el Guano- by Josh

Much needed progress report

2010-03-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Oh Yeah, I am supposed to do this. So here is the season thus far. We shifted gears a little on production this year. Brought it back to where it all started, in Sandpoint. Grinded through the Christmas game, and are happy we got everyone's orders out on time. Since that time, we have been busy going all directions.
We have been bringing back the winger model, which allows us to reach a lower price point without compromising durability. Thanks to Batwaves teamriders Dash and Kix Kamp, along with Jake Mehrens, Batwaves teamrider and Ski coach for Schweitzer's SARS freeride team for all of thier imput. Skis, yes I said it. These mitts are designed to fit in those straps on those ski poles much easier. We are very exited about these mitts, both from a cost point, as well as fit and of course durability. The freeride team will be showing them off at USASA Nationals this year, and will be available for the masses next season.
I have had the opportunity to be involved with the USASA Inland Northwest Series this year, both as a judge at some of the events, and as a PROUD SPONSOR. This series has some of the best competetors in the country. Dash and Kix Kamp, along with Ashlyn Parker, Logan Sanborn and possibly even her dad Dave are among the Batwaves team riders attending Nationals this year at Copper. Huge thanks to Dave and Courtney for letting me be a part of the big show, you guys do a great job with these events!
Canyon, my two year old has been getting in some days on his little Burton Chopper, hopefully some of the video will turn out. I didn't try my Burton board out much, I guess I love my Libtech it is bomb!
In more important news, my awesome wife is about to have another baby boy. Like maybe today or tomorrow and she is awesome. Can't wait! Really though, today or tomorrow.

Noviembre!

2009-10-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

Wow what a summer. We spent a lot of time in locations undisclosed plotting our take over. I am sorry we haven't kept up with blogging in months. I live in the real world.

I am happy to announce that Dash and Kix are on board. The Camp brothers are two of the best in the northwest. I look forward to following their season, they are all class, on and off the hill.

I am also happy to announce that I will be riding Burton this season. Mt Hood rep Leia Sherblom has done a hell of a job all summer convincing me that EST is where it is at. She deserves a raise! Either that or we are going to steal her from Burton's team. Powder days are still reserved for my Libtech however.

And on the Batwaves home front, I am very happy to have another baby boy on the way! Canyon is now two, and learning how to ride the half pipe on his skateboard. My incredible wife has been working on the Winger design, which is a scaled down Batmitt. They are now in prototype development. We will have them available in six sizes, which pretty much should cover everyone size wise from birth until death.

By scaled down, I don't mean compromised. We will still be using the best fabrics on the planet, they are simply faster to put together, which translates to lower price point. We don't cut corners, These mitts are incredible! Stay tuned, we will get some photos up soon- really!

The new

2009-02-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

So my friend Del called me last night and reminded me about this thing. Wow, we have a new President! Alright, so let me take it back a little bit. We had a very good (for our standards) Christmas rush. I was very happy to deliver some last minute on Christmas Eve to several people around town. Per his request, we drank several beers on that same night in honor of our friend Ryan Wells, who spent Christmas in Afghanistan. Thankfully he is back home now, at least for a bit.

Oddly enough, a friend and I took a drive to undisclosed places in North Idaho on New Years Eve. Now here is the weird part, Team Batwaves literally picked Bruce Wayne up hitch hiking into town. I still think can't get over that. Shortly there after, we created the Armani Purple's for newest team rider Ronnie Armani. Stand by for new photos. Ronnie, Ryan Anderson, and Noah Armstrong have been up a couple times with the legendary photoghrapher Chris Brunkhart, I think they along with the rest of us are waiting for some fresh.

We have been having a great time trying to keep up with the Holland brothers as well. Nate is currently the hottest on the planet, with Pat right behind. Keep it rollin'.

We also have been supporting some local events, my friend Matt over at Dethbox is gearing up for a rail jam tomorrow night.

And lastly, I am working on getting stuff out to our friends in Utah, Colorado, and Oregon. Please keep bugging me though.

