Skateboards Online

[Morfiend]

Well, with the weather really heating up here, its getting harder and harder to stay inside. I pulled my old skateboard out of storage and decided to get some exercise.

As it happens, my board is really worked. I forgot how badly I had thrashed it last year, and so, its that time again to get a new board.

I have been checking prices on ebay, and they are not bad, but you never know with ebay.

I was wondering if any one knew a good place to buy a new board online. Some thing like newegg with really good prices and such.

[schild]

People still skateboard? Color me plaid, I thought only people on that TV thing did that.

[Morfiend]

Yeah, I ahve been skateboarding for around 20 years now. I havent had much time in the last 2 years, but I am going to get back in to it. Its a great way to get some sun, and get exercise at the same time, and have fun.

I really like the company Zero. You might know them from the skater Jamie Thomas from the TH:PS games. www.zeroskatboards.com

When I was little (like 12 years old) my best friends grandparents lived next door to Tony Hawk, and he use to let us ride his ramps when we would go for a visit. He was always a really cool guy, and happy to have a few little kids showing intrest in skating and riding ramps. It made a huge impression on me way back then, and I have been a fan of skating ever since.

[stray]

Yeah, I ahve been skateboarding for around 20 years now. I havent had much time in the last 2 years, but I am going to get back in to it. Its a great way to get some sun, and get exercise at the same time, and have fun.

I really like the company Zero. You might know them from the skater Jamie Thomas from the TH:PS games. www.zeroskatboards.com

When I was little (like 12 years old) my best friends grandparents lived next door to Tony Hawk, and he use to let us ride his ramps when we would go for a visit. He was always a really cool guy, and happy to have a few little kids showing intrest in skating and riding ramps. It made a huge impression on me way back then, and I have been a fan of skating ever since.

I've been skating for almost 20 years now too. Heh, my first deck was a JFA (Jodie Foster's Army)...Anyone remember them?
 
Haven't skated as much as I used to though..Couple of years back, I had what was probably my worst wipeout to date, and cracked my four front teeth. Smacked the pavement face first. So that sucked. Been a little paranoid ever since, so I just try not to do crazy shit anymore.

Anyways, that's a cool story about Hawk. That's like shooting hoops with MJ or something. I never met him myself, but my brother did. When I was younger, my brother had a pretty bad accident of his own, tore some ligaments, and had to go through major knee reconstruction. His skateboarding days were pretty much over after that. He really had a good chance at being a pro too. As you can guess, my brother wasn't doing well at all, and after that happened, my Dad wrote to Tony Hawk about it. He actually started calling my brother up, and wrote to him, trying to cheer him up. Pretty cool thing to do. Years down the road my brother met him at a party, and Hawk still remembered.

As for skate shops, http://actionvillage.com/skateboard.html may have something you're looking for. About $5-$10 cheaper than most places I've seen. I'm not sure myself where to get decks in the under $30 range, so if you find a site on your own, let me know. I usually just buy things locally, because I'm too picky about how things feel. If I could get things cheaper though, I'd probably do it.

[Morfiend]

because I'm too picky about how things feel. If I could get things cheaper though, I'd probably do it.

I also am pretty picky about the feel of a new deck, I think what I will end up doing, is going to the local mall surf store and checking out a bunch of decks, then buying the one I like on ebay for less than half the price.

Last time I was at my local shop, a Deck with Trucks, wheels, and bearings cost over $120. On ebay you can get a compleat setup for around $60.

[stray]

On ebay you can get a compleat setup for around $60.

Hmm, I should be shopping at Ebay more often. 10 years on the Internet and I still haven't ordered a thing from there yet.

[Fraeg]

To the guy with the JFA board.  My first was the Vision Agent Orange board with the cover from the When You Least Expect It album.

To the original poster... I envy you if, after 20 years of skating, your body can still handle it.  I skated from 5th grade through much of college.  However at this point my body has had enough.


-fraeg

[Morfiend]

I envy you if, after 20 years of skating, your body can still handle it.  I skated from 5th grade through much of college.  However at this point my body has had enough.

Well, for the last few years I have taken it very easy on my skateboard. After a nasty broken elbow skimboarding, (I can explain skimming if you dont know it), and I have only just decided to give it another go. Going to be tough breaking off like 3 years of rust, but I am determined.

[Daydreamer]

Skimboaring is great when you have the hang of it, and and one of the worst board-type sports when you don't - my dad used to be big into when he was yougner, and he gave me his old board to use.  Learning was real painful - those fuckers can just flies right out from under you.

