I’ve been wanting to try an 8.75″ board for awhile now. After dinner on a breezy Friday night with rain showers threatening I went to the research ledge. I started up near the long stairs and messed around for a bit. I was amazed how easy it was to ollie up a step. After a bit I went down to the ledge and tried noseslide and it stuck so fierce I almost flew into the wall. Yikes. So I waxed it. It’s not in that great of shape anymore. Saul biked by as the rain drops started, but the wind dried them up quickly. I had some growing pains with the big board, but for the most part it was a decent session. I skated the first half in the 379s, but since I’ve been so sore I also busted out some old 868s. They felt pretty comfy, but harder to flick. I did manage my best line in them though. Front 180 up the curb, halfcab flip on flat, crooks, sketchy treflip on flat. I also managed to kickflip up the curb which I was extra happy about with the bigger board. With the crack placement on that curb it makes me pop sooner than I want to get up the curb. I had a few bad tic tac’y back 50s, a not-posted-up-at-all halfcab noseslide, couple front 50s that didn’t really grind because the ledge up hill is garbage, was 3-3 on backside flips. I tried to end with some posted up crooks, but it was pretty dark and I didn’t have nearly as good of board feel in the 868s.

(setup 8.75″ null valley deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, spitfire f4 radials 52mm blue/yellow swirl wheels with all washers on the inside, new balance numeric 379 / 868s size 12)
(pain level 5/10 knee pain)

On a nice day I went to the dog park right after work to meet Rob. I was quite tired and it was a struggle to get it going. We did some manuals. Rob’s were long. Warmed up to start trying kickflips and we played a game of SKATE. I was really struggling. I got to SKAT quickly with front shove, no comply shove and double on backside flip. Argh. Rob was being a gentleman and going for a legit 3 shove to end it, but couldn’t get it. I eventually came back with fakie flip, no comply 360 (can’t believe he didn’t get that one), he got two on halfcab flip and I think it ended on heelflip. After that I did the silly front flip over the bar and then we played with a few tricks. We both tried f/s halfcab heel. I landed on a couple, but didn’t ride away. Rob’s looked really close too. I couldn’t get a treflip, got a bad b/s flip finally. Then it was time to go and celebrate 21 years with the LZA.

(setup 8.38″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, spitfire f4 radials 52mm blue/yellow swirl wheels with all washers on the inside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, rubbery lakai insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On a very nice night I went over to the slappy curb feeling lazy and to meet Saul. I couldn’t decide which size board to setup, but luckily I found an old 8.3 with a slightly cracked tail to mount up for now. I also put some old Spitfires on because pushing on that rough asphalt is hard on Bones. Slappies were working. Backside is so fun. Saul showed shortly after me. He was getting almost two sections. So amazing. We each had some okay frontside ones, but definitely not as locked in as backside. The slightly smaller board didn’t seem to flip any better. Maybe it’s the wider wheels. Maybe it just really doesn’t matter. I tried a few other slappies like switch crook, front crook, hurricane, but nothing really worked out. Saul had a nice slappy into the steeper curb cut. Also almost around the corner below. Fun mellow session.

(setup 8.38″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, spitfire f4 radials 52mm blue/yellow swirl wheels with all washers on the inside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, rubbery lakai insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On a super nice night I met up with Rob, Sean, Kevin and eventually Carleigh at a very crowded Broomfield park. Luckily it thinned out quickly, but it was chaos for awhile. The middle lane was kinda chill though and Kevin and Sean were starting off on flat. I joined in on the 3 makes program. Kevin was on nollie f/s flip before I had gotten to halfcab flip. Sean rattled off tricks too. Rob had done a few kickflips and was lining out the ledges. I was happy to get the halfcab flips and then went for treflip. Got two horrible ones and luckily the third worked out good enough. Carleigh had shown and was skating the bowl. Kevin and Sean were on the black ledge. Rob and I were around the manny pad. I got jealous of Rob’s long lines and tried to get some too. But it’s hard when you’re disappointed in every trick you land. Ha. Rob had front 50 back 180, fakie nosegrind, fakie nosegrind 180, back 50 the downhill ledge. Ripping. I think there was a b/s flip on flat too. I had a fakie 50 to fakie which I haven’t done in awhile, some terrible back 50s. Yikes, that’s about it. Then I started trying the black ledge too. Was trying a line of front 50, dork double rock the wedge, kick 50 the blue ledge. Got close. Then started trying kickflip to fakie on the wedge. Sean did that line above casually a bit earlier. Mike had come too. I didn’t even really see him skate before he broke his board. Kevin started trying nollie flip to fakie on the wedge. He got it quick. Then switch flip too. Carleigh took a bit to get front d, then did back d real quick on the brick qp. I had a pretty high percentage on front 50s for awhile, but then started to flail so started just ollieing onto the black ledge instead for the setup for the kickflip to fakie. Sean was doing a sick line to get to fakie flip on the wedge. Back 5-0 front 180 out the happy ledge, front 50 back 180 the happy ledge, fakie flip. He got it and added a nollie back heel to the line. Wow. I eventually focused my board after a failed kickflip to fakie. Then I borrowed Sean’s board and did perhaps the worst kickflip to fakie that’s ever been done. I was super sore, I need thicker insoles.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, nb# westgate insoles)
(pain level 7/10)

