The end of Summer is such a bittersweet time to be a surfer. Time in the water becomes so much better with winter storms rolling in and conditions improving on both sides of the Island. Time on the beach however and the feeling of pulling on a wet suit for the second session of the day becomes much less appealing. That is unless you’re wearing a Ripcurl Flashbomb. Not only is this one of the warmest suits on the market thanks to its Merino wool lining, an achievement on its own that could see this suit branded as a market leader. The real tour de force of this suit though is the speed at which it dries. Known universlly as the fastest drying suit in the world, come the second session of the day this suit will truly show its party piece. You’ve finished your first session, headed in for a warm up and some food and the dread is rising in you about pulling on a wet suit as the snow starts to fall. Not however if you’re a Flashbomb owner, for you pulling on your suit feels almost as good as it did first thing in the morning and all yo are focussed on is another great session in your favourite time of year. Come down, try one on. After all, winter comes but once a year and if you need an excuse, Christmas is coming…

Posted in Surf, Uncategorized, Wetsuits by Dan on September 24th at 11:20 am
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Chase has been out with the Big Dirties crew and the results are as sick as ever. What better way to spend a hot September than sessioning with your friends in a perfectly dry park. We’ll be keeping you updated on Chase and the rest of the team as the Fall gives way to Winter and make sure even on those darkest of winter days you will have some footage to warm you up!

Posted in Chase, Skate, Team by Dan on September 24th at 10:35 am
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It seems with every day of sunshine our boy Tanner finds time to be in the water, come to think of it he doesn’t really need the sunshine and as long as the lake isn’t frozen over he will be out there. Enjoy another sick edit from Tanner and as your thoughts are turning to snow spare a thought for the guy that will be out there producing the footage we all love to watch whatever the weather throws at him.

late september set with tanner champion from jordon goodall on Vimeo.

Posted in Team by Dan on September 24th at 10:23 am
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With Winter just around the corner Alternative Groove is excited to present the most diverse, high tech, comprehensive and innovative collection of snow goods Vancouver Island has ever seen. New additions to the lineup include Union and NOW Bindings, DC and Lobster Snowboards and the return of Holden Outerwear. Add this exclusive bunch to the huge selection from industry heavy hitters Burton, 32, Vans, Forum, Foursquare and Flow and you have the only place to need to go to find all you snow needs covered.

Posted in Boards, Clothing, Life in General, Snow by Dan on September 24th at 10:07 am
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Some could say it is exciting times simply reflecting on what was one of the best surf winters in recent memory, others could counter that with the growth of the Ripcurl Pro Tofino and the growing exposure of Canadian surfing and its stars that this would qualify. For us at AG it is a combination of factors. Great conditions including those rare days where it is not just possible to surf local spots, but when you hear it reported that ‘Parksville’ went off this winter makes you realize just what an epic place we live in. With the re-distribution of sand by Mother Nature on some of our favourite West Coast spots leading to unheard of consistency in beach breaks we are shown yet again. What better time then for us at AG to grow once again the surf side of the store.
There were smiles aplenty last week as the delivery driver brought in box after box of sweet new Channel island boards (check out http://www.cisurfboards.com/ for more info). Dumpster divers, Neckbeards and Cheesesticks ranging from 5′7 up to 6′1 are hanging right now just waiting to be christened in the Pacific ocean. To see another fleet of drivers dropping in over the following week bearing the fruits of a long winter of ordering and selecting the best new product available to make your summer of surf from Ripcurl, Xcel, Dakine, Gorilla, Futures and FCS brought the excitement up another notch. To say the least we are not done yet, over the coming weeks expect more additions to the wall to keep you prepared, stoked and on the peak of the wave of what the surf industry has to offer.
Looking for a new board? Our current selection includes:
Channel Islands Dumpster Diver – 5′7 – 6′1
Neckbeard – 5′7 – 6′1
Cheesedick – 5′11 – 6′1
Wizard Sleeve – 5′4
Flyer and Flyer 2 – 5′11 and 6′0
Gravy 5′9
Pod 6′0 – 6′2
Select Aloha, Firewire, Spider, 7S, Blue, NSP Walden and McTavish ranging from 5′8 up to 8′1. For more information on any of the boards, current availability and to just talk surf drop by or call 250 390 7433.
For all current up to date information about the upcoming Ripcurl Pro check back here, visit our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/alternativegrooveboardshop

or the official website: http://ripcurlprotofino.com/

Enjoy the surf…. AG

Posted in Boards, Contests, Life in General, Surf, Uncategorized, Wetsuits by Dan on May 25th at 12:46 pm
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Check out the link below to buy a $50 Alternative Groove gift voucher for $25.

