Met up with Cass at Broomfield, did some shoveling/squeegeeing for a while, then went to look at this bank spot but it was covered in snow. Some driving later we ended up back at Broomfield which had dried up quite a bit. We put in a little more effort then were able to skate the lower part without issue really. Darin showed up as we were getting warmed up. Cass was kind of ripping. Back 50s, hardflips, fakie back tail. Darin had his moves and made himself do a treflip pretty quickly. I didn’t land much of anything other than a halfcab noseslide and fakie 50 for quite a while. I was getting quite upset, but then had to reset and just make myself do more basics. Ollied up on the black box then did some accidental 5-0s on the blue. Got a crooks and a 5-0. Switch front nose then switch back nose shove. So it didn’t end up being the worst session, but I definitely wasn’t happy. Especially with how I couldn’t do flip tricks to save my life even on a smaller setup.

(setup 3/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace 44, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic, new balance numeric 212 b/w size 12 remind cush impact insole)
(pain level 5/10 pretty sore)

On an incredibly nice afternoon I ran a couple errands and then went in search of dry spots. I ended up at the double micro hip. The f/s hip is steeper than it looks on video, but still a glorified crack hip. I had put together a new setup with ventures and loved it at this spot. I think I did my first 5 kickflips so easily. Also had some solid feeling stalls on the curb. Again, it doesn’t look like a slant but I came somewhat close to a front tail to back 270 shove to fakie out. Then I went in on the wallride nollie which took way longer than it should. Then I took a while to fakie bigspin the hip before a few b/s flips that didn’t take too long or look too good. Then the halfcab flip which took like 30 minutes. I couldn’t believe it. The setup was a little weird having to curve around, but still, ridiculous and yet somewhat rewarding. I guess it just feels good to try hard again even if it’s tricks I used to have on lock.

Then I went to Platte middle school. The good flatground on the side of the school was still snowed in, but the manny pads were dry. I forgot how much I hate those pads, the cracks kill me. Initially I could barely ollie onto the pads and I was so angry and hating my setup. Eventually I would get a nose manual and then much later a regular manual or two which may have had some tilts. Pathetic. I went over to the 3 stair which luckily had some runoff preventing me from trying to ollie up it. I really wanted to ollie down it first try, but instead it took like 8 tries and I once again was annoyed with my lack of confidence and how massive my setup felt. I was happy that I skated as hard as I did though.

(setup 4/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, null grip, venture 5.8 v-cast/titanium with bones medium bushings, 52mm bones stf v1, es swift b/s size 12 with spenco 3/4 thinsoles)
(pain level 3/10)

After the snow stopped falling there were some dry patches where it had been plowed so I went searching. Ended up out on Arapahoe and had some good decent flatground a curb and a wet ledge. I hadn’t setup a new 8.5/14.25 board so instead I just brought a couple setups with Aces on them. Meh. I compared the two but mostly skated the 8.25. Did a few stalls on the curbs and managed one fakie back tail. I tried a line of halfcab flip, treflip, b/s flip. Never got the treflip. Wasn’t even really close or fully committed. Did some axle stalls. Would end up getting a few halfcab flips, close to fakie front heel. For the most part though flip tricks seem impossible these days. Kickflipping up the curb was mental battle. Also, ace trucks with 53mm wheels do not flip well. But the wheels did ride through the huge cracks before the bump to ledge pretty well. Kinda weird calling it a setup change because had I known it was going to dry up I would have setup a new board.

(setup 2/10 8.25 pmg ace 44s 53mm pjs es swift 12 with spenco 3/4 thinsoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Went to square state for Tuesday night session. At first it was just Nick and I skating. I had some okay warm up lines and ollied and front 180’d up the euro pretty easy, some ghost pops over the wedge. Nick had a good line with rock powerslide the qp, powerslide noseslide the little ledge then pop shove fakie on the little bank. Then it got kind of crowded. I tried a couple kickflips up the euro but wasn’t feeling it. Ended up in the small section for quite some time. Struggled with front 50s on the bank to curb but would get a few. Also really struggled to ollie up the curb which really bummed me out. Did the little line above which took an embarrassing amount of time. Gray had a few axle stall 270s. Then I went onto the ramp to do some flatground and hide by myself but after 3 bailed kickflips I focused my board and left.

(setup 2/10 generator 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder team hollow 149 royal bushings, 52mm bones stf v1 103a, es swift b/w size 12 currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

After a fun day of hanging with the family I got out for a short session. Which was good because my legs didn’t have much anyway. I had thought of this spot and after some lurking ended up just skating here. The ledge is somehow taller than it looks. And I’m not just saying that because I haven’t tried to skate a ledge in a couple months. I warmed up with some no pop lines like switch front nose then fakie shove. Noseslide to fakie then fakie bigspin. Got to crooks then kickflip which I thought would come quick, but no, never landed a crooks. Unheard of! That ledge isn’t really a good crooks ledge though. I got a few very slow front 50s that barely grinded. One halfcab noseslide that felt pretty good but then I couldn’t do it again. I didn’t film long because I didn’t really feel like filming considering how badly I was skating. I got a line of ollie onto the pad, front 180 off then switch noseslide the ledge going so slow. It felt cool though. Got one ultra slow jib fakie front nose. Couldn’t get a back 50. I got a few flippers I haven’t done in a couple months. Varial flip and both halfcab flips. I was pretty beat, but overall pretty happy that I skated and started trying to pop onto a ledge again.