OH yes, and everybody should check out my friend Ken Barrett's Selkirk Powder company up on the mountain, you haven't seen crazy North Idaho until you spend a day with them. Peace.

Thanksgiving Name Droppin

2008-11-27T22:32:00.000-08:00

November is over and the jet stream still has not shifted. Don't worry though, my prediction is five days until snow. I had a chance to check out the Seattle snowboard forum, Thank you to all of the people who have posted, we appreciate it. I even see a little name dropping going on there- nice.

Unfortunately, Matt Goodwill didn't wear Batmitts. I wish he did based on the response, but don't feel that you guys should be discouraged by the news. So I decided to do a little name droppin, because I can. Team Batwaves began back in the Baker Hardcore days. Some riders are still around, some are dead, but one thing is for certain, they are all from the Core. Some names you have heard of, and some probably not. Team riders have spanned the globe, and some continue to do so. So here goes- the most complete Team rider list we have come up with to date:
Tex Devenport
Jeff Fulton
Jay Liska
Nate Holland
Pat Holland
Anton Pogue
Annell Allen
Cyrus Briggs
Dan Coffey
Dustin Varga
Dylan Omlin
Eric Holdridge
Jaime Moore
Josh Korvin
Matt Krovisky
Scott Stamnes
Steve Adkins
Todd Mason
Tom Nordwall
Tory Madsen
Weegee McAuliffe
Wendy Keller
Aaron Kennedy
Andy Brewer
Bryan Hollenbeck
Cassie Tauber
Charles Patterson
Dawn Fidler
D.J. Smith
Gavin Skilton
Jacob Tyler
Jason Basarich
Jeff Yates
Joe Bailey
John Ledford
Jordan Ketchersid
Katrina Sweet
Luke Edgar
Madalina Silva
Mike Cotes
Mike Waldrup
Nick Rust
Dave Sanborn
Rob Skala
Steve Fisher

And the list undoubtedly goes on. Last weekend we sponsored a showing of the Let It Ride Craig Kelly tribute put on by Keith Wallace. Jeff Yates, John Ledford, Steve and Terry Mathews, and a whole crew attended. Good times were had by all.

Ryan Anderson and Noah Armstrong are the newest team riders- Look out!

And I think this concludes my name droppin session. As for Batmitts, Del got his before the snow flew- what about you? Oh yeah, and Happy Thanksgiving-Josh

THE BIRD IS THE WORD

2008-11-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

Wow I managed to put this off for a while. So let's get right to it. Batwaves is working on sponsoring the USASA northwest series. Roots. Batmitts are on location at Dethbox Skate and snowboard supply as we speak. Groundzero will have them next week (provided Bucky's melon heals). We should also have them available in time for opening day at the Schweitzer employee store. Roots. Batwaves basically originated on midway of legendary chair one.
We will have a new long sleeve tee available for Christmas. The black short sleeve tees are nearly gone forever, get them while you can. Batmitts are going quick, I have said it before, order them soon.

Batwaves is also very happy to be keeping Ryan Anderson's hands warm this season. We will have a bio up soon for him. Noah is riding Rome this season. A shout out to http://www.oneshotproduction.net/ and their release of the Corndog Diaries, check it out! And also a special thanks to Angela Miller at the Tower Theatre in Bend, for letting us be a part of the Warren Miller extravaganza. And also a shout to the core over on the west side
www.snowboard seattle.com forums have been very kind to us, thank you. And also to Annie Fast at Transworld, for mentioning us in her blog. And to Marianne Love, who managed not even to mention that she was our number one investor in that wonderful article in the River Journal. Funny how that works.

