Ah, Bart Simpson you old scamp. Skateboarders have a love hate relationship with him. At first it was just great to have you on our side, but like with so many skaters that keep with it over the years, he eventually ended up being branded as a kook, even though to my recollection he only wore a helmet in one episode. Nowadays we, as a skating population are more apt to give him grief for his poor style. However, a new era may have dawned on Bart’s skateboarding hijinks, thanks to the Skatebook. And thanks to Hulu, I don’t have to take the time to digitize it and eventually get kicked off YouTube again. You can watch the whole episode, but they also let you chose your own start and and end points, so you can embed just the segment you want to highlight. Genius.

Nothing beats a good dork session, except a dork session with some good skating. This is a clip from Beez III – Unusual Protocol. You can buy the whole thing on DVD combined with parts one and two over at beez.wiskate.com, which leads me to believe this crew is from Wisconsin. See, I told you I love the Midwest. Check it out after the jump. [Source: EPM]

I was trying to get my skate on the other day but still dragged the camera out for a rare appearance. It seems the only thing I do less than skating lately is take photos, so here are a few warm up shots.

You’d be amazed what some companies will send you if you just ask them. For example, the recently released Tony Hawk Gummies, a teen multiple vitamin and mineral supplement. Whether he’s busy shredding the halfpipe, working on his latest video game, touring the country with his Boom Boom HuckJam or making one of his numerous television appearances, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is first and foremost an athlete. And athletes know the importance of good nutrition. However, most of Tony’s fans are boys ages 8 to 16 – not the most nutritionally conscious group around. So, Tony has joined forces with NBTY, Inc., a leading manufacturer of nutritional supplements and children’s vitamins, and created the Tony Hawk HuckJam brand of vitamins. These chewy “gummy” vitamins, shaped like miniature skateboard decks, skateboard wheels and Tony’s signature hawk skull, provide a good source of 11 vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, which bolsters the immune system*, and Vitamin B-12, a major factor in energy metabolism*.

While Bamboo skateboards might face a little bit of an uphill battle for your average gnar dog to accept, alternative wheel compounds might have an easier row to hoe. It’s a probable that most skaters don’t care what wheels are made out of as long as they work, whereas many skaters probably wouldn’t step on a bamboo board except to goof on it. Sector Nine has a line of wheels out called Biothane, which is made with some percentage of soy-based urethane. They don’t go into the specifics of the compound, but they do share a few statistics: The manufacturing process results in 36% smaller carbon footprint than traditional methods. In addition, their manufacturing process consumes 61% less non-renewable energy sources. Maybe they bake them in the sun. They seem to be in the same price range as the rest of their lineup. Sector Nine’s web site doesn’t appear to have anything on the wheels at the moment, but you can see the advert that ran in Transworld Business after the jump.

Dan Hughes left a link in the comments as I was getting to make this post, but that’s not going to stop me. I didn’t realize from our earlier shots that there were actually three full pipes at the Myrtle Creek, Oregon park. I thought the other one was just a small entry door. Turns out its a full pipe entrance to the a less-tranny section. I say “less-tranny” section because I wouldn’t exactly call it a “street” section. Head on over to Northwest Skater for the shots

Skateboarder Magazine has a behind the scenes video of the new Matix ads featuring a skateable sculpture in the form of the Chinese Tangrams puzzle. A really cool idea, I bet it would be cool even if you couldn’t reconfigure the pieces. Come up with a couple of good skateable shapes and make permanent versions in a skatepark. Hmm, could be a good feature near a chinatown.

This week’s Shot of the Week is from Carl Warren who sent in more pictures of the Hood River construction. By the time I got around to posting them, Estes had sent in some more that leapfrogged the progress. I liked the long exposure of the finishing at night, so this is a good excuse to post it even though it’s not “news” anymore. I was so far behind that I had to backdate the previous SOTW. There are a couple more shots from Carl after the jump, otherwise, check out this week’s Shot of the Week.

Send in your pics or links to Xteme X-mas ornaments, but do me a favor and check last years to make sure it’s not a repeat. New this year, Bart Simpson on a skateboard. Enlarge-o-rama

It’s just starting to sink in how ridiculous the abundance of skatepark terrain is getting in Oregon. If you live here you get a little desensitized to it, but seriously, it’s amazing. Hood River is GOING OFF! Thanks to Mike Estes for the pics. You remember him right? He might think about coming back if we’re all nice to him. Considering some of the recent comment flame wars, it seems unlikely. Hey everyone, the best way to foil a comment crackpot is to not respond to the guilty party in the first place. Oops, I’m off topic on my own post. I must be some sort of communist, punk, whiny liberal, pad wearing, radical dog hating baby. Enjoy the pics of Hood River. Your body (of concrete) is a wonderland.