On a really nice morning I got out to Lafayette to finally meet up with the Sunday morning brunch crew. It was rad, so many great people. Also, so many scooter kids, but they would leave luckily. I was feeling pretty sore and had motivational issues because of it. All I basically did was the kickflip on the bank then front axle on the tight qp. I mean it took a while awhile to give up on regular axle stall and go frontside. But once I started getting kickflips I got quite a few of them. Other than that I kind of putzed around and didn’t really do anything noteworthy. I hucked some hardflips on the mellow bank near the end that felt doable but never got both feet on them. I liked seeing Dan do such good kickflips. Brian high speed feeble grinds on the tight qp to parking blocks, front rocks of course, no comply blunt on the bank was cool. Cass had a better kickflip than me on the bank, but the key is that it was singular. Ha. He had some nice ollies to fakie but couldn’t get halfcab flip. Kyle is fun to watch skate even if he can do casper stall every try except when I film. The whole time we were skating everyone talked about going to Broomfield. Some actually did. Garrett wanted to, but stuck around out of loyalty for a free board. Ha ha, but man he rips. Kickflip pivot was so sick as was the long hurricane grind. Fuller had shown and casually did some pivots on the tight qp like it was nothing. Other Kyle, Mike showed later. Will, Squeeks, Scotty, Grey. So many peeps, so little journal. I wish I hadn’t been so sore, it was fun skating and hanging people.

(setup 3/10 null smoke valley 8.3, jessup ultragrip, slappy low profile 8.5, bones stf v1 103a 52mm, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy/brown size 12, half insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 6/10 I hate newish 440s they hurt so bad)

Met up with Hayden, Bo, Noè, Zach and Connor at the og prefab Loveland park. It was worse than I remember. Bo and Noè ripped it though. Bo with the mega pop. Noè doing impossible flippers on the steep metal qp.

Then we rolled 100 feet to the pole jam/bank to rock/curb spot. It was weirder than anticipated. Hayden’s pole jam was awesome. I felt super odd on my board, but would finally start doing tail stalls which were fun and the shove out felt so great because of the mini stairs in the roll away. Then we went to a nearby gate to hill bomb that you could grind. Hayden and Bo 50’d it. Noè and Connor did a million flip tricks into the “hip”.

Then we went to this amazing spot we’ve eyed for years right off 287. It of course was infinitely harder to skate than it looks. The rough asphalt surrounding it makes it hard to judge speed, the knobs aren’t good either. That didn’t stop Hayden from doing a sick pop shove manual super casually. Noè did nose manual nollie flip before I had even ollied up. He also went on to learn switch manual switch flip out. Bo had a cool manual to back lip. Connor had a crazy crook shove. I took forever to do a kickflip to fakie from the upper level down one level. I did have a fun line though of bump to crooks then curve around and kickflip into a bank.

(setup 2/10 8.5/14.25 null 20 year, null grip, venture v8 baseplate titanium 5.8 hanger bones medium bushings, spitfire f4 99a classic 51mm, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy/brown size 12 with half insole and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

On a cool night I met up with Cass, Ladd and Will as it got dark at Lafayette park. I have not been there in a couple of years and was quickly reminded of the weird scene there as a fight unfolded. That always makes for a weird vibe. I had put the longer 8.5 on and did not like with the exception of feebles on the tight qp to curb. It was mostly a random session. Ladd ripped the transition before having to leave pretty quickly. We did some slappies on the tight qp to curb. Are they still called slappies? I don’t know but they feel like slappies. The ride on grind line was fun although clearly pretty dumb and random. We hit the hubba area kind of. Trick on the spine thing, hubba, tall ledge. I never quite got a full line but was close to kickflip on the mellow bank, noseslide part of the hubba, noseslide the tall ledge. Jake and Nick showed, was cool seeing them. Took way too long to do a sketchy 5-0 on the ledge. There was a bunch more randomness, that park is fun to cruise around and just do odd tricks.

(setup 4/10 8.5 nullosaur, null grip, venture v8 baseplate titanium 5.8 hanger bones medium bushings, spitfire f4 99a classic 51mm, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy/brown size 12 with half insole and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Went out in the garage after a week of feeling sick. Did some warm ups and about 5 kickflips that weren’t easy. Had some new 440v2s.

