I don’t usually post a lot of random product announcements unless it tickles my fancy. This one I’m featuring purely because I still love the midwest, even though I don’t really want to live there. If you’re a long time reader you’ll also know I’ve got an affinity for all things Surf Ohio/Cow Skates. Assault Skateboards just released a board for Ohioan Mark Heintzman that is more or less a re-issue of his old ketchup bottle graphic for G&S. Assorted Mark Heintzman video and photo paraphernalia after the jump. – Thanks to Jeff Haynes for the tip.

Limited time offer expires at midnight tonight. 20% off with discount code SKATEANDANNOY. Get your fashion on at Maple XO.

Portland skateboarders foiled a possibly deadly assault on a woman, knocking out the ice pick wielding assailant with a skateboard and holding him until police arrived. Good job citizens. Were these skaters the PDX equivalent of the Red Angels of Dragnet City? (Noprize anyone?) Nope, they were skating a recently built concrete ramp outside of River City Bicycles, where the owner of the shop had the ramps built specifically “for learning tricks on.” While he doesn’t specify whether it was built for skateboards or bicycles, he credits the “quarter pipe” with saving the woman’s life. OK, we can give him that. There’s room for bikes and skaters to get along in Portland (BIke lane! Bike Lane!) especially if you keep building spots for us… As long as you look up the definition of quarter pipe. Is it just me, or does that look like banks and not tranny? – Thanks to Shawn F and Sam for the tip. [Source: BikePortland]

This is a detail from this week’s Shot of the Week, a Gabe Trejo photo of Frank Shaw riding the face of one of the three full pipes at the Myrtle Creek, Oregon skatepark. Check out the full frame shot of the week.

The guys over at Skatehouse Media and Wheelbase Mag have really upped their game when it comes to capturing downhill race coverage. Who would have thought throwing a helicopter into the mix (when not dropping into a mega ramp) would be useful, but for downhill it really is nice. While I was waiting for the video from Maryhill (still above top) to make the final cut, the crew went to another event in Colorado called the Buffalo Bill Downhill. Unfortunately, the helicopter crashed! But fortunately nobody was seriously injured and the whole thing was caught on video and in stills. The two photos in the bottom are credited to Marcus Bandy at Wheelbase. The one on the right is from a preview of the race, while the one on the left is an amazing shot of the helicopter as it is hitting the ground.. After the jump, catch video coverage of the crash and Maryhill footage with absolutely no (helicopter) crashes.

This is actually the second grass board I’ve seen in this week. Billy Meiners made this as part of a design class project. Check out the grassboard in action after the jump.

Reader D.I.Y. from the U.K. This spot first started with something called the rainbow ledge, a curb that kind of looks like a rainbow. It’s apparently mostly a one man operation, or at least it has been in the past. I don’t know where this guy finds all these curved preformed concrete curbs, I want one. There’s some videos after the jump, but you might as well head on over to the Rainbow Ground to catch all the pictures, including construction phases. – Thanks to G-S-E PC for the tip.

This week’s Shot of the Week is a Thom Bleasdale photo of Robert Mead at a skatepark in Barnstaple, North Devon. Check it out.

Year # 2 has started a great saturday BBQ/SSSS. The unofficial caretaker of Pier Park (Mike Swim) has the saturday session rolling again. So bring your meat and pads and take a dip in the deep end with the grown-ups, but most of all bring your meat skills. Swims Saturday Skate Session (Pier Park)