Welcome to Skating: Convoy's Battle of the Pyramid

If this is your first time visiting this site or, if you have been skating for twenty years: welcome to skating. Yup, welcome to skateboarding. The changes in skating makes up the evolutionary cycle of skating where things happen daily. Each day is better than before. Somewhere in this world it's happening right now. Skating is evolving. Skating is changing. Skating is moving forward. Lucky for me I got to witness one of th steps forward this weekend.

Convoy skateboards out of Arlington, Virginia put on a contest this weekend and all was well. I committed to showing up and showing support. I like Convoy. They do a good job of supporting their local skate scene and the entire crew has the D.I.Y. spirit coursing through their veins. You have to show support for those who make it happen and won't stop. That's what you get with these guys and it shows in the form of 100% pure skating. Nothing super artsy, no skart shows, none of that...just skating.

Convoy Skateboards Review


The Battle of the Pyramids contests was fun. Plain and simple fun skating. One of the biggest crowds ever turned out at Powhattan Springs Skatepark in Arlington to watch the skaters ollie, grind, and gap their way into the winners circle. But, winning wasn't the name of the game. Nope, there wasn't a whole lot of safety tricks and getting something down for the judges. On one hand a X Games champ might chalk that up to inexperience but on the other these young souls gave a 30 minute demo in what being a young skater is all about: trying and trying until that one trick lands all four wheels down and you roll away. No energy drink sponsor, no show sponsor, no big names high fiving you. Just the burning desire to land your trick and roll away clean.

The entire vibe that day was more like a session. You know those days. When you roll up to a spot and everybody is there. Once you can wrap your head around what's happening and you think it will be bust it just ends up being the kind of session everybody will remember for a long time. That is what Convoy's Battle of the Pyramid really was. Convoy just did something very good for skating. They hyped up a bunch of skaters to keep pushing skating and themselves a little bit more. Convoy stoked the fires of skating for one afternoon outside of Washington, D.C. Another evolution in skating has occurred. Welcome back to skateboarding.

Check out all of the "Battle of the Pyramid" photos here.

The Skate Wrap: Vert is Dead & More...

The weekend has arrived! D.C. is starting to burst apart at the seems in glorious spring-like fashion. We've got Cherry Blossoms blooming, drinks getting colder and days getting longer. The latter of course means we can bust out and go skate. Thankfully nights are getting warmer so it's not a total bust anymore. Not saying I'm a "cold weather quitter" but we are long over due for some warmer weather. Enough of my kvetching let the wrap proceed.

The Best Rumor of 2008: Vert is Dead
Well the absolute best rumor of the year landed recently and if this proves to be true it will be interesting to see how many pros go along with it. The rumor is that the X games is killing off skate vert and transitioning to a new event called Super Park. Well for all the rumors flying around I got news for you: vert will never die. Vert just goes into hibernation every 110-15 years in backyards and rears it's head at good contests like the Tampa Pro. So everybody calm down. Yes, ESPN is looking for the next big event to pit Shaun White versus Ryan Sheckler. Should you care? No, not at all. They don't do it for progression of skating like Danny Ways exploration of mega Ramp. Nope, they do it for ratings and ad dollars. So as always I advise you to listen to Chuck D and Flavor Flav on this one... "Don't believe the hype."

Battle of the Pyramid!
Should you find yourself in the Nation's Capital this weekend I encourage you to join me out at the Arlington County Skate park for the Battle of the Pyramid. I will be skating, heckling and enjoying what can only be considered real DIY skaters who treat life like lotto: "They are in it to win it." So cruise on by to Powhatan Springs skate park this Saturday, march 29 12- 4 PM. Live it. Love it. Skating.


SkateBook 2 Coming Soon
Salman dropped a note the other night to let us know SkateBook 2 is coming. You can check all the previews over on Skatebook.tv. there's a solid preview of Dyrdek sitting down with Stevie Williams so check it. On Another note everybodys favorite future Iranian President of America has joined the ranks of pro-bloggers. Entertaining informative, insightful and 100% SalmanAgah.com.

Hello Malcom X Park
Allen Danze, thank you for continuing to pump these out. Caliente.


The Pro Mustachio Blog Bashio
I grew a 'stache this winter and it served me well in a creepy fat Tom Selleck sort of way. I saved time at the pub never being carded. I got called "Tex" and "buddy" down at the creepy store where I buy my beverages. Aside from that it sucked. I do enjoy the mustache duel engaged by Patrick Melcher and Gareth Stehr. Personally, I think a "mustache ride" pro deck for each of them is in order. You can weigh in your opinion or abstain based on lack of facial hair the choice is yours.

Sneaker Preview Parts 1 & 2
been Living under a rock? yeah? Need to see what's been hapenning outside of your little realm? OK. Well, we are 2/5 of the way through the Spring Sneaker preview. So make sure you follow up next week I'm pulling out an old classic that making a return
Nike SB Zoom Tre A.D.
Vans Mid Skate

Leaving You Black and Blue
Vox footwear has dropped Volume 3: Black & Blue 100% online for your viewing pleasure. This video & this team are a must see. Corpsey isa stellar highlight on any terrain but one "Oh shit" moment that is burned into my head will be Hewitts crail in an over vert pocket. Speed, style and sin all rolled into one. Enjoy the video. Watch it here.