https://www.westcoastdailydeals.ca/index.php/50-for-25-at-alternative-groove.html

Now is a very exciting time at AG, Spring is in the air and with it comes Slappy Frank. Coming through the doors we have everything from new surfboards, men’s and women’s apparel, new shop skate decks to swimwear.

Happy shopping!

Posted in Uncategorized by Dan on April 13th at 10:51 am
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As the rain pounds on your windows and makes you long to be on the mountain where the snow is falling again we get a friendly reminder that we are in the middle of February and there is a lot more winter to come… To help you make the most of the seasons offerings AG is stoked to put on a mid-winter 30% off outerwear sale… Come down and check out the best selection of technical outerwear in Nanaimo and pick up all the latest styles and innovations at 30% off… If you have questions or want to know more about the benefits of waterproofing, sealed seams, breathability and high tech zippers we want to help and will make sure you feel comfortable and stoked on the decisions you make. See you in the shop… AG

Posted in Uncategorized by Dan on February 9th at 2:21 pm
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AG will be closed this Sunday Jan 29th for inventory, this means there will be some very confused snowboarders, surfers, skaters and haters pretending they can count past 10 with their shoes and socks on…. We are sorry we have to do this once a year but if you need rentals for Monday come and see us on Saturday and we will make something happen for you. Otherwise stock up on all your needs between now and then and then go make the most of the new fresh snow, the winter swell and any dry concrete you can find without us!!!…. (crying)…

Posted in Uncategorized by Dan on January 26th at 11:13 am
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Once you have your board choice dialed in and you have settled on your choice of camber you need something to strap onto your new pride and joy with. When it comes to choosing bindings there are a lot of options out there so to help you get the right choice first time here are your essentials.

Bindings are the link between you and your board. With this in mind the best guide to choosing the right binding is matching it to 3 things.

Riding style – The more aggressive the rider the stiffer the binding. The more rails and butters a rider wants to do, the softer the binding to do it with.

Size – A big guy will need a stiffer binding if he wants quick response and lots of support from them because he will bend them more easily. For the smaller riders amongst us, the opposite is true as a light rider can ride much softer bindings and find them responsive and supportive in relation to their weight.

The rest of the set up – A stiff pair of bindings in between soft board and boots will effect the balance of a set up. When everything matches you get the optimum ‘feel’ from your set up. Think of your set up as moving like a chain reaction, taking your actions and releasing their effects onto the snow. You can certainly ride with stiff boots and bindings and a soft board or vice versa as long as the odd one out of the three is at the end. Put this in the middle and it serves as a blocking point. Finding the optimum balance for your set up allows you to make the most of your investment and have the most possible fun on the snow.

Features to focus on.
Highbacks and forward lean. This enables a rider to bend their knees without trying, therefore helping them put the board on edge more easily. Great for beginners and aggressive riders in backcountry or pipe, not so good for jibbers.

Toe caps. This pulls the foot into the highback. If the heel of a boot is snug in the heel cup the binding and boot will be able to do their job. It also spreads out the pressure on the foot by pulling against the solid part of the boot rather than on top. The foot has a major artery running along the top of it so putting excess pressure on the top of the foot reduces blood flow to the toes. With greater blood flow the foot stays warmer for longer which feels good!!!

Straps and baseplates – Soft and supportive is good. Memory foam, leather and gel inserts all offer greater comfort for the rider. Burton offers a lifetime warranty on their base plate again this season for the ultimate piece of mind and Rome, Flow and Forum are using metal in their designs to give you the ultimate in strength.

