Following up their Santa Monica Courthouse stage compilation — a superhuman skate spot if there ever was one — Muckmouth put together a historic rundown of Santa Monica’s other iconic spot, one that’s skateable by normal humans. We’ve waxed about the respect we have for the Sand Gaps before, namely because it might have been the biggest departure from typical eastern conceptions of a southern California skate spot (perfect asphalt ground, low ledges coated in wax and picnic tables.) Sand Gaps was two holes in the ground. It could’ve been anywhere, but it was in a place that we perceived as having the best spots on earth.
Given the existence of this video, is a hole in the ground in Santa Monica the most mundane object we, as skate nerds, have a qualified list of tricks done over? Like, knowing what has gone down the nearby triple set, or a Carlsbad or Love Gap is perfectly reasonable, but being able to name the things done over a square cut out of the ground is something you shouldn’t readily admit to non-skater friends.
And also, whereas Huf and many others skated the two gaps consecutively, always thought Chris Franzen’s line where he circumvents the gaps entirely, opting for the two consecutive pillars instead, was the one of the pinnacles of Sand Gaps’ history.
Damn, gutted that we missed Huf out, but ah well – was always going to happen. Pillars and ledge stuff was intentionally left out or I’d have been editing forever. Brilliant response article boys. Good times.
the west coast flushing grate
holy inward heels
A nice flat stump in the middle of the gaps would make the spot better than ever. One day somebody will chainsaw those trees and we’ll be nose-bonking the sand gaps all day long.
Those sandgaps are one of the worst spots ever. Its like a glorified man hole cover. Unrelated, but there has to be a better name than man hole. Sounds a bit nasty.
Steaming man holes are fun.
Yeah. Nothing beats a nice slippery man hole. I’ll hit one right in the middle of a street.
“Sewer cap”