[Alluvian]

I am curious.  Please explain skimboarding.  I am envisioning some slim board designed to have low friction against concrete and sliding down stairs and hills with this thing...  Anywhere near correct?

[Morfiend]

I am curious.  Please explain skimboarding.  I am envisioning some slim board designed to have low friction against concrete and sliding down stairs and hills with this thing...  Anywhere near correct?

Nope. Well, I guess kind of.

Skimboarding is a beach sport that was started in my home town of Laguna Beach, and is now getting international coverage. We hold what amounts to the wold championships here, and I went to high school with the guy who is the world champion.

Basically you have a board that looks like a very thin (like 1.5 inchs thick) yet wide surfboard and is about 3ft long and 1.5ft wide.

You stand on the sand, just out of the water, as a wave is about to break on shore. (need to have a beach where the waves break right on the shore, not out at sea like surfing), as the wave is about to break you run as fucking fast as you can right as it, then when you get the the wet sand, you throw the board down, and it "Skims" across the wet sand, and as you are running full speed, you just onto the board and ride it out the the wave. When you get to the wave, you ride it like a cross between a skateboarding quarter pipe and a surfer pulling in to a wave.

It is very fun, but if you mess up, you can get hurt pretty bad. Not as bad as skating, but when you are running full speed and fall on wet sand, that stuff will take your skin off faster than concrete.



http://www.skimonline.com/news/2003/photos/cabo/cabo12.htm

http://www.skimonline.com/news/2003/photos/cabo/cabo23.htm

http://www.skimonline.com/multimedia/pictures/skim35/35-09.htm


Here is some more info, if any one is interested.
www.skimonline.com
A friend of mine is a photographer for SKIMMagazine, and another of my friends is a pro rider.

[Fraeg]

Morph.

3 years of rust... Don't be afraid to be so manly as to wear plenty of pads while you brush off the rust.

I grew up in northern CA and had an aunt in Laguna Beach... pretty wild to watch skimboarders. Actually a lot of people do it up here along rivers and lakes.  Up until recently I had no clue people could ollie a skimboard.

Another sport I see up here is kind of a bastard version of skimboarding and surfing.  High School kids and random meth heads tie a line to the shore then hold onto the rope and surf standing waves in the river on a funky looking board.  Which is cool and all but given that I am a kayaker and am trying to surf the same waves while they are dragging a rope back and forth at neck level... well things can get a little intense.   Nothing like having a 200cm carbon fiber paddle with knifelike blades at the ends to make them see things my way at times.

-fraeg

[Arnold]

I've been skating for almost 20 years now too. Heh, my first deck was a JFA (Jodie Foster's Army)...Anyone remember them?

Didn't that brand have a picture of Reagan within the crosshairs of a scope?

[Pig Destroyer]

Man you guys are making me miss my hometown.  Tampa, FL...we used to Skimboard a lot at Treasure Island beach and at Clearwater as well.  I still have a couple of scars from those days.  We didn't quite have the waves like they do on the West coast, but we would Skim on the Atlantic from time to time at New Smyrna, it was a blast.  I miss the beach soooo much, why the hell did my wife have to be from Ohio?

[stray]

Didn't that brand have a picture of Reagan within the crosshairs of a scope?

Probably..JFA was a skater punk band that sang about that kind of thing (Heh, hence the name), but I never saw one like that. All I know about is the boards that had a big "JFA" logo in paisley.

[Alluvian]

Thanks for the description and links Morph.  Very interesting.  I would have never have thought of trying that.  The board is about what I had in mind but the application is totally different of course.  And I know what you mean about wet sand.  That shit compacts just as hard as concrete and is more abrasive.  Plus you have built in salt to make it hurt like a fucking bitch if you tear any skin.  Makes you want to do an insane dash for the nearest rinse off station.

I am just somewhat surprised the concept even works really.  I would not have guessed that the skimming would have held up to a human's weight.  But the evidence far outweighs my faulty logic.

[Morfiend]

Alluvian you should try and find a video, it is really insane to watch.

Speaking of wet sand, I have a scar on my side where I hit the sand, and i scraped off about 1/8th of an inch of skin and flesh.

I also managed to crash badly last summer and break my elbow, compound fracture. I havent skimmed since then, but I am planning on breaking out my board in the next few weeks.

One of the funny thing about skimming is that out of the top 10 in the world of skimboarders, like 7 of them come from my town.