Sooner or later, I will find time to be a little more organized with my thoughts and blogging. Maybe I will even be more regular with them, but in the mean time,
THE BIRD IS THE WORD -

Red October update

2008-10-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

And so with the elections coming up, It seems everybody knows everything. Isn't it funny how we all seem to know one way or another why we are right and everybody else is wrong. It is my opinion that they are all nuts anyway. Who in the hell in their right mind would want that job? Simple answer: nobody. I heard a funny reggae song for Obama the other day. OH maybe I should vote for him. But then again, I was born and raised Republican. Palin was born in Sandpoint, so maybe I should vote for them.
That in itself should be a red flag warning. I know plenty of other crazy people born here, so it kind of adds to my theory. I guess my feeling is that it is a wash. There is so much wrong right now that whomever the next President is, their entire term, good or bad will have this shadow of doubt cast over them. I wonder where they want to start a war. It is all a hypocrisy. Thomas Jefferson is rolling in his grave right now wondering what it takes anymore for people to really force change. The sad thing is that all of this political crap consumes the airwaves instead of important things like Afghanistan. Rumor I get is that things are heating up over there. I don't know if anybody got to see the photos of our banner in combat, but check them out. The mountains in the background are more or less the Tribal region of Pakistan. Now, that is the real deal.

Sandpoint is still here. Batmitts are in high demand as the mornings get seemingly colder and colder by the day. Our 300 Polartek fleece is guaranteed to keep you warm even when you don't really need them. But seriously, they have been tested at -40 By Bob Hempstead on Everest. Really, they are the last mitten you will ever need to buy.
I also wanted to give a shout out to the Tower Theater in Bend Oregon, MT. BACHELOR rocks! Sorry we weren't there in person, but I know that Angela can represent! With any luck at all, we will be there next year.
Another shout out to Dave Sanborn, the new Director or the USASA NW series. Congrats man, we will see you up there.
Hope this blog has gotten you up to date. For the record, the elk are losing with Team Batwaves this year. Captain Andy got his boat out of the shallow water before it was too late. Sam is busy preserving the sanctity of the Sasquatch. Well, that and he found himself a wonderful girlfriend. Noah has good grades. Life is good in the panhandle-Josh

Viva Afghanistan!

2008-09-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

I do a pretty good job of avoiding this blog. I am busy making mittens. Snowboarding is very enjoyable with them on. Snowmobiles are more fun with Batmitts. Back country adventures, it is a given. These babies rock.

The economy might be crashing all around us, but people will always have cold hands. We at Batwaves are unharmed by the outcome of the elections. We are not effected by the Government bailout or the inevitable crash. Fuel prices still suck though. It is funny how we all get caught up in the mundane worries of modern society.

We tend to focus on these stupid things instead of what really matters. On September 11, our private pilot flew one of our banners in combat over Afghanistan. For me, the pictures really hit home. It is so easy to forget about the crazy shit we have going on daily around the world. Right or wrong, good or bad, real people that we all know are there. We all sit back night after night and catch the short blurb about another car bomb or suicide attack. We all have become desensitized to the situation.

I guess it is easier not to think about what is going on. Ryan Wells doesn't work that way. After serving four tours as a Ranger in Iraq, he decided to get into flying helicopters. He is very much the real deal. We were very excited to fly our banner, but in hindsight, I a very glad to have cheered up a local who is a long way from home right now. That is what is important. Check out the photos, they will be on the site soon.--Josh

Free Trade

2008-09-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Well we have met the standard. Batmitts are back. The legend continues. Apparently from what I can find, we are the only snowboard mitt manufacturer in the United States. I am a sheltered North Idaho boy though, I may be wrong. In a way, I hope I am wrong. What happened? The U.S. has gone soft. Want to know why your mitts or gloves don't hold up? It is because they are made with B grade materials. The fabrics used are spin offs of the real stuff. We use 1000 denier Cordura. The closest thing to compare to ours is made with Kadura. Looks the same on the shelf, lasts half the time.
We aren't changing the standard of our mitt. 100% of materials are domestic. We have spent hundreds of hours locating and testing sample fabric in order to insure durability. Every detail is as it should be. We wouldn't have it otherwise.
I was reading Transworld the other day and read a letter to the editor about which companies were Free Trade and the like. I can say that as of now, Batwaves is not yet part of that band wagon. We are however, producing snowboarding mitts locally, in the U.S.. And we pay our people a good wage. I wonder if I was a part of Free Trade if they would give back to us for putting thier logo in our stuff. Isn't that what it is really all about? Our mittens are the most durable practical design there is. Give them a shot- you will love them.

