SKATE NEWS

Once again Active threw a massive am contest in its homeland in Southern California’s Inland Empire. This year they had it smack dab at its head quarters in Mira Loma. Tons of companies came out to support, give out free stuff, and in general, a good time was had by everyone that came out. Product tosses were pretty much going on constantly throughout the day, and there was a mini street course for the fans to skate when they were too hyped from the contest to watch anymore.

The invite-only list of amateur rippers was a who’s who of tomorrow’s pros, the Neil Heddings approved course was top notch, and the skating didn’t disappoint. Peep the photos below and stay tuned for videos and sequences of all the nuttiness. Marius Syvanen’s backside nosebluntslide on the extension won him $1,000 for best trick and was the gnarliest trick of the day. Brandon Westgate consistently crushed the whole course with ridiculous pop and flick to win first. He kickflipped the double-sided Euro gap pyramid twice in a row! The tall and stylish Andrew Langi mixed his flip tricks on the pyramids with his insane tranny skills on the extensions and quarter pipes to bring home second. Daryl Angel was killing the rails with a fakie ollie back lip, and even a fakie five-0 and deservedly got third. As the winners were being announced, Brad Staba dove from the top deck into the stack of product boxes for no real reason, perhaps judging in the sun all day had driven him to such a stunt. The crowd rejoiced and headed for the afterparty. Stay tuned for videos and many more photo galleries very shortly.

NEW PRODUCTS

By now most of you should have heard of the Made For Skate event that is taking place in Damski (Netherlands) on November 30th and produced by Nike SB. Our friends from Ben G are hosting the Pop-Up Store for the event and have worked with Nike on a special “Made For Skate” Blazer SB. In terms of looks the sneaker was inspired by the very first sneaker ever made specifically for skateboarding.

24 pairs of the Nike “Made For Skate” Blazer SB will be available at the pop-up store. Make sure to make it out there should you be around!

Santa Cruz has gotten together with artist Robert Williams to work on a series of decks. The “Malicious” deck series was made for OG pros Eric Dressen, Tom Knox, Jason Jessee and Keith Meek. The decks feature the art of some of Robert Williams’ most prominent paintings. Via Supertouch.

The Santa Cruz x Robert Williams “Malicious” series is out now, so have a look at your local skateshop.

As previously reported by us, DVS got together with Huf and with Mighty Healthy to work on some sneakers and matching clothing. The Huf 5 Runner and the “Mighty” t-shirt out of the collaboration are now available at Active.

Most of you know Brixton for their excellent classic hats, thus we show you today some of their new styles. The Semi and the Bruiser are fitted caps and mesh caps, but with a more sophisticated and casual look. The Bruiser comes in beautiful wool uppers and the Semi is an interesting alternative to the classic mesh cap. Both come with short brims, this working well for all the biking enthusiasts among you.

WeSC has produced an exclusive range of headphones designed to match Nokia’s new, Nokia 5220 XpressMusic and Nokia 5320 XpressMusic cell phones. The Nokia + WeSC Visual Sound collaboration, available in red, blue and metallic green color ways, are being sold exclusively in selected telecom shops and WeSC concept stores in Scandinavia, since 18th of November, 2008. The headphones can be purchased with the Nokia 5220 XpressMusic and Nokia 5320 XpressMusic phones only, and will not be sold individually.

As part of their skateboarding line, adidas made this Superstar Vulc. Aaron Horkey added some of his artwork to the sneaker and it also comes with some glow-in-the-dark elements. Via Complex.

Rogue Status once again gets together with Alien Workshop to work on a couple of new Rob Dyrdek Pro Model decks. This latest release consists of two decks, both featuring trademark artwork by both brands.

Pierre Senizergues is the founder of Etnies and 100% back in the game, ever since introducing the PAS collection, that he designs himself. With the PAS 21 collection he celebrated 21 years in the skateboarding industry and logically he is now celebrating the 22nd year with the new line.

The etnies PAS 22 Collection consists of five styles, coming with wild multicolor prints. Distribution is very limited - the line will only be available at Colette.

We present you two styles out of the Vans Spring 2009 collection, that will be exclusively available at Active already before Thanksgiving. They will be getting in a Half Cab and a Chukka Low. Two great looking sneakers, with just enough details to make them interesting. The Half Cab is part of the Varsity Jacket pack and the Chukka Low has been designed by the Vans skate team.

Huf has always been known for strong New Era caps and that is not stopping any time soon. As part of their Fall/Winter 2008 collection, Huf has produced the maritime inspired “Anchor” New Era caps. They come in three colorways and will be released this coming weekend.

The Nike SB Slip-On, the Zoom Air Verona Premium, is coming in a new waterproof version. It features an off-white upper and has an overall really clean look. At the same time its perfect for the season, keeping your feet dry.

After giving you a first look at the XLarge x Vans Sk8 Hi a few weeks ago, we can finally give you a detailed look at the sneaker. The sneaker comes with a black suede upper and multicolor XLarge all-over print. The laces come in every color that are also featured on the sneaker upper.

