Ph: Pulman – Cirencester smith shot by Chris Mann
“2014: and what a year that was…. For myself, filled with reflection (I just hit 40 and I spent the whole year warming up to the fact). Reflection is good, as long as you use it to move forward. Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it, that’s the old adage.
The thing about looking back on the past is that you yearn for it in some way, it’s safe: known territory. There are no risks and the scary parts are resolved and far more easily digested than they were at the time.
There were good and bad parts of the year but mainly lots of new stuff in both forms. But that’s what makes skateboarding rad: the progression.
Madars Apse turned pro for Element. Madars skill and thought are a constant inspiration. Palace finally released a full-length video which shows that no matter what your opinion, they’re firmly grounded in the streets. Bert Wooton became a new favourite of mine. Enjoi’s Oververt was graced with the Ben Raemers ender section that he fully deserved. Lucas Puig continued to be one of the best skateboarders of all time…
If you had to sum up the year briefly, it’d be the year of small and independent hardware brands for sure. Whatever the reason, whether through necessity, passion or a desire for change, it’s been interesting to see what this had brought forward.
We saw the further rise of Welcome Skateboards. A company with no apparent rules and sponsor of the mighty Chris ‘Mango’ Milic; A character who has embraced his inner nerd and taken his skill forward in an instantly gratifying and fun way. Watching this guy, I get a real sense of fun in the moment rather than trying to humour the masses of the internet.
Pontus has taken his vision forward with Polar from the honest and personal depths of In Search for the Miraculous into an established and inspiring skateboard company with a strong visual direction and a DIY attitude that shows you can make anything to whatever level you’d like to if you just get up off your arse. Pontus is inspiring in himself. For his drive, his insight in choosing riders and also his determination and focus on refining his own talent as a skateboarder. And dude, he’s got a big bad of no-comply variations: I’m sold… The Polar guys made a trip to the UK and I was lucky enough to catch them at Guildford. If you managed to see them you had a treat for sure.
Alien Workshop temporarily fell apart after years of corporate involvement. Some good dudes have gone on to do other awesome stuff and Habitat survived under the wing of the Foundation that is Tod Swank’s Tum Yeto. In recent days, through their own social media and an appearance at the hell-hole that is the Agenda Tradeshow, we’ve noted that the Workshop is indeed alive and kicking under the same umbrella. Though, how hard the kicking will be is still unconfirmed. With the loss of some major brand directionalists it could be a while until we see it rise to its past glory.
Even now, it seems the greatest fallout from the whole event is the endless supposition of where Jake Johnson will end up.
Dill was Dill and stood alongside a new generation of rippers in Supreme’s long-awaited video, “cherry”. This video made me reflect. I wished I were 16 again to appreciate it fully; the fact that this became a skateboarding bible for another generation the way that Hokus Pokus, Questionable and Eastern Exposure III did for me; I still appreciated it, trust me. It seemed honest. The young guys have seen all the bullshit marketing over and over again. The clever kids can sense when something is genuine. The jaded guys just get pissed at Chucks and pant length: ignore ‘em.
Dylan Rieder got loved and hated on but took his amazing skill and did something unique with it. If everyone likes you, then you’re mainstream. I’m sure Dylan never ever wished to be that.
If you were lucky enough to see some of those HUF fellas at Southbank you’ll appreciate that it was ‘saved’ so that it can remain in its current state for time, unfettered by the toughened glass frontages of corporate and safe coffee and pizza vendors. I wish we could have done more many years ago when I found SB truly enjoyable but we didn’t and its preservation now means as much to its current inhabitants as it would’ve done to me if we still had the small banks the beam and all the extra space to whizz about that these afforded.
I noticed a hell of a lot more girl skaters this year. Maybe that’s just me. I know they’ve been there for a long time. Now that I have a skateboard company of my own, I find myself watching every bit of footage that comes out from everyone. Taking the blinkers off has led me to witness shredding from both sexes. I’m hoping that in the evolution from feminism to post-feminism, we can ignore gender all together and appreciate skill and inventiveness. Now that’s progression.
Lance Mountain turned 50 proving that age can’t stop you for a second. Guy Mariano came out with a true reason to endure. One: for yourself, two: as a responsibility to the rad young guys to prove that they have a future. He came through with a rad in-depth interview and re-defining part that shows you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Now, a ton of other stuff happened last year and I’ve made many omissions, (quite a few, deliberately). One thing is for sure: Skateboarding is healthier than ever and the amount of diversity makes it one of the best things in the world you could throw your passion into. Make a contribution in whatever way you can and keep this thing rad.”
– Christopher James Pulman.
Find Descent Skateboards in the following UK skate shops.
Somewhere in the darkness of Essex you will find M6 Footwear’s warehouse stocked with the magic that keeps you in the game of rolling. On those days when it’s quiet the sessions are on with Horsey, Nicholson and more Dagger rebrobates as captured here by Jake Martinelli’s lens.
You know that feeling you get when the best quality milk chocolate hits your tongue and you salivate before it melts all in your mouth? That addictive sugar high that follows this sensation is what you get when you slip on these new Insulator shirts that are made for the winter months ahead.
