Met up with Rob at this spot after a busy work day then kicking the soccer ball with Ollie. It was super nice out. I decided to try out some vulcs again because the NBs are too stiff for me. I had some old used Es Accents in my closet so I wore them. They are super thin. Basically the opposite end of the spectrum from the PJs. So that was a bit weird to start with. I managed to get manual, drop down the 2 then back 180 off. That’s it as far as manny tricks. Oh, and a nose manual sideways on it. Rob did the same and then nose manual the top part and then manual drop down manual. Then we played a game of SKATE that lasted pretty long. My flip trick game was off because of the difference in shoes, but that’s a lame excuse. Rob won the game. He got me on cab, back 360, switch front shove, fakie 360 shove, and something else I can’t remember right now. It was a fun game. I was hyped on how my heelflip felt and doing a f/s no comply 360. Rob left then I sat in one section trying switch kickflips over and over. I thought I would just do it for like 20 minutes, but it ended up being over an hour. I got super close a couple times and not close the other 100 times. I seemed to learn a few things about how to position my feet and my shoulders. I still have 10 days to land one. I hope it doesn’t take all 10 of those days.

(setup 8.25 null venture wide lights bones med bushings 51mm stfs es accents)

I had said I wouldn’t skate at all tonight. But after a really filling and great meal from Liz I felt better then I have in a few days. I was so tempted to go skate, but instead I just grabbed my new dork setup (8.38 null with venture wides and the silly little 42mm wheels) and tried switch flips while holding on to our pull up bar. I had a couple good feeling ones and then a few more of the silly floppy ones like you see above. Does this actually count as a day of skating? Yes. Does this count as a switch flip for my instagram game of skate? According to Josh no. What a jerk. Ha ha.

A photo posted by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on May 31, 2015 at 10:38am PDT

Still feeling horrible I went skating. I’m so stubborn. I had put some 42mm wheels on an old 7.5″ setup. I thought I would just huck the switch flip I needed to for the instagame. When I first stepped on the little board I almost fell over. Ha, it was so funny. I tired switch flips for like 30 minutes straight. Aft first I was pretty close and even landed on one that shot out. After awhile it started to feel stupid so I got my regular setup. I kept just trying switch flips for awhile and was consistently closer, but never landed on another one. Towards the end I tried some kickflip manuals, but could hardly get the board up the huge six inch manny pad. Some nose mannies. Couldn’t treflip to save my life.

(setup 7.5 joke setup with 42mm wheels and then 8.25 null venture wide lights bones medium bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)

A photo posted by Null Skateboards (@null_skateboards) on May 30, 2015 at 3:40pm PDT

Woke up with a sharp pain in my left knee that I couldn’t shake. I was also feeling very slow and arthritic. Ugh. I left early for Crisis and wanted to see if my body would let me skate. I went by Broomfield park, but there was some skate school going on and the park was mobbed with beginner kids. So I went to Safeway ledge and went through the various “slappy” noseslides. I even did a couple 50s. I knew I wouldn’t be skating well, but I thought I could skate. After running boards to Crisis and Emage I went to this bank to curb to meet Rob and Dave. I got there first, cleared out some gravel and started sucking. It took like 5 tries just to do an axle stall and like 15 tries to do a back pivot. Ugh. I probably should have stopped skating, but when Rob and Dave showed it got me going for a bit. I still didn’t do a whole lot, but got a few basics. Tried hurricane, but did feeble to rock which felt pretty cool anyway. Then I tried front tail on the “taller” curb for awhile and could not do it. Rob did it first try. Dave was doing back and front pivots to body varials out. I needed to take a break so I tried to get an artsy photo and came up with what’s above. Rob did no comply front d. Sick. Those guys both did a bunch of other tricks. After taking the photo I was a little motivated to learn one of the tricks Dave did all easy earlier. Halfcab rock to front rock. Maybe it’s called windshield wiper? We eventually got the boot. At least it seemed like.

