Just south of San Francisco is the lovely coastal town of Pacifica, where I’m staying for a few days, sandwiching some free time between the NETnet conference, and Usability Week. Pacifica is home to a great skate park, a nice blend of banks and street ledges, a perfectly transitioned set of round walls, and a long, wide, pipe-like bowl.
I’ve been skating this park in the mornings, for two hour sessions, and have been surprised at how friendly (and gnarly) the locals are. Especially cool has been Yong-Ki, a guy who’s flow and speed in the bowls telepath style from across the park. He rides like spring mountain run off, flowing easily over and around corners and angles.
Yong-Ki, I found out, is one of the guys behind Solitary Arts, a skate/design company that produces some awesome goods. I’m going to have to bite for some of the White Yolks wheels (54mm 100a) that I saw several of the bowl riders, including Yong-Ki, sporting.
As I start to skate more ramps and bowls I’ve realized the need for good knee pads, and heard that 187 Pro knee pads are about the best. My brother has sworn by Boneless knee pads for almost 2 decades, but they are near impossible to get a hold of (he’s wearing the more expensive Paincheaters knee pads now).
Having read in a number of reviews that the 187s run large I bought a size small, and they fit nice and snug on my skinny legs (I’m 5’10” & 140lbs). The 187s have surprisingly less strappage than the Pro-Tecs that these replace, but that doesn’t mean they lack in security; in fact, they feel more secure, and seem to offer a good range of motion.
As for the cushioning, well I haven’t ridden them in a bowl yet but just walking around the house and randomly dropping to my knees is a surprising comfortable experience. The most I feel is a little left-right motion on my caps, which I expect will diminish as they mold to my shape. And what is that on the inside? Cushy fleece? Nice!
I picked these up at Social Skateboarding.com, a site I haven’t used before but seems to have a lot of killer deals–these were about $16 less than any online competitor.
I’ll report more on how these work out once I’ve recovered a little from last night’s skating.
I’m really digging Zander Ritchie’s “Scottish 5 Tricks” video series that he’s pumping out over on mpora.com–and not just because I’m 1/4 Scot! As the title suggests, this series spotlights Scottish locals showing off 5 tricks.
Those of you who know me personally probably know I’m into education and instructional technology. The following 4 minute video highlights some efforts to bring skateboarding into K-12 physical education, and even using skating as a gateway to learning about physics and construction. Au-then-tic!
Ugly guitar riffs aside, this was probably the best how-to-kickflip video I’ve seen, since it covers positioning of both feet, and mentions that you shouldn’t flick until after you’re well into the ollie (I do that sometimes).
I watched “Almost Round Three” tonight courtesy of Netflix. Rather, I gaped, with my mouth hanging open, eyes bulging occasionally, small grunts and whoops emitting from my throat. Aside from a few short clips on YouTube, Round Three was the first skate video I’ve seen since, oh, probably 1993. Things have changed quite a bit.
It was a lovely night skating, cold and dark, and I’ve found a new local street spot that will help keep me away from ankle-ravaging, knee-twisting, head-bonking skate parks for a while. Full, spreading parking lots, long islands of sidewalks, a few steps, a couple benches, and well-lit at night. It’s a State-owned property and right across from a busy grocery store, so I’m hoping Springville cops are friendly.
Discovered this video clip through Tea and Whizz, but had to repost it here as this is what street skating is all about…
In this balls-to-the-walls assault Jason proves NO terrain is unskateable.
