[AngryMetalsmith]

Street skated for a few years in the 80s and was pretty much awful but had a lot of fun.

Built a small portable ramp for a demo at a sporting good store that doubled as the local skate shop. There were several big name pros at the time and a photographer who were touring together. Traded the ramp for a freestyle board because Rodney Mullen. Couldn't do shit with that either.

 

[stevew]

need this...

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

need this...

There's a pill for that.

 

[stevew]

 

[ICEBALL585]

Used to skate a bunch as a kid/early teens but wasn't ever really great at it. I'd actually bought a new cheap skateboard at the beginning of quarantine thinking it would be something I could do in the driveway without leaving home. I goof around on it once in a while and took a couple decent slams. Apparently I'm not as agile as I once was.

 

[jimmydean]

Shit yeah... that's the trick I was just trying to remember the name of. Kinda like a handless frontside boneless, right? We used to pop them off curbs without a spin, or 180 them. Dammit... I should definitely get a skateboard.ª

EDIT: What the actual fuck?

ªAnd maybe some wrist guards.

My buddy Dave used to toss those out at random times and make stuff look stupid easy.

He got picked up by H Street and moved into a house in the bay area. He only lasted 6 months and got home sick. It was sad, he could have been huge, he out skated everybody but Rodney Mullen.

 

[jimmydean]

Tom on the left still rides for Dog Town, Kevin in the middle got the first production Tommy Guerrero Powell pro deck from Tommy at Capitolla after he turned pro, Joe (yo-yo) was a break dancer we turned into a skater. Ben got sponsored by G&S when he was 8. This pic was taken at Columbia Park in the heart of the hood. We turned the tennis courts into a skate park with ramps we built.

Skaters were scared to death to go to the park. It was where I grew up, so I had no fear.

This was 1987

Joe was also a businessman.

<Edit> I just noticed Joe is wearing Jordans. So awesome.

 

[Full Trucker]

I had one of those Lester Kasai decks back in the day... unsure when that would have been but it was likely mounted with Thunder trucks. I liked the funky shaped boards for a while... Kasai, Hosoi hammerhead, etc. I think my first board was a Tracker of some sort, I remember it having Gullwing trucks maybe? And plastic guards on everything... rails, nose and tail, grind guards...

 

[Full Trucker]

Oh, and it looks like Ben might have Jordans as well? That was a huge trend in Indiana also... wearing the red/black/white Jordans to skate in. I was always either CTAS or Vision Street Wear.

ETA: and eventually Adidas high tops.

 

[rideit]

my first deck was a G&S fiberflex, with Bennet Pro Trucks and Road Rider wheels. Maybe 1977?

 

[Full Trucker]

my first deck was a G&S fiberflex, with Bennet Pro Trucks and Road Rider wheels. Maybe 1977?

Tell us again Uncle Rideit... was it lonely when the dinosaurs died?

 

[rideit]

I dunno, but I saw JBP hunting a wooly Mammoth when I was five.

 

[jimmydean]

My mom used to have my Upland Pipeline card that I got opening day, I think I was 6 ('77). I used it many years later (88ish) and freaked out the staff. They made me an updated card, but gave me the original back for moms.

 

[OGRipper]

Never caught the bug that I couldn't satisfy on a bike, so I pretty much only skated vert when I got bored in between bike sessions. I sucked but that was back when we could slam ourselves repeatedly into plywood and concrete and not care. Had one of these back in the day:

 

[jimmydean]

Oh, and it looks like Ben might have Jordans as well? That was a huge trend in Indiana also... wearing the red/black/white Jordans to skate in. I was always either CTAS or Vision Street Wear.

ETA: and eventually Adidas high tops.

There is good reason why when Nike got serious about a skate shoes, they used the Dunk. It's the same base shoe as the Jordan and they were the perfect skate shoes.

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

I had one of those Lester Kasai decks back in the day... unsure when that would have been but it was likely mounted with Thunder trucks. I liked the funky shaped boards for a while... Kasai, Hosoi hammerhead, etc. I think my first board was a Tracker of some sort, I remember it having Gullwing trucks maybe? And plastic guards on everything... rails, nose and tail, grind guards...

Lester was one of the pros at the demo. He signed my board, a Kasai splatter design.

 

[jimmydean]

I loved boards with shape. One of my all times is the Santa Cruz Jason Jesse Neptune. There have been reissues, but I just can't. My buddy just built up a Hosoi Hammerhead that will never see use. He had an OG Powell Mullen freestyle board he couldn't skate back in school.

