Sorry if you were looking for a New Year's pick me up, last week's events made this Weekly 7 quite a downer... minus the fact that Pastrana is awesome and that you are now a little less likely to get eaten by a shark in Australia. Happy New Year everyone. By Lauren Heurkins

Weekly 7 - January 4, 2010

Swiss Snowboarder's Cause Avalanche

Seven people were caught in an avalanche reportedly caused by three young snowboarders near Zermatt, Switzerland. Four of the victims were buried and were dug out by workers at a near-by restaurant. The snowboarders face up to three years in prison for obstructing a public path. Full story here.

Surfer's Angry with Rebel Tour Promotions

The Rebel Tour, developed by Kelly Slater's manager, Terry Hardy, and former boxing promoter Matt Tinely, has been using the names of several top surfers to promote their event, but apparently none of the surfers gave the ok. Managers and surfers alike are pissed and some are threatening to sue, including Taj Burrow. The hatred of a few world famous surfers is probably the last thing you want when trying to start up a new tour.

Travis Pastrana Breaks World Record

At 9:00pm on New Years Eve, Travis Pastrana jumped a rally car off a pier and onto a barge floating in Long Beach, beating the world record by almost 100 feet. After landing on the barge Pastrana celebrated by back flipping into the water below. Over 75,000 people crowded the Long Beach Harbor to witness the jump and countless others watched the jump live on ESPN HD.

Sunday's Skateboarding Related Violence

A 57-year old man from Georgia and a 9-year-old boy from New Jersey were both victims of violence on Sunday. Fourth-grader, and avid skateboarder, Anthony Maldonado was stabbed and later died after a fight somehow related to Tony Hawk's skateboarding video game. Meanwhile, Richard Hagler had stopped to ask a group of skateboarders to leave the spot where they had been skating and got hit in the head with a skateboard. Hagler suffered a broken cheekbone and had 15 stitches to sew up the gash on his temple.

Texting Sharks in Australia Save Lives

Great Whites who call the coast of Australia their home have now been electronically tagged with tracking devices that will send text messages to local lifeguards and the scientists who are tracking their swimming patterns. Once a shark gets within 1,600 feet of the shoreline the receivers will send out an instant message so that swimmers and surfers alike will be able to avoid attack. Read the full story here.

Kevin Pearce Suffers Serious Injury in Halfpipe

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce has been in the ICU since his injury during a training session in Park City, Utah. The 22-year-old caught his toe-side edge after completing a double cork on New Years Eve. Doctors announced that he was in stable condition Saturday, but that they are carefully watching his brain for swelling and heightened pressure.

Surfers Dodge Bullets in Kauai

Surfers enjoying the waves at Kauai's Targets spent the day hiding behind their boards after someone starting shooting in their direction. While officials deny that shots were fired, one former pro-surfer who desires to remain anonymous, claims that he had to be rescued by a friend on a jet-ski to avoid being shot.