Went out to the garage after dinner because I was too tired to motivate and skate outside in the colder weather. I skated an 8.5. And I liked it. After some warm up 180s and stuff it took me a few tries to get a kickflilp, but then I did like 6 in a row. Which didn’t happen on the smaller 8.25 last time. Did a fakie flip. Hucked some nollie flips that only had one close one. Went in on treflips. They felt weird at first, but eventually started to feel like every one of them would be a make. But only two of them were makes. At one point I slipped out on my slipper concrete floor and it kind of spooked me. Did a heeflip. Hucked a few switch front heels that felt like a 2% chance of success. So you’re saying there’s a chance. Turns out I was so tired because I was once again getting sick. Ugh, I get sick way too often these days.

(setup 7/10 8.5/14.25 null 20 year, null grip, venture v8 baseplate titanium 5.8 hanger bones medium bushings, spitfire f4 99a classic 52mm yellow, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 with half insole and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Met up with Sean, Darin and Chase at Broomfield park in the early afternoon on a completely perfect day. I was tired from a late night seeing Pissed Jeans. Sean and I were there first. The warm up period felt okay. I started trying real tricks and nothing good really happened. I struggled with pop, things were super waxed, flip tricks didn’t go well. At one point Darin did a treflip, Chase did a treflip and then I did perhaps the worst excuse of a treflip ever. Sean had a good line above. I randomly hucked some f/s halfcab heel noseslides that felt doable, treflip noseslides felt doable but were not remotely close. I left and went to Birch where the big crack prevented me from trying wallie nollie up onto the blue wedges. But they were fun to 50 and I had a fun line of noseslide, kickflip, 50 before I left.

(setup 2/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

After doing my 51 exercises for my age and some chilling the snow had mostly melted. I went to Douglass which was mostly melted save for some water on the main ledge. After some initial warming up I waxed up some other sections and went in on some lines and struggles. The main ledge being unskateable really changed how to skate the spot and threw me off. About the only good thing I did was some noseslides to fakie. I almost destroyed my ankle on some crooks that I didn’t make it up onto. I could barely kickflip up the curb and halfcab flips were the only flip trick that worked. Did a couple axle stalls, but couldn’t front 50 a ledge. It was a very depressing session.

(setup 3/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On a snowy night I went back to the garage for another hour of flatground. I started off better, got a couple kickflips right away after some warm up shoves. Then could not do another kickflip to save my life. I was losing my mind. Would eventually get a couple and move on to first try fakie flip and b/f flip. Halfcab flip turned into a depressing battle. Luckily heelflips made up for it and I got a few of them. Was insanely close to switch flip, remotely close to nollie flip. Took way too long to do treflip even though most of them felt good. Not close to varial heel or nollie inward heel.

(setup 5/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Snowy night, too lazy and unmotivated to go to a parking garage. Cleared out some space in the garage and skated in there for the first time in what feels like forever. It was really fun. I put on an old mix tape on the cassette player and dork out. The very limited space was rough at first. I did some basic 180s and shoves to start. Then went to kickflip with the goal of doing 5 in a row, but I kept not quite getting there. So I moved on the fakie flip. Then tried 20 switch flips in which some felt very close. Never landed both feet on one but was fully committed above the board and if it had flipped faster I think I would have landed it. B/s flip took a bit and was scary spinning in such limited space. Halfcab flip. Heelflip took a bit. Was really close to the elusive nollie tre. I think that is one of the few flippers I’ve never landed in my garage. Got a treflip in 5 tries. Hucked some nollie inward heels and kind of got the feel but, was not close at all to committing. Same with switch f/s flip. Fun times.

(setup 6/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

I left work and it was basically dark, a few snow flakes in the air. But I wanted to skate and I stopped at an empty dog park and ended up having a fun session. I had the park all to myself save a scooter toddler who followed me around for a while until I told him to stop. Couldn’t get a halfcab flip to start a line, but did have a fun one to get start. Boardslide the flat bar, kickflip on flat, crooks the bench, then up onto the wood manny pad and a wallie off the round metal wallie thing. Also had a good feeling halfcab noseslide on the bench, back 50 the curb, ollie (with an accidental bonk) the kinked flatbar. Had some mediocre front 50s on the bench, one with a shove out. Couldn’t get a treflip, but my bushing had totally locked up in the cold. Which is really annoying because normally the Royal bushings are good in the cold. I skated about an hour then ran out of energy. The wind and snow had picked up anyway.

(setup 7/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)