Burnt out on the industry and resting on some herbal laurels, euro-powerhouse Bastien Salabanzi (ph. Rob Brink) has left yet another major sponsor- Etnies Shoes.
It would seem like the young Congolese Frenchman seems more inspired by his guitar, but you can bet that he’ll be back at some point with only extra feathers in his cap.
02.01.07
It’s all good and fair that a skater needs tough shoes to get busy in, but there comes a time when the skatepark shuts, the night draws in, the seasons change and the board stops.
Often this time instigates social behaviour, preferably in a bar or on a date. The sight of your scruffed up skate shoes does not sit well with the opposite sex, or bouncers of high society nightclubs, so strolling the streets and heading home might be the only result if you don’t get your self a pair of chilling shoes.
The DVS Barons are good chilling shoes.
Initially, I thought I’d get my skate on with the Barons, but after one push around the park I knew I’d have to save them the fate of griptape murder. That said, I’m sure these shoes skate a dream; they’re light, flexible and very grippy. However, the Baron is a little slim of the rigidity level, so save them for a rainy day.
At a first glance, my Barons reminded me of those sneakers West Coast gangsters like to wear. You know the Chuck Taylor style plimsoles with the bright white laces? Rolling around in these shoes had me humming Too Short lyrics all day. Even if they’re low and slim, the gum sole is a sweet cushion to your stomp. The Baron takes me back to the good old days of simple skate shoes like Salman Agah’s first pro-model on Vans. The only problem I had with these kicks is that the tongue is pretty slim so the laces tie up and make your feet look a bit kippered.
DVS make competent skate shoes with style playing a key factor in design. Ideally I’d get a pair of Baron’s for the days when rain has postponed play. Or Snoop Dogg’s coming to town…
7/10
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
I have to add to this review as i was sent a pair of these DVS Barons to and i have skated in them religiously since.
I’m not going to fuck about, these are the best skate shoes i skated in during 2006 and i have gone through over 18 pairs this year.
They are flimsy, almost deck shoe like but they served a purpose as soon as they were lifted out of the box and have done the best job possible since.
If you like the Vans OG sole, you are gonna love this shoe. Every shoe company has made a Vans inspired shoe, in fact in 2006 year, more than any other, ALL skate shoe companies have gone for this style and why? Because they work, because they let you have control of your grip tape better than a big, wide skate shoe that gets in the way of your grip and your sole. These Barons are not Vans, DVS have done a great job and supplied skaters with the ultimate control beneath your feet and DVS have not sold out to the high street either, they make shoes for skaters only.
Unlike Ralph’s, my feet did not look kippered, i was proud when i looked down to see where they were positioned everytime i wanted to prepare for a trick.
The only downside to shoes like these is the fact that they will fall apart eventually if you ollie loads – like any other, as they don’t have any extra fabric to overcome the stress of griptape, but i would rather wear these over the likes of the originators any day of the week and that is why they will be on my feet when i go roll tonight.
Look out for DVS this year, they have laid the foundations for an explosion in 2007.
Find them at www.dvsshoes.com
8/10
Chuck Bangers
Please welcome Liverpool’s most lively upcoming skater Adam Aulaqi.
Judging by the footage and photos we’ve seen of his skating, we decided to introduce his skills that have just earnt him a place on the Karma Skateboards team to the first of many Crossfire Countdowns in 2007 clocked in by RLD.
10. Kicking off the chart at number 10, let us know who you are – age, where you’re from, star sign?
Well Bob…wait is your name Bob? Bob seems like a fitting name for a Crossfire Countdown interviewer! Well Bob I represent for da scouse-side, that’s Liverpool fool an’ I’ll jack that fish pie off ya Nan. At 19 most women want me and most men want to be me…I live my life guided by the weekly star sign column (Sagittarius) in ‘Closer’, I find this helps in my quest for perfection.
9. Feeling fine at number 9, we want to know how you’d describe your skating in a lonely hearts advert?
My skating is much like a piece of promiscuous white American jailbait…fast with a loose under-carriage.
8. Number 8 is all about what your plate – What’s the recipe for a good session?
Right Bob, picture this, all the safe people you’ve ever skated with, some bad-boy spot somewhere, wallrides, fakie heelflips, and a whole host of dead celebrities dug up just to chill with…Ol Dirty Bastard, Desmond Dekker, The Lilt Ladies (might not be dead but never hear from them anymore) and Scarface.