(setup 7/10 generator 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder team hollow 149 royal bushings, 52mm bones stf v1 103a, new balance numeric 212 b/w size 12 spenco 3/4 thinsole orthotic and 272 insoles)
(pain level 3/10 unbelievable! after skating for 3 days in a row)

After a cold morning doing PT I met up with Cass and Jake at a crowded Cushing skatepark. Jake’s back was hurting so we mostly just skated the micro halfpipe. Jake did his front and back blunts, switch blunt, almost sugarcane and more I’m forgetting. Cass and I had similar front 50s. He had some front 5-0s, tail. I had some disasters and the little revert tricks. It’s a really fun area. Did a couple of noseslides on the ledge. It’s funny to me how the switch front nose still gets love from others. Got a crooks that didn’t come easy. Cass may have gotten kickflip up the hip or b/s flip the hip.

Then we went to Merrill school which I hadn’t been to in a few years. The asphalt has taken a beating, but it was still run. Initially I was really sore and lacking confidence and didn’t think I would do anything. Cass got a good kickflip over the hip and I eventually got a really slow kickflip that didn’t go over the mound. Cass then did a really good hardflip which we are saving. I setup the cam for my b/s flip and tried to add fakie bigflip but didn’t really get it. Cass came really close to treflip. Then I started lining it out and it was really fun. The line is just a few basic tricks, but after not being able to really try tricks the last couple of months it felt so great to try hard and link a few tricks. Really fun session.

(setup 9/10 generator 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder team hollow 149 royal bushings, 52mm bones stf v1 103a, vans wayvee white size 12 spenco 3/4 thinsole orthotic and 272 insoles)
(pain level 4/10 started slow from all the ollies the day before but really it feels amazing to try real tricks again)

After getting lots of ghost pop lately I tried a different setup. Indys. It was below freezing and the slappy curb was wet. So I ended up at the rock area. I did a very easy feeling front axle stall on the rock first try and though wow this board has pop. But then I tried kickflips and ollieing onto the rock for quite a while. I did a slow kickflip before everyone of these ollies. I may look bummed, but I was pretty happy that my knee was letting me try so hard. I would never quite get the ollie up onto the rock, but I did get like 30 kickflips.

(setup generator blank 8.5/14.25, indy forged hollow 149 with royal bushings, orange spitfire f4 53mm 99a classics, vans wayvee white size 12 with spenco 3/4 thinsole orthotic and 272 insole)
(pain level 3/10)

Stopped at Valmont on the way home from work and met Dave. Dave ran the hip the way he does with some nollie and switch 180s both ways I think. I took way too long to front 180 the hip after carving the barrier. I posed some flippers over the hips and bailed a lot of ollies to fakie on various obstacles. Dave was going for a line of boardslide to fakie the rainbow and then switch front bigspin over the hip. He seemed somewhat close to me. I’m sure there is more, but I’ve waited to long to write this. Dave had to leave and I went to the dog park for the first time in a couple months. I did a crooks on the bench and a couple very slow front 50s on the curb and lurb.

(setup 3/10 generator 8.5 14.25, jessup ultra, venture 5.8 titanium bones medium bushings, bones 52mm v1 stf, vans wayvee white size 12 with spenco 3/4 thinsole orthotic and 272 insole)
(pain level 4/10)

Went to Square State on a cool night hoping to meet Dave and it not being too crowded. Much to my surprise there was only Gray and Jordan when I got there. Dave would show up pretty quick and then Ashton awhile later “who just turned 30” ha ha. Dave and I kind of warmed up on the small bank to curb area. He was trying fakie back tail but couldn’t get it up there. I had some crook jibs, front smith, some boardslides. Dave did the ridiculous fakie crooks transfer pretty quick into the session. I would shortly get my line with the slappy then kickflip to fakie. There was a 20 minute stretch where my knee felt fine and I didn’t think about it and it felt great. Even if I bailed several kickturns for reasons I don’t understand. Dave and I couldn’t get slappy crooks on the wedge to bank. Gray did some slappys on it though. Also some nice kickflips to fakie on the qp and fakie ollie up the euro which is nuts. Ashton showed up and made a joke that he had just turned 30. He ripped. Back 3s up the euro, weightless airs, kick back tails, kick back suski, back smiths. Dave did the boardslide 270 several times. Ended with kickflips and the pivot shove fakie. Fun night.

(setup 4/10 generator 8.5 14.25, jessup ultra, venture 5.8 titanium bones medium bushings, bones 52mm v1 stf, vans wayvee white size 12 with spenco 3/4 thinsole orthotic and 272 insole)
(pain level 5/10)

Decent day out, little cool. Met up with Sean, Cass, Kevin and Nick at Broomfield. They were all there before me. I didn’t feel so good on the board at any point, my body wasn’t having it. I would get a ‘full pull’ though as my one highlight. Crooks, switch nose 270 shove, shove out of the bank. They were all sketchy and slow, but it was a first try line because Kevin told me to show up Sean who hadn’t landed a crooks yet. I also got a little halfcab nose slide and finally ollied onto the black box. It was really slow and sketchy and felt okay the first couple of attempts, but that third attempt felt real bad and I stopped skating after that. Nick hasn’t skated in months, but still had poppy kickflips, good manuals and nose manuals. Cass had an amazing hardflip out of the bank, noseslides, back 50s, treflips, ripping. Kevin was getting his tricks back like nollie nosegrind, Gish. He would get treflip and switch tre. Sean was ripping. Lined out most of his tricks but the fakie back tail 270 shove and then kickflip nosegrind were the highlights for me. Then we had a nice lunch at Prost. Come back soon Kevin!

(setup 7/10 generator 8.5 14.25, jessup ultra, venture 5.8 titanium bones medium bushings, bones 52mm v1 stf, vans wayvee white size 12 custom orthotics)
(pain level 7/10)