Recent additions to Pokhara Skate Park in Nepal, which has been around since 2011. Who knew? I mean, besides the skaters in Nepal.

– Thanks to Adlan Farazi for the tip.

I recently took a trip with my extended family to Costa Rica. It was one of those all inclusive vacations, and although we did take some day trips, I was unable to explore skateboarding in Costa Rica, even though I knew there were a few skateparks in the Guanacaste province where we were staying. In the small town of Playas del Coco I ran into the Costa Rican equivalent of Zumiez known as Arenas Skate and Surf. It was a bit odd, because most of the town (admittedly, only what I saw) seemed pretty low rent, yet there were a few almost self consciously glossy stores. In fact, I didn’t see a skateboard the entire time I was Costa Rica. OK, so I barely got out to see the types of areas where you would expect to see skateboarders, so this not be taken as a review of the Costa Rican skate scene by any means, just my own very myopic experience.

Eden Village Bike & Bordercross track located in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Looks super fun, although I wonder whether chose asphalt instead of concrete. Price, most likely. Images and photos after the jump.

[Source: Longboardism] – Via Michael Brooke

Rolling Homes, prefab homes in Svencele, Lithuania that come with a front porch that unintentionally doubles as an a miniramp.

[Source: Huffington Post] – Thanks to Ping for the tip.

Having printed more than a handful of skateboards myself, and designed a few jigs, I’ve always considered the possibility of somehow adapting a textile press for printing skateboards. The crew at Jolly Roger Skateboards are actually producing them. So far each Skate Mate sold has been configured for Lawson and Ryonet presses, but they are built on demand and can be made to fit any commercial press, including table tops. The wheelbase is easily adjustable which is critical for printing the same design on multiple size boards. Even though it can fit on a multiple color press, you’re still going to want to print skateboards like flat stock, one color at a time. So what’s the point? It could help with keeping better registration, especially if you have side clamps. You won’t need a kickstand to hold the screen up when placing boards and it saves space if you work in tight confines and already own a textile press. It’s pretty spendy at $300, but the build quality looks very high and prices are expected to come down as they recoup some development costs. The Skate Mate isn’t going to be for everyone, for one thing, it’s not going to work for tip to tail graphics, but it’s out there if you want one.

You’re looking a the concrete equivalent of a Play-doh fun factory. One of them generates a continuous curb and the other, a ditch. I wish I had more information on these photos posted by Architecture and Design magazine. Unfortunately, they were found on their Facebook timeline, and they provide no context or source links. I was very surprised because I assumed Architecture and Design Magazine was an actual print publication, and they should know better. Turns out it’s entirely web based. The “About Us” page has some unintentionally funny copy: “The Architecture & Design story began in Afghanistan ( a country in Asia ) back in 2013…” Yes, 2013, a time when few people have heard of the rarely talked about country of Afghanistan. In any case, these machines are not designed for building skateparks, but the concept is interesting. Ole John Henry could take these machines, each one still requires a crew of guys to operate.

– Via Wrex Cook on Facebook

I will continue to post photos of NOS skateboard products in blister backs with technical style drawings on the back as long as I continue to find them. I am a sucker for vintage skateboard packaging. This set of trucks sold for $45. Nothing says 70’s like action bolts and open bearings.

Vancouver BC resident Natalie Porter is a self described Librarian by day and greasy motorbike wrench-monkey by night. She self-published a book titled The History of Women in Skateboarding, which is available in electronic format from Amazon. There are only 56 pages in the Kindle edition, which seems kind of short, but then again it only costs $6. If you have an iPad or Android there is a free Kindle app. I haven’t read it yet, but I imagine I will. At $6 I feel it’s my (pretend) journalist / historian’s duty. Anyone else? Betsy?

Prefab and DIY are two things not commonly associated with each other, but it turns out they were a good fit in at lease one case. Confusion Magazine documented a renegade skate spot perpetrated by Skate DIY that required a quick install, with most of the work being done off site. Unfortunately, the spot came down almost as fast as the installation, lasting a mere 12 hours.

Jenkem Magazine has a short video on Fritz Mead’s combination micro house (which he lives in) and its attached mini bowl. NYC is the locale, so I can understand the desire cut down on your rent. Amazingly, it’s not even his backyard. The main renter (or property owner?) is absent from the footage.it would be interesting to hear that perspective too. Fritz is living the dream. It may be the dream of a 13 year old boy, but he’s still living it. This video is the second installment in Jenkem’s Locals series. The first one is about a guy named Eugene Kang who’s been running an unpublicized skateshop out of his apartment. I did the same thing for a couple months once, but it was in Urbana, Illinois in the mid-80’s, and it was really just a lark. Terminal Skateshop is in NYC, and the cutover base is potentially huge, it’s still a hard way to make a living.