The Loop Challenge 2008

Alex Chalmers and a group showed up to throw down on the loop thanks to some guy name Tony hawk. Watch the video. Not sure what peter King was doing there but kudos to him for giving it a go.

"Vucanized Death Grip" or "Another Spring Shoe Review"

How can you not write vulcanized death grip when talking about Vans? Yep, we are talking about the stripe, "the original since '66". Nobody is shy on opinions these days and Vans gets interesting feedback. I never run into anybody who feels kinda-sorta-wishy-washy about them. They seem to draw a line in allegiances. Honestly, it's like the whole Nike SB thing: loved or hated. Personally, I fall into the really, really, really like them category. If Vans were a hot chick I'd have hooked up with her way more than a few times in my bitchin' camaro back in the 80's. Then the chick left us. Skate shoes got all super duper tech and puffy like moon boots. Lucky for you and me there was and epic comeback in the late 99 early 2000 of vulcanized shoes by Vans in the form of the first Geoff Rowley shoe. Thus, the theoretical hot chick had returned.

This vulcanized moment of clarity opened up many eyes in the industry that: maybe, just maybe people desire the simplicity of function over bells and whistles. Vans continues to mine that idea system today. A quick aside Vans does make some solid technical skate shoes. The No Skool and the No Skool 2 are excellent updates of classic Vans. However they factor in a bit more padding and cushioning to meet the needs of street skaters.

But, nothing beats the classics. Case in point the Vans Mid Skate. What you end up with here is the middle brother to the style 36 (old School) and the skate high shoes. Mostly it's long overdue. Nothing too restrictive is to be found in this shoe and but with a supportive twist up around the ankle. Best of all the Mid Skate fully embraces the Vans sole days of way back when. I can talk about how good the shoe looks but it's beauty, like it's function lies in its' simplicity. You already know this even before you put it on your feet. Everything is familiar form the sole, to the suede to the foxing: it all works as expected. A range of color ways should get skaters and sneaker heads into this shoe with no trouble at all.


Another fresh take on the Vans classic is the new Johnny Layton shoe. Yes, Johnny "I throw tuck knees at Culver City" Layton. Along with his new signature clothing line Vans set Johnny up with a new pro shoe. While the classics are always a great standby this slightly more burley version of the classic has the right blend of durability and grip to skate out of the box. J-Lay is apparently quite the classic rock fan hence we get a nice vintage slight to the graphics with tie dye and the what not. I wonder if he can lend me a copy of anything by Hendrix because my vinyl collection is dying.

There you go ... a few classic old, updated and brand new all over again shoes for you to skate in this spring. Hopefully, the theoretical hot chick doesn't leave town for a long long time.

Tampa Pro Update: Winners and Jailbirds

Done. Finito. No mas. See you next year. The 2008 Tampa Pro is a wrap from the Sunshine State. Somewhere between the debauchery and demolishing silver bullets a few skate contests went down this weekend. Fuel.TV will have all the reports flowing out soon but until you can catch up on the tube let's run down who the big winners are

Over on the street course Matt Beach dropped in for his first coming out of retirement contest. The new addition to Skate Mental went home 5G's heavier thanks to being right where he belongs. Welcome home to skateboarding Matt. Good to have you back. The big winners though were Adam Dyet and Greg Lutzka. Dyet went home with 3G's for best trick and that would be a Nollie Cab heel boardslide. Lutzka walked away 20 grand heavier for taking the number one spot. I think that will by him a few more fancy hats. Funny moment of th day belonged to Chad Fernandez and his collection of Etnies. Raps. Not sure which MC called that out but I laughed my ass off.

The vert contest got rained out Friday night and was moved to Saturday. PLG showed up and took home the trophy. The Vert highlights though belonged to Gonz and Ben Hatchell. Getting to see Gonz skate you are guaranteed to say "I never though of doing that" or "so that's how you land that." Creativity in motion, pure and simple. Ben Hatchell on the other hand dropped in on vert and after 3 runs walked away with the number one spot. So that's a second place in Tampa AM street and a first Place in Tampa Am vert. Haters, take notice: this is what happens when you get off the internet and spend your time skating. Win or lose Ben is one hell of a good skater and you better recognize that.

Finally, the jailbirds. All in all a pretty tame year. But what we lost in quantity we make up for with quality. Antwuan Dixon is doing spending time with the pigs his favorite correctional officers for allegedly having some drugs and other assorted charges a misunderstanding of some sort. $7,000 in bonds should get him out and about. Sometimes it doesn't pay to really live the life. Might be good time to make every pro sit down and have a chat with Gator.

Official Unofficial results from SPoT
Tampa Pro '08: Greg Lutzka, Adam Dyet, PLG Win!