7. Up from 11 and in at number 7, tell us who your influences are on and off board?
Onboard, all the Milton Keynes home-dogs, represent, represent!!! The whole northern massive holdin it down rain or errrr rain! Special big up to Mackey and the Lost Art crew, tink ya can take a slam bwoy come see how we do!!! Literally like a million different skaters from all over the world inspire and influence me, safe as fuck, I’m only here doing my thing because others went before me. As for off board you know who you are, I tell you all on a daily basis and if I don’t, you don’t deserve it…
6. In the same line as 7, number 6 asks what you’d be doing if you didn’t skate?
Smoking crack, eating fish-finger sandwiches and beating up people like me
5. Number 5 is where things get live, so what do you think of demos and comps?
Watching comps and demos never got me that hyped let alone skating in them myself. It’s all about everyone skating together, just buzzing off the atmosphere of a hectic street session going the fuck off!
4. Knocking on your door is number 4, so who do you hang out with on the regular?
Well Bob I don’t mean to name drop, but in all honesty I am exceedingly tight friends with some of the biggest movers and shakers on the Liverpool moving and shaking scene. The Beatles, Atomic Kitten, Matty Pritchard, Craig (Liverpool’s no. 1 Big Brother winner), and that scouse bint from Spice Girls!
3. Last week’s number 1 down two places to number 3, who is your favorite UK skater?
I’d like to phone a friend Chris! I mean Bob! Hey; this isn’t ‘who wants to be a millionaire’. Little joke there for you down at the office. Ummm. Anyway I’m going to give you a wee selection: Colin K, John Rattray, Big Ash (reckon you’re good at skate?) Benny Fairfax, The Mack (Big Dave) Dog, myself, Penny, Winny, Chewy, and my mate Fishy (skates like the cast of Football Factory).
2. New in at number 2, where is the best place to chill after a skate?
Kimos! Before, during, and after skating, seriously, I ate 6 chicken kebabs in 3 days from this place. Rumors will argue Quick Chef is just as good (Lies! They have pigeons in the air vent). Big up the Kimo’s massive! Fuck I’m hungry!
1. Which means that our number 1 question for you is – What has skateboarding taught you?
I’m going to answer this one with a question Bob. Did you know that the chicken in Liverpool isn’t chicken? I don’t know what it is but its odd…
And finally, here’s your chance for shout outs and thank you’s:
I’m a student! Safe as fuck to everyone at Sidewalk! Cheers to Selly and the whole M.K crew (Nobes, Doe or Die, J-murder, Tanner, Potter, Frenchy AKA Foot-finger, Smeeton, Nozza, ahhh mate too many to mention but you know who you are), Malcolm and Matt Clarke for doing all the filming and photos, keep up the good work boys! Yes blud, everyone holding it down up north. That’s Mackey, Chris and all the Lost Art bums, as well as all the guys who I skate with, wallrides and cold weather for life!!!
Massive thank you to Adam and Jane at Karma who have sorted me out a treat with plenty of fresh wood. Much love to all my family and friends back home, cheers for supporting my shit the whole way! Big up to Nelson Mandela, the GZA, Aggie D’s Turkish shop in Walthamstow, the attractive French girl I live with as all the Heritage Court Crew and Smithdown Lane Connection. Best wishes and mad love goes out to J and Hazel in MK who are about to have a baby, brap, brap! Finally nice one to everyone I’ve forgotten…
To watch footage of Adam click here.
Ryan Sheckler has offically left Almost Skateboards and is now another recruit at the ever growing Plan B Skateboards.
Relaunched in 2005, Plan B now boasts one of the most high profile teams in World Skateboarding with owners Danny Way and Colin McKay recruiting team riders Brian Wenning, Paul Rodriguez, Pat Duffy, Ryan Gallant and PJ Ladd at the helm of their brand, now strengthened further with the addition of Sheckler whose contract had allegedly expired at Almost.
Sheckler says “I am excited to be joining Plan B and look forward to being a part of great things to come. Let’s do this!”