 

[jstuhlman]

skating was all i did from the age of about 11 through 18. first real board was a roskopp 3, gullwing trucks, and yeah, plastic everywhere. this one:

room was plastered with pics from thrasher and transworld. started out with street and launch ramps but eventually did ok on backyard mini ramps with the occasional trips to now-gone indoor skate parks in old orchard beach, maine and eastern vert here in winston salem, nc.

mountain biking took over after college for satisfying my adrenaline sports needs. i still have my last deck that i tool around my driveway on with the kids sometimes. most of my skills are gone though. i do occasionally toy with the idea of hitting some of the local skateparks. there are so many more now than when i was younger. need to dig up some of my old skate pics.

favorite deck was probably the middle-era caballero, like this

one of my buddy's brothers apparently has a huge collection of classic decks. need to check it out sometime.

 

[stevew]

I loved boards with shape. One of my all times is the Santa Cruz Jason Jesse Neptune. There have been reissues, but I just can't. My buddy just built up a Hosoi Hammerhead that will never see use. He had an OG Powell Mullen freestyle board he couldn't skate back in school.

View attachment 153347

jason jesse fucking cracks me up...

 

[jimmydean]

jason jesse fucking cracks me up...

If you met him in person, it's even better. He is such an epic dude.

 

[jimmydean]

Skateboarding is the most inclusive sport. Some of the most genuine people I have met was through skateboarding.

It is a very different world in golf, just saying.

 

[stevew]

If you met him in person, it's even better. He is such an epic dude.

if california is open at the end of june....i guess i can hit up the born free show....i will be out west somewhere...

 

[mykel]

Going old school - late 70's.
Ordered out a magazine from California when I was 14(?)
You could get nothing even remotely similar in my area of Canada at the time.

Rode street, street ramps then half and quarter pipes when the local city put in a summer park in an arena.

Kryptonics Krypstik Deck
Tracker Extracks trucks
Powell Peralta Bones wheels (64mm)
Fafnir bearings
Home made rails and skid plate.
(made from a plastic replacement goalie stick blade for street hockey.)

I have ridden it in the last year. Had to really tighten the trucks, and it was a horror show. No biffs, but there were more than a few squirely moments. On a positive note, I can still ollie over manhole covers, but alas that is now the extent of my abilities.

 

[eric strt6]

I haven't skated in 30 years. I was never a vert guy although I enjoyed watching Tony Alva at the Canyon Pool ( it was 6 houses up the street from my place on East Canyon). I was a downhiller. Palisades Highlands drive at night with a 4x4 with a rack of KC Daylighters following to give us a lit roadway was a blast. At 64 I just can't see myself getting back on as I think I would break not bounce these days

 

[Full Trucker]

Going old school - late 70's.
Ordered out a magazine from California when I was 14(?)
You could get nothing even remotely similar in my area of Canada at the time.

Rode street, street ramps then half and quarter pipes when the local city put in a summer park in an arena.

Kryptonics Krypstik Deck
Tracker Extracks trucks
Powell Peralta Bones wheels (64mm)
Fafnir bearings
Home made rails and skid plate.
(made from a plastic replacement goalie stick blade for street hockey.)

I have ridden it in the last year. Had to really tighten the trucks, and it was a horror show. No biffs, but there were more than a few squirely moments. On a positive note, I can still ollie over manhole covers, but alas that is now the extent of my abilities.

View attachment 153390View attachment 153391

That thing is glorious! I wonder if getting some new bushings for the trucks would help with the sketchiness, and make it so you wouldn't have to tighten them up so much? If a few bucks could help that thing skate nice again, might be worth it.

I think I've pretty well settled on a new board. Looking at a Beer City Demon Shovelhead in either 8.5", 8.75" or 9" wide. Probably 8.75" seems good. Their shovelhead shape looks like a bit of a cross between a new school popsicle and an older style shaped deck, at least in the pictures. It's not a hammerhead like the Hosoi or Lester, but I was gravitating towards board shapes with a longer nose anyways. There's also the Palmer Pool Guys deck that they call a "hybrid" which I assume from the pictures means a hybrid between a popsicle and their shovelhead shape. Whatever, the company looks cool: they're a record company and skate company, been around forever, their team is a bunch of old guys, and I can get something with decent trucks/wheels direct from them. I kinda had my heart set on Thunder trucks but Beer City only carries Independent, which is totally fine... nicer than I need re-starting back out for sure. I looked for skate shops in Denver on teh Googles, but just wasn't impressed with anything I saw.

Thanks @Atomic Dog and @jimmydean for some guidance on navigating the new world of skate shapes. Looking forward to busting my ass on a rail sometime this winter. You know, in between skiing and riding bikes, of course.

 

[jimmydean]

Just watch Matt skate and you will be inspired. Dave called it slop style because he always looked like he was on the verge of losing it and yet somehow pulled everything. He was awesome to skate with.

 

[Nick]

I think I've pretty well settled on a new board. Looking at a Beer City Demon Shovelhead in either 8.5", 8.75" or 9" wide.

that looks like a fun board.
if anyone is looking for me I'll be in the office listening to some old D.R.I. jams.

