Roller blading is a combination of ice skating and roller skating. Skateboards could not have been developed without advances made in plastics. These innovations are a marriage of Yankee ingenuity and space-age materials and technology. Each new development opens possibilities for others and for other syntheses. Spending on recreational activities has been growing about twice as fast as the overall economy.
Economists classify recreational spending as a luxury good.
A luxury good is any expenditure that increases faster than a person's total income. An example of a non-luxury good is food. As your income increases, the percentage of your income spent for food tends to decrease. The recreation industry has also become a major presence in Humboldt County's economy. Moonstone Mountaineering makes a variety of products related to mountain climbing, kayaking and camping.