Official: Surfing improves your sex life!

Winter can be tough, its dark outside, cold, wet and your next riding fix might be weeks away. Hang in there champ! Thanks to www.nollie.tv here's five reasons why riding boards like a Snowboards, Surfboards, Skateboards and Spindecks is good for you:

1. Ban boredom. When you've got a board of some description to get on, I can guarantee you'll never utter the dreaded b word again.

2. Travel. Be it surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding or mountain biking, you'll get to go places you might never have discovered otherwise.

3. Body benefits. Get on a snowboard or surfboard and your thighs won't know what's hit 'em. Most extreme activities are also a fast track way to burn calories, and it's fun!

4. Adrenaline. This stuff is the best drug around, and it's as good as free. You'll soon be addicted to getting your fix.

5. Pain. Yes, this is a strange one, but the pain - be it from wiping out or knackered muscles - just makes the good times even more worth it. Plus it puts your every day whining right into perspective.

As if that wasn't enough Nike have just published a survey of 10 000 young European women confirming what we've always known: playing sport improves your self-esteem, perception of success, pride, sex drive and self image.

On average, half the women quizzed were involved in sport, with Germany boasting the most active young women, with 67% of the participants involved in sport, while Turkey had the least at just 41%.

But it's not just the obvious physical benefits that have girls stoked on sport - the survey also found sport makes women stronger emotionally. Of those involved in sport, 41% said they could 'conquer the world', 77% have more confidence in themselves, 77% feel successful, 85% feel self pride, while 62% have raised self esteem. Plus, 68 per cent of those ladies involved in sport, said that sport had an even bigger positive impact on their lives - in their career, education, social lives and relationships.

Conducted by independent consumer research group TNS, the online survey was carried out in The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Russia, to gauge what drives young women to take part in sport. For more info go to www.nikewomen.com.

Three really easy peasy ways to train

We all start a training program with good intentions but it all too soon becomes a right old chore. To make it easy here are three easy ways to fit a quick spindeck balance training session into your daily grind. Give one of these a go and see how easy it is to find the time to ride.

1. Spindeck on the phone - One of our customers wrote to us recently and had this brilliant bit of advice. She had found that by leaving her spindeck next to her home phone she naturally spent her phonecalls standing on it, improving her core balance and keeping up with gossip all at the same time.

2. Spindeck while brushing your teeth - A crazy old american friend of mine who is actually a keen skier once told me that every morning he exercised his quads (thigh muscles) by squatting down about 6 inches while he brushed his teeth. You can do this using a spindeck too: Start off just riding the spindeck wih your legs only slightly bent, then as you get the hang of it start to bend your legs further and hold it for longer. Soon you'll be like my old friend and building power in you legs and improving your core stability every day.

3. Spindeck while washing up - This is something we all hate doing so why not make it worthwhile by bringing your deck to the sink. Whilst standing on the spindeck lean forward against the sink front for support if you need it. As you bend and twist your upper body whilst washing you'll be working your core balance to the max and building strength in your feet and calves counteracting these movements.

Document Snowboard Magazine reviews the Spindeck (Issue 49, March 08)

Document Snowboard Magazine have given the Spindeck their much coveted LabRat approval this month. Check out the what they had to say here:

It's early spring, you've not been able to escape to the mountains, can't afford to go to the fridges, it's too wet outside to skate, and surfing? Well, let's just say it's not happening. So what are you going to do to keep your balance and spin trickery dialled? Step in Mr Spindeck to fill the breach. Spindeck is a platform for you to learn new tricks and take your balance to a higher plane. Basically, it's a balance training board that tilts and spins in all directions so standing on it is (kind of) like riding for real as you try to pull turns, grabs, spin 3s. It owes its existence to the wobble board and the skateboard but it's made for spinning, which is what separates it from other balance trainers. We've been playing with it in the office and it does exactly what it says on the tin - tuning your core balance with just five minutes a day - and it's fun (you've got to see web editor Andy's face as he tries it)! Whether it improves our riding has yet to be put to the test.

VERDICT
Whether you're an absolute beginner, a competitive athlete or just someone who loves to ride, Spindeck is designed to help all riders improve balance and fitness and learn tricks. In fact, we're loathe to part with this piece of wood but, being the selfless creatures we are, we've got one up for grabs. Just email rachel@documentsnowboard.co.uk and tell me why you deserve it RACHEL DEVLIN. EDITOR

Shaun White Lands 1260 in XGames Snowboard Superpipe Final

Shaun ‘the Flying Tomato’ White wrote a new chapter in the snowboard trick history books at the XGames 12 Mens Superpipe Final in Aspen, Colorado on Jan 27th landing the Games’ first 1260 spin.

Despite less than ideal conditions and a shaky run up to the final the worlds coolest ginger landed what many of us have been thinking was only possible on Xbox. Dropping in for the final run, tunes pumping Shaun kicked things off with a monstrous Lien Air and an inch perfect McTwist. Checking off the last of the fundamentals with back to back 900s Shaun readies himself for the big one. 3 full rotations and an inch perfect landing.

The 1260 in snowboarding is a feat akin to Tony Hawks infamous skateboard vert 900 that firmly cemented Tony with God like status. Whether the same can be said of Shaun White remains to be seen as the young lad still seems to have a fair few years left in him yet. Maybe he’ll try a little harder next time and add a cheeky grab to that 1260.