Another night with mostly just balancing in manuals on Rampy. But did a few kickflips and ollies as well. Manual pop shove came pretty quick.
(setup – 8.25 venture wides bones bushings ricta crap wheels)
Feeling insanely exhausted, sore, unmotivated I went out to Rampy to “skate”. I needed a night off, but was gonna go for a minimum night. Actually skating Rampy hurts my legs still because of the inevitable bail and stepping down hard to flat, or even just stepping back up the ramp. I was gonna make a little wallride on the side of Rampy and do that a few times, but instead I ended up just doing some little manuals. It was actually pretty fun. Basically hardly moving just trying to hold manuals for a long time or do shove it out. I got one shove out. My board felt big.
(setup – 8.25 venture wides bones med bushings ricta crap wheels)
Went to Longmont park right after work. It was pretty warm in the 50s. Riley was there. He was starting with some nice manuals around the top ledge. Manual front 180, manual no comply 180, nose manual 180. I started by doing axle stalls on the noping qp and trying the no comply 360. I put down a few very pivoted and horrible ones before landing the miracle above. Then I mostly tried the switch one for awhile in between filming Riley. Riley did a bunch of tricks down the rail and over the hip. Man he rips. Then we skated the across and down ledge up top. Well, Riley skated it. I couldn’t get into front 50 to save my life. It was very depressing. Riley front 50’d the rail and feebled it, then switch front 50’d the ledge all before I landed one front 50. In fact I never landed it. I dared Riley to fakie ollie the 5 stair first try and said I’d commit to ollie if he did it. He did. I didn’t. Then we skated the bump to ledge for awhile. I managed a weak noseslide, but I didn’t have to nollie heel into it like Riley did.
(setup – 8.25 venture wides bones med bushings ricta crap wheels)
Before bringing India to ballet I hit Rampy for a bit to get warmed up. Continued to try and not do multiple setup tricks in a row. Which is funny because I’m pretty sure every trick I did would be considered a setup trick by most. Did something like back 50, boardslide, axle stall, front disaster, axle stall, crook jib, bail. Did a back hurricane and a tiny frontside ollie or two. Then went to red curbs on a night that didn’t feel as cool as expected after the recent snow. Matt showed up shortly after me. I had already cruised around the spot and done a bunch of 50s both ways enjoying how good wide trucks grind. It felt like I was cheating. I had a decent night of skating. I was skating somewhat hard at least. Trying lines, getting more comfy on the bigger board. Did quite a few basic flippers, a front lip, slappy crooks, slappy crooks fakie, no comply over the rock, geez, maybe I didn’t do much. I didn’t do a treflip, fakie nosegrind, front nosegrind, back hurricane. Matt did one million textbook treflips, front 5-0 180 out, front tail to fakie,fakie front tail to fakie, switch front 50 switch 180 out, switch back 50 (after a really good slam) and a lot more. Pretty fun night.
(setup – 8.25 venture wides bones med bushings ricta crap wheels)
See me die twice!!! Pretty much my favorite thing I’ve been a part of. Almost forgot about the Trick Factory part in there.
Good work Cameron! This is what Tyler is up to these days.
After my depression session at Broomfield I pulled my pile of used trucks out of the garage. I ended up going somewhat big. Venture wides and I setup an 8.25 board. It felt pretty awesome too. I tried a few basics without doing as many setup tricks in between. The bigger board did feel a little better on Rampy. I did a few flatground tricks too. Kickflips felt great. Got a couple others including a heelflip.
