Wunseidelramp turned out to be a hot topic last time around. Thanks to Martin for kicking down some photos and a video of the finished project, as well as a couple more construction photos to stir the pot again.

Niche niche niche niche. Skateboarding is dead, so I’m going after the Nietzsche markets. Ba-dum-bump! But seriously folks… I can’t remember how I found Bitter Bushings, literally like 10 minutes ago. I did manually type in the web address so I must have read it somewhere. Then only thing skateboard related within arm’s length of my current location is a copy of Skate Slate (ahem) Longboarder magazine. Something compelled me to check out these bushings that are made for cold weather. Bitter Bushings hail from Canada, which makes sense. Does it seem like snake oil or another pointless “invention?” Owner Clint McLean certainly takes a no-nonsense approach in his demo vid. I doesn’t hurt that he looks like a lumberjack either. He takes two identical setups, popsicle sticks with Indy’s, and put’s them both in a giant freezer to simulate cold weather. One has Bitter Bushings and the other doesn’t. One turns afterwards and the other doesn’t. I’d like get more information on the development process he went through because the lack of detail or background makes it seem like the skateboarding equivalent of cobbler’s elves delivered them in the wee hours of the night. In case, if they actually work,…

The NBC affiliate 9 News in Denver recently aired a piece on the impending opening of the new Arvada skatepark. The emphasis of the spot, apparently shot on the set of Masterpiece Theater (see photo), is on the “construction workers” that built the park, a crew that would go entirely unnamed were it not for an appropriately placed company logo on a hoody. I know these guys are technically construction workers, but it seems like a misnomer. It’s worth watching though, and there’s even a good laugh. What’s the name of their video segment? Why it’s “New park will attract skaters to Arvada.” I dunno… seems a little far fetched. Arvada is a Team Pain skatepark. Team Pain is actually a finalist in a The World of Concrete “Crews that Rock” contest. I don’t know what they get if they win, but if you vote you become eligible to win an iPad 2. Make sure to scroll down to get to the Team Pain listing, the page is kind of long.

It’s been around since 1976, skated heavily since then, and it even has a book dedicated to it. When Big O was in danger of being destroyed an expanding soccer stadium, locals banded together to try and save it. So what happened? Probably the most unlikely outcome, they dug it out, picked it up and set it on a trolley to move it out of harm’s way. That’s got to be a pretty satisfactory resolution, right? Now consider the fact that the relocation has already cost $100,000 (American or Canadian?) and it isn’t even in it’s final resting place. Weigh that $100,000+ against what they could have built with that money instead. They probably could have built two identical Big O’s side by side to the exact same specifications. Still, I can imagine the locals being skeptical of any new “skatepark” built on the location of such a historic spot. Imagine the city of Portland suggesting “We need to tear down Burnside under the bridge, but we’ll build you another spot across the street.” Look at the photo of Big O unearthed. There are no rough edges visible from where the concrete meets the dirt and everything looks completely uniform…

“I know it may sound absurd, but I dig the challenge.” No, not a direct quote from Bob Burnquist after his Simon Woodstock-esque stunt (turned up to a Spinal Tap 11…) Looks like a wakeboard mounted up on trucks which we’ve seen before, but not on the Megaramp in the rain for the love of Thor. Simon set his up like a regular skateboard, Bob’s setup looks a little like a longrider. Then again, Simon wasn’t dropping in on an 18″ or more of transition in the rain. Speaking of Simon, he seemed to be gearing up for getting back in the public world of skateboarding again, but then he suddenly disappeared again. Name the band I’ve sideways referenced and win a noprize, no fair using Google. [Source: Seventysixers]

Plastic army man kickflip, as seen on Threadless.

A phlebotomist is someone who draws blood. Grover is a phlebotomist, but he’s not in the Lifeblood video. He might be thanked in the credits though. Watch the Lifeblood video We Must Bleed after the jump. It’s 33 minutes, so grab your snacks and hold your calls. [Source: Skatedaily.]

A while back I was periodically updating the archive of periodicals, aka the 80’s Skate Zine Gallery. I’ve been lagging and sorely sagging. meanwhile, there’s Local Chaos out of Ann Arbor, Michigan whose print issues span 1984 to the present day, with a short period of abstinence. LC has more zines scanned in their archives (from all over) than I probably have in my whole collection. Time to get back on the horse.

It’s a little early to be constantly bitching about the crappy weather this time of year, but here’s a nice warm fuzzy video montage to remind you drier/warmer days, shot in and around Portland. It’s not a Chicago winter, but it still gets us down.