As much as these look like bindings from water skis attached to a goofy piece of wood, the mechanical design of the skateboard rack from MAxRax is clever. I thin they might sell better wiithout the graphics. Attach the mount to the wall, and the top part slides up as you insert it into the rubber sheath… actually it’s a little bit fetishistic, but a clever design none the less. – Thanks to Boy Ipoh for the tip.

It’s being reported that Rob Dyrdek is negotiating the purchase of Alien Workshop off of Burton. “While Rob’s message was definitely premature, we did want to confirm that we are in an open dialog with him about a possible purchase. At this point, please note that nothing is confirmed, and we will absolutely do a formal announcement when and/or if that transition happens.” That kid loves Ohio. I imagine that’s got to be a good feeling, buying the brand that gave you a start in your own neck of the woods. [Source: Shop Eat Surf via Skateboarder Image exceprt: Gentlemanly Conduct] P.S. Yes, I realize this is not exactly hot off the presses.

It looks like a cross between classic Duane Peters graphic and a Bob Schmelzer graphic, on a skull skates shape. Tyler picked this up at work one day, but the original owner couldn’t shed any light on in it. The deck itself seems of a higher quality than typical bootlegs of the era. Is it a test print or a misprint that later had unrelated designs screened on it? Enlarged after the jump.

This week’s Shot of the Week is Gabe Spotts with a switch Heelflip in Salt Lake City, UT, from Gage Thompson.

Thanks to the good folks (Jack Smith) at the Skateboarder’s Journal, we have 3 subscriptions (Published quarterly, normally $25 a year) to give away. Same rules as last time, leave a comment in this post and 3 winners will be chosen at random. Contest ends on February 9th at midnight. In the mean time, check out the Skateboarder’s Journal online community and Facebook page. WINNERS: Jeff (Me! Me! Me!), Talentless Quitter, and Idahosk8gringo. Thanks again to the Skateboarder’s Journal.

The first two panels of Skate Butt. Don’t forget to check out Explain it, Professor!!!

I love watching old footage of skateboarding on TV, and it has nothing to do with the abundance of mustaches. This is almost 20 minutes of an ABC broadcast of the Catalina Classic from 1977, uploaded by someone at NHS who has resurrected the Roadrider brand. The cast of characters in these events is no more cartoonish than you’d find at today’s events, but man the 70’s were corny. Downhill, slalom and freestyle are shown, with a bunch of names you’ll recognize if you follow skateboard history, or even had a subscription to Thrasher in the first few years. The slalom guys had it dialed in, but the downhill guys (I’m going to catch flack for this) look like they would get smoked by today’s downhill crew with all the speed wobbles in evidence. Those guys need sails. Check it out after the jump. – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip