Two skatepark stickers from roughly the same era. I’m not exactly sure when the “Surf and Turf” became “The Turf” but it wasn’t until it re-openend in the 80’s after being a strip club for a while. (There was a false floor covering the bowls. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sticker for a contest before, other than this Del Mar Skate Ranch sticker from 1981, which as to be somewhat rare.

On the left we have Jeep Renegade skateboard themed advertising on the SB Nation network of sports related blogs, this time seen on Stumptown Footy, the one dedicated to the Portland Timbers. On the bus ride home from the Timbers match in Seattle yesterday I noticed these giant, highly skateable curbs at the Toutle River Rest Area on I-5 South.

We Are Blood is a film by Ty Evans that celebrates “the universal bond created by the simple act of skateboarding.” In case you’re thinking you’ve heard and seen that before, this is the first skate feature shot in 4K ultra HD. The “massive sound and amazing visuals” were meant to be experienced in a theater. This is not your usual low rent screening of a skate video you might be accustomed to watching in aging arthouses an dingy brew and view theaters. Even Thrasher is impressed. If you can believe it, We are Blood is being screened at the Empirical Theater in the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

We are Blood screens on September 1st in the Empirical Theatre at OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave, Portland) Watch the trailer here.

Independent coverage from Dan Bourqui of the 2015 Van Doren Invitational in Huntington Beach. That’s (so) Raven Tershay on the screen grab.

Yesterday there was a “Mass Thrash” instigated by Jivaro Wheels. No rules except for no social media before the event, pure word of mouth, and it was packed! Rich snapped this pic of me enjoying a little wall ride action with help from a small quarter pipe. He sent me all of them, including the bails, and since I’m not sure which is which, I’m going to go with one that makes me look good, but not the highest one because I know I didn’t make that. Out of frame it really was packed with participants. Catch one short Instagram video after the jump. There were cameras galore, including helicopters, so “real” coverage is going to show up eventually.

Makaha Commander, allegedly from 1960, but probably not. The construction looks to be fiberglass or epoxy of some sort, maybe bakelite? It’s not nothing super interesting except for… What the heck is that thing on the rear axle? Bigger view after the jump.

Domesticated and proud of it. The Pantoufles à Pépère are slippers made in France for French hipsters. The web site also has a few images of skateboards on it.

– Thanks to David ODK for the pictures

This is a cool old tracker shirt. Producing halftones was a mechanical process back in the day. It took skill and training to be able to do it correctly. Not sure if this is 70’s or 80’s era. Probably early 80’s at the latest.

Insta-Ledge is a system of portable, skateable ledges in modular lengths of 4 feet. Sure, you could go skate somewhere else, but Instaledge definitely has some potential benefits. Suppose there’s a great spot you’d like to skate without actually destroying some artfully built ledge. Say it was covered with ceramic tiles, (or skate stoppers) you could still skate it, potentially without drawing the wrath of security. OK, most likely not. It could still help you in situations where skate stoppers were just too burly to overcome. Some might argue that it’s a bit like using copers, or Z-roller trucks. What’s the point if you can’t skate the actual terrain? I don’t really have an argument to counter that. Insta-Ledge is at the very least, a very smart solution to a problem that might not exist. Why do organizations use skate stoppers? In the promo video there’s a spot where the ledge has had uniform notches gauged into it at regular intervals, clearly after the fact, and designed to do what? Keep skateboarders from ruining the look of the steps? Too late. Is it for insurance liability reasons or to prevent damage to architecture? Just to keep people from having fun. Insta-Ledge is supposed to be up on Kickstarter soon. No word on pricing. UPDATE: Project is live on Kickstarter Looks like it starts at $100 for a 4 foot section.

– Thanks to Boy for the tip.

It’s weird 1920’s swimsuit evil landlord villain surfing on a skateboard. He first made an appearance on the packaging for Trickray wheels. This time it’s a fiberglass Mark IV skateboard deck, large enough to make out the artist’s signature – Pfister. I’m not sure if this Mark IV is another Trickray product or if this illustration was just passed around. I seem to recall posting another instance of it but I can’t find it.