Bindings work or fail ultimately by their fit with your boots. Too big and your boot moves around in the binding so if you are adding new bindings to your set up this winter there is a lot to be said for bringing your boots down to the shop with you when you come. When you get here you will see all your old favourites with Burton, Forum and Rome and the new addition to our range for the ultimate in convenience Flow.

Posted in Snow, Uncategorized by Dan on November 18th at 2:34 pm
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Are you ready?

Winter is coming. Looking out of the window and seeing a bright sunny day it is hard to believe that we are in the middle of October. Step out into that sunshine though and you will feel the harsh bite of winter building up and if reports are to be believed, and this does turn out to be the coldest winter in 20 years we are in for a treat. Ullr has spoken and has decreed upon us a second La Nina winter in a row, what does this mean? Well put simply lower than average temperatures, and at this point they are saying at least 5 degrees celcius lower than normal, and above average precipitation. Think last year on steroids and you are beginning to get the idea of what Mother Nature has in store for us.

With this in mind and with the amount of fist pumping excitement this is generating, we at AG are going to help you decipher the world of snow technology to help you make the most of what could turn out to be the best winter Vancouver Island has ever seen. First up is the industries biggest talking point right now, camber.

Camber can be broken down into three main categories with then slight variations on these themes.

Positive Camber – The original. This shape allows the rider to bend the board to create pop and rebound and to allow the board to be deformed. When a rider stands on a positive camber board they will feel it flatten onto the snow putting 90% of the board in contact with the ground. With positive camber when we bend the board to a certain point the board will push back to regain its original shape. This push back can either be the effect produced when bending it along its length in an ollie i.e. pop or when twisting it torsionally when turning i.e. rebound. When riding a board in powder because we are not on edge we need to bend the board torsionally again, this time without the pressure of pushing against the hill on an edge the board is deforming and therefore banking against snow to create the turn and float.
Best uses for this shape are: Pipe, groomers, freeriding, park riding.
Key features for this shape are: Stable at speed and on landings for jumps, tons of pop, lots of rider feedback.
AG top picks – Bataleon Evil Twin and Goliath

Reverse Camber – The New Kid. This shape takes everything surfing has been preaching and brings it to the snow. Reverse Camber or Rocker has been a game changer in the sport. With Reverse Camber a rider’s balance point transfers from outside of the feet to between the feet. The ends of the board both angle up and the contact points (where the board comes into contact with the snow) are determined by the rider’s stance. With this shape the board will turn and respond very quickly. With less board touching the snow and the feet determining where the contacts points are any movement of the body will transfer directly to the board. For a rider this means the board will be easier to rider on steeps, in trees and in icy conditions where riders want the quickest response possible. It will also be easy to butter and press on both the snow and park features and be easy to spin. Possibly the best use of reverse camber is float in powder. With the nose of the board pointing up and the curvature of the rocker the board allows the rider to stay afloat with less effort and a more centred stance.
Best uses for this shape: Powder, rails and boxes, learning to ride, butters, moguls and chop.
Key features for this shape are: Easy to turn, lots of float, effortless feel to ride and super playful
AG top picks – Lib Tech Skate Banana, Forum Manual and Aura, Rome Artifact

Hybrid Camber – Mustache, Mountain Pop, Flying V, Easy V, C2…. This shape is the possible best of both worlds. It is a combination of cambers. Positive camber under the feet to retain all the advantages positive camber brings and reverse camber between the feet to utilize the positive effects this brings to a board.
Best uses for this shape are: Anything!!!
Key features for this shape are: farts
AG top picks – Burton Custom, Rome Agent, Lib Tech Travis Rice, Gnu Riders Choice, Forum Destroyer

We have a great selection of all these styles in the shop right now and will be able to work out with you which one best suits your needs. Check back next week to see how height and weight affect your board choice and to find out more about what bindings there are on offer, and how they will help you have more fun, shred harder and make the most of your time on the mountain… AG

Posted in Boards, Life in General, Snow by Dan on October 16th at 3:43 pm
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