About.com Skateboarding

Do Skaters Hate the Environment?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:52:14 +0000

There's been a lot of talk about environmentalism within skateboarding, but how do YOU feel about it? Let's find out! Here's a poll:

A few years back a strong current towards environmentalism kicked up within skateboarding. I just recently got an e-mail from a friend of mine who runs a skateboarding magazine in Asia, encouraging me to talk more about the environment on my site. This got me thinking - how much do you guys really care about this? Or, is this the loud minority? And, if you DO care, what are you, as a skater, doing about it? My guess is there's a lot of talk, and not much action going on. But maybe I'm wrong! Vote in the poll above, and leave a comment below if you have any ideas that skaters can do to help. Or, leave a comment if you are sick of hearing about this, and want to burn the Earth!

Do Skaters Hate the Environment? originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 16:52:14.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

The Caballerial in 3D (Fakie 360 Ollie)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:25:30 +0000

Stevie Caballero just posted a huge 3D picture of himself pulling off a mid Caballerial (or Fakie 360 Ollie) on his blogsite. The picture is pretty cool, but you need some old-style red and blue 3D glasses to see it! Here's what Steve said about the photo:

"This image was originally taken by Chris Eggers from Germany. Mike McGill and I were trainers at the Swedish summer camp in 1982 and on our way home, we visited Livingston skatepark in Livingston, Scotland. This was our first trip to Europe. Dee and Ian Urquhart (R.I.P) organized a demo at the park with more than 3000 spectators in attendance. This 3D simulation of Chris's original photo was created by a Brazilian skater named Eduardo."

The picture is a sweet chunk of history, and the 3D effect added to it makes it perfect! Especially with all the focus on 3D movies lately, it's cool to see this classic photo doctored up with classic blue-and-red 3D effects! In case you didn't put 2 and 2 together, Stevie Caballero invented the Caballerial.

Want to learn how to pull off a 360 Ollie? Good! Always push yourself to do more - if you aim at improvement, you will improve (I saw that in a fortune cookie). Check out these step-by-step 360 Ollie instructions, and get out there! Then try it fakie, and you've got yourself a Caballerial!

The Caballerial in 3D (Fakie 360 Ollie) originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 18:25:30.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Tony Hawk Ride Hits the Shelves, and Tops Christmas Lists Worldwide

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:28:04 +0000

Tony Hawk RIDE is in stores now! "This is the game I've always wanted to make," said Tony Hawk. "The skateboard peripheral opens up a whole new level of interactivity and physicality, allowing players to control the action with their whole body. I can't wait for everyone to jump on the board and ride."

Tony Hawk Ride is a new skateboarding video game that uses a wild new skateboard-shaped controller to play the game. This is a whole new idea in skateboarding video games. "Tony Hawk: RIDE is THE new way to play. It gives a whole new meaning to game night by allowing the entire family to challenge one another to competitions that are as fun to watch as they are to play," said Rob Kostich, head of marketing, licensed products, Activision Publishing, Inc. "It's the perfect activity for the entire family this holiday season...and anytime of the year."

Check out Tony Hawk Ride Screenshots to see what the game is like. If you've bought a copy, leave a comment below and tell us what you think! I'll be getting my review ready soon, but until then, how about YOU review the game, and tell us what YOU think! Leave a comment below!

Tony Hawk Ride Hits the Shelves, and Tops Christmas Lists Worldwide originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 17:28:04.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

New Skateboarding Magazine App - What Other Skateboard Apps are Out There?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:55:42 +0000

I just got an iPhone, and it rocks! I was one of those guys who never wanted to "sell out" and get one, but then I got an iPod Touch ... which is a total gateway gadget. I just kept thinking, "What if this thing could make calls?" Ugg. They got me.

But iPhones are pretty awesome, and there are piles of apps out there for skateboarding! One that JUST came out is the new Concrete Wave Magazine App. This thing JUST hit iTunes, and it's SWEET! You can read articles, check out photos, and lots more. It's slick, and only costs $.99. It's a new app, and they're planning to keep adding more and more - and to have stuff that you can ONLY see through the app. I'm stoked about it.

There are other skateboarding apps out there too - what are some other good ones, and what iPhone skateboarding apps should people steer clear of? Leave a comment below!

New Skateboarding Magazine App - What Other Skateboard Apps are Out There? originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 14:55:42.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Etnies Creates a Skateboarding ... Hotel Room?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:47:19 +0000

Etnies has created a skateboarding hotel room. Seriously! In Laguna Beach, California in the famous Casa Del Camino Hotel. The room is designed to "tell the story of skateboarding roots through design".

Etnies also put a huge focus on "eco skate design" in the room. Here's a list of the room's features:

Shoe Scrap Headboard - a 6' x 11' mammoth mosaic consists of remnants of shoe material scraps that etnies uses in the research and design process as they create footwear
Reversed Shadow Box Wheel Mirror
Custom Desk and Shelves
Skate Free Mini Bar
The Pool Sink

Those are only a few of the design points. Check out more at Etnies.com. If you stay there, you also get four skateboards to use for the day, and an Etnies hat to keep. That might help ease the pain of the $200 a night it will cost to stay there...

