We got wind of this video at Whitelines HQ and thought that you people might want to see it. Is the world going mad?

http://mpora.com/videos/2mFqQ6Me3
Grenade stickers cause controversy >>

The latest issue of Whitelines features an interview with Mr Kass and we actually spoke to him about the problems he’s had after naming his company ‘Grenade’. As you can tell in the video, he’s very diplomatic in his answer but it’s nice to see the spirit of snowboarding hasn’t left these kids and they’re fighting for what they believe in!

Alas, this is not all from our conservative American friends. Some of you might have heard about the recent fuss over two of Burton’s new snowboard ranges – the Primo and Love. For those of you who haven’t checked out the Buyer’s Guide (and why the hell haven’t you?!) the Love features 80s Playboy models on the topsheet. Meanwhile the Primo shows fingers being cut off – or as the American newscasters have delightfully put it, ‘self mutilation’.
Check out this video…

http://mpora.com/videos/pb3QXEYN2
Burton Undresses New Line of Boards >>

Having begun as a local news report, this has actually made national news in the states with CNN covering it. The campaign, which was initiated by one fairly pissed off father, has now gathered quite a lot of momentum, with a fair few letters and emails scathing Burton for their choice of graphic. Since this uproar, Burton have announced that the Love boards will be fully wrapped in store, and will not be sold to anyone under the age of 18 – à la top shelf magazines. Quite an occasion when our boards start getting censored!

One thing that has been noted though, is that Burton aren’t the only company using pictures like this to sell their products. If you check out the Head J.O. Pro Ski line this season, it’s got a picture of a lady in a bikini. Haven’t heard too much noise about this one though! Also, the Rome Artifact boards are based on 1970s New York strip joints – but I’m guessing it’s a bit too hard to make a fuss over the word ‘nude’? And older riders out there might well remember the Sims Fader graphic, which featured porn queen Jenna Jameson. Needless to say no one batted an eyelid until the big ‘B’ came out with something similar. If you’re interested in all this graphics stuff (or you just wanna see that old Sims graphic in all its glory) then Issue 81 of Whitelines features an article about how and why the pictures on your board get chosen. We’ve also hunted through the archives to showcase some of the best graphics of all time.

Let us know what you think. Send your letters to [email protected]