of ours. And a special thanks to the organizers, because without them, this wouldn’t be possible!

– Tristan Parlette, Cheif Executive Longboarder @ Plunder Ventures & Longboardable.ca

 

Plunder Ventures is Designing a Longboard Brand!

Let’s just call the customer Mr. Confidential for now, but I assure you, this is completely real. We’ve set up the significant distribution on this deal and we’re working to come up with ideas. Lots of ideas. But our ideas aren’t good enough! We need your help in getting the ball rolling on some new paradigms, and to give us feedback on the designs people suggest while responding to this post.

What We Need From You

Design Ideas – comment on this post or send ideas to  tparlette.hba2011@ivey.ca

Design Opinions – indicate your interest in evaluating ideas

Designs – Do you have a design that would work perfectly? Read on!

Longboarders at Queens Park, Toronto

What’s Important:

• Safety
• A great ride
• Something that’s differentiated, that people will want ‘just cause’
• Undeniably cool looking products
• Your creativity!

We Can Control:

• Deck Shape– Don’t be fooled by the picture above, we aren’t stuck with a pintail shape.
• Materials– We will likely be working with moulded & cut plywood, unless you can convince us otherwise.
• Components 
• Graphics on the back
• Wood Colour
• Grip-Tape Placement & Cut

Target Market Insights

• Males are traditionally 75% of the end-users, and females 25%
• (That means that likely 75% or more of skater parents are Dads)
• Parents – Christmas Shopping for youth aged 9- 14
• Parents – Christmas Shopping for youth aged 15- 19
• Parents – Christmas Shopping for youth aged 19- 24

*** Scroll down for Timeline

Skater Dad Enjoys a Day of Longboarding with his Son.

Timeline: 

Ideation- Internal Ideas: Work out internal costs & constraints, try to gauge what the various stakeholders think they want.
Week 1: August 25th – August 31th. 
Ideation- External Ideas: Get forum input, artistic community ideas, blog & stumble upon input. 
September 1st 2011 – Septeber 6th 2011
Design Selection & Development: Share responses & submissions and ask the communities for feedback and preferences.
Week 4: September 7th 2011 – September 14th 2011
Design Finalization: Choose final designs and submit them to our manufacturing partners to be turned into official SKUs with manufacturing that can be scaled to demand.
September 14th – October 1st

Product Launch: Mid October 2011 – The earliest that product will be available for sale. 

And you may be wondering, “why would you design a longboard brand to launch in the winter?” Simple! We’re making it a longboarder’s Christmas this year! Ho ho hope to hear your ideas 🙂

Contact

Submit any ideas in the comments or to the email below.

Send your design idea with your name, phone number, and location (country, state/province, city) to tparlette.hba2011@ivey.ca

And as always, make sure to check out: Longboardable.ca !

www.longboardable.ca

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Grassboard your Longboard. 2 dirty ways to use grass to your advantage on a Longboard

Longboarding at Withrow Park in Riverdale (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Restless Splinter.

Thousands of students across Canada and the United States. have already discovered the tremendous benefits that longboarding has to offer- fitness, time savings and smooth rides down paved hills to name a few.

Did you know that you can ride your longboard down grass hills as well? There are two cool reasons why you might want to do this.

1. Grass has speed-taming effect. At the park, you may be tempted to ride down long paved paths. If you find yourself picking up a tad too much speed, look for a grassy patch. Carve onto it, and slow the *%K down!

Tips:

• Turn at a 45 degree angle when moving from a paved surface to a grass surface (or vice versa), especially if the grass is not perfectly level with the pavement.
• Riding onto a flat or low-incline grass surface will slow you gently to a stop.
• Watch out for pine-cones and sticks!
• Cut across grass patches when turning onto intersecting paths.
• Ideally use a board that has a fully-gripped deck, not spray on grip.

It takes some getting used to, but you’ll be glad you did it if you get out of control and need to bail.

2. Tackle steeper hills. On paved surfaces, there’s a limit to what most of us will tackle. The fact is, on grass, since there’s more friction to slow you down, you can tackle steeper hills without getting up to dangerous speeds. It’s loads of fun. Does anyone have a scientific equation for this phenomenon? If so, let me know in the comments 🙂

Tips:

• Lean back
• Watch someone else do it first
• Try on a smaller hill first
• Bail if you have to

Careful, you might get grass burn!

A note about bearings and maintenance. If you choose to use your longboard on grass, your bearings will wear out faster. However, most riders (including myself) really can’t tell the difference. If you can tell, then I sympathize. You have two options- buy a new set of bearings (under $20 retail) or miss out on grassboarding!

Open up a whole new world of places to go on your longboard. Scroll down for more pics.

Andrei Calinesu before riding down.

Andrei Calinescu mid-hill.

