Upstate Update: Albany & Syracuse

antollie

Photo by Zach Malfa-Kowalski

Every summer in New York has a “get me out of here”-moment. It usually happens in August — when you realize all your free time has been spent sitting at Tompkins, maybe leaving to watch your friend try a trick somewhere, and then ending up at T.F. West or maybe probably definitely the bar. The past month feels a week long.

The easiest way to slow down time is to spend it in an unfamiliar environment. Having already gone way over budget on the seminal European tour video, 56 Tricks, we had to resort to more modest options. Thanks to a paper bag full of crumpled bills from Nike SB, we were able to load up two vans with #core #skateboarders — guys without agents who would never dare suggest that we “warm up” at a “skatepark” — and got on the road for a five-city #core #tour of Upstate New York.

hjaltebsflip

Photo by Zach Malfa-Kowalski

To get the pressing question out of the way, no, we could not make the Dime Glory Challenge. As we pulled into New York’s capital, we looked northward at the 200 miles to French Canada and wished the boys good luck, but travel towards Dime HQ ended there. In consolation, Albany contains one of the most perfect spots known to man: T.F-esque flatground separated by three levels of mellow banks. There have been rumors of it getting turned into a skatepark, but thankfully that hasn’t happened yet. It’s perfect as is.

More »

Already August

boards

Photo via Troy

Sometimes you gotta get up and laugh it off, you know? (That girl rips btw.)

Anyone wondering when the stuff that was at T.F. on Friday will reappear, follow N.Y. Ramp Co. on Instagram for alerts. Supposedly at Tompkins once a week.

Shout out to Adidas for acknowledging that Columbus Circle is the last remaining true “plaza” in New York with their plaza-loving Suciu part. (Flushing is not a plaza spot…it takes fifteen minutes to skate to the nearest store, among other things.)

A fan remix of some reigning Q.S.S.O.T.Y. Max Palmer video blog footage.

Yo, everyone needs to get better at looking out for cars when your boy is skating some spot that leads out into the street. In the immortal words of Rob Campbell: “It might be funny when you get hit by a car, but not when you get run over by one.”

Good for a laugh: a #listicle of the worst skateparks ever built.

Maybe it’s because we’re biased on this side of the country and they’ve been running way more east coast stuff as of late, but tough to disagree that Transworld issues have somehow gotten better as they have slimmed down and print has taken a backseat to online. Skateboard Story has a good interview with Mike Fitzgerald, TWS‘ director of sales, about keeping a three-decade-old skate magazine afloat in 2015.

Life lessons learned from The Hot Chocolate Tour via SMLTalk. Ayo for yayo.

This was basically like Inside the Skater’s Studio with Donny Barley.

#girl #power. “I just like to kickflip over stuff.”

Joe Cups uploaded a bonus montage from the 2004 Lurkers 2 video to his YouTube page. R.I.P. old back of Union Square. R.I.P. Pepsi Ledge. R.I.P. to the really good metal ledge with bad ground on Duane and Hudson Streets. (He also uploaded a better quality version of Lurkers 2 itself.)

The olds v.s. the youngs — chapter 95,746: “ironic” skateboarding edition a.k.a. how these ten seconds of Seymour Skinner will never not be relevant.

Every trick done down Clipper in seven minutes.

Colin Sussingham is having a show at 2nd Nature in Bushwick on Friday. $1 prints :)

The New Yorker is really into skateboarding these days.

Big last week for New Jersey. Shout out to Paterson.

Quote of the Week: “Do you know where I can get Xanax? …or any other drugs? …is that VX? I used to skate.” — Soho Lurker

Please @ me once someone does a trick into this. Thanks ;)

‘Sure’ — The New Video From Johnny Wilson

sure

*****Help Kev get a new knee*****

“When did Johnny’s videos peak?”

That has been a popular topic in 2015. Pundits believe the videos were at their purest when Space Heater dropped — but then you remember that Beef Patty contained the last full-length Paul Tucci part, or that Paych had that fire Gwen Stefani song.

As we wait to see if the monster of New York City nightlife has Wenning-esque consequences on the Most Productive Crew™ (that may be an antiquated name) and their filmer, Sure is the latest one. It got rave reviews on premiere night.

