Author: Crossfire

Californian legend Jeff Grosso whose status accelerated within skateboarding during the 80’s with Santa Cruz Skateboards has joined forces with Vans to make a bespoke shoe that simply rocks.

We were sent a pair of these Old Skool Lows this week. They skate straight out of the box and come with classic Jim Phillips Grosso artwork etched on the side in black and also a full colour Devil Bat deck graphic on the insole.

You should know by know that the Old Skool Low has become a legend in it’s own right but this version comes with improvements such as “lace saver” eyerow construction, notched heel in Sk8 Hi version, dura-cap toe and ollie areas, and full-length polyurethane foam footbeds.

I was very lucky to be able to shred with this guy in 1996 at the Basic Pool in California and a dog managed to bite his arse whilst he was performing one of his trademark 16ft rock and roll slides! Safe to say he rode out of it with a smile on his face and grabbed a glass of beer from one of the wall kegs! Grosso is one of the best skaters to ever grace this earth and this pays homage to the service he has given to World Skateboarding. Now go pay him back and pick these up from your local SOS!

8/10

Emilio Gonzales

Grosso interview and footage here:

Noblemen Series

This Habitat, Raymond Molinar, art series 7.8″ rig has a striking graphic of a Viking with a very fancy beard, and looking at the rest of the Noblemen series it is clear that they all have beards and they all rock! With these graphics and a recent surge in fashionable facial hair I’ve seen it necessary to compile a list of why skateboarding shares many similarities to growing a good, strong, full beard.

~ Sometimes landing that trick is easier (less painful) than not, as too is growing a beard, sit back and watch that bad boy bloom.

~ Everyone has their own style, some people try and bite other peoples, but it’s always noticeable.

~ It’s a conversation starter.

~ You can start at an early age or not, some excel before others, either way you’ll find your feet.

~ People will say to you that “it just a faze”, but you know deep down “this shit is real”

~ Once you’ve got the taste for it, no one can ever take it away from you…take it to the grave!

~ No one likes a poser.

~ No matter where you go in the world people, in the right circles, will know where you’re coming from.

The last board I snapped was a Habitat, (impossible down a three set!! oh yes) so upon receiving this little number the first order was an impossible. Being 7.8′, not my usual 8′, it flipped wildly out of control, you tend to forget just how 0.2 of an inch can effect you.

Once befriended with my new 7.8′ rig we were like old mates, all the flip tricks, down! Great board, crammed with bags of pop and matched with a mellow concave all finished off with a mellowish pitched nose and tail. I’ve decided to maintain a beard as long as this board lasts, two weeks in and as many impossibles as seen in Public Domain and I’m starting to think that I’ll be matching Darwin’s facial growth before this bad boy dies…..no bad thing.

Long live beards, art, Habitat, public domain and Darwin!

9/10

Masher.