The XLarge x Vans Sk8 Hi will be released on December 12th

SKATE NEWS

It seems as if pretty much every skateboarder on the face of the earth saw this one coming from a mile away...Yes, it's just been officially announced that Silas Baxter Neal is Thrasher Magazine's 2008 Skater Of The Year. There's no doubt that this dude has had an impressive year. He threw down a ton of mag interviews, handled a boatload of coverage, put out a sick part in the Habitat video, Inhabitants, and picked up some bangin' sponsors like Elwood and Adidas along the way. Silas skates everything and anything with extra speed and style. There's no doubt that this one is well deserved. To put an extra touch of authenticity to this news, Thrasher put this little video together of Jake Phelps' dropping of the monumental news.

SKATE NEWS

I'm definitely not one to blow up spots...especially skate spots. A sacred spot found, is just that. Sacred as hell. But usually, without fail, a good discovered spot will be infiltrated over night and often times, ruined by those who come in packs to skate it. There's nothing wrong with this systematic turn of events. It's just the nature of the skate game. Seek, find, destroy and move on. It's all about adapting people.

With that said, I don't feel bad about blowing up this particular spot, mostly because 12th & A is a public space which welcomes skateboarders. Yes. Welcomes them! As most of you know, after 3pm, the Open Road Park yard is open to any skateboarder who's down. For the past couple of years, kids have skated mostly the obstacles stored in a nearby trucking container. Now, I'm psyched to let you all know that there are three buttery-as hell, perfect height, marble ledges, permanently existing around the perimeters of the 12th & A Open Road Park. I told you this marble business was going off. And if that wasn't enough to have you already jotting down your lines, there's now a 4 foot mini ramp there too. So sick.

This is also the spot where high school skate class is going down. How ill would it be to skate those ledges while in school? The answer: Pretty g'damned ill.
The Drama Of J. Strickland

And The Continuation Of The Ongoing Baker Beef

Recently 48Blocks went and published what has already become a highly controversial Q&A with the infamously mysterious man himself, J. Strickland. For those who don't know, Strickland was one of the founding fathers of Baker Skateboards. Alongside Andrew Reynolds, Strickland built the brand from the ground up via a marketable image, graphics, a strong team and the now classic videos, Baker Bootleg and Baker2G. Somewhere along the line, hefty beef occurred and Strickland split from Bake, going on to start the now defunct, Bootleg Skateboards out of the NHS camp. Before long, a very public beef emerged between the Baker and Bootleg squads. Courtesy Deathwish Skateboards

Twuan's No Stranger To The System.
Each company released countless ads, dissing each other anyway that they possibly could. To me, the story was always confusing because a bunch of the Bootleg riders were down with the Baker heads from the start. Non of it really added up in my eyes, until now. In this interview, Strickland tells about his days with Baker & Bootleg, his blotched partnership with Andrew Reynolds, living in New York and so much more.

After reading this interview straight through, I thought to myself, "Wow, there is bound to be some hard feelings from some of the many names mentioned throughout this thing." I guess it didn't take long before some sh*t went down. A few nights ago, right here in New York, Baker/Deathwish family member Antwuan Dixon was arrested for allegedly going at J. Strickland with a hammer. Whether Twuan's actions were a result of this very interview is tough to say for sure, but regardless, it adds a sh*tload of gnarlitude to this already dramatic story. One thing's certain...Antwuan Dixon still does not give a f*&%.

Deluxe

Lost Days & Throwaways
In the old VHS days, salvaging "throwaway" footage wasn't easy. If a teamriders footage was good, but not quite good enough for their part, it might end up in the credits section, and even that was extremely limiting. Then came skate video DVD's and the introduction to the "Extras" portion of the disc menu. It was there that outtakes left to rot on the cutting room floor would live forever. In todays golden age of online immediacy, it's the throwaway that not only gets internet play like a motherfu*ck, it's the perfect way to hype a team video like nobodies business.

Real Skateboards has just posted a section on Deluxe site entitled, Lost Days And Throwaways. It features tons of amazing footage that's damn good, but not quite good enough for the new Real Video that will be dropping sometime in Spring 2009. At this minisite, there's tons of amazing footy from Real's roadtrips to NY, Denver, LA, the East Bay and more. Watch it now and give me one good reason that Dennis Busenitz shouldn't be crowned Skater Of The Year. Don't have a clue as to who might win? Don't sweat it, this Friday at 9am PT, Thrasher will announce the 2008 SOTY. It's on folks. It's on.

NEW PRODUCTS

Thinking outside the classic 7-ply maple make-up, BambooSk8 manufactures decks completely out of…you guessed it, bamboo! Besides the eco-friendly aspect, bamboo boards are lighter, stronger, and have more pop than the classic set-up, not to mention all-natural style points. Visit BambooSk8 for a list of retailers and try one out for yourself. Better yet, sign up for their ‘Win Free Decks for a Year‘ Contest - all you have to do is enter! And don’t be fooled by the phonies, BambooSk8’s decks are made from %100 bamboo.

