Once synonymous with men flown by Super-8 umbrellas and the occasional gas-masked Swedish penis, Polar has taken a refreshing 2.0 turn in its video output these past twelve months. The cuts are still quick — the Polarian fingerprint remains — but the skating has began to gain in its armwrestling match with the art.
If you need affirmation of how incredibly difficult it has been to do these posts over the past two weeks, look no further than the fact that Thrasher is posting astrology content, this girl is still looking for which one of you who spilled coffee on yourself at Herald Square, and apparently, EVERYTHING is “going right” in skateboarding right now…Spring can’t come soon enough.
“I used to be more of a character back in the day and just dive into the river, swimming for the board and making people laugh. I remember Jaime Reyes gagging because I was in there doing backstrokes. They say swimming in that shit helps your immune system.” Village Psychic spoke to Brian Wenning about some of the spots that were instrumental to his skating.
Caddo and Lou gave up on skateparks in 2016. It looks like it has been working out.
…aanndd John Valenti uploaded five minutes worth of B-sides featuring Lou, Caddo and Taylor Nawrocki from his N.Y. Archive video.
TWS uploaded all the raw footage from the Villains dudes’ trip to New York.
Theories resumed Elkin Raw files, which are always heavy on Leo and Aaron footy.
(Three raw clip links in a row, see what I mean? Springtime hellooo where r u…)
PFP5, the latest installment of Michael Sassano’s now long-running Westchester skate video series, will be premiering up in Peekskill on Saturday the 14th. Teaser here.
The crooked rail at Columbus Park is maybe the last place anyone expected to see a slappy front nose 270 A.K.A. the Explore Page, but there it was in Matthew Martin’s Hombre Hardware part.
“Cyclist stabs skateboarder during street spat.” Ok, the “It’s a fucking bike lane, asshole!”-guys are getting a bit out of hand.
Though Hurricane Maria obviously derailed the recent tradition of every skate crew spending January and February in Puerto Rico, the Scumco guys still made it down there for a fun trip video. Tons of Philly Santosuosso footage ♥
The Bunt’s newest episode is with Austyn Gillette.
Oh and, we have a new project with Nike SB coming out. April 14. More info soon :)
Since skate content is running low, here’s a link to a new Peewee Longway video that is four minutes of him reenacting the quaalude scene from Wolf of Wall Street.
And with militant veganism being so fashionable with New York skateboarders right now, here’s an informative article about eating right that isn’t Alex Olson yelling at you for eating a cheeseburger. Jk hi Alex ♥
QS Sports Fuck the NCAA, Respect to the Players-Desk Play of the Week: Gonna be so sick when J.R. Smith is the 2018 Finals MVP this year.
Quote of the Week: “Lowkey if I ever get rich, I’m gonna buy Brick 9.” — John Choi
This clip got posted on April 8, 2007 (Marcus Garvey rails were a new spot then…), and dubbed “The Neverending Winter.” Same mood eleven years later (a lot of these spots are still around), though I wish the quality of the upload wasn’t full trash.
Watched Sorry last night. Photo via Vintage Sponsor.
You don’t need to go out drinking on a Monday, so please donate to the ACLU.
The longest I’ve stared at a .gif of a skate trick maybe ever, but I get it now.
“It is best to always assume the potential to be cursed is near at hand to maintain ultimate protection.” Boil the Ocean on curses and hexes, and how skateboarding interacts with the supernatural.
“Truth be told, the part in The Fab Five when Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and them talk about how much they hate Duke is the sports doc equivalent of the triple-screen intro from Virtual Reality.” Frozen in Carbonite reviews The L.A. Boys, Colin Kennedy’s documentary about the creation of Gabriel Rodriguez, Rudy Johnson, Guy Mariano, and Paulo Diaz’s part from Ban This.
Max Palmer presents: “2Twisted,” the surprise sequel to last year’s “Twisted Illusions.”
Quick montage from Harry Bergenfield and the boys from the fall’s Drama video.
“POP Recycled” is an early frontrunner for best Euro clip of 2k17 even though all the footage is from 2k16. You know damn well that little kid’s lines down all the threes are gonna be in this week’s Top 10.
Jesse Alba, Nik Stain, Andrew Wilson, and the Polar team in Puerto Rico.
Kinda feel like the Kalis + Balbac interviews flew under the radar a bit because they were on Ride, but each installment has been great. The third and final one deals with a purported Smolik beef over Hubba Hideout claimers, not holding grudges, and a follow up on all the family + therapy stuff from Kalis’ Epicly Later’d.
