Up top is the Epic Snowboards shop at NW 23rd and Vaughn in PDX. It’s actually sharing a space with a scooter shop – Vespa Portland. This ramp used to be in the Grenade facility, which I believe was somehow associated with the now defunct Office. Regardless, I think this Saturday the doors are open for free durning the grand opening celebration featuring DJ’s and bands, etc.. but I can’t be sure because the flyer I got was illegible. When I get more info I’ll update this post. In the meantime, you can check out some construction pics courtesy of Mike Estes after the jump. UPDATE: Added the flyer.

On the bottom is an indoor ramp at Rip City Skate, also in Portland. This one has been dormant for a while, but reportedly will be done in about a month.

[Photos: MC]

I was excited to get an invitation to join Wally Inouye, Chris Strople, and Bryce Kanights on a four day trip to the Treasure State. Wally and Strople were childhood heroes of mine and I have been meaning to get up to check out the Montana skateparks for the last several years.

Read the story at Antigravity Press

Team Pain recently broke ground on a new concrete skatepark in Steamboat Springs. They are moving fast, and they have to because they could see snow in October, even at lower elevations. I lived in Steamboat for a couple years in early 90’s. One of my fondest memories was arriving there on Halloween, just in time for a party out in the country somewhere, probably Stagecoach or something. At the party there was a barn with a miniramp. One of the guys skating had shaved his entire body (eyebrows too) and was wearing full bondage gear with a codpiece. Suicide Mike was his name, but that’s a different story. When I lived there the city had a crappy little skatepark consisting of a couple of small mediocre ramps and some crappy street obstacles on a slab of concrete. It was smaller and crappier even than their current setup at Howlesen Hill. Howelsen had a ski jump that some Olympic hopefuls used to practice on. I used to see that thing and ponder hitting it on a snowboard. Of course I had no idea people would skateboard these things one day. Before I get back on track here, Team Pain’s own James Hedrick is getting a model on Conspiracy. Get back on track by checking out the construction pics after the jump. Looks like a beauty. If this park had existed when I lived there, I might never have left.

This is a shot of a Salem local named Billy who was visiting the Redmond, Oregon skatepark at the same time we were there over the weekend. Enlarge-o-rama.

Oops! St. Helena California

Helena Police log reports increasing attendance at Grindline’s new St. Helena, California Skatepark.

Wednesday, Aug. 12

1618 — Report of approximately nine kids skating without helmets at the unfinished Crane Park skatepark. Police responded and told the kids not to come back until the park opens.

Friday, Aug. 14

2042 — A man on Main Street complained of a stomach ache. He said he’d been drinking all day and hadn’t had anything to eat since the morning. He was taken to St. Helena Hospital for evaluation.

This would have been a good photo, were it not for the fact the skater has no head.

You go to work and you come
You sit around every day
You got a lotta, lotta
Jackin’ down the street on my funky three
Tell me why there’s people bigger than me
Six foot yesterday, now I’m five foot three
‘Cause I’m headless

On paper, it’s perplexing. But hearing it in context is another thing. Name the band jack wads.

Colorado’s News Leader reports that a bear who got stuck overnight in the bowl at the Dreamland’s Snomass skatepark was able to use a ladder to climb out. I wonder if they tried giving him a skateboard. We had a similar problem with homo sapiens at Pier Park.

Here’s a shot of Mark Partain that I took at some event that I was at. Can’t seem to remember what it was called, or when it was. All I can remember is someone saying the crowd smells like beer. Enlarge-o-rama.

This is Jeff Stevens hitting the slalom portion of the iconic Kona skatepark. Damn, I wish we had one of those things around here. I know it’s not the most efficient use of concrete, dollar for dollar as far as skateparks go, but it sure looks like a lot of fun. Enlarge-o-rama and bonus. Oh hey, he’s wearing a Kona Kanoa flyaway at Kona….

If you weren’t paying attention to the Wall Street Journal’s article on how Portland became the skateboarding capital of the world, you might have missed the tab with the interactive graphic that is supposed to display America’s Best Skateparks. The graphic is actully kind of cool, but predictably, you have to take their selection process with a grain of salt, and cringe a little when they show a BMX photo for the illustration of the Athens Ohio skatepark.