So what do you think? Leave a comment below! I think it's a cool idea, but a bit much. If you have too much money though, and want to stay in a skateboarding-themed room on your trip to Laguna Beach ... well, this would be perfect, wouldn't it? I'm not sure how I feel about the marriage of skateboarding and the "eco-friendly" label ... not that I want to burn the Earth, though! What do you think of this room? Leave a comment!

Etnies Creates a Skateboarding ... Hotel Room? originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 00:47:19.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Tony Hawk Show, Paris

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:38:36 +0000

Quiksilver's 40th anniversary celebration is set for Paris, November 20-21, 2009. The event will feature two days of skateboarding, music, art and fashion at the historic Grand Palais--culminating in a Saturday night finale featuring The Quiksilver Tony Hawk Show, followed by a concert with Dead By Sunrise (Chester Bennington of Linkin Park with his newest band) and a late night with DJ Mix Master Mike.

This will be the first action sports event ever held inside the Grand Palais, with the largest vert ramp ever built in Europe and an immense street course open to skaters of all ages and skill levels--free of charge--for the entire two days. And a Street Contest Invitational will feature a prize purse of 20,000 Euros. This is a rare and unique chance for pros and locals alike to skate inside one of the city's massive historic monuments--for the last 109 years its held boxing competitions and horse racing but never before has it been open to skateboarding.

Tony Hawk Show (Sunday) is bringing friends such as skaters Andy MacDonald, Kevin Staab, Sandro Dias, Jean Postec, Sergie Ventura, Jesse Fristch, and four of the biggest names in international skateboarding will be our very special guests: Christian Hosoi, Daniel Cardone, Javier Mendizabal and Omar Hassan.

Entrance is free to the public for the daytime events (10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.). Saturday night's performance is a ticketed event for 40 euros. For ticket purchase information and a schedule of events, please visit: www.quiksilverlive.com.

Tony Hawk Show, Paris originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 01:38:36.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

20 Years of D-Way

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:14:45 +0000

Plan B put together a video celebrating Danny Way, and all he has done for the last 20 years. Yeah, D-Way has been skating for TWENTY YEARS now! Wow. That's longer than a lot of you guys have been alive!

Visit the Plan B website to watch the video - it's full of pro skaters talking about Danny, and some of his long time friends. Enjoy!

20 Years of D-Way originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 17:14:45.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Back to Basics with Skateboarding

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:24:42 +0000

Most of you guys who read these articles have been skating for a while. Maybe you can ollie, kickflip, or more. That's great! But I wanted to take a minute and encourage you, no matter how good you are, to go back and take a look at the basics again.

Here's my reason: Everything you try and do in skateboarding is built on the foundation of what you've learned before. When you learn to Tre-Flip, you are building that on what you already know about how to Kickflip. And what you know about how to Kickflip is built on what you know about how to Ollie. And your Ollie goes all the way back to what you know about The Basics.

I talk to so many skaters who don't take much time with the basics. I totaly understand! Learning how to balance, or how to kickturn - these aren't as much fun as learning how to Ollie! But you HAVE to make sure the foundation of your skateboarding is good and strong, or the tricks you stack on top will be wobbly and unreliable.

I have a big step by step article called Just Starting Out Skateboarding, and we have a video called How to Skateboard: the Basics. Take a look at these - it won't take long, and it'll help. Spend a day going over the basic stuff. In fact, if you relax and get into it, you'll probably have fun. And next time you run into a trick that you just can't land, take a minute and go back a step, and practice. Sometimes the best way to go forwards is to go back!

Back to Basics with Skateboarding originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 00:24:42.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Tony Hawk Ride Gallery

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:47:16 +0000

NEW Tony Hawk Ride screenshot gallery! Check out pictures of the new game - it looks pretty cool to me. The graphics look smooth and polished, and the colors look rich.

Take a look, see what you think, and post a comment.� This game could be pretty sweet!

Tony Hawk Ride Gallery originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 23:47:16.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

What's Your Skateboard Setup?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:56:08 +0000

Your "Setup" is all of the pieces and parts that go into your skateboard. It's pretty rare to find two skaters with the same setup, and hearing about what other skaters use, and why, is a great way to learn about new options, and pick fights.

So what's your skateboard setup? I've got a new page where you can describe your setup, and even post a couple of pictures if you want to! Check out Reader Stories: Skateboard Setups. I already posted my setup there, but my current setup is kinda boring - just a minilogo deck with blank wheels! But I like it ... it's weird what we end up feeling comfortable with. I rode an old used beat up blank deck for years! I'm sure your setup is more exciting than mine - go post about it, and see what other skaters are riding! And if you have more than one skateboard in your quiver, sweet - tell us about 'em all!

What's Your Skateboard Setup? originally appeared on About.com Skateboarding on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 17:56:08.

Permalink | Comment | Email this