Monday, May 31, 2010

Chrome Ball Incident x Nike SB


Congrats to E for getting a Chrome Ball Incident Nike SB colorway! Classic Airwalk Enigma tan and olive.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Rodney Torres



Pretty slick video to lead up to this years Maloof Money Cup in NY. Stoked on the bs nollie flip over the Brooklyn Bank wall (2:00) from way back in the day and the feeble to fakie nose grind (2:28) was a surprise. A well deserved Zoo Master Division pro model.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Arcade Skateboards - Mission Statement


There was a time in skateboarding when 20 years old was too old to be in the game. I remember turning 20 and saying to myself, “Ok, now what do I do?” I had turned pro for a company called H-Street at 16. It was the biggest company in the world at the time but skateboarding was about to shit the bed.

I had just completed a video part. It was just awful. Koston had his first part in the video. Somehow, I had last part. Sorry Eric. I didn’t understand it either. But at that point, I guess you could say I was their top-tier type pro. Or so I’m told. I would fly to Europe, do well in the contests (when that sort of thing still mattered a tad) then I would return home to a couch I rented for $150. For a few years that was the extent of pro skateboarding. At least for me. I think it was the summer of 1993.

- Jason Rogers

You gotta read the whole thing... good stuff. I was on the H-Street teet for many years in the late 80's and early 90's but never owned anything Arcade. Sounds like they are on a good path in this second phase with some of the best wood in the business. Image from Skateboarding is...

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Rodrigo TX



Rodrigo TX's LRG part. Dude is amazing. Every video part he's put out since Menikmati has been nuts. Also check out this ten year retrospective at the eS website.

Monday, May 24, 2010

the High Five - Raiders


I've never heard of this company before but recently read that their newest pro is Steve Nesser.
"We needed a big name to anchor High 5. Somebody like Daewon or Jamie Thomas but neither of them returned our phone calls so we called Steve Nesser and asked if he wouldn’t mind quitting the Birdman again, for just a little while, until we got off our feet and then he could go back. We gave him a note and asked him to circle Y if the answer was yes or N if it was Nyet. And he circled Y! Why? Who knows? Who cares?

WE GOT STEVE NESSER ON THE TEAM, GODDAMN IT!!"

Anyway, I ended up at their website and was looking through their graphic archives and this Tusken Raider one immediately jumped out at me! Super awesome!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Jake Johnson - ss bs 180



Holy crap Jake Johnson! Wobbles coming down the bank and a split second earlier into the street and he's smoked by that car.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Wilson Eco Carry Golf Bag


My current light weight golf carry bag is getting pretty worn out, especially around the divider openings. It has served me well for the past 5 years but it's time to move on. I grabbed this ultra light 3.7 lbs Wilson Eco Carry Bag off ebay for $63. It's a decent looking bag with three pockets, which is enough for me, six-way club divider and it's eco friendly to boot. It's made from 100% recycled fabric which is the equivalent of twelve 1-gallon plastic bottles.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Kikkor Golf Eppik Review


James Lepp from Kikkor Golf was kind enough to send me a pair of black Eppiks for review. They are currently available through their web shop (CAN$109 or USD$89 with free shipping both ways) and at various retailers.

Reviewer: That would be me. I have skateboarding roots dating back to 1988 and I picked up golf in 1998. To this day, I do both on a weekly basis. I play off a GTHC of 15. I'd like to think I'm fairly competent out on the links LOL. I pretty much always walk and carry when I play. My current pair of golf shoes are the Adidas Stanzonian AT.

Sizing: I wear a 10 in most skate shoe brands (Lakai, DVS, Vans, Emerica, eS, DC etc etc) and Kikkor's are right in the mix. I'd probably call them a slightly tight 10. Going up to a 10.5 would've been too big for me.


Shape: From the top, they have a medium round toe. I thought they would look more bulky so this was a nice surprise.


Features: Based on the stock photos of the shoes, it's obvious that they have a cup sole construction and look like a skate shoe with golf spikes. The latter is actually not entirely the case. The sole has a support shank in it for stability and gives the sole a stiff feel. I was planning on take the spikes out and do a little video skating in them but I don't think they will flex enough. Also, the Q-LOK threads would probably get ruined. The uppers are leather and waterproof, which is always good for golfing in the Pacific Northwest and other damp regions.

Comfort: When you're walking around for 4+ hours during a round, comfort is king and these shoes don't disappoint. I've had several range sessions and walked 36 holes and my feet are super happy. When you walk on level hard surfaces, you definitely feel the spikes as they are not recessed in the sole. When walking on grass, it's not noticeable and the traction is great. I haven't had one situation yet where I've slipped out. The spikes do collect quite a bit of grass debris so make sure you brush them off when you get the chance. The insole is kinda interesting... it's a waffle type construction and I think may be one of the reasons they are so damn comfortable.


The height of the sole from heel to toe is relatively even which is quite different from my Adidas, which have a noticeable lower toe relative to the heel. Because of this, the Kikkors took a bit of getting used to. I definitely feel taller when I'm wearing the Kikkors than my Adidas. My friend was commenting how it looks like I'm floating when I'm walking on concrete.




Misc: In the skate shoe game, there's a huge overlap in each companies' offerings. Most have a manchester style, era style, dunk style, campus style, chukka style etc etc. There are only so many decent looking silhouettes to go around.

Conclusion: Overall, I highly recommend these golf shoes if you like the aesthetic. They really are super comfortable. The two monotone colorways are plain and simple. The Ocean and Blaze are too loud for my taste but if you're into the colours and like something that pops, go for it. The sole does have a fairly even gradient from heel to toe which made me feel taller compared to my current golf shoes but I got used to it fairly quickly.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Selfish Skateboards


I've never seen someone contradict themselves so many times in a single interview. Delusional is a good description. His logic is just so flawed...
"I was making like $50,000 a month to ride a piece of wood with four wheels on it."
Sounds inflated to me. Typically, skaters look awkward when they are kids and develop a cleaner better style as they grow up. This dude is straight up the opposite.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Chrome Baller Shirts



EDIT: More updated info here.

Had a few made as testers. Came out awesome! If anyone wants a size large (22" W, 30" L) in white, shoot me an email. $15 + shipping. This is all about the most excellent Chrome Ball Incident.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Cow


Played Mayfair Lakes on Sunday and was feeding this guy next to the tee box of hole#3.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Lance Mountain



Check out this Lance Mountain appreciation article at Slap. I remember the first time I heard about him and thought he had the coolest name. Now that I think about it, lots pro's from the 80's seemed to have cool sounding names.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Thrasher's Hell of a Year


Cool feature over at Thrasher. A nice mix of tech geeks and gnar dogs... a blurb and a video for each dude.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Robbie Mckinley


Check out the interview here with one of my favourites from the late 90's. This part from Tim Dowling's Listen always got me psyched. Image from Chrome Ball.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Brian Lotti



More Brian Lotti! Stoked!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Lavar Mcbride


One of the illest from the early 90's. The formatting of the embedded video seems a bit off so check it out in full here. He looks kinda Urkel-ish to me. LOL