Category: Skateboarding

Brophy tops up with Fourstar

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 20, 2006

Damn! Didn’t we say Andrew Brophy would be the next big thing? Well, damn right- Brophy is turning heads and could easily leap over them with his pop.

After securing a set spot on the Cliché squad, the Manchild has sorted himself out with a spot on 4-Star Clothing, alongside impresario Lucas Puig. Brophy’s hook-up was recommended by Rick Howard himself- perhaps he should enter The Apprentice getting props like that..? Look out for the new Foustar website coming this month at www.fourstarclothing.com

In other Cliché news, new pro, Joey Brezinski MIGHT be getting dressed thanks to Matix Clothing. To be confirmed…

Skateboarding News

Death Team start Revolution

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 20, 2006

Saturday the 15th of April sees the return of Death Skateboards to Revolution Skatepark in Broadstairs, Kent.

The team consists of:Dan Cates

Mark Nicholson

Nick Zorlac

Ben Cundall

Mark Munson (Death Urethane)

Lee Blackwell

Carl Wilson (Death Urethane)

..and Steak

DVD Reviews

Consolidated – Miles, just another invention DVD

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 17, 2006

Miles, just another invention / So quick achieved

www.consolidatedskateboard.com

I have to take my hat off to the guys at Consolidated Skateboards. These guys are all about skateboarding and you can tell they are in it and at it for all the good reasons- reasons many others have forgotten… This double DVD is only a couple of hours worth of great skating from a very diverse team, ad I guarantee you it will have you rolling about in no time.

Miles is a simple road trip that took the Consolidated team across America in search of sick parks and gnarly spots. The journey passes through Washington DC, Orcas Island, Minnesota and Arizona to name a few stops. There’s even some foreign footage in there in case you thought these skate troopers might turn up a chance to visit Spain, for instance. Seeing as everyone skates together and no-one gets a defined part, it’s hard to say who rips the hardest. I think the general vibe of Miles is to open your eyes and get you m travelling into the unknown because there is a whole wealth of spots out there that are yet to be found or skated to their full potential. If that was the plan, then its mission accomplished!

The second DVD, So quick achieved, is a short team video that came about through endless travels (c.f. Miles), and gathered footage since the last 18 months at least. Obviously the Consolidated riders are too busy riding to stop for photo Ops and press calls, so this DVD is a chance to catch up with some seriously good underground skaters. First up to bat and definitely on route to greater things is Emeric ‘Olu’ Pratt. Olu doesn’t skate like your average street skater and that’s a feather in his cap. Seth McCaluml (who recently got the boot!) comes through with a well-rounded part that hardly touches any familiar spots. Seth can and will skate anything you put in front of him- Lets hope his next sponsor realises this.

Stepping up for OG status at Consolidated is Roberto Aleman whose solid style races around your screen and has you scratching your head as to how he gets away with such gnarly tricks. Next up is the man- Karma Tsocheff. Karma never ceases to amaze me with keeping up to par and simply doing what he likes. Karma’s skill is often over-looked but trust me this guy can skate it all, and has skated it all- huge transitioned boat skeletons? No problem. Sweltering indoor demos? He’s there. Sketchy rough asphalt hills? Karma’s had it. Finally, SQA ends with a sweet part from Brian Heck. I remember thinking this guy was looking comfortable on his board a few years ago, so today he’s breezing it. That said, Brian will still risk on some hairy line or carve if necessary.

So, for a double DVD pack, Miles and SQA are worth your pounds and pence. Even if Consolidated don’t hog the limelight, and half their riders are globally unknown, this team embodies skateboarding to the fullest. Whether it’s travelling with friends in search of new terrain, or standing up for the restless roots of our culture and taking it to the face of dubious corporate management, Consolidated get it done.

Ralph Lloyd-Davis
16/03/2006

Skateboarding Product Reviews

DVS Nova

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 17, 2006

DVS runs a tight ship of stylers, and everybody knows that you can judge a man by his shoes, so these kicks have got to look good. The Nova keeps things simple- it’s lo-cut, gum sole, suede, no air bags, stash pockets ankle straps or other wing dings. In fact, when I first saw this shoe, I thought it might not last very long, because of the minimalist outlook- I was wrong.

Now, I know the winter is not the best time of year to test new skate shoes, but every occasion I got I went for roll about, thrash and slash. And if Mother Nature was hellbent on keeping me indoors or offboard, I still wore my Nova’s.

Firstly, the gum sole grips. Always a good sign because in today’s saturated skate shoe market, some people will use anything for a sole in order to flog stock… So, I’ve got good grip, but will it last? I know other brands’ gum soles wear down pretty fast, but this DVS material took a good 4-5 months to finally bear a hole!

Next, the suede upper and toe area. I prefer suede to shiny leather because it grips your board straight away and doesn’t slip around like oiled fish scales. However, leather lasts longer as suede takes a harsh knock when applied to abrasive grip. Stitchings pop and holes rub through, and before you know it the shoe has fallen to pieces! Not here. The DVS Nova kept things together and even if the stitching wore away, the layers didn’t peel apart. In the toe area where ollies do the most damage, the suede simple wore away very slowly to reveal a weird silicone layer that wasn’t going anywhere. No holes for my socks!

