Eastpack and Red Bull footed the bill for 6 DIY concrete spots in Austria. These aren’t full sized spots, but rather single modifications to existing spots or sometimes creating a new spot by providing an approach to a previously unskateable spot. Nothing earth shaking, but cool nonetheless. There’s a short video clip by Niki Waltl that covers 2 days, 6 spots and more than 1000 kilometres by car. A few of those spots look like left over anti-tank barriers from the war. It is Austria, you know. Download it here. It looks like these guys made it happen.

€179 ($258 as of publication) will buy you a 4size magnet skateboard setup with shoes, the French Equivalent of the ex-Magnatron. It’s a bit more sophisticated than the Magnet Skateboard, the magnets are designed to be removable in case you have to walk across a field of hard drives and floppy disks at work or don’t want to get your feet sheared off in an escalator. They’ve even designed a special box that is supposed to make sure you never touch two of the magnets together. Apparently they are strong enough to be a pinching hazard. Hey man, did you break your finger landing that ten set? Nah, I did it putting on my skate shoes.

These French longboarders are a wacky crew. They have a photo set on Flickr called “Girls allowed in this area” comprised of photos that range from pinup style to “look at the silly things my girlfriend will put up with from me” to “these are my daughters.” Did I mention that every shot has a skateboard? Did I mention that one of the girls is a dude?

[Source: Longskate Paris]

Apparently you’ll get your car towed if you skateboard near Dresden, Germany. So implies this sign. Want to hear a good song? Listen to The Master Race in Outer Space from the Vandals second LP. When in Rome.

If you call “art” gluing a bunch of junk on a skateboard, then you’d love to be in my shoes. I got an incomprehensible email in French from Leo Scalpel with about a hundred pictures of art. I think he wants me to buy them, I’m not sure. Also available on Flickr, twice.

If you are bummed out about skateboarding not making it to the olympics, you can still get your roller-jollies from the the International Federation of Roller Sports. FIRS is planning on holding the first Skateboarding World Championship at an undisclosed location on an undisclosed date in 2008. Must be top secret. Here’s how they define skateboarding:

This is a show of the emerging roller disciplines which are day by day reaching the same importance of the “historical” official roller disciplines. Much appreciated by young people, these sports are stylish, aggressive, acrobatic, in a word: modern sports for young people.

SKATEBOARDING: Acrobatics on half pipes or specific skateparks on the renowned four wheeled platform. Recognised different styles: Freestyle – Aerials – Flip tricks – Slides and Lip Tricks.
First FIRS world skating Championship is scheduled in 2008

Hmmm… I can hear the controversy now. Do we want our renowned four wheeled platform acrobatics performed in unspecific or specific skateparks? Thank god we are approaching the same historical significance as the other official roller disciplines.

No word yet on who is on Team USA for skateboarding, but I hope they are as balanced as a certain Team USA figure skater who has this fascinating bio excerpt:

Most Prized Possession: My bass guitar

Hobbies: Playing bass guitar in my band.

Music Listened to During Training/Competition: Me playing bass guitar in my band

Unique Quality: I play bass guitar in a band called Currently Unknown.

Go Team Bass Fish Guitar USA! Let’s see, what else? Oh yeah, looks like they swiped a pic of a female street skater for use on their web site, but there are no credits.

[Source: Skate Daily]

Nothing like taking a hard slam while a fashion model laughs at you. For some reason, the New York Times went all the way to Paris for a fashion shoot with skateboarders. Don’t they have models and a few skateboarders in New York? They’ve got a behind-the-scenes video and a preview of some of the still photos that will be featured in a Sunday Times Magazine spread. Brace yourselves for “High-Flying Fashion” and “Haute Wheels.” and keep your eyes peeled at the last slide for a bonus Beastie Boys fashion shoot. New York readers, someone please grab us a copy when it comes out and we’ll send you a little soemthin-somethin. I like Morgan’s attitude, even though his name doesn’t sound very French. I don’t know about you, but our Skate and Annoy sessions are never surrounded by a bunch of models. Maybe they were for Stuf, a zine out of Michigan that did the whole fashion and skateboarding thing first, back in the 80’s.

[Source: The Skateboard Mag]

Carhartt is a work wear company that for some reason has a large presence sponsoring skateboard events in Europe, but is invisible here in the USA. Invisible except for the fact that you’ll see a lot of Carhartt being worn by some of the crews actually building skateparks over here. Mongolian Tyres is a skate video of a Carhartt sponsored skate trip to Mongolia. It’s about 38 minutes of mostly street skating totally ghetto spots in China without a lot of attitude. Very refreshing. I don’t know any other details like release date etc, except that it’s worth the watch. Chompy, why aren’t you all over this? Watch the vid after the jump.

[Source: Welsh Pete via Sleestak]

I came across this web site (get your mind out of the gutter) while doing some, errrr, research. Gaybar Zine is a German web site that handles all your skate, BMX, graffiti and even struller needs. Kind of like a modern Action Now I guess. I’m not sure what the connection is with the Gaybar title. Maybe it’s one of those things where it means something different in German, Kind of like the time I was in Polland and saw an amusement park ride called the “Super Fahrt.” Anyway, I can’t hear the words “gay bar” without thinking of the Electric Six.

Americans don’t have the market cornered on wacky skateboard inspired technology. From Germany comes the DIY Struller scooter and skateboard combo and from the UK we have the Magic Wheel, which is like a skateboard if it had one bicycle wheel replacing the front truck. Err.. and a shopping cart wheel on the back truck I guess. I’m reaching here. Will somebody please post some actual skateboarding on this web site?

[ Source: Magic Wheel – Gearfuse ]