The second annual Mt. Tabor Downhill Challenge on Sunday, June 24th. This is sanctioned downhill race in Portland. Big prize money. If I can scrape up the entry fee and it doesn’t rain, you may get to see the Ski-Skate in some open class action. All sorts of fun. The MTDHC is a one day event featuring a downhill skateboard race, slalom race, classic luge (buttboard) race and a mini-bike race. All of the races will be held on SE Resevoir Loop Dr. of Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon. The winner of the downhill skateboard race will recieve $750 and the winner of the downhill mini-bike race will receive $300. Cash prizes for other classes will be determined later. Awards ceremony and after party will take place at the Mt. Tabor Theater. Entry fee is $60 for downhill classes and $30 for slalom only. Go to Tabordh.com for more info on the event… – Thanks for the heads up from Billy Bones.

Which is misleading, because he hasn’t been busted, rather he has a book coming out titled Hosoi: My Life As A Skateboarder Junkie Inmate Pastor which is excerpted on the Huffington Post.(?) – Thanks to Andrew Wahl for the tip

Gotta give that to them. Funny thing is, it’s not much of a spot, just a sidewalk outside a church. – Thanks to Kevin Decker for the photo.

Spotted at the Gap in Portland. Skateboard as fashion prop, but amusingly, someone stuck a big inventory sticker on the bottom of the board because they didn’t think it would be on display that way. Also funny, sandals on the mannequin. Some guys like Vans, some guys like Nike, others get the best performance from a pair of sandals. – Thanks to Steve B for the photos.

When I saw this on eBay I knew I had to have it. I have never seen this before. Sure, I have seen other ski trainers made from skateboard parts, but I can remember seeing ads for those things back in the day. The Ski Skate is something that just doesn’t show up anywhere on the Interwebs™. Maybe it does, but I haven’t been able to strain through all the pages of more current non-related athletic gear with the same name. The patent was filed in 1974. I have to imagine it took a few years to bring this to market. The trucks have multiple mounting hole patterns in a style that definitely points to the 70’s, and the injection molded plastic reached it’s peak in the mid to late 70’s – (or 010’s if you look around today) and the wheels and trucks certainly have a 70’s vibe to them. They do appear on the Skircle, after all. So it’s a pretty safe assumption that this is from the mid to late 70’s. The bearings are sealed though. I don’t know when that became commonplace. If anyone has any information on this, please come forth. I’m still waiting to…

“Badass skateboarding” from Playboy, which is neither badass or anything other than embarrassing for all parties involved. One girl appears to know how to skate, while the other two have “action” scenes that look like they were shot at speeds approaching 2mph. Entirely safe for work video after the jump, although the domain name may be blacklisted. Highlight of the video is actual vintage equipment. – Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.