I guess this is old, but it was new to me, so here we are. It’s a pretty funny video spoof on corporate orientation videos done by Girl Skateboards. It gets a bit slow and sometimes they get off theme, but overall it’s pretty well done. The “orientation” takes you through a bunch of differnt aspects of the operation. Noticeably absent is the wood shop, so draw your own conclusions. The host is reminiscent of Chris Farley at times. [Source: Dept of Skateboarding]

Today is the day I retread all of yesterday’s posts. This is Concrete Surf at a place called Villa Spica in Japan. 1000 Yen will get you a full day of skating. As of Today that was about $9.56. There aren’t many photos on the official web site. I got these from Black Flys Japan, where you can find more. Looks like there’s a sort of combi bowl in the raised platform and left handed kidney at ground level, and of course the crazy amorphous snake run oozing off the platform. It has “Wooden Toy” embedded a few times in the coping. Anyone know what that’s about, besides the whole Useless Wooden Toys reference? There are three more (blah) pics on Volcom Japan, but it’s worth checking out becasue one of the shots shows the scale and is from a different angle than all the overviews. I have to say, from halfway across the globe, and without ever riding it, I’m a fan. Wacky snake run and all. I like the fact that the lip is raised and spills over onto the flat. I think it needs a bank around the whole perimeter though. japanese readers, send in some pics!…

The minor crisis in journalistic integrity is over. The person who sent me the photos had not meant to imply that they were his own, which was why he couldn’t provide any additional information. I did find the original source, which was a link on NCDSA.com from a Swede named Toby: It’s an old timber trench/ditch that isn’t used today. All you need is a broom to clean it out in the spring and you’re good to go. It’s about 450 yards long and made out of metal. If you ever are in Umeå, Sweden, mail me and we’ll take you there! Toby has two photos and videos of the ditch/pipe mixed in amongst three pages in an incredibly slow gallery. They are more atmosphere shots than gnarly skateboard action. Same goes for the video. Looks like a really fun spot. Photos 1 – Photos 2 – Videos.

UPDATE: We originally erroneously reported this as the St. Lucie skatepark. While it is close to St. Lucie County, it’s actually located in Fort Pierce, making it the Fort Pierce skatepark. Tito from Team Pain sent in some construction pics of the Fort Pierce skatepark several weeks ago, so it’s likely much different looking by now. Sorry for the delay. I believe this park first came to our attention during the discussion on modern snake runs, which is a good excuse to link to this crazy new snake run/bomb shelter bunker that just opened in Japan. (From Skate Daily) More St. Lucie pics after the jump.

Skull Skates, Klutch.org and Diesel Fuel present … GREED CLOWN by artist: Pierre Dacruoix. This Saturday in Portland there is an art show by PD, the PD behind Skull Skates. It’s happening at Diesel Fuel Prints (which is where we get our stickers, btw.) and everything is around $10. It’s a one night only show on Saturday April 26th, from 6-10pm. Diesel Fuel Prints is located at 726 South East 10th Avenue Portland, OR UPDATE: “PD got shut down at customs and they wouldn’t let him bring the shirts. Sucks but we will reschedule.”

CNN has a video piece on helmet safety and skateboarding. It’s the usual not very-in-depth filler complete with a couple who lost their son to a head injury to pull on your heartstrings. What’s not clear is what the kid was doing, from the limited amount of information they give. I think he was possibly just traveling from point A to B as his family walked behind him, but speculation is pointless and the tragedy is not diminished. However, the couple and CNN’s tone seem to be implying that video game characters and magazine pictures should all be wearing helmets too. I mean really? Is that how much baby sitting we need now as a society? Are seatbelts going to be mandatory in driving video games as well? What about games where you battle the undead or perform similar unrealistic maneuvers? It’s the same kind of asinine mentality that places those disclaimers on the bottom of TV commercials that say “Professional drivers on a closed circuit, do not attempt” or “Exaggerated driving conditions. Not a performance claim.” Really? I can’t drive up the side of building in my Geo Metro? I shouldn’t base jump off the Sears Tower in search…

A skate buddy of mine from a different life (Bob Mechtly) sent me these pictures of this old metal timber pipe/ditch in Sweden that isn’t being used today. He said it’s about 450 yards long. What he didn’t say, was how it rode and what he was doing there. Dang. Looks like Michigan. Was this a timber waterslide? Good luck wading through the internet trying to find that information. It seems like a track would have made more sense than pumping water, unless they were able to divert a natural water source. But then the downstream… oh right. This is a skateboarding web site and not the Bureau of Land Management. Looks like a lot of fun. Rarely do we see something skateable that is so long… Enlargements after the jump. UPDATE: There was a little bit of a mix up. These Aren’t Bob’s photos, I’m tracking down the originals.

Published in January of 1982, (!) Skate Punk #2 is from the collection of John Drummond and the then 17 year old mind of Steve Caballero. It looks like it was produced on a fancy copying machine with some sort of photo enhancing technology, and the paper is heavier too. Not too surprising since Robert Caballero is listed as the publisher with One Way Press (also in an advert) so I’m guessing his father (brother?) owned a print shop. There are the prerequisite adverts for Powell and Thrasher, and a lot of photos. There’s an interview with Steve Caballero – how did he get that? When asked who he thought would be his main competition, Steve replied Billy Ruff! Also amusing in hindsight is Steve’s answer to when he thought he was in his prime, as if he had peaked already. Answer: Right after the Gold Cup series. What else? Gig reviews at Briner Hall where fights break out and the cops shut it down. A contest on Steve’s ramp, Corey O’Brien am spotlight and the 9th street Punk Pool. Also of interest: A mention of an entity called “The Pool Exchange”, Caballero riding on Tracker Trucks and Sio (?)…

The new Lake Cunningham Park set to open looks amazing in the pictures, but it’s rubbing the locals the wrong way. Kind of like a Klamath Falls situation squared. The San Jose Metro reported: Although everyone agrees that the park is a massive benefit to San Jose, they admit that the mandatory pads rule might turn off a few folks, as will the fees, which are $2 per day or $50 per year—along with a $6 for parking. “It’s a great park, but it’s already got two negatives against it as far as the street skaters go,” explained Caballero. “Street skaters don’t like to wear pads. It’s not very comfortable for them. They can get away with helmets, but wearing knee pads and elbow pads—it just doesn’t feel like street skating. It’s like something else. It doesn’t feel natural. That, and paying to get in and paying to park. So I would say three negatives.” Echos exactly what we’ve been hearing in the comments here almost since day one. It’s hard to imagine how a city so in a region so rich in skate history could be so clueless in this day and age. It made the front page of…

Last Saturday there were two events coincidentally planned for the same day at Portland’s Pier Park. One was a neighborhood cleanup championed by Mark Conahan and the other was some sort of Pier Park locals appreciation event organized by Chris Nukala. There was a short speech and some short spot-driven contests with plenty of giveaways. I arrived late to the cleanup and and had to leave early and in a hurry, due to, well, you know. I didn’t get any decent shots, but Michael from The Skateboard Archives was there snapping away, so I’ll link if he posts anything. Also, GVK cameras were on the scene for a little while. Otherwise, this is what you get. UPDATE: More cleanup coverage on EPM. UPDATE: More coverage on The Skateboad Archives.