Quick update:
Greg Lutzka wins Street
Adam Dyet wins Best Trick (Best puke moment of the day was Dyet hurling after his run in the Semi's)
Pierre-Luc Gagnon wins Vert

Antwuan Dixon Ain't Enjoying Tampa

$7,000 in bond cash later Antwuan Dixon should be hanging back at the park. Who knows?
Check out the police report

Waiting on Tampa Pro...

So Tampa Pro is right around the corner. Which loosely translates to...by the time I actually get to bed tonight and wake up later today, it will be webcast. Apparently, 411 figured more people would be watching the US Open of Snowbroing webcast so they bailed on showing the Vert Comp from Ybor City. Bummer, I was looking forward to seeing Gonz actually skate instead of skart. Not to hate on Gonz. That's not what I'm doing at all but, as a friend said while out skating recently: "I just never hear anything about him skating."

I was happy though to see former DC local Ben Hatchell walk away with Tampa AM Vert first place spot. Yes, this is the same Ben Hatchell who took second in Tampa Am street earlier this year. Now, you'd think Powell might want to actually acknowledge this kid exists. Congrats Ben and keep on rippin'. Onward to Sunday...wait we're already there.

Fuel TV's man-on-the-scene and vert skate Neil Hendrix puts Tampa AM vert champ for 2008 Ben Hatchell on the SPoT. Get it? On the Spot? ...nevermind.

Erica "I finally answer my facebook messages" Yary chats up a certain Mr. Lance Mountain at the Heritage art show.
Gonz turns the tables on Erica. I imagine he said something to her like: "you might not know this but I'm kind of a big deal..."


OK, all photos courtesy 411VM

Skate Wrap: In progress

The weekend has arrived! I know you a e saying to yourself "But, it's only Friday morning.?" Nope, not here. I have a four day weekend ahead of me and it's time to go skate. I'm holding out for the weather to stay dry. The Skate Wrap is in progress so lets drop in on it right now...

Epicly Done
And that's a wrap on Epicly Later'd John Cardiel. Episodes 15 and 16 have been posted up for your consumption. Patrick goes the extra mile with the final episode and draws a big analogy to the Muhammad Ali/Michael Jordan equation in the name of John. After watching the series you can't do anything but back it overall. John has left a unique mark on skating for those who know it will never be the same. Had he not come along many eyes would have remained close. The story of Cardiel is inspiring and if you think of taking the easy way out because life is a little hard suck it up and go faster. His way of life isn't for everyone but he never slows down or quits going for it. That is to be respected always.

The Label gets United
The Berrics United Nations section has our pals from the label dropping in for some good tiems. I saw the forecast was low seventies this weekend out in L.A. Man, go skate outside! Then again if th weather turns just watch the crew and remember the elephnant never forgets. Even one year shy of being legal to drink.

Gonz + Vert ='s Tampa Pro
Things are looking good this weekend for the Tampa pro. Word got back to me that Dakine TM OMK is getting his skatey on in the Team manager comp but my favorite nugget was this one posted up on the SPoT site:
" He's Gonna Switch Back Lip Something
Posted By Rob
Wed, Mar 19, 5:35 PM
Bam just entered the Pro Contest. Gonz is skating the Vert Contest. Two small things among many others that's going to make this weekend a barn burner for damn sure. Hope you got your tickets before they sold out. Don't ask me for any, ask Clements. There could potentially be three MTV shows in the building this weekend. Teenie boppers are going to pay top ducket for scalped tickets. " I'm sorry did you say Gonz was skating the vert contest? I never watch a webcast of this shit preferring to actually go skate but this might be required viewing. Nevermind, the vert comp isn't being webcast. back to skating for real.

Don't Go Bloggin' in Your Pants
Try not to get to up in arms when you read stuff on blogs. Remember we are doing what we can with what we got and some are doing it better than others. case in point the crew at You Will Soon. They continue to put out a funny, relevant as fuck blog on a regular basis. The Zoo Iowa post was pretty funny but they managed to surface this web clip of a Nike's Michael Jordan product lead talking about how they talked to Stevie Williams and other skaters about a Jordan branded skate shoe based on the jordan three. The You Will Soon write up covers what the shoe could look like and maybe say...I don't know surfaces an ES' Koston that already did the same thing. Check it out and read up. The relevant part of the conversation takes place around he four minute mark.

Spring Shoe Review Round One: Nike SB Zoom Tre A.D.

Yes, since the bags are packed and more days have been spent skating than snowbroing. The time has come to make the official jump to spring and skating. Like I ever stopped over the course of the winter. But, enough of the digressing. Lets talk about what to put on your feet while the weather shifts rapidly from old man Winter to the joys of spring. Be honest now: it's the best time of year the weather gets warmer, the skate spots bloom with new tricks and cold drinks taste even better. Moving on ...