Georgia bigfoot

2008-08-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

Bigfoot was not found in Georgia. It was a hoax. My good friend Sam the Just new it was from the get go. He heads up Batwaves "Save the Sasquatch" brotherhood. That's right, we know where they are, and what they are up to. If Bigfoot wanted to be found, they would be. Not in Georgia though, especially this time of year. Sam has had several encounters in undisclosed locations. His most recent was a couple of weeks ago. Stay tuned for some photos. Sam's relentless pursuit has inspired us to add another color to the arsenal-Camosams. They are a must have for bigfoot hunters everywhere.
The Baby Blues are a must have for the ladies. Rock solid Reds hold true to their name. The Stealth Bombers are exactly what they should be. The ever popular Rastas are also back by popular demand. Photos will be on soon. The full lineup is back, and they are going fast.
So while the Georgia thing was a hoax-let me tell you-Batwaves and Bigfoot are on the planet.

Buckle up

2008-08-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well, August has been a great month for the Bat. We had a very good time at the Ziggy concert. I cooked up 60 hot dogs and set about 200 kids up with glow sticks. Good times were had by all. Ziggy closed it down with a second to only one version of Redemtion Song.
The following morning was the third annual King of the Kongcrete skateboard competition. I think everybody in town should check this one out next year. The level of competition is fierce. A special shout out to Jake Doty, who was the only competitor to receive the coveted Batwaves Broken Leg award-nice work!
Oh yeah, did I mention Batmitts? We are giving final instruction this week and production is underway. I've got sizes S through XL - Stealth Bomber style. Other colors are available as well. Stay tuned for photos- the camera is still in Rome. In the mean time, call me and get sized. You don't want to miss out- they are going quick. Buckle up, the Batmitt is back!

Noah- Team Batwaves

2008-08-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

I have been an athlete for ever. I have been involved in many sports over the years and have been around alot of very talented athletes. About a year ago I met one of the most talented athletes I have ever had the chance to meet. He just had a birthday- he's 14. I am very happy to announce Noah Armstrong is the newest member on Team Batwaves. He has been riding for nine years and let me tell you, he's got what it takes. We'll have his bio and some photos in the coming weeks.
In further news, Anton is still rockin the disco in Chile. Del is busy getting his Captains licence so he can drive the houseboat for Mike Waldrup's bachelor party- congrats Mike! Toby has been killin the oregon surf-alot. I've been sewing some mitts. My wife hasn't shot me yet, apparently I am grouchy when I sew. I told her I am just picky. Again, I say, she hasn't shot me yet. Oh yeah, and Ziggy is coming to town. -peace- Josh

Smiling on the inside

2008-07-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

I have found that I am pretty good at avoiding this blog. I am not a blogger. I much prefer to do just about anything, but decided it was time for a quick update. Batwaves has sponsored Jeff Smith, a professional triathlete. We are very happy to have him on board, and believe he will be an asset to our company for years to come. Secondly, Batwaves was notably absent from the 4th of July parade. We had intended on running a veggie oil converted Dodge dually, but our good friend Capt Andy Bailed. Batwaves did however get even, and Capt Andy woke up on the morning of the 4th to see his beloved Gooby building covered with toilet paper- and yeah baby, Batwaves bought the good stuff. I had a lot of fun with that one, and am currently looking for our next target. Incidentally, if you were counting on some free stickers, track me down, I'll get you set up.
On a more serious note, Batmitts are going to be another month, not to worry though, it is still going to be too hot for them anyhow. That is, unless you are in Chile, perhaps next year I will be able to Anton, but for this year the Disco is all you.
And for all of the frantic people who can't get enough of these blogs, relax, my wife assures me that I will have time to be more consistent with these. I told her I am smiling on the inside- go easy- Josh

