Met Nate around sunset after work (which is like 5pm these days) at Meta.  We rolled down under the bridge after Nate quickly 50d the ledge like it’s nothing.  I don’t get doing downhill ledge tricks as warmups.  Oh well.  We ended up about 5 feet past the bridge and skated that area for awhile.  We ollied the small bench gap then Nate started trying to ride into backlips on the bench.   We both tried it awhile and got it.  Neither of us have done backlips on a ledge before so even though we didn’t ollie in, it still felt cool.  Then we ollied the big two that’s there (Nate first and mine was horrible) before doing a few slappy grinds on the slanted curb.  Fun.  We moved into campus and were surprised that most of it was dry.We cruised by a few other spots that either had cops or snow on them and ended up at the brick courtyard with benches.  I got a few basics quick while Nate bailed the gap into the street.  Normally he has that everytime.  I kinda got  a crooks and some front noseslides.  Nate ollied a pile of now in a couple tries and I kinda ollied it in several tries.  Next we ollied a weird 3 stair then moved up to the 1 – 7 curves stairs.  Nate ollied down the 4 easy and I took a few.  We also both manualled the downhill sidewalk and had some ollies up the smaller sections of the stairs.  Before moving on I did a gap down to back 5-0 a stair down.  I thought it was dumb, but Nate seemed to think it was cool.Next up we went to the Business building where Nate could not for the life of him do a side rock like Little Jack on the banked ledge.  I got it kinda quick, but Nate seriously almost died like 30 times.  He kept putting his board in the mud and everything.  So funny.  Maybe the first time ever that I’ve seen Nate have to struggle on a trick that I thought was easy.  Nate rips though and after having enough he ollied and 180’d up the long 2 like it was nothing.  I got an ollie up it.  We tried some manuals at the two long downhill pads for a bit.  Not that great then went up to the engineering building and found that somewhat had waxed up the ledge near the banked area.  Impossible to describe but it was relatively easy for Nate and I to do wallie back 50s on.  So fun.  That was basically the night.

Headed out in the cold solo style around 9pm after dinner and hanging out with the inlaws and family. Pretty fun, I even got a little nap. I was pretty sore, but rusty for sure. I had these visions of finding a fun line ollie’ing over piles of snow when I drove to find some area that was dry enough to skate. I ended up over near Circuit City area. I had a few cruises around looking for a line to try and I wasn’t even cold. I settled on a line where I back 180’d a manhole, did a switch front 180, wallied from a parking block to the sidewalk, rode off the sidewalk, pushed and tried to do a quick up to gap over a long pile of snow. I got this over a smaller section of the snow then went back and tried to start with a kickflip over the manhole. Both the kickflip and back 180 took too long.THE SLAM. Anyways, so I got to the point where I was to ollie the long gap, but at the last moment decided to turn so I also ollied up over a small section of snow and then ollied the snow gap. Not good. I did my patented shitty ollie and landed in kind of a manual dragging my back toes. Since I as actually moving more than 2mph for once I was hurdled toward the pile of snow I was trying to clear. I stuck out my hand to discover a hidden parking block under the snow that damn near broke my wrist. In trying to save my wrist I had to stop putting any weight on my left hand and my left shoulder and face took it to the concerete. I got up quick covered in snow in disbelief of what just happened. I debated just leaving my board behind and quitting skateboarding forever. Seriously, I’m 36 and I still can’t ollie. Unfortunately I like skateboarding too much and I got up and tried again. The kickflip over the manhole felt better than normal, the rest of the line worked out and I ollied the stupid pile of snow. The best part was landing in the debris from the slam which caused me to slide a bit in the ice that had formed.I skated a bit more and jumped over some other snow piles before moving on to a really well lit area in front of Office Depot to lay down some flip tricks. It started off good as I had 6 tricks down in 7 tries (shoves both way, kickflip, fakie flip, varial flip ,fakie varial flip), but then it went downhill. 360 flips took forever, heelflips took forever and I slowed down more with each bailed attempt. I landed most of my basics and called it a night. The DC’s I have are lasting forever. At times I feel the difference in cupsoles not having as good as board feel, but for the most part I am digging how my legs/feet don’t hurt as much.

I missed out on a SOL ramp session due to snowboarding/sledding with the kids (which was a total blast), but luckily Nate and Jason wanted to skate so we hit up Rampy.  Nate and I started slow, but when Jason showed up it seemed to go off.  Nate and I were landing new tricks and Jason was grinding so far his nose would hit the walls.  So sick.  I got a couple fakie boardslides.  They weren’t good, but they were a start.  I tried some with a backside revert, but never got close.  I also got some lame, but new for me willy stalls to fakie.  I wanted to learn the rock to willy to fakie thing, but just can’t comprehend it.  Jason had some legit back tail slides that blew us away.  Nate learned hurricanes.  At the end I did several fakie nosepick things.  I don’t no, it’s like a halfcab rock, but just put the front truck on.  I’ve done it before, but not intentionally.  I also got my first fakie pivot fakie in awhile.  Fun times.  So hyped on having Rampy this time of year.