Withrow Park grassboarding on a Restless Shredder Longboard.

What a high!

www.longboardable.ca

In other news, our new online store is nearing completion. Should be up and running by September 2011. Tristan Parlette.

2 Ways to Lock in Your Gains in Business. ROI of over 500%

Are you in business and not sure how you can become more productive and save time?

Well, so am I, and I have some advice for the lot of you!

1. Use a Microsoft Template! This activity is so easy, I don’t understand why people don’t do this. Using templates will save you hours of time formating in the long-run. What’s the difference between a template and a regular office document? Basically nothing, except that when you open up a template, you’re creating a new document with whatever has been premade instead of building a document from scratch. Building a document from scratch is usually a huge waste of time, especially if you routinely use similar types of documents! Not to mention, you’ll probably build the document differently each time, leading to sloppy mistakes and an allure of unprofessionalism.

Using templates is a great way to increase the professionalism of your business, and save countless hour-glasses full of time.

Templates Save a TON of Time: Longboardable Letterhead

Notebooks save time too!

Steps:

I. Open up Microsoft word, excel or powerpoint.

II. Chose an existing document, or create one from scratch.

III. Modify the document so that it becomes a blank and consistent starting point for all future documents of that type. Add your business logo, change the fonts, titles, themes and colours, add instructions for employees, and write down tips that you might otherwise forget.

IV. Select “Save As” and choose “Microsoft word template” (or whichever template suits your needs).

V. Rejoice in the time savings! Avoid formatting your future documents.

Another way you can enjoy these time savings and then some is to customize an existing template to your future needs. Microsoft word comes preloaded with a ton of templates, such as letter-heads, budgets and so forth. There are also hordes of existing user-made templates on the web. The documents you use are probably not THAT unique. But if they are somewhat unique, no matter! Just modify a template by opening one up, and “saving as” the way you did before.

So how much time can this really save? Well, according to my calculations I stand to save roughly 12 hours per month. That’s an 800% return on my time investment (building the templates) Per month!!!! And that’s assuming I need to build entirely new templates from scratch each month!

800% ROI per month. Do it. Do it now!

2. Automate your workflow! If you own a Mac, there’s a program called “Automator” which allows you to automatically command your computer to do things in predictable ways. The best part is, you don’t need to be a computer programmer to use it. It took me 4 or 5 tries to get the hang of it. Don’t fret though, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the hours you’ll save by using it.

Take protecting your files for instance. Are you protecting sensitive information? Something tells me you’re not, since going into “preferences” on Microsoft word is a hassle and typically of low priority. That is, unless you loose some sensitive business information to a competitor or an employee with his or her nose out of joint.

Try using automator to set the passwords for 10 or more documents at once. Or just password protect them all!

An automating that adds a password and “Author” field to a batch of documents took me 12 minutes to make and less than 1 minute to run. It doesn’t matter how many word docs I have, it will still take me a fraction of the time as it did before! The automator build is a one time undertaking, but the savings are recurring! As an entrepreneur, I can’t afford to spend loads of my time on seemingly low-priority busy work. Why not let your Mac do the busy work for you!

I could automatically modify every document on my computer in less than half an hour! The best part is, any time you want to do this again, you have the automator file you built save (like a template) for future uses! The more work you have to do, the better your return on time invested building an automation is.

Automater Start Page - Where the Time Savings Begins

I. Start by opening up a new “custom” automation.

II. Drag pieces into the field. Make note of what needs to be your “input” and your “result”. Match your outputs of previous actions to inputs of subsequent actions. A good place the start is by ‘getting’ the files that you want to change. Files usually collect in folders so the “get specified finder items” is a good place to start. Remember, whenever you are getting folders, and what you really want is the items inside the folder, you must use the “get folder contents” operation so that your computer knows to modify the documents inside the folders, not the folders themselves.

Simple Automator Process

Simple Automator Process

III. If you’re new to automater, test your work and view the results after every operation you drop. If you are unsure of a result, test it with 1 file before you modify an entire batch of files.

IV. Search the modifications you want to make. Many are available online, but for a new user I would suggest searching within automator’s existing operations, for simple tasks you often find yourself doing, such as modifying many files in a similar way. This applies to most all types of files- images, folders, documents and so on.

V. When using microsoft word operations, make sure that you filter out any of the selected documents that aren’t .doc, .docx, or .txt files. Also make sure to filter out files that have the “/” in their names- for some reason these don’t work well with automater.

VI. Add the “security” operation to your process to set a password for all the documents (when the process runs). Also add the modify properties operation to change meta-data such as author, description, keywords etc.

Microsoft Word Automation Example: Set Word Document Properties

VII. Don’t forget to add the “save” and “close” operations to your word documents. You don’t want automater to leave 20 + unsaved files open.