Features parts from Andrew Wilson, Harry Jumonji, reigning Q.S.S.O.T.Y. Max Palmer making a strong case for potentially pulling the first ever two-peat win of the award, Paul Tucci with his highest volume of footage since the aforementioned video, Corey Rubin skating a bowl wearing a chain, John Choi from Dime and Cyrus from Polar. Guest appearances from all the familiar faces, along with a middle montage filmed at some weird sunny part of Brooklyn (?) that I have never been to.

Previously: Horny, Paych, Beef Patty, Space Heater

State of the Noseslide Address

noseslide sweat

Photo via @crustymuskymug on IG. “You couldn’t have known what I did for this [noseslide].”

With the chaos of awards season over and the faint glimmer of spring ahead of us, it is time that we shift our attention back on what’s most important: noseslides. (“The building block of modern skateboarding” © Frozen in Carbonite.)

Though the current crop of heavily #curated skaters lean towards the simpler side of the trick spectrum, they have seldom found a place for a plain noseslide in their video parts. The noseslide has thus, in turn, found a modern home in fifteen second Instagram clips, where scrutiny of “easy” tricks does not run as high.

Topic 1: IG output made our 2014 Noseslider of the Year award winner an easy call.

With the madness that was December (remember that week when there were six QS updates?! Crazy times, man), we were not allowed to shine a proper light on the most prolific noseslider of those past twelve months. But NBA teams don’t get their championship rings ’til the middle of the season anyway, so consider the clip above a Finals DVD.

More »

All-Star Fashion Week Weekend

pebbles

Late one today. Weather got things sluggish.

“Skaters in Cars Looking at Spots” cruises around the Financial District with Zered.

“My last name is Baker, so this is called The Baker Video.” Good friend and breaker of four boards in one session, Zach Baker, made a fun skateboard video.

Life is Goodie is dropping on 4/20 fool.

“Rob [Dyrdek] told me, ‘Look, dude, there’s gonna be no pro skaters in the next…I see in the future no pro boards.'” Ride has a great interview with Josh Kalis about China, standalone video parts, GX1000, a declining middle class in skateboarding, and a future with no boards. ICYMI: Hit You Off Management dropped a “Kalis in Mono” remix last week, mentioned in the interview’s first question.

Sorta on that note, Village Psychic got an interview with the dudes who run Mood Skateboards, a company with no team. “In the 80s and 90s, pro skaters were the best at skating, but now everyone is the best. The ‘need’ for professionals isn’t the same.” It’s gonna be a really weird next couple of years, man.

Always a lot of surprises in this dude’s skating: Joel Meinholz time machine mash-up.

Some enviable weather in Gigliotti’s new clip.

The bro Jersey Dave has a photo book up for sale.

Dunno if these are the ten *greatest* spots ever built, but Kingpin has a listicle of ten “what were they thinking when they made this” spots from around the world.

Boil the Ocean compares Big Brother‘s resistance to abiding by the skateboard industry’s self-image to the Slap message board’s similar disposition of today, and uses the word “sanctimoniousness.”

The Helas team’s IG clips combined into one montage, with a mini Ishod and Lucas part at the end :)

“Before the Hubba girls, the Duffs girls, before Erica Yary or Leanne Tweeden, and long before any hot chick would be caught dead in a Thrasher shirt, there was Rosa.” SML Talk reminisces on the nineties most iconic half-naked skateboard hardware company model. Chromeball also had a Rosa tribute years ago, which includes a scan of the “15 Things You Didn’t Know About…” segment from Skateboarder.

Jake Johnson v.s. the D.C. Gold Rail, circa 2010.

Who had the better high fashion backpack ad, Eli or Alex Olson?

Part two of NY Skateboarding’s joint interview with Gino and Dill is now live.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Lebron v.s. Durant won’t be much of a narrative in the NBA soon.

Quote of the Week: “Johnny peaked with Space Heater.” — Max Palmer

If you’re stuck inside and need a good time-killer, I was recently put onto the fact that a lot of episodes of Insomniac with Dave Attell are on YouTube. It hasn’t been the best for productivity, but is really fun to reminisce on the drunken world of the early millennium that most of us had yet to experience (still recognized the venue for the “goddess” party though hehehehe…) The two New York episodes are here and here. Playlist with most of them here.