A few days ago the Nike Zoom Tre A.D. came into my posession. As excited as I am to put a shoe through it's paces in skating I am equally excited to do my best in pulling the shoe apart...physically and theoretically. First impressions are always good and the lightweight breathable nature of the shoe worked nicely while truckin' around my Berrics away from the Berrics local indoor spot. There was a significant amount of board feel and control underneath my feet but with there was also the addition of the cushioning due to the Nike Zoom tech. This is one thing I appreciate about SB's. I love the grip and feel of vulcanized soles but after many years of the old kick push my feet are breaking down. I'll take the help where I can get it to skate longer every session. The ZTA.D.'s backed that mission.

The most interesting thing was how the shoe flexed. On more than one occasion I was adjusting from street and diving right into transition the shoes flex rolled with me at every bend, give and turn without giving. Now I didn't ollie higher, skate longer or land anything amazing but it was a smoother feeling for a pair of shoes right out the box. In the end the shoes simplicity and ability to work with you while skating had me at hello. Which is the funny thing ... for a pair of shoes that is supposed to be high tech if felt very basic. That is a very good thing.

Nike is certainly pushing this new shoe and you have to applaud them for trying new things. Getting a variation of Nike's free technology into the sole opened the door for this shoe to reach its potential. In the end there is a skate shoe that everybody loves. We all know while the tech "moonboot- D3" skate era was boomin' vulcanized crept back into style. Now a similar scenario is happening in the opposite direction and Nike is sitting in the sweet spot. The only thing this shoe needs to do in order to be a hit is find its way onto the feet of skaters.

Droppin' Soon Enough: Santa Cruz, Designarium and Plan B

The Save us Series from Santa Cruz should be hitting soon enough. Good art, good wood, good cause. You can't go wrong. Click on the graphic below for the full size image. of course this is the perfect opportunity to drop an Emmanual Guzman clip. Knees like gumbi, miles of style and speed like Cardiel. Emmanual is on it!


Yes, Natas does a number of interesting things, Designarium being one of them. Here's the latest offering from the man.


Finally the new 3-D series is dropping from Plan B and everybody at Syndrome. I would say something about the constant promotion of Ryan Sheckler in all their ads but lets be honest the kid sells boards and profit is the name of the game. I really think MTV should give Darren Navarette and the entire Creature team their own show.I'd watch that

Monday Morning Goes Sexy and Creepy

Well, this is better than a nice cuppa' espresso for your Monday morning "Hello and Welcome!" Apparently, Jenna Jameson continues to find here way into the action sports world. Maybe it's the fact that here boy friend is MMA star Tito Ortiz or perhaps it's because she's a pornstar. I mean, you figure it out. First she popped up in collab deck with Zoo York a few weeks back. This is actually pretty sharp of Zoo York. Not really sure how I feel about using porn to sell skating but we use everything else and that's one of skatings better qualities: nothing is sacred.

But, this video that popped up on Shred or Die is closer to some "Skinemax." Posted by none other than BMX pro Rooftop we get to see Ms. Jameson saunter up and down the beaches of Tavarua. Nice to watch until you realize ... it's kinda creepy. Enjoy your PG perv here and hopefully Tito Ortiz won't punch my teeth out.

Know What You Like: The Gnu Riders Choice

The Ides of March have cruised on by and today I packed up the snowboard gear until winter 2009. That's right, all is done. Washington D.C. has seen some warmer temperatures recently and the time has come to pack it in for the season. While skateboarding will always be the one thing I feel strongly connected to through participation of enjoyment ... snowboarding is fun. This year I decided to venture out and purchase a few new boards. One I had always wanted and one really intrigued me. The following review is based on nothing more than plenty of riding this season, 16 years of snowboarding in my back pocket and the lone statement "I know what I like." Buckle up for round two of "Another Product Review or Opinions Are Like Assholes: we all have them."

We do need to set the level on one fact. I don't get free snowboards. I do make the purchase via proform like any guy who still works in or with a shop or is out there in the media. But, I still pay for boards. No freebies. Not even for review. Most companies encourage you to hit up the on snow demo rather than send out boards. This, of course, is understandable in these wacky economic times. OK, moving on...

There have been two snowboards over the last few years have intrigued me. They both have a variety of reasons but it's pretty simple. The Burton T6 is one and the Gnu Riders Choice with magne traction is the other. Two very different boards that shouldn't be compared side by side but we'll get to that later. The T6 is Burton's $800 board in the upper echelon of their all-mountain freestyle line up. I picked this up in 162 cm and really enjoyed the ride it provided. The Gnu Riders Choice with magne traction in 16.5 that i grabbed was equally enjoyable and had more pop than any board I have previously ridden. Stability wise at high speed the T6 couldn't be matched but because of the all-terrain freestyle vibe the Riders choice provided more fun on the kickers and rails.

