Category: Skateboarding

Before the invention of electronic cutting equipment, the lumberjack used handsaws and axes to fell wood wherever the harvest took him. The hooch drinking loggers would lift large trees onto trucks headed for sawmills and once cut into strips, the wood travelled far and wide to be used for various goods. One day back in time, some bright spark decided to bolt some trucks and wheels on the bottom of a piece of this stuff and skateboards were born. But take note, the Hella Flannel came first…

Flip Skateboards joined the chain of wood loving in 1991 and probably know more about lumberjacks than most others. Flip pro and part owner Geoff Rowley loves spending his time camping out in bear country with his tache and thunderbluster for company so if there’s anyone on board the good ship Flip that knows what a lumberjack shirt needs, then its him. I’m sure he would be the first to tell you that these new 100% cotton threads are soft, warm and are instantly likeable, partly because they come with no unnecessary overbranding that seems to wreck most skate companies’ clothes these days and also the fact that you can wear them into the ground.

These shirts are rocking, expect Flip to be giving you good wood for a few more years to come…

Chuck Bangers is ‘extremely sorry’ that you don’t have one of these shirts yet…

The obtaining of this board was met with slight trepidation due to being a whole1/4 in slimmer than my usual 8in rig, this concern was heightened as this was around the time I was mid process of hording for the winter hibernation; if you don’t get the right rig for the English winter months your left out to the elements. Like entering the jungle without a suitable 28in knife ~ (the viewing of Rambo this weekend seems to have made an impression).

I had, in my questionable skateboarding career ridden a couple of those Speed Demon blanks, which correct me if I’m wrong, come from the same tree and I remember these being strong as hell, light and had an awesome ability to maintain pop. The Darkstar ‘Paul Machnau’ did not fail to impress.

I seriously rode (and still am) this rig for months, granted I’m no stair or rail guy but I like to think I can put a board to the test with a large array of sloppy landings, heal drags and monoski foot landings!
Not to mention the vast selection of liquids that came into contact with it…..no delams, stress cracks, softness or warts. Still great pop too.

I would not hesitate to recommend to those who like mellowish nose and tail, nothing too aggressive, like a football to the face on a cold Easter weekend, and weighing in with a 31in length you just can’t go wrong.

So, go on treat yourself to a post Easter peep at www.darkstarwood.com

9/10
Robin Hayes