It bears little resemblance to the ‘Tao of Skate’ that the author (James Pisano) is describing and is certainly not something I understand or nurture in the way he discusses but it’s there. Its the manic laugh that every skater makes when they almost crash, or the feeling of skating to the top of a hill that just looked too steep to skate, or of overtaking someone on a tight corner…pure exultation!

I strongly recommend you read the article, i really enjoyed it, and i have to say that i’m amazed that more people dont try and express themselves in the way pisano does. We all have the feeling…

Here is an extract from the article discussing just that feeling…Stoke!

“As skaters, we call joy “stoke,” which although I don’t know the etymology, I assume refers to a fire burning hotter when you stoke it, a pretty apt way to describe how we feel during and after a good session. I have found 4 primary ways of getting stoked from skating. 1-by doing something dangerous and invoking adrenaline, which is a sharp high that can cause giddiness and depending on the intensity or severity of your activity, lasts for a matter of hours, 2-by doing something you couldn’t do before, developing greater skill at something, causing a less sharp high that doesn’t seem to last as long, 3-by physical exertion, causing a high that is more subdued and lasts a long time, likely similar to “runners high,” and 4-by the simple act of moving through space and time on a skateboard, not particularly fast, but just enjoying the lack of goals or striving; the childlike pointlessness of it, which causes a light buzz.”

The first thing I though upon reading this is that he had just described Long Distance Skateboarding. All four of the points he just said apply to us distance skaters, plus, we have the added magic of travel!

Great article in yet another great issue of a fantastic magazine!

pic of an old issue..

You can read the whole ‘Tao of Skate’ article now at www.Concretewavemagazine.com

As it says on their site, ‘Shirts for longboarders, created by a longboarder’. They make limited runs of a few T-shirts and they are very very coool!! I think they mosty cost $16 and I’m asking about the cost of shipping to our sunny Island at the moment..So stay tuned!

Take a look at these!!!

More good news on the T-Shirt front is that the Skai-Tees are now available to pre-order (pick up on the day) and they are a bargain!!!!! Just £6.50, all profits going to shelterbox. Get em’ here..skaiti.webs.com/

Obviously, whilst we are on the subject…we cant forget how cool the SkateFurther T’s are!!!! (Modelled by some bloke….I think he skateboarded somewhere…..or was it everywhere?)

skaiti.webs.com/

thegnardeal.com/

www.skatefurther.com

http://skaiti.webs.com/

The Top Gear track, 24hrs, Non-Stop, Ultra-Freaking-Skate!

I know that i’m not alone in this, but i’m aiming at smashing the British Ultra record…It currently stands at 150miles and is held equally by Nat Halliday and Keith O’leary. I’m hoping to push around the 220 mark….

The event starts at midday on the 10th April….and i’ve got a good reason to stay up till midnight at least, the 11th is my birthday! The stoke will be endless!!!

The top gear track wont know what’s hit it!!

I’ve been loving the Demonseed recently….I’ve been neglecting the Raven….Not any more!

It felt even better than usual today because I have finally got pushing with both legs to a standard where I don’t have to think about it. It feels so much faster!! I think the kickbike has given me a huge confidence boost for using both legs, at the same time helping to heal my bad knee.

Speaking of Subsonic…If you havnt done so yet, Join the Subsonic Skateboards Facebook page!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Subsonic-Skateboards/309260059093?ref=ts

I popped down to the Uni metal workshop and asked very nicely if they would let me use their machinery to make my trailer hitch drop through…but they weren’t all that keen on me using their expensive gear, fortunately though they agreed to do the work for me! So they started up their giant router/etcha sketch and dropped my hitch plate through. Impressive stuff!

With the initial problem solved, all that was left was testing….I took the rig out today, it was amazing! The whole set up feels far more balanced than it did before, predictabe slides from the trailer and a reassuring surge of power form all that weight… The 06 seed handles the hitch well and it’s looking like i will be taking the trailer on my travels this summer.

Firstly; He’s made a few changes to his wet weather pusher design. There were issues with the first model ‘Cobra’ spraying water from the rear trucks, but he has sorted that by increasing the length of wheel arches…giving it some nice seductive curves…..

Secondly; He has been working on a new LDP deck for US rider Greg Fiess. The board is based on Scott’s Stranglove deck (Check it out at Subsonicskateboards.com), i love the shape, its really moving away from the J-lo hips that are so prominent on the Roe mermaid and Scott’s Pulse. However…If it is the same construction as the pulse then i’m pretty exited about trying one!

And of course, lets not forget the Raven Scott crafted for Mr Jim…its being pushed across South-East Asia as we speak…it is pure pornography!! Check out Jim’s blog and his thoughts on the Raven here mrjimonlongboard.blogspot.com/

Great stuff.

To trailer??

Or not to trailer???????

It is a very big decision for me…..if anyone has any imput (ROB) then please, just drop me a comment. Also, Rob if you do read this, could you please let me know exactly who made your hitch..i’d like to pick their brains a little.

I’m going to have company too, there will be three of us. Myself and Rob Hanson will be leaving Trondheim in late July, with Zoltan Nagy meeting us in Oslo a month later.

From there we’l be winding our way South through Sweden, Denmark, Germany and ending in Prague. It is going to be an incredible trip…I mean, imagine skating here…

We will also be paying a visit to the famous Flaeming skate (Be jealous folks haha)

http://www.flaeming-skate.de/index.php?c2VyZWRrYQ===WTBkb01HSlhkM1ppUjJ4NlpFZFZkbHBYTlc1aVIwWjFXa2hDZVdJeWNHeGhNMUU5&WWxkV2RXUlJQVDA9=VFZSclBRPT0=&lang=2