Here's where I weigh in with the dreaded opinion. I give the advantage to the Riders Choice. Here's the reason why: the technology works for you. In the instance of the T6 being light, stable, and aggressive is great but the board is always moving in that direction. If you fall outside of the boards skill set by a narrow margin it will be the difference between a really good day and really bad day of riding. The Riders Choice was a bit looser at high speed but the magne traction can account for the margin of error based on skill or sketchy conditions. However, the most enjoyable thing about the Riders Choice was its' affinity to skating. The board reminded me of when you get a new deck for skating and all you do is transfer over that one pair of trucks and wheels you've spent a month dialing in. This overall sense of comfort allowed me to dive right in on the Riders Choice in both the park and the few kickers I built this year. I didn't accomplish anything great but I had more fun. Simply put: with the technology of the Riders Choice working with me while out riding rather than focusing me to utilize the technology ...I had more fun. The T6 was fun and I had some great days on it. But, the Riders Choice is the board that had me smiling the most.

Having worked in snowboard shops off an on for 15 years this is always a great story to tell the consumer who wants to come in and buy top of the line everything. We typically relate to them that we don't even ride top of the line stuff, if they want it we'll sell it to them. However when that first year rider walks out with a $1200 set up that terje himself wouldn't strap into...there's always unspoken words of: "your not going to enjoy this board, boot, binder...whatever."

Should these two boards be compared side by side? Why not, both claim an all-mountain freestyle sensibility and that should be enough. But, you should also know what you like and even though both baords claim to be a part of the same category they are light years apart. For snowboarders just getting into it or looking to get a new deck hype, graphics, marketing any number of variables can skew their choice. Both of these decks work but on two different levels of use and function. But, the choice of buying a deck should be made on what you enjoy the most. What will work for you needs to be the biggest factor.

Now, I'll hold onto my T6. Because I enjoyed the Riders Choice more doesn't mean the T6 should be thrown out. Then again I see I can easily pay for a Lib Skate Banana if I drop the T6. As you can tell my wheels are already turning for next season. In the mean time. I'll be skating and thinking about those first turns for winter 2008 - 2009.

Custom Volcom Snowboards

Appears the guys in Lib's factory are making some custom decks for their friends at Volcom. Personally I want my Skate Obama deck. Thanks Mustachio for pointing these out

This is Where it gets Heavy, Epicly Later'd: John Cardiel #14

Have you ever taken a nice big deep cleansing breath after getting some bad news? Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you by bad news from a friend or family member? The gravity of the situation facing Cardiel after his accident is a terrifying premise. His ability to rise above and press through the fear again translates to the nature of his true character. I don't believe this man can be stopped. Watch episode number 14. Be inspired and then go do something you've never done. Because you want to do it. Because you know you can do it. Believe that.

Skate Wrapping it Up: Etnies, The Label, and More...

Where does the time go? I mean when all is said and done where does it go? I certainly can't account for it. Thus, it must be finite. yes, this is another skate wrap for the week and it's starting off... well lets just call it an auspicious beginning. OK, lets jump in.

Best news I heard all week (aside from episodes 13 & 14 of Epicly Later'd: John Cardiel) comes from Skatedaily.net. The Label guys are heading to the Berrics soon. That's right. The Kid, Chet and everybody.. Shuriken ... you name it. They will be on the spot with Mr. Berra. Rumor has it there was even a Lucero appearance. Visit the Berrics often and read the Black Blog. You'll be happier if you do.

Lets take a quick recap and recount the things I was supposed to to do. Yes, I was supposed to do a spring shoe review but that will have to wait until this weekend. All I can say is this: vulcanized, cup sole, low-tech, or high tech.... get what ya like. I have a few favs and I'll be dropping them this weekend. Backing that up we have a review coming up on the crew and Convoy Skateboards and their upcoming contest: Battle of the Pyramid. Not to be missed this will be a rock solid event. More on Convoy dropping this weekend here and over on Fuel.tv. As always nobody does it better than D.I.Y. company's like Convoy. Keep on following that dream guys.

So I missed the bash up in New York by 24 hours but Etnies dropped another big collab and this time they brought it out East. Verte and Etnies have teamed up on some kicks and a few pieces. Etnies team up with Verte includes a new updated version of the Ollie King and a drop of the New Jameson shoe. The party at Max Fish had the New York scene out and about with Shut representing and others. Sorry we missed this one but thanks for the invite guys!


For the record there was no Rob Brink appearance. Instead Rob let us know he's rolling over in Barca on a mission with some Pros you know. Some you Am's you might be surprised to hear about. Plus he provided my favorite team update...ever: "Dill and Rune & Sheck are in Oz right now... Rune is winning shit, Dill is filming for AWS...sheck got a concussion..." Straight up. That's it and that's all. Hopefully everybody is safe and happy on the road. Stay tuned from Jersey's finest at Sole Tech.

Speaking of guys with better skills behind a camera than me. Shad Lambert actually updated with some stuff you won't see in the mags which is always fun including Dustin Dollin picking up the tab for a crew. That's quite a few Cuban drinks of course we also get another nice Lizard King ad or not ad depending on who you ask.

I knew Benji Galloway wasn't everybodies cup of tea but this was new to me. Then again skateboard politics is fucking lame. So what if people don't like Benji Galloway.

