Despite the loss of Aaron Sweeney joining up with Antiz Skateboards last week, The Army rolls on with The Plasterer knee deep in muck and brand new deck designs.
The Gyppo Army is now made up of Kevin McKeon, Doug Parmienter and Momo (France). Check out the full range that includes “Incorrect” 7.5 – “ladies” 7.6 – “Tramp on chips” 8.1 – “Tesco” 8.25 at www.gyppoarmy.blogspot.com
Jeff Grosso is a Legend and definitely one of the best skaters in the World. In fact he is in the country right now on the Indy Tour that you will hear more about on this site soon.
Click the image to read a review of his new Vans Old Skool Low alongside Habitat and Santa Cruz decks, Eastpak Antidote Bags and more product reviews.
The Independent Team are cruising round the UK right now in various spots you can find here. To celebrate 30 years of Independent Trucks, the peeps in the States unleashed a 5 minute must see trailer last night smeared in good old rock and roll. Let’s the good times flow brothers.
Earlier this year we brought you news of a MONSTER new skatepark build proposed for the city of Stockholm.
The skaters behind this project proudly sent us a mail this afternoon to say:
“Just wanted to send you the info about Highvalley Skatepark that is now decided to be built. We got about €315000 from Stockholm politicians. We start to dig early 2009 and the park is skateable for 2010. This will be Europe’s biggest skatepark with over 10.000qm including also one longboards and one downhill slope!“
Check www.highvalley.se for more info.
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.
It’s been a long time since Blind Skateboard’s James Craig came through this neck of the woods but thankfully the Razor Sharp Crew are out there nerding to bring us some footage. Watch below for his part in the Fat Bottomed Girls video below with a little help from Bowie.
Here’s a fresh update from those Birthday boys at Tweakerzine. This month’s content includes Henry Kingsford snaps, DIY spot making is under the hammers, French and Peacock check out the new Meanwhile 2 and Tristan Savage holds it down behind various Lomos.
Also look out for a Tweaker Freaker photography exhibition at Slam City Skates, London for a month starting 16 October and get hyped.
“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