Don’t hog it all for yourself, share some of the cool with your little one. Hook up your baby with some Crib Shoes by Vans. These slip-ons are available for both girls and boys. Available at both In4mation locations. Phone orders are welcomed.

You can hate, but you can’t argue. Nike SB truly knows. HUF just got this fresh cotton in stock. But don’t fret if you can’t make it out to Cali, these tees should be available at other select SB retailers now.

Skaters, bikers, and sneaker lovers, listen up. Introducing the Vans Syndicate Max Schaaf pack. Representing vert skater, vintage motorcycle enthusiast and longtime Vans rider Max Schaaf, this pack is a classic representation of Vans styles. The pack consists of two colors of the the Mountain Edition - red is lookin’ fresh - and Era Shoes, made of superb high quality leather and fire resistant suede and canvas so your foot doesn’t melt while you’re riding your motorcyle. Each shoe will be released in black/white and red/white colorways and will come with matching handle bar grips. The shoe box is modeled after vintage motorcycle parts packaging and is something special in itself. Vans Syndicate is s premium collection and online hub Robust Flavor has the shoes for phone orders right now at (866) 9-Robust. What you waiting for?

With all the benefits the digital world brings us - light speed information sharing being the cornerstone - it still has its drawbacks. The toll of the ‘net and the struggling economy brings another magazine to its knees, longtime skate mag Slap has released its final issue: December 2008. But the good news is Emerica pros Heath Kirchart gets the cover and Leo Romero gets a 14-page interview. Slap went down with a fight, and hey, it’s not completely over because their website is now the new place to catch up on all the news. And word on the street is their forum is the best out.

Just a reminder that the Mighty Healthy Skateboard decks are available at your local Mighty Healthy retailer. There are three differnt sizes and themes to choose from, act fact though, because there were only limited amounts of decks produced!

LRG and G Shock have teamed up before in the past for the “Time Is Money” witch quickly sold out as soon as shops received the piece. Now they are teaming up again for LRG’s 10 Year Anniversary, this time using the G Shock Frogman Watch. These watches will be limited to 1,000 and will only be available at select LRG Retailers.

What good are your $200 kicks when you’re wearing some dirty $2 socks? Exactly. Look good shoeless with this batch of socks from KR3W. Apart from low, mid, and hi white and black logo socks, KR3W changes it up a bit with the narrow-striped Eva and broad-striped Willy models - each come in two colorways. Check out the full lineup below and hit up Factory 413’s newly opened online store to purchase. $8-$12

For the wall or the wallride, you decide. Skate fashion icon Diamond Supply Co. linked up with veteran skate label Chocolate Skateboards for this muppet flaunting “Lil’ Diamond D” Deck, Chocolate pro Daniel Castillo’s pro model board. Chocolate brings the deck quality while Diamond brings the style steez. Stunts, Blunts, and Skateboards, ya dig? “7.75 x 31.13″ $45.99

For years now, Tech Deck has given skaters and non-skaters something to do in the classroom. Now Tech Deck introduces their Collector Series - same miniature decks you love, but with old school style, or as Cab says, “Toys for lil old school boys”. Pictured above is skate legend (and rising artist) Steve Caballero’s retro Powell dragon graphic. Like all Tech Deck fingerboards, it also comes with metal trucks, graphics wheels and grip tape. As a bonus, the collector series comes with a cool retro sticker and display-ready pack. Check out a larger image below and stop by your local skate shop to purchase.

Coinciding with these P-Rod II’s, the Gucci-flavored Nike SB Varsity Jacket is finally available. And if you’re looking for the an easy stocking stuffer or just a hat/glove/scarf combo, check out the new Knit Gift Pack. Also available are the Lance Mountain Crewnecks and Tees the new SB Knows Tee. Hit the link below to see it all.

Deluxe Distribution (Real, Spitfire, Thunder, Anti-Hero, Krooked) released their Holiday 2008 Catalog. Clcik the link below to catch up on all the new product from these highly notable skate brands. Word is there’s a tight video clip on the Anti-Hero page. Check your local skate shop for the goods.

The Nike SB “Mosquito” Dunk Low Premium made a buzz a few weeks ago as word leaked that it was a limited edition Quickstrike that would only be available at select accounts. Well, apparently someone got their hands on it and has it up on eBay, a size 11 for $200 to be exact. Incredibly detailed, the shoe is made of suede, patent leather, and nubuck and features a half translucent red/half speckled green sole, a cartoon mosquito printed on the insole, a Band-aid resemblant perforated skin-toned/lime green/blood red color-up and areas of 3M reflective material. There’s also hints of gray and baby blue. Click “Read more” below to view detailed photos. If you’re a size 11, make your move, if not, keep an eye out for these to drop at select accounts over the next few weeks. We’ll keep you posted if we hear anything.

Those weenie quarter socks ain’t cool kid, hack ‘em back up with these Fourstar Pirate Hi Socks - classic skate logo. Choose from black or white. Don’t forget to stuff those stockings! $7.99