Last but not least, Jeff Tremaine has made it official and 'Big Brother' magazine is returning. The magazine that made it OK to laugh at anything, again returns on the internets under the JackAssWorld.com flag. Adam Sullivan over at TW business drops the good word. I hope for more interviews with tattooed little people. Yipee.

How Many Badlanders...

So yeah, there was supposed to be something else here but work and life got in the way. So, until that post is ready I now leave you with this age old question:

"How Many Badlanders Does it Take to Drain a Pool..."

See the answer in this video.

Selling Out (all the way to the bank)

Holy crap the web continues to be brutal and you have to love it. There is nothing more spiteful than tapping away at your keyboard hating on others because you have this giant microphone known as the internet. But what the hell. It's not like bloggers have more constructive things to do with their time ... that's why we blog. So buckle up because it's time to travel down the bumpy road of "Opinons are like Asssholes...we all have them."

The latest cool police gang up appears to be happening on the crew over at Supreme. In case you were wondering Kermit the Frog and skateboarding don't mix. The whole Kermit in the photo shoot with the t-shirt and the deck can give you a douche chill. Now, if you aren't familiar the douche chill is that same creepy feeling you get when the douche commercial comes on TV. Yep, creepy feelings all around. Kind of like watching 'Kids' now that Harold is dead. Scratch that 'Kids' gave me the creeps before Harold died. Anyway, here's the knock off coming out of the web...

The crew at Robust Flavor found this nice work up with Fozzy bear. Gotta say a little photoshop goes a long way. The best part is that it's actually a really good photoshop job. You don't put that much effort into something unless it's really hated.


Next up is that always funny "You Will Soon." I gotta say the hate coming off this site has had more people laughing. They do a nice job of rolling up the hate in a nice candy coating of humor and sarcasm so it gos down easier. From the fake press release on Dollin quitting skating and taking up working on the runway to Jamie Thomas' new inline skate company (relax it's a joke) these guys are making sure nobody is safe and nothing is sacred. They openly called out the guys at Surpeme but aside from screaming into the microphone one can only hope they've raised some eyebrows. Judging by the lines at Supreme on the day you could get your Supreme Muppet gear ... they won't and don't really care. The cash register in that respect is true judge and jury.

So what did we learn in this episode? Yep, some icons you just don't fuck with and Muppets clearly crosses the line. OK, that's probably not it at all. The spite may stem from the fact that this skate boutique trend continues to infringe upon selling the soul of skating purely for profit without reinvesting in the skateboarding itself. Boutiques are a tricky thing. Some set up shop and feed the scene in order to grow skating and by proxy their business. You can apply this to any business model. Support your customers and they'll keep coming back. But Supreme's attempt at pop culture crossover here fell short in the eyes of skaters and it does have an odor of commercial opportunism.

Then again if it's art....who can really comment on what is good and bad? The subjective nature of the medium and the message really caters to ones personal taste. There is no blanket rule that says something must be a certain way in the art world. The same way there are no hard and fast rules in skating. Likes, dislikes and opinions: we all have them. But, there is one certainty. No way am I paying $150 for a deck, ever.

Incubating Ideas is Good Times (or me talk pretty)

Most of the time I try not to let work infiltrate this site too much. However, I have been getting more requests to to bigger pieces and those in turn distract me from the daily South of the North updates. At this point in time it should not come as a shock that I am a fan of Epicly Latr'd. Nor should the notion of Cardiel as a dominant skater be shocking to anybody if you follow the postings I've thrown out about his skating etc.

So, Fuel TV had me dig a bit deeper and the article below is the result from those thoughts. It's still pretty loose but the nice thing about South of the North is that it has turned not just into a product drop or repository for my jackassery but also a place where at least once I've been able to incubate an idea into something a little better. Just a little.

Epicly Cardiel

Recently the internet has been burning up like his wheels did when blasting around a tight cement pocket. Yes, the familiar non-stop ripping that was his style combined with the fanatical appreciation heats up the web every Thursday and Friday. Nobody can put their finger on the popularity he has because of the videos. Maybe it’s an appreciation for the one skater who in the face of X-Games, video games and trend upon trend did his own thing. The one reason we can all grasp is very simple: because that is what John Cardiel is all about.

Did John Cardiel have to get up after a brutal slam in Transworld’s “Sight Unseen” and go on to demolish his targeted bank to rail? No, he could have curled up like any other man and taken the rest of the day off. Not Cardiel. The next set of video frames shows him barreling down the same path in typical Cardiel fashion. There is no slowing down only a ferocious kick push to set up and he drops the trick as if a slam never occurred. So if you ever wonder how this man came back from a horrific accident to walk again take a look at that video and you’ll wonder less.

Let’s go back to that accident for a moment. Somewhere in Australia, Cardiel woke up and there was the message being sent to him: “you aren’t going to walk again.” We all had heard this from the minimal interviews conducted after the accident as the skating world tried to figure out what was going on. But, where was the connection from then to now? From paralysis to the walking full of life Cardiel we see on screen? That example of Cardiel we all new existed, but hadn’t seen or heard of for months was out there.

