Author: Crossfire

“Save us: Poison Dart Frog”
Powerply 7.8×31.7″

I love SCS decks, if any woodshop has stood the test of time in board construction its these guys. I don’t recall them ever putting out a bad construction or dodgy gimmick, Powerply is straight up the best maple out there. Strong, light, holds the above average deep concave in place and has plenty of pop, I heard they go to nerdish lengths to keep their wood in tip top condition before they press it and it certainly comes across when you ride it.

First thing you notice on this deck is the graphic, this is pretty rowdy in the colours department and shows off the endangered poison frog! This poor fellow is almost extinct, and this series of decks allowed each SCS pro to pick an endangered specie and in return, for every deck sold they will donate $1.00 to the respective wildlife conservation group! Pretty cool huh? Especially if you’re a poison frog (coz we need more of those in our parks and gardens!). The Asian Elephants, Leopards, Albino Royal Pythons and a few other scary snakes also get flow from SCS now!

The board rides amazing, solid, and didn’t flinch at landing an ollie with my feet in “board snapping” position, which always bodes well. The concave, as I said is a little deeper than most, which is sweet for shifty ollies and sticking to your feet on airs. Nose and tail are at a good (not too) steep angle, and with the concave running the length of the straight rails, nollies and switch tricks are much easier.

So swing by your local skateshop and do some good not only for the world’s wildlife, but also your pop and find more at www.santacruzskateboards.com

10/10

Philip Procter

When I was a kid I was always fascinated with what was in my dads “haversack”. Everyone in my town had them from working in the local shipyard and the older school kids had them too. So when my time came to get one, I was stoked, as standard I wrote band names on it, PE for Public Enemy and drew a large H-Street logo on the back, and I was all set, then something happened.

That something was when Eastpak came out with its classic rucky, so the old woven haversack with their nasty buckles was gone overnight. The new breed even had a pocket on the back too! So you cram in your skateshoes and hoodie in – plus some tools and a spare kingpin in the pocket and that’s it your all set to go skate, oh and maybe the odd pen and pencil for school too.

Since then ruckies have got uber complicated, speakers in the side, hidden pockets, earphone holes (do people ever use those?) but this backpack is back to the OG, a simple classic still big enough for your daily junk, a pair of sneaks and still the big pocket on the front for you wallet and phone, and maybe a skate-key if your still that way inclined. As strong as you would expect, and even comes with a 30 year guarantee, so if your zip dies a death, or a hole appears in the pocket, get yourself down to the shop you bought it from and they will gladly replace it, cant go wrong!

These particular bags are covered in the swallow emblem from the Antidote Tour, so if you’re a Flogging Molly fan, this will be right up your street. The Antidote tour is passing Europe this winter, along with Matt Hensley’s band you have Skindred, Street Dogs and Time Again aboard, check it out the UK tour:

02-NovUK Newcastle Academy
03-NovUK Glasgow Barrowlands
05-NovUK London Astoria
06-NovUK Manchester Academy
07-NovIRL Dublin Ambassador
08-NovUK Birmingham Academy
09-NovUK Bristol Academy

www.antidotetour.com

Philip Procter