No. You are not seeing things. Bob Burnquist supposedly has the largest ramp, but it may not be as tall as this giant skateboard-looking contraption on roller coaster tracks. It’s supposed to be a snowboard, actually, but it sure looks more like a skateboard if you ask me. This ride opened in 2004 as near as I can tell. More pics and video links after the jump.

This is a random shot of Matt Swan, Smith grind at Newberg Oregon, circa 2002. This is not a bail. This “kid” barely ever skates. We’re talking a handful of times a year, but he can still pull these super lapped over front sides at the drop of a hat. Infuriating! Click the pic to enlarge. Check out the woolly mammoth legs.

15 questions for Lance Mountain compiled from the community over at Old Man Army. From the serious to the absurd, there’s a question in there (#14) that reminds me of something we would have asked in the early days of Skate And Annoy. Check it out.

Emerica had a tour this summer where they travelled the whole thing on Harley-Davidson motorcycles for no other discernible reason than it was a chance for extra publicity. Well that, and I’m sure it was, you know, fun. Harley-Davidson stepped up to milk it for themselves by hosting the video and pictures, all the while being careful to note that “Harley-Davidson is not affiliated with these photos or the development of this video and is not responsible for the content or views expressed in it.” What a bunch of rebels!

From Transworld Business: A momentous IASC meeting leads to a more united front among skate hardgoods manufacturers… …a who’s who meeting of skateboard hardgoods manufacturers met to discuss why blank skateboard decks have become so popular, what that is doing to the heart of the industry, and how the manufacturers could band together to effect change. Check out this quote from Dwindle’s Bod Boyle: If we have a generation of skateboarders who grow accustomed to what a blank-product costs and if they think a blank product is as good as branded product, then we really will open the doors to these huge retailers Hmmmm…. I seem to remember a similar conversation about manufacturing skateboards in China. That’s funny, Dwindle came in on the other side of the argument.

One Iowa City post deserves another. En route to Portland from Florida, I passed through Iowa City again on New Year’s day 2002. Coincidentally, Bone Man was there, and it was 1997 all over again. I crashed for the night, and the next day we went to check out the new skatepark. It was well below freezing so it’s mostly inaction shots.

The ‘Skate To School’ auction for The Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship has 14 custom decks available for bidding until December 13th. Signed decks include: Dave Chappelle, Former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier, Ray Barbee, Shane MacGowan, as well as original painted decks by renowned skate artists. The The Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship honors the memory of the 15 year old Patrick Kerr,  a LOVE Park activist who was killed on his skateboard by a hit and run truck after LOVE was closed to skaters. Check out the auction which ends December 13. I’ve heard that Chappelle skates. I wonder if he brought his stick with him when he went to South Africa.

This is a great shot. Beer drinking while skating a pool… but then factor in the bottle. The legendary Thrasher photog and Drunk Injun, MoFo is selling some prints like this 1983 shot of Jay Alabamy at Doris’ Pool. The prices are reasonable, plus it’s history. This is also a good place to mention his massive 28 page feature in the new issue (Vol. 5 No. 3,) of Concrete Wave. Six of these pages are available for download from the Concrete Wave web site. If the kiddies don’t know who he is, that’s a good place to start.

Between all the posts about BS involving skateboarding, I sometimes forget that most people just want to see pictures. Here’s a shot taken about this time of the year in 1997 at an indoor mini ramp at a skate shop in Iowa City, Iowa called “Smokin B’s.” I don’t think it’s around anymore. The only shop I found online was a place called The Full Kit. That’s Chris Swan on the coping with (future) Dr. Brad on deck. Bone Man was in town visiting his momma, so a couple of us converged from Illinois. Click the pic to see it enlarged. 1997 was 10 years ago. Does that count as back in the day?

ABC News has a crush on Vans Shoes. They have a two page spread on the 40th anniversary of Vans Shoes titled Skateboard Style Hits Middle Age. It’s a fluff piece obviously, but it’s got a brief history of the shoe and a gallery of some old ads that are worth checking out for comedy nostalgia, plus they have a Jeff Spicoli reference in the first paragraph. I’ve pulled out the highlights after the jump.