The Batmitt

2008-05-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

Batmitts were designed in 1990 by Peter Larsen. They were created specifically for the Iditabike mountain bike race, a grueling 200 mile race across snow. Batwaves bought the pattern and began marketing to snowboarders. Since that time thousands of days, not hours, have gone into research and development. A great number of people were involved in many ways over a long period of time. The end result is what it is. Batmitts are the most practical mitt design on the planet. They are the most durable. 18 years tried and true. I think that our competition wants to be what we are. The real deal.
From time to time I get questioned about the mitts. Rightfully so, and yes, for some of you, we have been taking a long time. I suppose we could have produced a bunch for last season. We could have rushed, it is easy to get caught up in the moment. Instead though, we have produced a few pair. Del Sanborn has been very instrumental in getting us through an immense learning curve. The Batmitt, while perhaps simple in appearance, has been refined over the years to optimize it's performance and durability. Del, Chase, and Dave Sanborn, along with Keith Snyder put their heart and soul into it's creation. It wouldn't be right to produce the mitt half assed.
We will have Batmitts soon. Our quality will not be compromised. We will be at the standard everybody expects and knows, guaranteed. They are not produced in China. Each and every piece and part that goes into Batmitts is made in the United States. They are put together by real people in north Idaho.
I guess it works both ways. By not having them available yet, We are allowing everybody enough time to get their tax stimulus check so they can buy them. Take it easy- Josh

2008-05-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Shortly after the movie Back to the Future came out in 1985, my parents gave me a skateboard just like the one in the flick for a birthday present. My good friend Andy fueling really liked my board, and after about two months(when his birthday came) his parents got him a board of his own. Now, I don't exactly remember how, but over the course of the next few years we managed to acquire a few ramps and had strategically placed them throughout our neighborhood. We had a few good friends who would ride until the sun went down, and then do it all over again the next day. One of those friends, Adrian Shreve, was always bragging about his uncle Matt, who was a bad ass skater. For years, this went on. I think we all had this ten foot tall image of him.

I think it was 1993 when I first met Matt Splat. He isn't ten feet tall. He is, however, a skater through and through. I remember back then thinking man, why doesn't this guy have a store. Well fifteen years later, he does. Matt Splatt's Dethbox skateboard supply opened its doors to the public for the first time on 5/1/2008. For the record, I was the first one there. I was there at least thirty seconds before Andy Fueling. I was pretty well beside myself seeing him pull in. What a Flashback. In any case, as I stood there thinking of the past, Andy slipped in and bought a new long board. Dethbox is on the planet-skate or die- Josh

season is changing

2008-04-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yes already, Batmitts are coming together. I've been slacking a bit as the season changes. Hiking has been good and I've been kayaking a little bit. I guess I'm looking forward to the warm season (maybe it will be dry) so I can break out the long board. I'm also starting to get back into the ramp. I'm looking forward to fresh scabs. I've been biking a decent amount lately, that is pretty much the only way to keep in touch with Del over the summer. It should be interesting trying to do quality control on Batmitts while riding the trails around here. That's how we do it. The hard way.

Rebecca has been working very hard on sourcing fabric and it looks like all of our parts and pieces that go into our mitts will be made in the U.S.A.. Yea, she has been working very, very hard. I didn't think the U.S.A. made anything themselves. Surprisingly, (and thankfully) she proved me wrong. We are in the time consuming process now of waiting for samples. I think everybody is getting tired of waiting, I would be too, but I already have mine. The fact of the matter is that we are taking our time and insuring that quality meets our high standard.

Josh

How about a Blog!

2008-04-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

We wanted to create some more interactivity on our site so we decided to try out a Blog. We will be writing about everything under the sun on here.... and hopefully, you will respond back! Let us know if there is something you want to hear us talk about. You can find all our contact info on our site. We hope to develop this blog significantly more from these humble beginnings. As time goes on, we hope to bring you posts from team riders, extreme sport enthusiasts and anyone else we can think of that would be interesting.