Then we went to this spot. As we first showed up a large crew of younger skaters showed up to skate it too. I bounced because I was not in the mood to suck in front of a bunch of people. I just went and tried a line in the nearby garage of no comply over a parking block, ollie a little bump and manual a sidewalk. I went back after awhile. Tried a pop shove on flat and fell down. Ugh. The big crew left. I’m not sure what all went down, but Rob said the youngest of the crew did back 50 front 180 out all proper. Rob did crooks and boardslide pop out. and almost boardslide pop out to manual. Dave was doing long boardslides into the side, a couple good crooks and almost back feebles at the end. I got a weak front board pop out and an insanely weak front tail jib. I missed most of my flip tricks. I had a melt down after a failed ollie up the curb, swore and started walking to my car. Man, what a rough day. Arthritis flare ups suck. It feels different then it has in the past, but I probably shouldn’t have skated. Oh well, watching Rob and Dave skate was rad.

(setup 8.25 null venture wide lights bones medium bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)

Woke up at 5:30 am and felt like skating. So I left early for work and stopped at Boulder park on the way. Another oldish guy was there getting some carves on in the bowl. I had a blast doing a few things, but I mostly skated the hip. Started with ollies and 180s both ways. Then went through a long spell of trying halfcabs going one way (so bad) then f/s cab the other way. I would eventually land the f/s cab, but man it was horrible. Then I tried a line where I started by the mini bowl and pumped over the pyramid, b/s ollie on the weird hump, f/s ollie the hip above, turn around, kickflip the hip above, turn around, b/s flip over the hip. Never got the b/s flip. Slammed pretty good once. Bailed out quite a few times. Then I went to work. This is the only way I can skate Boulder park, with no one around so I can skate slow in the middle of the park.

Then I met Dave at Blue Skies for lunch. Well, I got there first and arrived to two scooter kids and parents standing on the stairs near the bank watching. It was really annoying. I pumped around on the little banks before deciding I just had to go for the big bank. Did my ollie to fakie warm ups and had gone through a couple flippers when Dave showed up. We kinda did whatevs for a bit. I was hucking noseslide 270 shoves, front 50 shove, couldn’t fakie flip on the bank. Dave did his fakie shove on the bank first try like he does and other tricks I’m forgetting now. Except for the no comply over the flat bar above. Well, he got close, but not quite. Then we got into a shove challenge on the bank. He did switch front shove and I did front shove first. Then we traded. Then we did regular pop shoves to fakie and lastly switch pop shove. I couldn’t stay long at work so I felt bad having to leave so quickly after Dave got there.

(setup 8.25 null venture wide lights bones medium bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)

Headed to research center after a long day at work with big clouds looming. Tried to go to other spots, but it turns out it had just rained on the north side of town. I felt really sore and stiff when I started. There was showers, but never enough to actually stop skating. I didn’t skate well. Really struggled with crooks. I think I miss the groove in my old trucks. Luckily I’m starting to get one in my newish trucks. Got a couple back 50s. One really bad halfcab noseslide. Front board pop out, a couple front 50s, tried kick back 50s for awhile and wasn’t close. My grip was so slippery it was driving me nuts. All this rainy weather has brought out tiny pebbles which get in shoes then ruin the grip. Add some wax and razor tail and my board felt unskateable. Luckily I own a skateboard company because I went home and setup a new board because I’m a baby like that.

(setup 8.25 null venture wide lights bones medium bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)

A video posted by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on May 27, 2015 at 7:51pm PDT

Went to Stonehenge right after work with the motivation of maybe trying a kick back tail. Warming up was tough, I went through quite a few basics then out of nowhere a kickflip axle stall went down. Then I started trying the kick back tail. It took me awhile. Like 20 minutes to get the first one above. Then a few tries later I did 3 in a row (the next 3 above). That trick feels really neat.

Then I went to this ledge spot. It was so nice out. I should mention it was the first day without rain in weeks. The cracks between the seams are getting worse. Going downhill I mostly tried switch noseslide over the bricks (although I only got all the way over the bricks once) then front 50 variations. Got remotely close to kickflip out, got a front shove out or two. Also got front 5-0. I struggled with crooks. Only got one good one and a few where I barely grinded. But did manage a run of crooks, back 50, heelflip. Hucked some kickflip noseslides. Had fun.