Like an insane trick popping up in the middle of an everyday ledge line … there it was. The opening episode of Epicly Later’d showed us the John Cardiel we remember. There’s a brief moment in episode one where John talks about moving his big toe for the first time and said “it’s on”. With that one statement we knew his return was imminent. Sure, he has been around and never faded away. But, this was the moment we all looked for and finally found.

Combine John Cardiel’s pure rawness in skating with the mystery of being out of the public eye and you have a great story. Listen to his words between the “dudes”, “hellas” and “bros”. Then and only then will you see the passion of a man born to rip. Only a few skaters are lucky enough to do it for a living. The rest of us sneak in moments of fun and joy between school and work. Cardiel represents the skaters who still believe they can’t and won’t stop. That skater who’s compulsion to roll around is forever ingrained into their DNA. Cardiel has done what we want to do and rises above when we need a boost. That’s why we can’t stop watching Epicly Later’d: John Cardiel.

Cardiel in Transworld's "Sight Unseen"

Slaughter at the Opera Coverage Continues...

Floating out there are on the internets is more photo coverage of Globe's Slaughter at the Opera. Best of luck finding the rest. yes, that is Chris Haslam reminding you of the Jason Jesse quote: "Rainbows don't mean shit."

Here Comes the Weekend (a posting in progress)

Still Way to Early Sunday Morning
Should come as no surprise that the East Coast has been going through a minor heatwave. This, of course always screws up the general climate for about a week as cold and warm fronts battle it out for supremacy. Yesterday was one of those weird off and on days where it was super warm one minute and then sleeting the next. This leaves in the Mid Atlantic giving up on those last few spring temp days at the local Pennsyl-tucky hills and heading out skating more.

This would not be the case out West. Their Winter is still in full effect. I stumbled across this blog entry from the Snowboard Mag on a Loveland Mission. Check the pics. Looks like fun. Glad they can still get some after getting skunked last year. Check it out.
Way to Early Sunday Morning
Finally, Under Skatement Vol. 4 is making its way to D.C.
Palace 5, Next Weekend.
Thanks Forgotten City for the tip off.Saturday Night-ish
Clicking around today I came across the Vans Bowl-a-Rama links check the vids when you can. I'm off to dream of warmer days.
Pro Contest
Master's Contest

Friday 7:13 AM
Epicly Later'd: John Cardiel #12
Patrick's series on John Cardiel officially hits the 2/3's mark and keeps on trucking. Episode number twelve covers John's dedication to filming his part in Tranworld's 'Sight Unseen.' That video part rocked my view of how flow could and should be in skating. If you are afraid of going fast and attacking things head on while skating. Watch his part and it will open your eyes.

By now the clear focus of what Cardiel is should be coming into view. His pure power and rawness is served by the massive amout of heart he puts into his skating. I'm unsure if there is another skater like him past or present. We can only hope for the future. Check episode number 12 and witness it all for yourself.


Friday 12:25 AM
Can't Sleep on the new Allen Danze Series...'Danzed in D.C.' courtesy of BNQT. Sorry Allen but you know HR is coming for his royalties soon.




Damn, Pfanner is on Anti Hero. Check the vid

Friday 12:23 AM
So, you can go ahead and say "thanks' right now to the extra hour of daylight we get this upcoming Sunday. Finally, weekday skate sessions will go proceed. Everybody out west and up North can shred till their little hearts delight with the extra house of sun blazing over their head. Hopefully you don't get caught up watching too much home improvement TV looking for tips on blowing out your ramp or closet for all those new kicks that are dropping. you might end up with one of these.

Redneck mansions aside this has been a busy ten days for the heads over at Nike SB. First they dropped the Tre feature. Next up the P-Rod 2 Tinker Hatfiled came out under the quick strike radar. Finally, the march line dropped with the introduction of the Tre and the awaited Dr. Feelgood dunk high and the Skate or Die Dunk.

Now by this point in time you should be able to flip through Ebay and sell your soul for this slice of cool but what really was funny was the "Bo" P-Rod 2 highs getting ready to drop. These would be the "Bo's" as in Nike SB's Sandy "man with the plan" Bodecker. Pretty big on the glitz but hey when you are in charge you can do whatever the fuck you want. Enough about Nike SB at the end of the day they are one company in the game. Lots of others out there doing new things.


Wow, all I can say is ...wow. This came via The-Tackledbox and you should visit that site. Lots. I hope to see Dan Winslow in every 'zine and at every comp next year. He's the Icy Hot Stuntaz of snowboarding.*


* That blinding white flash you experienced earlier was called sarcasm. We know the video's a joke. Calm the fuck down.javascript:void(0)

Friday through Sunday we update to one post. Afterwards you can sort and sift as you please.

Epicly Later'd: Cardiel #11

Did you have a bad day?

Yeah?

Need to mellow out a little?

Yeah?

Tighten up and watch this...

