I’ve been half heartedly trying to spark some interest in a skateboard print magazine based in the Northwest, something like For the Krew does out of Florida. It would be fun idea, lord knows we have the spots and the talent in this region. Nobody wants to bite on this idea, because print is a pain in ass, and it seems like Concussion is 2/3 Northwest coverage lately anyway. That being said, this week’s Shot of the Week was recently in Concussion as a half page advert for Merde Skateboards, a merdvertisment, if you will. It’s Chris Nukala in his back yard, shot by Michael Goetz of The Skateboard Archives. Way to go Nukala, you’re looking like a star! It’s been pretty amazing to see the local talent in Oregon and Washington come of age since the first good parks were built. Check out the Shot of the Week or see the Merde advert after the jump.

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Social Security tax withheld, health insurance, wages and tips, 401k, lunch break, overtime and staying late so some jerks can come in and make a pick up. Work sucks. Sometimes you get to work someplace where the fringe benefits are intangible, as far as the I.R.S. is concerned. You’re even luckier if you can get the benefits without actually working there anymore, as is the case with Nick and his smith grind. Click to enlarge.

Some parents buy kits to assemble swing sets and sandboxes for their kids. Things in Oregon are a little different. I was at a BBQ this weekend where the dad had built a small mini ramp and a rock climbing wall on the outside of his wife’s studio almost entirely made from salvage lumber. This was a “Welcome Spring” BBQ in Oregon, so of course it rained, but dad had the possibility of bad weather covered. Alternate picture after the jump.

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Hectic in Seattle sent in some pictures that have nothing to do with each other, well at least two of them do. He thanked me for my time and consideration. I am thanking him for the pictures.

Clockwise: John “Grizz” Vallio at the cancer bowl in the Hills circa 1997. Danny Roland at the Tidy Bowl in Hell Paso, Texas. Dave Tobin at Tedders. Clay at his own house. You can see them enlarged after the jump.

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What the heck is going on here? Mike from Old Man Army sent in a couple pics thoughtfully (and sensitively) titled Rainbows in the desert. It makes a lot more sense when you see them full frame.

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All I want for Christmas is a private bowl like this. Well not exactly like this, but you get the idea. These shots are about a month shy of being two years old. Since then this now complete private spot in Oregon has appeared in print and video too, if I recall correctly. Those walls are deep. I think the trannies are something like 12 feet. Don’t ask me where. It wouldn’t help you anyway, and I was only there as a hanger-on. I think MC has actually ridden it.

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This week’s Shot of the Week is a 1986 picture of Rob Washburn at the Cito ramp, taken by Doug Pennsinger. Check it out.

Somehow or other I got included on an email trail with Bruce Adams, whom I don’t know, but he replied this sequence of Terrell Schmidt going over the death hole at a spot I just saw in a magazine somewhere, but can’t remember where it is. These are just a few frames from the middle. You can see the whole thing after the jump.

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Tracy Sigler built a mostly modular miniramp in his basement and documented the hell out of the whole process. It cost him about $800 to get all the materials delivered to his door to build what looks like a 12 foot wide 3 and a half foot tall mini ramp. I’ve built a handful of ramps in my day, and I’ve been known to over engineer my structures so that they could withstand large earthquakes (or small Grover-quakes.) Tracy builds them right. He’s more of a Yankee Workshop ramp builder than a measure once cut twice guy. Er, I assume tracy is a guy, or maybe I’m just a sexist pig. Tracy even has a nice diagram on how to set the coping (too low!), which is one area where a lot of first time ramp builders balk. Check out Tracy’s basement ramp break down, he/she is Heavy Duty.

The saga of Caz’s ramp continues. When assembled, The ramp is 75 feet long and ten and a half feet deep in the deep end. It’s half shallow, half deep with a connecting hip section. You can see pictures and video of the ramp in it’s various states on Antigravity Press, and supposedly on the Plywood Benders site. I never skated this thing but heard about it every now and again. It was a private operation in a barn somewhere, then it was supposed to be some sort of a skate camp type operation that never got off the ground, and lastly it was being assembled in an indoor skatepark in Troutdale Oregon that never opened due to permitting problems. Now it can be yours if you have an extra $10,000 and a really, really large garage. The pictures form the Craig’s List post makes it look like a Noah’s Ark episode of In Search Of. In fact, isn’t that Bigfoot in the upper right hand shot? Let’s hope that thing get’s sold before the rain hits. Thanks to Joe Martin for the tip.