Was busy running errands and watching Ollie while others got together and skated red curbs on a snowy afternoon.  I met up with Carleigh, Jason, Neil, Reed, Josh Steele and others and they were all warmed up.  Josh brought a bench and was killing it.  Noseblunts on it?  Yeap.  kickflip crooks?  Yeap.   He destroys.  Neil seemed pretty mellow and already done when I got there, Jason was skating the new bench really well, Carleigh seemed bummed, Reed looked rusty, but still killed it.  I started off slow and kinda just stayed that way.  It was pretty cold and it showed.  Reed and I tried doing mannies to rock no comply bonk.  He got it first and that ended that.  I tried some crooks on the bench, but never really got one.  I was trying to skate a bit faster and I’m sure it didn’t show.  I was doing fakie ollies then halfcab flips or faster then normal back 180s.  Felt good.  It’s hard to flip the board when the bushing are frozen.  We ended up getting kicked out right after I got a crappy front board to fakie on the bench thing and failed to get a 360 flip.

It was supposed to be my night off of skating, but my trip to Meta was cut short and I had nothing else going on.  Nate wanted to skate so we met at campus.  We met at the business building and I wasn’t as sore/tired as I thought I’d be.  I got there first and was cruising around kinda sucking as usual, but trying some lines and enjoying the warm weather.  Nate showed up and we skated the round manny pad for awhile.  I got one run with a manual one way followed by a really bad b/s flip up a curb to dead stop.  Sweet.  I had been trying nose mannies too, but we split when we saw a CU parking car park near us.  Nate was almost getting front 180 fakie nose mannies and switch front big heels.  Yeah, he’s good.We rolled to the covered engineering area and stuck around that area for the rest of the session.  We tried some ollies up/onto/over the brick area with the benches.  Nate did a rad manny to manny.  I did some 2mph ollies onto stuff.  We tried ollieing up the tall 3 and I couldn’t quite get it.  Nate did though.Lastly we played a game of SKATE that went on forever.  It had some of our better tricks in it though.  3flip (me), nollie 3 flip (nate), fakie 3 flip (nate), b/s flip (me), fakie bigflip (both), took forever to do a heelflip, switch 3flip (nate), and more.  We were tied at SKAT – SKAT for awhile and were both trying new stuff to end it.  Nate was getting close to front big heels and I was far from fakie var heel, switch hippy flip and nollie var flip.  We ended up getting exhuasted and I just did a nollie helipop thing and it somehow won the game.  Fun times.

I met up with Nate and Jason at the ballpark ledges right after work.  It might be the first time we’ve all skate there since when we met Nate there a few years ago.  I normally suck if I try to skate right after work and this was no exception.  I have been really down on my skating lately so sorry if these entries bum you out.  I could barely noseslide or 50 the ledge.  Jason on the other hand was ripping.  Back 50, noseslides, almost crooks.  These ledges are not short.  I was trying a front 50 to front board, but never got the front 50 good enough to try it.  Nate was skating aight.  He can do back 50s like their nothing.   My flatground was doing ok.  I got a couple 3 flips, but I need to learn more tricks going faster. Anyways, it was pretty warm out and we wanted to skate more once it got dark.  Nate had to bail though.Jason and I met Carleigh and eventually Lazer at St Julien.  Jason and I started the session by doing possibly the most tricks back to back we’ve ever done.  They were basic tricks on the ledge, but it was cool that we pounded them out.  That spot is fun, I wish the lights were brighter though.  I actually had fun at this spot and wasn’t too bummed on my skating.  Maybe it’s because Carleigh arrived and was bumming more than me.  She rips though.  Jason worked on back tailslides forever while we waited for Lazer.  Carliegh got some front 50s and was working on front tails.  I did a lot of back crooks, tried some 2mph halfcab crooks and failed to do front 50 back 180.  Lazer showed up and within seconds had ollied the 9 stair while swerving through jason and I.  We rolled out and Jason and Lazer ollied a purple bucket first try.  I didn’t, but eventually got it while Lazer went 200mph and ollied it then did a straight wallride.  Have I mentioned that Lazer is good at skating?  Carliegh almost got the ollie, but hurt her foot and ended her night of skating.  Lastly we ended up at the white ledge spot where Lazer skated it so fast I thought it would set fire to the ledge.  maybe I should skate with Lazer more and learn to push a bit faster.  Jason got his run with the ollie off the bump and back 50.  I got it too, but it was kinda slow as usual.  Pretty fun night.