Village Psychic has an interesting piece on the convergence of skate-friendly architecture, public space in former Soviet countries, and our current political climate.
Are times tough? Did you get kicked off the flow team? Did your friend with a rep job get fired? A wear test of a $16 sneaker purchased from a deli in Philadelphia.
Even before So Far Gone dropped and Herschel ate Jansport, Canada always had a hidden hand in shaping American culture. As skate scholars know, one of the most influential-yet-underappreciated thinktanks of 2000s skateboarding was Green Apple out in Winnipeg. The Bunt’s latest is with Mike McDermott, who brings us up to speed on Winnipeg’s best-known institution as it stands in the Trudeau era.
Devoted is an upcoming doc on the labor of love that is print media in 2017.
QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Porzingis over Dwight, sure.
Quote of the Week: “I know people who know Sarah McLachlan.” — Dustin Henry
Damn, remember the mash-up era? ;)
(Yes, they knew to leave that other verse off.)
Late start to the week bc of the holidays :)
Attn: Hot new trendy country Canada — Blue Tile and Antisocial have new QS gear in.
The I-Beam is the hottest T.F. obstacle since the Tombstone.
Like every facet of American life, skateboarding was hit hard by the 2008 recession. Lurker Lou has an oddly insightful glimpse into the industry of the pre-recession, pre-iPhone era by giving a 2007 Thrasher a last look. “Respect the Machnau.”
Here’s post-Love Park life in Philadelphia, with a Grandpa cameo in Cell Jawn #26.
Yo for like a casual, pre-premiere session around the Lower East Side and Chinatown, this clip of the Volcom team before the Holy Stokes screening has some jams in it. Nobody’s ollied those two double bump-to-bars on Madison before, right?
Fakiehillbomb went skating with QS-favorites, the Hungarian Rios Crew in Budapest for two weeks, and came back with this bit of low-def photojournalism.
I mean, for a varial flip on a l*ngb**rd, it’s perfect.
What you know about skateboarding in Nicaragua bro?
The Green Zine interviewed John Shanahan about #fits and the resurgence of shove-it reverts, and Venture remixed a good bit of his LurkNYC footage.
Even if you skate zero transition, there are certain skate landmarks you gotta pay a visit to just because (think Burnside, the Christiana bowl, etc.) The La Perla pool in San Juan, Puerto Rico is on that list. Monster Children did a quick story on the spot’s history, and how it slowly revitalized one of the slummiest parts of San Juan.
As per the note re: everyone still wanting to see Todd Jordan skate in Lou’s segment, here’s his gem of a “Wheels of Fortune” section, checking off every box of late-90s/early-2000s New York skate nostalgia:
The Canal Wheels section from Transplants is now online.
Cafe Creme has an interview with multiple People’s SOTY winner, Dennis Busenitz.
Dane Vaughn skates some New York rooftops.
QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: Gotta be Steph’s 4-on-1 off glass lay-up to close out the first half last night? What’s everyone thinking, Warriors in six? Durant leaves?
Quote of the Week
Inquisitive Gentleman: “Have you ever seen a shark out in the water?”
Dave Dowd: “I don’t believe in sharks.”
Photo by Zach Malfa-Kowalski
Puerto Rico — like every other skate destination in the world — has its fail safes. Just as you can’t get through a “Summer Trip to New York” clip without someone skating the Rector Street Bench or doing a trick over the wall at Columbus Park, Puerto Rico has its unavoidable trappings that appear in every last bit of getaway coverage. You end up having to roll the dice: either make the half-hour/45 minute drive to the smaller cities outside San Juan and hope you find spots, or go where you know there’s going to be shit to skate, even if Robert Lopez Mont fakie flipped it back in some obscure video from 1974.
These safe spots are places you’ve seen throughout Puerto Rico’s current tenure as skateboarding’s de facto winter getaway — the black marble low-to-high, the ledge plaza in Rio Piedras, or the photogenic-but-apparently-really-tough-to-skate bowl in La Perla, which we avoided due to a #nomoreskateparks rule set in place.
And as tired as you may be of seeing the lil’ black marble low-to-high and bank combo spot that Conor Prunty shut down this time last year, you’d be hard pressed to find a more relaxing spot. Comes with a guy who climbs up in the tree to get coconuts for you, a nearby beach, and the world famous El Hamburger just a block skate away. Last round of extras above, #tbt below, and full clip dropping this February.
P.S. Walgreen’s out here has the fire gift sets for date night with bae.