You can see his pro models below that are available now but have a think about what the Plan B video is going to stuffed full of? Have you seen Sheckler’s most recent video part in the Oakley video yet? Ouch.
02/01/07
It’s that time of year again where the wind plays a more prominent role of being your worst fucking nightmare. Sending shivers down your spine and flip sticks (anatomically referred to as legs) with every malevolent attack. One must be prepared for such a bitter onslaught. Praise the Lord the clothing connoisseurs down at Globe Apparel have equipped us with a delicious new pair of slacks that are the perfect method of defence.
If you’re anything like me, you don’t wanna be skating around looking like a complete Tom Penny spoof, thankfully you can be warm and not have to. The “Noodles” come slim fitted, with that extra bit of breathing space and baggage that sucks in the warm air to keep you cosy and to avoid any trouser related genital area disasters. Stoked.
Threaded together with a durable cotton/spandex type affair, these jeans are strong shit. I wouldn’t be surprised if the big heads at Globe forced them into the gym for weeks on end before deciding they are ready for the public. I jest, of course I’d be surprised, that’s complete rhubarb, but you get the point. I went out for 5-hour park session to test these suckers out. Tumble after tumble and they haven’t got a scratch, still looking as fresh as anything Ryan Gallant would dare throw on his body. Steeeeze Louiiize.
Nice deep pockets are a cheeky bonus with these sick jeans; if you’re a ‘headphones on’ type of skater you can have the benefit of your Pod being kept snug while you’re busy mutilating fresh marble. Plus a tidy sealed pocket on the back to stop your moolah being thrown all over the shop while you sling yourself down a hubba bubba. Hold it!
Overall, a solid effort from Globe. A comfortable, sweet looking pair of slacks that keep you snug in the winter wonderland. 9/10 boss.
02.01.07
Element Pionner Jacket
Element have sent us pretty much everything they put into the stores for honest testing here at Crossfire since we started in 2001 and that is what we expect from brands that believe they have the quality to pass the tests.
We believe that the brands that ignore our requests for product reviews and decide not to be involved are scared that we will expose their shoddy products.
Magazines tend to hand the product to you on a plate without exposing the design faults and cheap fabrics that some brands will try and get away with but we like to do things differently as a lot of that has to do with advertising: the brands put money their way in return for adverts and the magazines do not want to upset the product managers by exposing what really goes into the product they offer the general public. Element do not advertise on this website yet, but they have enough confidence in their brand to send us everything that comes out season after season. They know that they do not rely on cheap fabrics and have enough experience to get the perfect blend of design and functionality with their products for skaters worldwide.
On first view this Pionner Jacket leaps out of the box, wraps its warm material around you leaving your head to poke out of the top with a smile on your face. It’s lightweight shell does not weigh you down if you want to get loose on a ledge although like any jacket made of micro ottoman 100% polyamide. I’m sure if subjected to being blown off a San Francisco hill bomb at 40mph it would give in at some point. Anyway, that’s obvious of any material but this jacket is firstly super warm without strangling you in a sauna once you get warmed up and also has the pockets you need when you go riding to hide any portable music player on the inside and your mitts on the outside.
The only main fault I could find with this jacket is the fact that the sleeves have the option to be tightened with Velcro and the strip of Velcro stitched to the sleeve itself seems to be a little too long for my liking and is exposed by a good 4 inches which is not needed. Personally I have decided not to skate in this jacket and have used it as my daily winter jacket to tackle weather during my daily duties. Other than the Velcro overdose that can easily be fixed if you want to make the effort at a local tailors, this could well be a contender for jacket of the year here at Crossfire this winter, go grab one and defeat the cold this season in style.
Element Congress Jeans
Once upon a time Levi’s were choice of jean for skateboarders worldwide, probably due to the fact that no skate companies ever made them available, but nowadays you can guarantee that most make them tailored to the way we ride but the question is, are they as good?
Element have done their research and have produced a jean that runs with the same logic and chemistry as their range of shirts, mixing 1.1% lycra with a 98.9% cotton. This provides movement, allowing the fabric to move wherever you do but so minimally that you would not notice it compared against your usual denim.
