There's No Place Like Marc's For The Holidays

I promised myself I would skate as much as possible this winter. Marc must have heard me because I've been outfitted with an official Marc's Board Shop hoody. And look at the wheels on the shirt. They almost look real.

Thank you Marc and Marc's Board Shop for the continued support of Jeff and his work at Jeff's Skateboard Page. A set of Bones ATF 60mm 80a replacements for the ones I blew out. I love the smooth ride of the All Terrain Formula and they are about half the size and weight of my other favorites, the Rat Bones 60mm 85a. Like Joe said, "I feel like I'm riding on heavy cream."

A grip of goods. If I promised you stickers, then they are on the way. You can thank Marc!

I miss being able to walk in and watch a video and just lurk. It's rare that you find a skate shop where you are accepted as a skateboard fanatic and not looked over head to toe and judged by the way you are dressed. There is too much divisiveness in skateboarding today. One thing we have tried to accomplish, and in my opinion have been successful at, is showing the people we skate in front of at demos or skate with at events that skateboarding is multidisciplinary. That is too say that freestyle, old school, new school, slalom, downhill, longboarding, vert, pool, park, street, is all SKATEBOARDING. You don't have to like it, but at least respect it.

More Mark Gonzales

Mark Gonzales

The influence of the Gonz is undeniable. In this clip he rides switchstance.

Caveman

Step-off caveman bomb drop curb slap.

Sunday Slap In Motion

Backside curb slap followed by some furious tic tac action and a backside slide.

Sunday Slap

Sunday curb slap. DIY shot on 10 second timer. 60mm 85a Rat Bones from Marc's Board Shop.

Window Shopper

Gravity Skateboard Team Ruling at Poway Session

DIY SkatePaige Uncut Blank to Bowl

Uncut Blanks

A laser guided jigsaw and some good ideas for shapes are all you need! These uncut blanks are available pre-drilled as well. Pictured is the 9.5 inch by 35 inch uncut blank available with a 14 inch wheelbase. Picture courtesy of SkatePaige.

Some Thoughts On Gratitude For Thanksgiving

The older brother of a close friend once tagged me with the nickname "Grateful", as in Grateful Dead. The name stuck with me in certain circles long after 1995. Today, I am still grateful. I have so much to be thankful for that it is overwhelming. My wife, son, two dogs, a home, a car, a chance to go back to college to finish my degree... I could go on and on. I've lost a lot in life but I don't count my losses. I am thankful that those who have passed on were a part of my life for as long as they were. Thanksgiving is a time of year when America celebrates excess and prepares for Christmas shopping. For those of us outside of the realm of American "normalcy", it is a time to reflect on what we have and to be thankful for it. Consider it a counting of your blessings, something you should do everyday and not just one day a year.
I have been blessed with a wife who supports me in my skateboarding endeavors. She knows firsthand just how much rolling on four urethane wheels means to me. Before she got me a board for my 34th birthday, I was overweight and suffering from fatty liver disease. After a year of being back on board my liver enzymes were normal and my doctor at the time advised me to "keep doing what you're doing". Easy enough. All I was doing was skateboarding, drinking plenty of water, and loving life. Today, I am by no means in the best shape I could be in, but I am in better shape both physically and mentally than I have ever been in my life. I have my wife, my son, and close friends to thank for this.

One of my close friends is a skateshop owner. While his brick and mortar location is a now just a memory, he still continues to provide for the skateboarding community in our area by providing prizes for contests and events and by supporting any and all skateboarding events that come our way. He has proved that you can be a successful cybershop owner and he has global customers, which has earned him the nickname "Worldwide".
When "Worldwide" saw my recent wheel dilemma, he stepped up to help me out and keep me rolling. Why? Because he knows how much I love skateboarding and he knows how much I liked the product that failed me.
This Thanksgiving, and everyday for that matter, let us reflect on just how lucky we are. Lucky to be alive, to (still) be skating, to have loving families, and the countless other "things" in our lives that we are fortunate to have that so many go without everyday. I'll be skateboarding as long as I am able to. And I will do so with the help of family and friends.
For this I am Grateful.

(Not So) Hard Core

I've been riding these Bones ATF (All Terrain Formula)60mm 80a wheels for about a week. In a previous post I wrote about how much I liked these wheels. And I did like them. They had the grip and soft ride of a cruiser wheel but were slim and light and were suitable even for park skating. I really liked the ride of these wheels. Until tonight. When the core and wheel decided to go their separate ways. This is the first set of wheels that I have ever ridden that had a core that is independent of urethane wheel itself. This core technology is common place in many skateboard wheels today.
Detailed picture of the wheel separating from the core.

Shred sled.

At first I thought the axle was bent but...

Blue Moon Yellow Curb

Curb slappie under the bright light of the 12th of 2010's 13 full moons.

Sunday Night Slap

More Rocco Stuff

Ripping The Ripper

Shape It Up

The classic fish shape Steve Rocco by Santa Monica Airlines (World Industries).

I had this same deck, purple dip and all. My older brother bought for me for my birthday in '88 or so.