VIII. Save your automater file for future use! Lock in your productivity gains! Encourage staff and collaborators to use automater.

I find that even 2 hours a day spent on making my life easier in the future has profound compound effects. In essence, as one person I can now do as much busy work as 4 or 5 people could the manual way. Best of all, over time you learn how to automate faster, which results in ever greater returns on your time investment.

Automator Time Savings (Return on Time Investment)

With 5 automations per month, processing 1000+ individual files through routine operations such as filing, renaming, setting metadata, sorting, converting etc., you can save days of your time. Skeptics! I know you’re thinking that these numbers seem too good to be true. Well, if you’re a slow learner and you don’t have many tasks to process this is most definitely the case. However, if you use automater and give it your undivided attention for 3 hours, you will most certainly save time in the long run. However, if you don’t even try, and continue to do things the old way, your ROI will always be a big fat 0%. You may even loose your competitive edge to guys like me who take the time to learn about how their computers can save you a ton of time.

Lock in your gains, and remember that achieving a high ROI (t) is as important, if not more important than achieving a high ROI ($). Why? because the more time you save, the less stressed you’ll be, the more important things you’ll be able to do, and the fewer employees or outsourced services you’ll need. And if we all do this, we’ll all have more time to worry about what’s really important- our health, our friend and family, and our happiness. 🙂

Bonus Time Saver: Don’t open more than 8 windows at once on your web browser. Though you might thing mass opening will save you time, it won’t. We’re usually much too impatient, and as a result switch from tab to tab looking for the page that loads the quickest. In reality, this slows everything down. Take it one or 2 pages at a time, and you’ll be able to fit in more pages viewed, and more article read per hour. Take it from a chrome-tab addict currently in rehab.

Shameless Plug: And if you’re in the market for a Longboard, checkout Longboardable.com. We launch in September.

Why I Chose Longboarding

You’ve probably noticed a lot more people riding around on wheeled platforms this year. They’re not regular wheels though, they’re extra wide, and extra soft. The soft, flexible, polyurethanes that we have today weren’t always around. Longboarding today owes its existence to the evolution of durable, yet affordable plastics, not to mention to the invention of trucks.

Of all the many benefits of Longboarding, here are the TOP 5 REASONS why I Longboard.

1. Short learning curve.

When you’re busy, picking up a new sport is the last thing on your mind. But to reap the many benefits of longboarding, it helps that the sport is damn easy to learn. In the words of a fellow Tristan, “There was literally nothing to learn” (in the context of me teaching my sister how to longboard).

WHY is it so much easier to learn than Snowboarding, Skateboarding or Wakeboarding?

The ANSWER may surprise you. Continue reading, or scroll down.

2. Worry-Free Six Pack

When you get into the habit of Longboarding, your six-pack just happens. Impossible? It happened to me, and it can happen to you.

I’ve only had a true six pack twice in my life. The first was when I was in my mid-teens. Back then, I had the self-discipline to go to the gym and do sit-ups 3 days a week. That gym was a dungeon, but it was all worth it for those coveted abs.

Then highschool rolled around. Along comes drinking, weed and income to buy fast food. Opps. That six-pack shrunk to a four-pack, then to two pack.

The beauty of longboarding is that your abs develop naturally as you move from A to B. You don’t have to think about isolating muscle groups, or cramping your back. Your abs develop on their own, because they help you progress in the sport. Your abs are flexed naturally, not forcefully.

What would you do if you stopped thinking about your gut, and started thinking about something else? Who knows. But thinking about your gut is a huge waste of time, no?

There’s nothing wrong with a gut, and you shouldn’t feel shame for who you are. But if you want a solid core, and you’re like me and just naturally lazy, taking up Longboarding will surprise you in more ways than one.  Your woman (man, or lack there of) will thank you for it.

3. Shorter Commutes.

If you’re like most recent grads, you probably take the bus, or public transit to get to work. (I’ll get to you car and bike people in a minute!) The problem with transit isn’t just the speed of the vehicles. Admittedly, the transit stops slow you down, but in many cases transit saves you time because transit vehicles often have the luxury of avoiding traffic with dedicated lanes or by being underground.

What really kills transit as an efficient transportation option (in terms of total trip time) is traveling to and from the stops! Longboards really cut back on this time. Your walking time can be reduced by 2/3rds, with a longboard. Easy. And what about those days when you get up a tad too late and you miss your bus? No sweat- beat it to the next stop! More often than not, you can catch up to the bus with your longboard, and save your late ass from having to make up an excuse. Longboarding is a refreshing way to wake yourself up.

Then there’s the time you save walking in your neighborhood- getting to and from stores, your place, restaurants, the post office, fast food, the bank and so on. Individually, the trips don’t seem like much – 10 minutes saved here, 2 there – but collectively, small savings can free up a lot of time. I calculated that I save 30 minutes per day by longboarding around my neighborhood. That’s a 90 hour savings for a 6 month season (seasons are generally 8 months in Canada, but I took out 2 months to account for rain days).