 

[eric strt6]

Thinking back. My first board had steel wheels, my second one had clay wheels, my third was a fiberglass Makaha with a kick tail and sims wheels, next one was a home made wooden long board with Krytonics soft urethane wheels. scary fast on downhills.

 

[Full Trucker]

Just watch Matt skate and you will be inspired. Dave called it slop style because he always looked like he was on the verge of losing it and yet somehow pulled everything. He was awesome to skate with.

Oh snap, an Ollie North at :41! Forgot about that trick...

if anyone is looking for me I'll be in the office listening to some old D.R.I. jams.

RIGHT??!!!?

 

[Westy]

Thinking back. My first board had steel wheels, my second one had clay wheels, my third was a fiberglass Makaha with a kick tail and sims wheels, next one was a home made wooden long board with Krytonics soft urethane wheels. scary fast on downhills.

The wheel was invented then?

 

[Nick]

The wheel was invented then?

well, it WAS clay

 

[eric strt6]

The wheel was invented then?

My first non wheeled board predated the wheeled one by a few years was an 11' single skeg Hobie Surfboard ( there were no short boards).

 

[Full Trucker]

My first non wheeled board predated the wheeled one by a few years was an 11' single skeg Hobie Surfboard ( there were no short boards).

Do you have an old Snurfer kicking around somewhere? Or were you just always a tele guy?

 

[Full Trucker]

Though I'm pretty stoked to find out that Thunder Trucks are still being made and people still wear red/black/white Jordans... and apparently skateboarding is still rad AF.

Thunder Trucks on Instagram: "Amazing new VX part from @robbindewit now playing on @freeskatemag Filmed and edit by @jmsneep @memoryscreen"

5,610 likes, 25 comments - thundertrucks on December 7, 2020: "Amazing new VX part from @robbindewit now playing on @freeskatemag Filmed and edit by @jmsneep @memoryscreen".

www.instagram.com

Went and found the entire part shown in the IG clip above, and it's pretty rad. The editing and video effects are a little over the top for my taste, but the skating looks like next-level tech to me. I don't aspire to ever skate like this dude, but it's pretty freaking good.

 

[rideit]

Do you have an old Snurfer kicking around somewhere? Or were you just always a tele guy?

I do...it’s in my quiver pic.

 

[eric strt6]

Do you have an old Snurfer kicking around somewhere? Or were you just always a tele guy?

Tele. They were just starting to import randonee gear when I hung it up. I had two sets. Kaharu and Rossignol both steel edged 215s with waxable bases. Climbing skins, Chouinard cable bindings, and Asolo Snofield boots. Carried shovels and pieps beacons. Ski poles screwed together to make avalanche probes. We would go on 5-7 day back country ski trips to climb and ski down untracked slopes in the Sierras. Rad shit

 

[Atomic Dog]

I think I've pretty well settled on a new board. Looking at a Beer City Demon Shovelhead in either 8.5", 8.75" or 9" wide.

That's a barrel of monkeys right there!

Heh. Started scrolling through the photos on my phone looking for skate photos and ran into this. Put together a zine with some friends, hours spent at the city library photocopier. It was pretty much the pinnacle of my art career. Who doesn't love a dog with three peg legs?

And just for good measure: Snuck into the county fairgrounds to skate some duck ponds that were drained for cleaning (87-ish I think?). We may have gotten 10 minutes of skating before they called the cops on us.

 

[Full Trucker]

That's a barrel of monkeys right there!

Heh. Started scrolling through the photos on my phone looking for skate photos and ran into this. Put together a zine with some friends, hours spent at the city library photocopier. It was pretty much the pinnacle of my art career. Who doesn't love a dog with three peg legs?

And just for good measure: Snuck into the county fairgrounds to skate some duck ponds that were drained for cleaning (87-ish I think?). We may have gotten 10 minutes of skating before they called the cops on us.

Radness.

I wish I had photos of all the B&W "stickers" we used to make by drawing random shit up then photocopying them onto 8-1/2x11 sticky back label sheets at the copy store. Which, of course, was a precursor to all the show fliers I drew up in the early- to mid-90s for my band back then... some of those I do have pics of.

Barrel of monkeys? Oh, right. As in "more fun than a..." Got it. Drrrp.

 

[jimmydean]

that looks like a fun board.
if anyone is looking for me I'll be in the office listening to some old D.R.I. jams.

Bad Religion is streaming a decade a week this month. Decades, pretty epic.

 

[Full Trucker]

Bad Religion is streaming a decade a week this month. Decades, pretty epic.

I caught wind of that as well... was super intredasted in watching the 80s and 90s sets until I realized they were being streamed at 3pm on Saturdays in the MST. No Control was pretty much the soundtrack for my skateboarding life. And these days Christmas Songs is a holiday standard listen for me.