The cut would suit anyone looking for a superbly fitted jean with a low cut waist that again allows perfect flexibility so if you like either a baggy jean or tight drainpipe styles these will not for you. Add the fact that you could wear these out in the evening and feel good in them and you have one of the best jeans you could buy.
Element’s wood and thread have always delivered quality and these jeans set a high standard. Go get some and find out.
Element Horizontal Hood
The first thing you notice as this fits around your bones is the fact that the fabric is killer soft on first touch. Made of 80% cotton and 20% polyester this hoody manufactured in India has great shape and comes with a perfect hood and the wind water fire and earth logo that sleeps on the chest.
The front pockets supply your hands with warmth once again due to the quality fabric and also boasts another classic logo on the left hand sleeve. You can’t really go wrong with this hoody, go get one and feel the earth….
You can find all of these threads at www.elementskateboards.com
Chuck Bangers
02.01.07
Independent Trucks Lined Coach’s Jacket and Clipper Windbreaker
Popular with golfers over the years, these wind breakers have found a use in the world of skateboarding and rightly so.
Independent (alongside Thrasher) have made these for years and have progressed from standard, thin, rain coats to the now fully lined, slim line, lightweight breakers providing warmth from the lined 100% polyester inner that doesn’t allow you to over heat when you skate but also protecting your body from the wet elements we are so used to having to deal with here in Europe with the addition of the 100% nylon shell on the outside.
The hooded version has a simple zipper, front pockets with drawstrings on the hood and waist line accompanied by a black and white indy logo front and back whereas the standard version is black, red and white, hoodless with collars that you can do up to the neck with poppers as opposed to a zipper. This version has a front red and white indy logo, an indy cross on the middle back and a written red and white logo on the back waistline.
These are built to spill like any other Independent range so grab one to day if you live fast and ride tough.
Independent Trucks Skate Tool Belt
It’s no secret, skating with a rucksack attached to your back is nowhere near as fun as the free flowing runs you can have without the burden of carting your accessories about for a session. But as you know, someone somewhere needs tools to loosen or tighten trucks and wheel nuts, change kingpins that have snapped or tighten truck bolts.
Independent Trucks have the answer to your prayers as they have patented a stylish belt that has everything you need to change your rig on the road. Now this could sound like a nightmare and you would think that this invention would be bulky and get in your way, but the truth is you do not even notice these options are there once you belt up and hit the road.
Genius inventions like this are few and far between in the skateboard world, only brands that have been there since the beginning will never let you down and with this brand being at the forefront of the scene since 1978, this belt is set to be a sure fire hit with skaters all over the world, go get one today.
Independent Trucks “The Fix” 149 Jeans
Independent have everything on the go these days in terms of accessories and clothing to compliment their ever impressive skate team riding their trucks and with the jeans market open for competition, they have filled a gap with a 100% cotton jean that simply offers your bottom half the threads you need this winter.
The cut allows flexibility and are not too tight so your knackers move freely when you ride, they are not over branded so you have no worries about feeling like a walking advertisement board and are soft to wear from the off. Wash them alone before you wear them so that they can secrete the colouring and these will wash out leaving you with a naturally looking worn jean just how they should be.
Go to www.independenttrucks.com to see all of their range.
Chuck Bangers
Ryan Sheckler just spent his 17th Birthday with Paul Rodriguez at the Key Club. The do was documented over at Vital Skate where eyebrows were raised when Sheckler had been spotted in a Plan B shirt?
With his name not appearing on the Almost website, it seems that his arrival to Plan B Team could well be imminent.
Go to the Almost site to see what the rest of the team got up to over xmas time and new year in their blog.
Our good friend Pat Duffy has come a croper at Bob Burnquist’s rather large mega ramp and will be out of skateboarding for a while.
The injury was originally reported as a broken leg but as you can see if you click here and watch this video of him getting some love, it doesn’t look too good.
All the best to you Pat, keep fighting on.
The weather is horrible outside and most are still hungover from NYE, so we thought we would bring you some recent promos from around the globe to kick start the New Year.
Joe Gavin (in association with Note Skateshop) presents Kip it Off – featuring Manchester‘s finest.
Mark Plain keeps it Plain and Simple with Philadelphia‘s finest.
The Blue Tile Lounge tries to teach you French with Sac le Bleu – featuring Ontario‘s finest.