So longboarding frees up an extra 90 hours in my life, what will I use that time for? Well, I’ll use it for sleeping in. I’ll get more work done in a day. Relax more. Read more. Socialize more. What would you do with an extra 90 hours?

Bike People. I hear your skepticism. Why not get a bike? You murmur. Bikes are, after all, faster than longboards. You’ve got me there.

Here’s the thing. The average speed you travel is not the only factor at hand. Disagree? Then might I suggest you take an airplane to work? Clearly there’s something else at play here- albeit exaggerated in the plane example. Speed isn’t the only factor that affects how long it takes to get from point A to point B.

Taking an airplane would be absurd traveling across town to your office. Why? Because you can’t walk out your front door and onto a plane. You have to set up your flight, and get to and from the airports and wait for your bags to finish rotating around a metal conveyor belt. Waiting, security and boarding will eat away at your time. Now, at sufficient distances, taking a plane does make sense. At some distance, a plane and a car actually take the same amount of time in total.

Total Trip Time = Distance /Average Travel Speed + Set Up Time + Put Away Time + Delays

Now, unlike bikes, with longboarding, you can ride right out the door every single trip. (Most people don’t keep their bikes in their front closets.) And when you’re on a longboard, you can take shortcuts that bikes simply can’t pull of. Bikes make sense for distances of >1 KM. (up to a certain point)

Longboards make sense for distances <1 KM.

I drive. Not a ton, but enough. Cars are good at what they do, and since they’re a permanent fixture of you place of residence, the set up time is pretty modest. But what about parking…

Parking kills your time gains. Looking for it, walking from it, paying for it, defending yourself for where you do it. Don’t even get me started. But hey, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. Parking is one of those annoying facts of life and owning a car. But you can still save time with a longboard! I longboard to and from my dad’s car wherever I go.

Most people don’t associate time-savings with Longboarding. But here’s the catch- when you’re doing something to save time, you will naturally do it more. Commute your gut into a six pack, and save time in the process.

3. Sweet, sweet carving.

I’ve cross-stepped around the biggest selling point of longboarding. You can carve down a street, the way you carve down a snow-covered hill. You can even propel yourself across mostly flat terrain. No holding onto a rope behind car, though that does sound like fun. I never thought it would be possible to feel a smooth road in the same way that you feel power on a hill, or perfectly flat water at the cottage. I was wrong.

4. The terrain park is already built.

Just take a look in your backyard. If you’re like most people, you live in a city. Your city is your playground. I guarantee that if you live in any decently sized metropolitan area you will discover a ton of great longboarding spots, that are already there!

Board Sports are my thing. I was weened on Waterskiing, and have indulged in Skiing, Snowboarding, Surfing, Wakeboarding, Kneeboarding and Wakeskating over the years. I was never a fan of Skateboarding because I didn’t have the patience, or the tolerance for pain. The fact of the matter is, these sports are great, but I can’t live in the city and get any good at the same time. They simply aren’t accessible. I can’t wakeboard home from the bank, though if anyone finds a way to do this, kudos! Drop me a line.

5. The price is right.

You can get a decent complete for $250. And the nice thing is, you aren’t paying for gas for your boat or for lift tickets. There’s barely any maintenance and you can use the helmets and pads you likely already own. And if you substitute transit, for longboarding you can put those savings towards a better board. Then there’s the value of your time.

Bottom Line: When it comes to board-sports, you simply can’t beat a longboard in terms of value. I discovered Longboarding last year and am on my 2nd season. Today, I’m maneuvering the streets in ways I hardly thought I was capable of last year. It’s really that easy.

5. bonus; help the environment by consuming less fuel.

I’m not saying a longboard the solution to the environmental crisis, but it’s a step in the right direction. The less we burn the better.

Your answer…

So why is Longboarding so much easier to pick up?

Simple- accessibility. Unlike Wakeboarding and Snowboarding, you can typically longboard within 2 minutes of walking out your front door. The result? While the sport might not be THAT much easier pound for pound, it is much MUCH easier to get the time in. Not to mention, you save yourself all the extra work and energy involved in putting on snow gear, or filling up your boat with gas (and recruiting a spotter) every time you want to go out. That effort can be redirected towards getting better, and getting better faster.

And what makes it easier than skateboarding? Cracks. Longboards can ride over cracks with ease, (due to the big urethane wheels). Skateboards can ride over cracks too, but for beginners, cracks can bite, and seriously turn you off the sport.

And lastly, if you’re from Canada, check out our commerce store. We live and processing orders as of Friday August 19, 2011.

www.longboardable.ca