Oakley knows how to throw down a sick comp as the Arctic Challenge brought out the best in the game. All the competitors were charging in hopes of taking home top honors but it was Kevin Pearce who ultimately was the man who got it done. Boosting huge double grab 720’s was his ticket to success.

Terje Haakonsen, Nicolas Muller, and Shayne Pospisil were a few of the other snowboarders on hand who were pushing the limits and going huge. Terje was absolutely killing the quarter pipe going 8 meters out and stomping backside-3s. That’s no surprise as last year it was Terje who set the world record with an absolutely insane 9.8 meter (32.5 ft) backside-3.

Still on the subject of Terje, it was him and Nicolas Muller who were both floating stylish McTwists that were a crowd favorite. The action was pumping and Oakley was hailed for putting on one of their best comps ever. It was a big night for Oakley and the 5,000 screaming fans that showed up for the show.

It would be wrong for me to write this post and not give a special shout-out to Shayne Pospisil who definitely brought his ‘A’ game. He was the only rider that landed all five of his final runs. He was absolutely on fire and he threw something different on each one of his five final runs, making sure to spin both front and backside. It’s really refreshing when riders mix it by throwing something different on each run.

Overall, the theme of the night seemed to be style, style, style. This made it a great chance for spectators to really get into the action by watching their favorite riders throw-down in a smooth fashion instead of trying the most technically difficult tricks. I personally would much rather see a stylish double grab 720 (the winning trick) than a flailed out 1260. What do you think - do you prefer stylish tricks or technical?

Oakley also has a video recap on their site, check it out.

Today Oakley announced the release of HOLESHOT, a Swiss-made watch the blends Oakley’s original style with Swiss precision. The HOLESHOT is inspired by Oakley athletes for the active lifestyle of action sports athletes.

There are two editions of the HOLESHOT that will be available. One includes a six-hand analog display with a chronograph that offers the ability to measure cumulative time, intermediate time and split time to a tenth of a second. The second is a reduced-scale version with a three-hand analog display. Both versions of HOLESHOT are made with a durable stainless steel case and a rubber band. A dual-seal crown protects the case against water pressure equivalent to 330 feet (100 meters) beneath the surface.

Oakley continues to innovate and roll out solid new products in both eyewear and other accessories including apparel. Unfortunately they’re an example of a huge company that hasn’t managed to stay ‘core’. That’s what happens when a company goes public and has shareholders to please and can’t help themselves from selling out. To Oakley’s credit, their sales were up 29% in q2, thanks in part to all the ‘barneys’ wearing their shades.

There seems to be some very common trends happening in the apparel industry lately. One that I’ve noticed recently is companies collaborating with artists to launch limited-edition collections. Today Oakley jumped on that bandwagon with the announcement of a new limited-release eyewear series called the Oakley Artist Eyewear Series. The series is a focused extension of the company’s SQUARE O collection. It includes custom design treatments by influential artists, musicians and designers from around the world.

The collection features unique Oakley designs that are inspired by the lifestyles of its athletes as well as their cultural influences including music, art and fashion. Oakley president Colin Baden says.

Influential artists, musicians and designers will use some of our most sought-after frame styles and contribute original graphical frame treatments, imaginatively rendered logos, and logo icons formed from special materials to create unique eyewear editions.

Oakley has also developed a proprietary multi-layer print process to achieve the highest level of graphic resolution possible. Each of the artist series will be available in limited quantities and only available at exclusive retailers. Oakley expects to release an ultra-exclusive Collectors Edition once every quarter.