Finally, I rock the hidden lace hoops because ripped and torn strings are not a good look, plus shoe laces are never around when you really need one. The only place my lace snapped (once!) was where I thread it through a regular hoop. Oh well…

So, the DVS Nova gets some sausage thumbs up. It’s simple and sturdy- two things so many skate shoes can’t seem to get right.

Ralph Lloyd-Davis
16/03/2006

Skateboarding News

Interact Skate Park employ the A-Team

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 17, 2006

Click Mr T to get all the action.

Skateboarding Product Reviews

Lakai – Carroll 4 Mid

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 16, 2006

www.lakai.com

I know what you are thinking as you look at this image – “what the fuck!”.

But hold the next line as these are the most comfy shoes i have worn in ages, like pillows to keep your heel bruises with smiles on their smug faces! Well goodbye suckers cos i ain’t riding without these even if they look like they just flew out of a gay Miami slumber party!

Seriously, i opened the box and was almost sick, but it was my birthday, slipped them on and you know what – “it’s my party and i do what i want to, pizza face” because these may be big shoes and i don’t usually float a mid-top, but they pack em, if you know what i mean. Summer is round the corner in this town and i will be wearing these at every slumber party AND even at the skatepark at lunch times, so suck my oil.

By the way, have you seen the Lakai trailer for Fully Flared yet?* No? What kind of droid are you?

*hint to visit their website….

Chuck Bangers

Skateboarding Product Reviews

Emerica – Felt

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 16, 2006

www.emericaskate.com

OK, arguably Emerica make the best skate shoes out there, i know what i prefer to ride in when i go skate and they are usually in the top 5 shoes in my porch that i grab on the way out.

Now these little beauties have just become number one on that grab list purely due to it’s simple form. I mean, if you are one of those fat sneakered types, then fuck it, you know that Emerica ain’t famous for that style really (unless you grab a pair of those Ellingtons and to be honest, he has done the offs from this team anyways), but seriously if you like a good clean simple skate shoe with style then these in black and white can’t lose.

The padded tongue is the best part (pardon the etnies pun) as the shoe just glues around your feet straight from the box without you having to wear it in. These are similar to the Tilts – with a superb grippy sole and also sleek to so you can pull birds in them out at your local boozer as well. What more do you want?

Chuck Bangers

Skateboarding News

The art of Stunt-boarding

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 16, 2006

Whether or not we’ll all be flying off 30 foot ramps and riding rainbow rails in the future is still uncertain, but if you want to see how far we can take this skateboard thing, look no further than Danny Way. The bionic Super-human keeps surpassing himself with wilder stunts every time, and the next one looks like something out of a morphine dream.

The Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas boasts a monolithic-sized electric guitar in its front yard, and Danny wants to play the 40 foot beast for kicks. Basically (???), the plan is to perform a 25 foot bomb drop into a 27 foot quarterpipe!!! Has Danny bitten off more than he can chew this time? I’d like to see what the local bookies odds are for this one… The stunt will take place on Wednesday April 5th, so stay tuned if you want to see Danny etch another knotch in his history stick.

Skateboarding News

Leap of Faith…?

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 16, 2006

Alright, someone has to draw the line between what constitutes skateboarding and what constitutes a stunt? This difference has led many die-hard vert fans astray as they watch their idols dangling in thin air above historical monuments and 20 foot towers of plywood.

In any case, the following dream has to be a stunt because besides a skateboard being used, any similarity with the activity has literally flown out of the window.

New Flip Skateboards rider Bob Burnquist wants to test his nerves at the Holy Grail of stuntman ship- The Grand Canyon! However, Bob isn’t going to strap a nitro-glycerine tank to his deck and Evil Knievel it to the other side (Which, I’ll remind you Mr. Evil failed to do…). Nope. Bob wants to combine his two adrenaline fuelled pastimes – skating and base jumping- by rigging up a rail or ramp of some sort, fly off the end of it and proceed to freefall his way into the history books.

This stunt will be aired on the Discovery Channel on March 23rd, but if ever you’re in the Hell Hole Bend region of the picturesque chasm, say a prayer for our Brazilian friend…

Skateboarding News

The Smell of Death

Post author By Crossfire
Post date March 16, 2006

As per usual, those scoundrels that are the Death Skateboards team have been clocking up the mileage in search of skateable terrain and good times. Zorlac has just spent a warm winter in Goa where the sessions were going off in a big way. In attendance to hurl abuse and smile at the beautiful sunsets were Mark Munson, Steak, Woody, Pete King, Reese the Piece, Damian, Adam and many more. You really need to get out there!

However on return from Goa, there was no rest for the wicked as Zorlac went from one trip straight into another, this time rolling around Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Wales and the Isle of Wight. Ooof! Accompanying Zorlac was Dan Cates, himself fresh off the plane from Thailand, Horsey, Ben Cundall, Moggins and Kingy from Document magazine to document the carnage.

Apparently this trip was strictly obscure terrain and unskateable spots, so the Death team must have felt right at home! Three words used by Zorlac to describe this trip include ‘Infection’, ‘Crashes’ and ‘Sheep’. Hmmm..?

Finally, Death will now be distributed by long-time friends Consolidated. So, that’s Powerdist.com for the UK, wiseguydistribution.com for Australia, and Consolidated for the States- Death spreads across the globe!

Oh, and one heartful shout-out has to go to Cundall who woke up in Peterborough ALONE after the recent Crossfire boat party! Click here for the evidence! If anyone can enlighten the poor chap on this please contact Death direct! New Death Zone boards anyone? Get in!