Surprisingly sore from the flip trick session the day before John and I cruised over to Southern Hills on a nice afternoon.  We were pleasantly surprised to see the benches freshly painted and slick again.  John and Nate were getting on the grinds no problem, but my legs were dead.  Nate straight killed the benches.  John set up the marathon run challenge that almost killed me.  Front nose stall on the first bench (you can’t really get enough speed to do anything else), back noseslide the next bench, ollie up the two, ollie onto the rough ledge, ollie the 4 stair, trick on the bench.  He did it all quick.  I never got the ollie onto the rough ledge.  I can’t ollie, it sucks.  I was feeling pretty bummed, but went over and skated flatground for a bit on the new smooth area.  Landed quite a few tricks in a few tries.  Heelflip and 360 flip first tries.  I blew out a lace and Neil who had just shown up hooked me up with a new one before I could even really tell what happened.  Awesome.  Skelly also showed up around now.  Him and Nate got some boardslides to fakie.  I finally got on a few 2mph front 50s and got a shove out.  I was skating pathetically slow.  That’s what happens to me when I get that tired.  Toward the end I tried a line with front noseslide/stall on the first bench, manual the goodcrete, kickflip out of the handicap ramp, ollie the two from the crack, boardslide then a flipper.  I died in exhaustion attempting a backside flip.  Right after that Nate racked himself trying a front board 270 out.  We were both lieing down on the concrete and a family comes biking by.  So funny.  Before leaving I finally got a dorky cali grind to manual that I’d been trying for awhile and Nate, Sean and I did some long powerslides in the new super smooth concerete section.  So fun.Next we went to this newly redone steep bank into a parking garage.  It’s so gnarly, there is even a kicker in front of it.  Some one could do some gnarly stuff there for sure.  It was getting dark though, otherwise it would have been us.  Just ollieing into it on the steep end is scary.  There isn’t a car that can make that without bottoming out.  We left after awhile and went to the mini Wells Fargo q-pipe.  That was basically the only thing we had enough energy to skate.  A one foot tall quarterpipe.  And it was as fun as ever.  Nate did a couple good back 5-0s to fakie, bluntslide to fakie and almost a couple crazy tricks like front hurricane and front bluntslide.  Sean was barging it and almost got back 50 from the top part all the way down to the waxed up spot.  I tried some back tails for awihle, but started trying back smith instead and managed to get a few actual back smith grinds.  Then I got a couple mediocre back 5-0s to fakie, back tails, back nosegrinds and had a blast.  Fun ender for a rough day.

After a long, but fun day at the CU football game with the kids I needed a bit of skating before Liz left for a bachelerette party.  I decided the drive to meet up with Lazer, Neil, Carleigh at Rock Creek wasn’t worth it as I’d have about 20 minutes of skating tops.  So I just skated flatground in front of the house and it ruled.  Landed a lot of tricks quick so I didn’t have to spend time on them.  Got my first 3  treflips in a row.  Unheard of!  Although something was even more whack then normal and my style was feeling really sketchy.  I was trying to link up a few tricks and had a few runs that felt great.  Fakie bigflip, front shove, treflip.  Halfcab flip, backside flip (horrible) almost fakie treflip.  If I messed up in a line I would try tricks that I rarely or have never landed.  I tried tons of nollie heels.  It feels like if it actually flipped I’d land it, but it doesn’t.  Tried lots o switch fs flips too, fakie hardflips, Rick flips and bigflips.  Never got too close, but maybe someday the stars will align.  I ended it on a front shove, heelflip, varial flip, no comply, fakie fs bigspin run and walked away with a big smile and a beautiful sunset.

I met Nate at his house after a pretty crappy day of work.  It was almost dark so we skated around the basketball court at his apartment’s for awhile.  I was skating absolutely horrible.  Kickflips seemed impossible.  No complys seemed impossible.  One of those days I guess.  We moved on and after ollieing up a 3 stair (Nate first try, me four tries ugh) ended up at a funny weird spot.  At an abandoned car dealership there was a waxed up curb going into a super mellow bank.  Basically imaging an 8 footlong “bank” that covers the height of two stairs.  Along one side was two curbs.  The top one starts at the level of the top so you can just cali grind onto it then go into the bank.  The curb dropped about halfway onto another curb.  Only the top one was waxed.  I could not get back cali back 180 out.  We did some funny tricks up since there is basically no risk.  I got a nosegrind and kind of a front Salad.  Nate did cool tricks like back 180 nosegrind.  Nate also got 5-0 cali shove out.  As we left I got cali dropped into manual.  All in all it was a depressing session for me.

After stopping at 303 we made the long drive through suburban wasteland to Parker where we met up with Matt P who is asking about Null. Will it happen?  Maybe, he rips.  Anyways, Jason, Nate and I got there first and it was way colder then Boulder.  Burr.  We started out in the little q-pipe/colorado flag pipe area.  Jason immediately had 20 foot long front 5-0s that were ridiculous.  I took awhile to warm up as usual but Matt showed up and did like 5 tricks down the big rail/hubba for his warmup.  Nice.  Nate, Jason and I kept skating around and doing our stuff.  I got a front 50 on the tall pier 7 ledge first try to cheer me up a bit.  Jason did noseslide to manny first try on the double manny pad thing.  So sick.  Nate almost got front 50 front 180 fakie nose manual.  It’s hard to remember what all we were doing as it seemed like we never really skated one thing.  It ruled that no one was there and you could skate whatever.  On the ledge I had a few decent crooked grinds, front 50 back 180 and an accidental front smith front 180.  Basically I almost slid out but ended up pivoting on the front wheels.  That’s an over 30 make for sure.  Ha.  Toward the end Nate and I ollied off the kickers which was a blast.  Jason was blasting 5-0s both ways around the tight corner.  So sick.  Super fun session want to do it again.