Arizona Desert Pipes & Beyond: Arizona Skateboarding Pioneers
By Steve Pingleton
Publisher: Steve Pingleton
Publication Date: 2026
Hard Cover or Perfect Bound: 80 pages
Even if you’ve only dabbled in skate history you’ve likely seen the iconic shots of the dessert pipes, typically from the late 70’s and early 80’s. You probably even seen pictures the legendary Love Bowls, two hurricane walls built in the desert for filming… who knows what, but they did appear in the Santa Cruz Wheels of Fire video. Those spots certainly got their share of skate tourism, but Steve Pingleton wasn’t a tourist, he was an Phoenix Arizona area local who documented the scene with his camera. His photos have been published in Skateboarder, Thrasher, Juice, and the Surfer’s Journal.
I bought his book because I like to support independently produced skate art (and so should you…). Aside from those illustrious publishing credit’s some of Steve’s photos have even appeared (with permission) in Skate and Annoy. I expected to be bombarded with photos of the Arizona pipes, and I was, but I wasn’t expecting all the additional content that qualifies as the “& Beyond” in the title. One thing you almost never see is pictures of the pipes in their larger surrounds, with the related construction equipment, or some of the less photogenic but sometimes more interesting construction and behind the scenes surroundings. I always thought these pipes were more or less in one location, but it turns out it was part of a massive project all ver Arizona.
I also didn’t expect to see content with some of those early skate parks like High Roller, and Skate in the Shade, as well as Love Bowls and backyard pools. Pictures aside, one of my favorite parts of this book are the short bits of oral histories interspersed in the various locales. It really helps give you a sense of the scene. I found myself recalling some of my unrelated experiences and how our crews might have mixed.
Here’s a few sample spreads.
I recommend this book. You can get your copy from Amazon in hardcover for $39.99 or perfect bound for $29.99. If you track down Steve Pingleton (AKA Ping) on Facebook or his website desertpipes.com you could score one cheaper.