I am looking forward to replicating this shape with a double kick and longer nose.

Your Saturday Slap

Krooked Zig Zagger 8.6" x 32" with Indy 149s ground flat and rolling on Bones ATF 60mm 80a.

Your Saturday Slap 2

Hosoi 25 Years

Yeah Holmes! This graphic is rad.

From Blank To Bowl DIY

Jinx

9.75" x 30" Vision Jinx Marty Jimenez "Mini" Model. The O.G. Jinx was 10" x 30".

Zorlac Double Cut

9.75" by 33" the Zorlac Double Cut. This was reissued as a single kick but is considerably longer than other 1980's board (most taper off at 30 inches in length). Zorlac is, however, offering a number of "Retro Decks" that are reissues of classic Zorlac graphics on updated double kick shapes including some square tail boards. Check them out here.

Ode To G.S.D.

A couple of boneless clips from this morning.

Grab, jump, land, ride away. The first trick I learned was the boneless.

Ledge Grind In Motion

There is now an alarm at the park to warn toddlers on razor scooters to get out of my way.

W.W.B.S.D.?

What Would Ben Schroeder Do? Me doing my best Big Ben backside coping slap on a 3' transition. Ben would throw it down on 4' of vert.

DIY shot, 10 second timer.

Some Words About Why I Do What I Do

Tools of the trade.

Autumn in black and white.

Sticker for a skate contest. Pistolas and 40oz bottles optional.

Yours Truly, nappin' on the job.

I do it for the Love. Period. The Love of skateboarding and the Love of photography. It has nothing to do with with narcissism, (defined as inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity), shameless self-promotion, attention seeking, or wishing to be sponsored. I often post pictures of myself because I typically skate alone. On occassion, I am fortunate enough to be in the company of my wife, son, Tommy Gun, Marc, or countless others from the cast of hundreds in the local area. As a college student, I took every class my local university offered in photography. When the classes were over, I became the lab tech. I have always had a deep rooted Love for photography, and to say that I wasn't influenced by the likes of Grant Brittain, MoFo, BK, and Lance Dawes would be a blatant lie. That is why to this day I continue to take photos. I realize my work may be redundant, but what you see before you is a chronicle of skateboarding compiled over the last three years or more. There is a lot of history in these web pages and there are a lot of curb grinds. I'll keep skateboarding as long as my body allows. And I'll keep taking photographs until I can't push a button or set the timer anymore. I've never claimed to be a good skater, there is no vanity in my reason for sharing my skateboarding life online. I do it for the Love. I don't care what people think about me and what I do. Skateboarding is between you and your skateboard. And sometimes a camera.

Coonskin Friday

Frontside 50/50 grind up the ledge.

Throwing some tail into it.

The concrete ledge is beat to Hell. I'm not going to speculate on how it got that way but... It's still a good grind.

Decks

Krooked Zig Zagger 8.6" by 32.38".

Pocket Pistols Duane Peters mid size 8.75" by 32.75".

Blank 8" by 29.75" "campus cruiser".

Sam Cunningham guest model by Krooked

Dinosaur Jr. "The Lung"

Memories of Alien Workshop's 'Memory Screen'.

Just In Time For The Holidaze

Frosty Ripper. 10" x 30".

Have You Snaked Him?

 

Ricky Winsor SSD guest model by Krooked

Bones ATF 60mm

The Bones ATF 60mm 80a All Terrain Formula.

Yours truly powers through a backside curb slappie with the help of Bones ATF wheels.

O.K., we'll get this out of the way first. These wheels DO NOT SLIDE. As my friend Tom said "Well, they're not supposed to." Now that we got that point taken care of I'll tell the rest of the story. What these wheels do well is grip and provide a stable and smooth ride suitable for all terrains. They are quiet and fast. I am a big fan of the re-issued Rat Bones 60mm 85a and saw the Bones ATF as a suitable replacement. In comparison the Bones ATF is a slim wheel when compared to the wide Rat Bones. If you are looking for a great all around "all terrain" wheel suitable for street, park, or whatever you choose to ride then the Bones ATF is your wheel. Available in a variety of sizes ranging from 52, 54, 56, and 60mm.

Sunday Slap

Honor The Slabbath, And Keep It Holy

Sunday Service at the Slab. Throw your hands in the air and testify that you love skateboarding.

Curb Cult

Backside Rock and Roll Boardslide. Curb Cult For Life!

FARCE

FARCE Skateboarding is based out of San Francisco and is pumping out some hot, progressive shapes in today's tongue depressor market. Here are some product pics ripped from facebook.

A WELCOME Change

Found this company through Skate and Annoy. WELCOME Skateboards operates under a core philosophy of "We do this because we love skateboarding, and because we needed something different." For skaters who don't subscribe to the mass skate media trend du jour, WELCOME is a welcome change. Look for more about WELCOME here in the future as I will be riding one of their "magical decks" in the not too distant future.

Cold Snap Cold Slap

41 degrees today. Great skateboarding weather.