(setup – 8.25 venture wides bones med bushings ricta crap wheels)
Got called at 4am for work and didn’t get back to sleep until around 6. It made me tired. I went to Crisis to do bidness and hung out for awhile. I met Matt, Dan, Collin and Blake at Crisis. We went to Broomfield park and for the most part had the whole park to ourselves. I struggled the whole time. Every time I setup low trucks this happens. I love them for awhile, but my ollies turn to crap after awhile I begin to hate it. The only things I was happy with were doing another front feeble to fakie on the quartapotty, front 50 shove on the black ledge, back 50 on the black ledge. Matt cruised around casually doing solid tricks as he normally does. Front tail down the little rail, nollie back tail, nollie back tail fakie, back nosegrind back 180 out the black ledge. Struggled with back tail shove on the tall brown ledge and after he got it he focused his old soggy board. I’ve never really skated with Collin before. He rips and does a lot of no comply tricks, bean plants, etc. At one point him and I were doing no comply 270 to back tail on the blue ledge. It took me way too long. Collin did a no comply up the angled part of the brown ledge to manual down it. So sick. Blake is getting so good. Back nosegrinds over the sad ledge, some with tail grabs, nollie and halfcab down the six, and a lot more. Dan is so good. Nollie front 180 down the six, kickflip down the six, back nosegrind shove on the black ledge and a ton more. Dude rips. We played a game of SKATE at the end. I was the first one out. Blake tried a halfcab flip and managed to land on his board after it didn’t flip at all. It was pretty amazing. I think this marks the end of my Venture Lows era.
(setup 8″ venture lows bones med bushing ricta crap wheels)
On a cool Friday and an insanely busy day at work I skipped out in the afternoon for a break at Blue Skies. The park was weirdly wet though-out most of the park, but I just wanted to skate flatground anyway. I started out struggling as I have lately. Then started f/s halfcab heel for whatever reason. I Neil cam’d it. It came remotely quick. Then I wanted treflip. It took forever. Ugh. But at least when I finally got it, it felt pretty good. I went on to do the rest above relatively quick. I was skating hard and having fun by the end. I still don’t like my current setup though.
(setup 8″ venture lows bones med bushing ricta crap wheels)
Went to Blue Skies on a cooler day. Started out struggling big time again. Argh, my board was in the cold car so the bushings were even stiffer then normal. I did my standard warm ups of ollies on the bank and cab kickturns on the big crack bank. Next thing I remember was a decent front board on a flatbar which is really rare for me. Then I started trying a line where I ride up the qp onto the main ledge and front 180 off, then fakie flip on the main bank then front board the flatbar. I was hyped on how it came together. Hitting the ledge that way feels way better then just climbing up on it and doing a trick off. I got the fakie flip every try. And the front board came again after a few tries. Had a flatground trefip. Some ok feeling heelflips. Ollied the flatbars, did a couple front 50s and crooks. Then I decided I needed to ollie the low part of the escalator ledge again. Ugh. It took me forever. Like 50 tries. I suck at ollies. I landed on it so many times, but it was a depressing struggle. I think I’ve only ollied it once before so I shouldn’t expect much, but still. I finally “landed” one. Basically I landed on my board and rode to the grass that’s 4 feet away. Not sure I would have rode any further had the grass not been there. Oh well.
(setup 8″ venture lows bones med bushing ricta crap wheels)
After dinner I headed out skating after making no phone calls or having any intention of where I was gonna go. I thought campus, but somehow remembered this spot and decided to go to this ledge spot. There are a few of these in a row, two of which are waxed. Warming up was brutal. And to make it worse the brick sections were wet so I couldn’t do the slappy part. I kept at it and eventually did a few decent things for me. Did a noseslide to fakie followed by a John Brandow (switch “slappy” front noseslide). The Brandow wasn’t all the way over the brick section. Then got a crooks over one. Felt so good. Struggled with front 50s, but would eventually get a few. Over the “gap” I did front 50, front 5-0, front 50 front 180 out, front 50 shove. Did runs of crooks then back 50 over the bricks a few times. The back 50s were bad. But man it was fun. I thought of a dream line at the end. Crooks, go around kickflip up the little curb, front 50 front 180 out, switch 180 on flat, b/s flip off a curb cut. Never got close, but it seems possible. I really don’t like how my setup feels right now. The trucks are so tight. Well, the bushings. They need to break in already. The Ricta wheels are reminding me why I don’t like cored wheels. And worst of all, the 8″ board feels small. At least the tail. And my new shoes feel kind of stiff. Argh. Then I went across the street to Whole Foods and got the best dessert snack ever:
Yum.
(setup 8″ venture lows bones med bushing ricta crap wheels)