Born out of immense love and undying friendship, Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) was founded to spread awareness about breast health among young people. In 1996, a group of surf, skate and snowboarding Bettys set out to honor their friend, snowboarder Monica Steward, who lost her life to breast cancer at the unfathomably young age of 26. Later that year with incredible backing from the boarding industry, Lisa Hudson, Kathleen Gasperini, Dawn Kish and pro snowboarders Tina Basich and Shannon Dunn hosted the first ever B4BC Snowboard + Music Festival, which not only combined Monica’s passions, but raised awareness and funds to fight breast cancer.
Now celebrating twenty years in the “ring” with breast cancer, B4BC continues the good fight by empowering young people with awareness on how to live healthy, active and sustainable lifestyles. B4BC is on the road 10 months of the year, providing preventative education to thousands as well as curating kickass music and boarding events (with artists like Blink 182 and the Foo Fighters) across the country. They even have a Survivorship Fund which provides resources for recently diagnosed and breast cancer patients and connects them with awesome nature-based wellness retreats .
B4BC staff at their 20th anniversary ‘Amplify’ art exhibition. Image courtesy of B4BC
Chasing Sunshine ocean retreat. Image courtesy of Tahnei Roy
Still to come from B4BC this year are The Exposure Skate event on November 5th and their annual Shred the Love winter series kicks-off at Big Bear’s local mountains with a rail jam and lap-a-thon on December 9th.
We asked B4BC to guide us to their favorite ways and places to stay active and healthy in LA so that you can get started right now. Because whether you’re a bro or a broad:
Early Detection + Healthy, Active Lifestyle = Best Prevention
Stand Up Paddling at Mother's Beach
Marina del Rey
Kathleen Gasperini (Executive Director): You can easily rent boards at Pro SUP Shop and paddle through the Marina and into the ocean if you’re up for it. You’re also never alone SUP-ing there. Or you can SUP with a little dog on board.
Or a flexible friend ... Image courtesy of @oceanyogi6
Olympus Stand Up Paddle Boarding
Redondo Beach
Maggie Gonzalez (Outreach Coordinator): You might even see some whales! Paradise Cove and Little Dume in Malibu are also amazing if you want to SUP on some waves.
Image courtesy of @sunsetsup_mama
Skating at Venice Skate Park
Venice
Kathleen Gasperini: There’s lots of gals ripping in the bowl but if you’re a longboarder, the Bike Path from Venice stretches all the way to the Palisades and it’s a great push along the ocean.You can ride your beach cruiser up the coast as well, if the longboard isn’t your thing.
Ladies of @theskatekitchen at the Venice Bowls.
Hike at Point Mugu State Park
Malibu
Lili Strasser (Marketing and Outreach Manager): Find a spot to park on PCH and head up into the small canyon. The beginning is an all-out uphill battle, but the views from the top are so worth it! You get a full view of the Pacific Ocean and Malibu. Head back down the hill and walk across the street to jump in the water for a post-hike swim in the ocean. You can get quite dusty on this hike so it’s the perfect way to clean off.
And this isn't even the top! Image courtesy of @freudandfashion
Surf at County Line Beach
Lili Strasser: County Line is on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura County. The waves are perfect for beginners but still fun for those more advanced riders as well. Park right on PCH across from Neptune's Net and head down past the gaggle of motorcycles that are always parked out front. When you’re done with your surf, drive down the PCH and stop at SunLife Organics for an amazing smoothie or acai bowl.
WeHo
Courtney Linnborn (Outreach Coordinator): Best vegan Mexican food ever!
Image courtesy of @gmweho
Yoga at Hot 8 or Bikram
various locations
Megan Pischke (Health and Wellness Manager): Both great places to get your heat on. Benefits of a hot yoga class include: Detox the body through the largest organ––skin. Heat and humidity allows your body to safely deepen into postures. It boosts your metabolism too!
A pack of upward facing dogs at Hot 8 Yoga. Image courtesy of @hot8yoga
Surf!
Huntington Beach, Hermosa Beach, Zuma Beach
Megan Pischke: Each of these beaches has really good sunsets to wind down the day. Zuma Beach has this consistent slow wave that is great for longboarders for beginners.
Image courtesy of @surfridersacademy at Huntington Beach
Lunch at Cafe Gratitude
Venice, Larchmont, DTLA
Kathleen Gasperini: Cafe Gratitude has the best juices, food, salads, desserts, and there’s also purpose and meaning behind all of it! Friendly staff!
What are you grateful for? Image courtesy of @cafegratitude
Bonus tips for breast cancer prevention and early detection:
How should we combat long hours of sitting at desks and in traffic in Los Angeles to stay active?
Kathleen Gasperini: To combat sitting at the desk, we actually do a great deal of work in our warehouse organizing, moving around, or we meet in other locations. But our usual go-to is yoga. In our warehouse we have these huge yellow eco-friendly futons from The Futon Shop which are great for chilling on during a busy day. We actually use them for our events sometimes, but they work in the office too!
What music has been helping powering you through your workouts of late?
Courtney Linnborn: B4BC made appearances at the California dates of Warped Tour this year and is hoping to be on the entire tour next year. I’ve been into a lot of that type of music lately, especially pop punk. Bands like State Champs, Neck Deep, With Confidence, Broadside and Four Year Strong have such high energy and give me that extra push when I need it.
Best way to get involved with the Shred the Love movement and support B4BC?
Kathleen Gasperini: Follow @b4bc on social media and spread the word! We also have several partners that we do collab products with like Volcom, Nomadix, Nixon, Odina Swim, Proof Eyewear, POW Gloves, Von Zipper and Gnu Snowboards. So check the B4BC website, and get yourself some cool products. You can also support by signing up for our newsletter or donating at: www.b4bc.org/donate. And all of our events are on our events page!
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Belinda Gosbee is an Aussie writer, actress and coffee snob based in Los Angeles. Follow her jaunts on twitter @belindagosbee or instagram @gos22
Featured image courtesy of B4BC