On a nice sunny morning where clouds rolled in quick I met Rob at the mellow Valmont bank. We started with some carvy 360s, no complies, nollie shoves, nosestalls on the side curb. I got a second try kickflip to fakie. Rob had a pretty epic primo slam a couple tries later. Rob had no comply bigspin. I did a few of my basic flippers. Rob did a sick front tail to fakie on the side curb, wallie nollie turn around on the side wall. I got a sketch axle stall on the side and then we left to go back to my house to meet Dave at the school. He had waxed up the main top section. He was doing super long slappy noseslides and lining out 180s off the curb cuts and cabs on flat. I was able to get the backside slappy up onto the curb pretty quick this time. It felt nice. Rob had some struggles going, but still managed some great back 50s. One with a no comply out. I couldn’t get up on a frontside slappy for the longest time. Dave had several slappy crook shoves and almost lined one out with a switch crook shove. I was doing a lot of kickflips. This time got the line of kickflip off curb, kickflip up curb, kickflip into the curb cut, backside slappy. Felt fun. Dave was doing 180s out of the curb cuts the hard way. Rob had focused his board and was chilling. I got a few slappy front crooks. They didn’t grind far and I didn’t ride out of them well, but I managed to follow one with a little treflip out of the curb cut. That was the highlight for me, felt good to be trying hard.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, nb# westgate insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

On a warm day I picked up Kevin, made a run to Emage then ended up at York St to meet Cass. It felt very hot and bright when we got there. Luckily some clouds would come in from time to time and keep it from being too hot. After an initial period of dorking around (for me that is, Kevin’s warm up is to 50 every ledge first try) we skated the manny pad area. I had a first try nose manual. Man the big setup feels great for manuals. Kevin and Cass were doing tricks up the little angle iron ledge then off the manny pad. I had started to shy away from it as the narrowness scares me. But I want to be able to skate the same ledges as others so I forced myself to front 50 up it. I did it so slow and sketchy, but Cass loved it. Ha. Kevin had done the 5-0 then noseblunt right out of the gate. I think he had done 50, 5-0, tail and nosegrind first try. We all did front noseslides up it. Cass locks in so good Jason would be proud. Kevin got a good one too. I had a sketchy one or two that slid out. My switch ollie up then switch front noseslide was fun. I did a fakie flip after, but Kevin had panned away. Went back for the fakie flip and slammed in a fun way. Kevin was trying noseblunt to fakie for a long time and I started posing front 5-0s on the out ledge. I know it looks like nothing, but I haven’t 5-0d anything like that in a long time. It felt really cool to try it. Kevin ended up giving up on noseblunt to fakie and got a first try front blunt. It was so sick. I had tried a few kickflips up too, one turned into a weckable kickflip manual, most I didn’t land. I would get the 5-0. As you can see it wasn’t pretty, but man it felt really cool. That was the end of the session. Then we hit 303 then ate and drank while watching the Nuggets. Fun times.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, thin rubbery adidas insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

After dinner I went across the street for a short session. I wanted to do some slappies, but there was some kid learning to bike and he kept following me ringing his bell like an idiot. So I went over to the regular non-painted section. It ended up being super fun. I was feeling a little better physically. I had slappy crooks, slappy front crooks, back 50s, back 50 back 180 out for the first time in awhile, front 5-0, front 50 back 180, front tails. First try 360 flip, halfcab flip. I haven’t been skating flatground much lately, but those two were fun. I went in on fakie nosegrind 180 out. I technically got a couple, but they were really weak. It was fun trying it though.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Still feeling incredibly tired and sore on a nice night Saul wanted to check out the freshly painted curbs across the street. I couldn’t refuse. Ed joined as did some kids learning to bike. Ha. I think Saul nailed like 10 perfect backside slappies to start the session. He seriously does them so good. Ed started going frontside because he’s so good at those. We found one section that grinded better than the rest and mostly stuck with it. Had some fun lines with the curb cuts doing kickflips and 180s to the parking lot. I finally got some slappies up on the curb. They were nothing like Saul’s though. Ed had some good 180s off the curb cuts. This spot has so much line potential. I was so tired, but it was a really fun session. It rules having such a good spot across the street.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Man I’m a glutton for punishment. On a nice night I went to Douglass with some new shoes (NB 379s). As soon as I set my board down I knew my body was not working well. My legs felt numb and lethargic. I had no spring whatsoever. Great place to be for no pop. I started on the side with the curb high ledge. Even that felt hard to 50 initially. Ugh. I think I’ll just say the whole session sucked. I moved over to the taller bench area. I didn’t get any front 50s, although I do think I learned a little about what is wrong with my technique. The positives from the session were a few ollies onto the bench, one with a 180 off, one of the best fakie flips I’ve ever done on flat, one crooks that felt better than most, kickflip up the weird curb. It was very tough session, but considering how terrible my body felt I think I should be happy that I was able to skate at all.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 5/10 mostly just numb/exhausted legs)

After a run to 303 I went skating on a really nice night. I felt like skating some random spots since I never seem to do that anymore. So I parked near Hazel and walked/pushed around for awhile. Had a fun little hill bomb into a garage. Checked out a couple things and ended up at this bench I’ve skated a couple times before. It was taller than I remembered and the cracks were infinitely worse than I remember. It took me awhile to work up the courage to boardslide it. Noseslides didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Crooks happened quick, but I couldn’t get a good one up on top. I didn’t skate it frontside because there was people working in the window where you would start. I cruised/walked around some more and hit a little gap Jason and I probably skated 20 years ago. It was over a curb and down about a 3 stair height drop. It took me a couple more tries than I wanted it to, but it was still fun. That was it for me. No flatground which is kinda weak, but whatever I had fun skating some random.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 212 b/w size 11.5 with rubbery sti insoles)
(pain level 6/10)