Holy Oly Video, Photos and Der Bloggen

Beers, Banana Traction, Big Quarters and a Jeff Brushie appearance on a custom... if you believe everything you read. Enjoy the vid and damn Willie, wow.

More Holy Oly coverage can be found around the web ina variety of varietastical places such as extreme journalist at large Brooke Geery. Somehow between making pasta primavera and skating with Johnny Layton look-a-likes during Portland fake spring, Brooke found time to go take in the sights, sounds and assuredly the smells of the Holy Oly. Her little snippet, photos and vid-yo can all be found over here.

The other nugget (or gem as Brooke will name it) surfaced is this post from the Grenade site. Dave Schiff checks in from the Oly with all the random partyness that went on. Grenades blog is always a good read that makes me feel real old or real young depending on my bloody mary intake at that moment.

Epicly Later'd: Full Length Cardiel DVD A-Comin'

Nope, you still have to wait for the Thursday-Friday one two punch for your nxt pro-dell installments of John Cardiel's Epicly Later'd. But if you have been paying any attention at all you may have picked up on this from Patrick:
" We screened this Cardiel thing. This version is about 4 minutes longer that the one that will come out on DVD. Did I mention that the DVD comes out in about 2 weeks and its free. We're fuckin' super juiced. You just gotta fuckin find a store that sells John's shoe and ask for it."

Sooooo, be on the look out for that DVD. But wait...there's more. Next up we can expect some good things coming in the form of Epicly Later'd: Ethan Fowler.

Nike Dunk Wars

Dunk Vs. Dunk? Nike is back at it with another way to keep their content all fresh like. You have to wait through the whole clip to vote but like anything Nike undertakes it's well done.

The Chinese Downhill Still Rules

Westbeach has got the right idea. They certainly put the fun back into snowboard contests with this one. Sure, there was no media coverage but bombing 4.978 down a mountain to then footrace and chug a beer? That sounds like a nice way to spend a midweek afternoon. Nice one Westbeach. This should be a series at big mountains everywhere. Gnarcore has a damn fine writeup. Check it.



And in case you didn't grow up watching bad (or great depending on your point of view) ski comedies of the 70's and 80's, enjoy a classic scene from Hot Dog: the Movie

Skate Wrap

Another weekend down and finally got the opportunity to sneak in some skating. Thus, why not get into a solid skate wrap. We gotta be a little timely here and mention that if you weren't sitting in front of a computer on Friday night then you clearly have a life. But, I had to check out some of the Slaughter at the Opera and enjoyed skating from the old stomping grounds in Sydney. Lutzka did his thing and walked away with the top spot. Full results and some photos from the Globe Site...

Slaughter at the Opera (presented by Globe and Thrasher) Results

1. Greg Lutzka
2. Adam Dyet
3. Ryan Decenzo
4. Gailea Momolu
5. Sean Malto
6. Nick Dompierre
7. Mark Appleyard
8. Ryan Sheckler
9. Torey Pudwill


Of course while you are on the Globe site you might as well check out United by Fate Episode #3 starring Matt Mumford and Jake Duncombe. This is going to be a premo way to waste time in the office or at school so get a cold beverage and enjoy some amazing skating by two of Oz's finest.

Old News is Still News or "I wasn't late. You were early."
Rumored for just about ever and still not confirmed but we're gonna talk about it anyways... Looks like Arto and Ali aren't on the Etnies team page. Are all these effing Gravis Rumors true? Arto has up to three shoes on Etnies but they've all been pulled from the web page. That might not be good for business. But, change is inevitable. C'est la Vie ... there's some frenchy for Pierre!

I didn't know Nate Sherwood was still around...kinda creepy.

Nike SB Marches On

Yeah, that's the type of headline I used to write for my old job. Putting that down is almost painful but sometimes it has to be done. Nike Skateboarding is on fire recently with the leaks of summer previews, the big info drop on the Zoom Tre A.D. (review is coming...promise) but what about the monthly drop you may be asking? Worry no more because March is here and so are your SB's.

March 2008 will give you the first glimpse of the Zoom Tre A.D. and revisit some of the classics in the line up. Here we go with the photos that we copped from the web.

Harbor
Classic
Dunk
Zoom Tre A.D.Zoom Tre A.D.

Metallica X Billabong

Now, I'll be the first to say it: "I'm not a bro-brah surfer guy". I get the opportunity to surf once every five years it seems. I just prefer to pick up my skateboard and go hit it when free time is there. But, I do like Metallica or to be specific I do like Metallica's first four albums. So, it's somewhat fitting to take a peak at these boardies from 'Bong. A bit flashy but I guess if you are A.I. it's no big deal.

As for Mettalica? Lately they've been sucking but hopefully their new album will correct that. Plus, after all, going back to the Zorlac days, Metallica has some strong ties to skating. I know James used to skate and so did Kirk but I'm sure they don't anymore. Hopefully we'll hear some new music out of the guys before the end of the year. In the meantime, fade to black with Jim Breuer in a pretty solid assessment of the band.