(setup 8.25 null venture wide lights bones medium bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)

Rolled to Blue Skies after work feeling very arthritic and unmotivated, but needing to do a trick for the OLDFART game. I arrived to a huge puddle in front of the bank making it unskateable and a large puddle in front of the ledge too. I spent some time to get the ledge dry and after about 30 minuets it dried. Warming up I just did kickturns and a few ollies then kickflips. I hucked a few noseslide 270 shoves that were surprisingly close and made me not feel so bad. I probably should have just stuck with trying that trick for the challenge. I hucked switch heels, 360 flips and didn’t land any. Finally started trying front 50s on the ledge which was scary because if the board would have gone over the ledge it would have landed in a swamp. After awhile I got close to kickflip out and setup the phone to film it. Minutes later some whiny kid on a big wheel showed up and rolled over then stepped on my phone. Somehow he didn’t break it and somehow his mom wasn’t upset at me for yelling at him. Then the kid rolled through the huge puddle and dragged water in front of the ledge. I left feeling insanely pissed off. Mostly at myself for going to such a stupid park after work where I should expect toddlers. I might be going on a street only binge for awhile.

(setup 8.25 null venture wide lights bones med bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)

A photo posted by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on May 25, 2015 at 1:01pm PDT

Whoa, sunshine! Unheard of! I met Dave in Broomfield and we rolled toward some wallride spot he had seen a photo of. We saw this on the way and skated it for a little while. The approach is way harder then it looks. Dave got boardslides and feebles on it. I did a front board transfer and a crooks or two on it.

A photo posted by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on May 25, 2015 at 2:52pm PDT

Then we met up with Simon here. It was funny because we were a couple of blocks away sitting in Dave’s car and didn’t notice Simon at the light next to us. He yells “What did you say?” in such a gangsta voice he got us both so good. Simon killed this spot. Wallride, f/s wallride, ollie the chain, wallride to fakie, wallride ollie out (almost to manual), switch b/s wallride (WTF!). Such a ripper. Dave did several wallrides, fakie wallride and f/s wallride. I didn’t land a single thing other then some basic flippers on the sidewalk. I suck at wallrides.

A video posted by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on May 25, 2015 at 8:38pm PDT

Then we went here. My stiffness/arthritis was out of control when we started. I could barely walk. Started with some ride on grinds. Eventually started ollieing up the curb, started doing back 180s up then switch ride on 50s. Dave was manualling to 5-0 or 50. Then we went to work on the nose manual 180s. I got one before we turned the camera on, and then after that it took me like another hundred tries. Dave got one shortly after me. Wow we struggled on that one. Glad we finally got it.

(setup 8.25 null venture wide lights bones medium bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)

A photo posted by Rob Helmstetter (@43shifty) on May 24, 2015 at 7:16pm PDT

After an early dinner with family I headed to Steelyards to meet Rob and Dave. My wrist was in a brace and I had drank a cider with dinner. Those things are strong and I was feeling ultra lazy. I got there first and had barely ollied before those guys showed. I was bummed on the one car in the parking lot parking right by the manny pad making it hard to hit it the long way. On top of that people would be going in and out of the car the whole session to get stuff and it was just awkward. Rob was MVP with some really long lines cruising fast manuals, nose manuals, ollies out of the curb cut, nollies up the curb, nose manual 180s, no comply shoves, shoves, kickflips, just cruising man. Dave had the slam of the night on a fakie shove fakie nose manual attempt. He also had 180 nose manual, nose manuals, switch back 180 out of the curb cut, kickflips and much more I’m forgetting. I was really lazy. I blame my wrist, the cider and Liz. I had a few manuals, nose manuals. Had a line with manual, ollie up then b/s flip off. Also a varial flip off. A few other flippers. In the end all three of us tried nose manual front 180s on the spot in the photo of me above. Rob did one pretty quick. Dave and I just went in circles trying over and over. We kept putting our back wheels down before the 180. It was so annoying. On the way back I did a few treflips. But yeah, we tried over and over while it sprinkled on us and could not get it. We both got close, bug no cigar.

(setup 8.25 null venture light wides bones med bushings 51mm stfs nb+ pj stratfords)