Category Archive: Skate
Japan Day
Not because it’s breaking news, but because I keep getting tips out the wazoo. It’s popular demand. I love these videos, one of the few where the soundscape is an important part of the video, an equal with the and the skating instead of just filling the run time with some rad skating. It’s a sequence with Gou Miyagi (2009 SLAP interview) from Daisuke Takahashi’s “Subspecies.” A little bit parkour heavy, but still good fun, no matter what Carl says.
Jurassic Skatepark
In Pocatello, Idaho there’s a skatepark that’s been lying dormant for a good 30 years or so, and it’s only got a cursory amount of debris in the bottom, except for, you know, the trees growing in the middle. Look at those lumpy trannies! Steep enough for you?
Friday T&A on S&A: Plastic
How do you dress up and old idea? With half dressed girls of course. Globe’s Bantam Cruisers are pretty much the same thing that Penny has to offer (more on that later) so I guess that monopoly is over. Fortunately, what Globe lacks in original product ideas they were able to make up for in the well executed tribute to the 80’s visual style, albeit with a 70’s style plastic skateboard. Is it sexist? Sure, but is it fun? Yes. Great choice of Tones on Tail for the soundtrack too. The only thing missing are the Swatches. Wait, is someone going to hassle me for not knowing the correct plural form of Swatch? (Lego, legos LEGOS!) Pink Motel commercial footage after the jump. UPDATE: I just saw one of these in a skateshop. They did actually improve on the construction of the plastic skateboard. It’s dense, hard and stiff. Really sturdy actually.
Random Photo
A photo, but you know, not a Shot of the Week from Gage Thompson. Someone give this guy a job. I think he’s confused Skate and Annoy with some legitimate skateboard media source.
Skater: Trevor Colden
Date: Dec 4th 2011
Trick: Switch Heel
Location: Skatepark of Tampa during Tampa Am 2011
Photographer: Gage Thompson
The “Boneless One” One
Did you know about “National Boneless Day” that was floating around the interwebs a few days ago? There’s a short interview with GSD talking about the boneless one at the Skateboard Mag. I remember taking “BONELESS” stickers form the chicken packages at Value Check on a regular basis.
Bavarian Creme Part 2
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.
I’m Bitter
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, I think these could actually, you know, take off, eh! Learn more aboot Bitter Bushings after the jump.
New park will attract old cliches
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.
Continuity and Big O
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 in thickness, almost as if it was precast and put in place. Interesting. For a more local perspective, check out CTV Montreal. UPDATE: Much better photos over at VICE and an interview with the man behind plan to save Big O, Barry Walsh.
[Photo and source: ESPN] – Thanks to Tim Pain and Michel Poulin for the tips.
Always surfing
“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]











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