SKATE NEWS

MegaRamp Amps Up Skateboarding’s Presence at ASR January
Skateboarding takes off at ASR January with bigger, better demos, The Skateboard Mag and Damn Am awards, a special skate hardgoods area and an art show.

ASR welcomes MegaRamp Events to bring the thrill of the X Games to ASR’s special events area this January 22nd-24th in San Diego, CA. The Mini MegaRamp debuts in the heart of the skate demo scene alongside the 64’ mini ramp and a street course. Beyond the ASR floor, art, networking and award events keep skate front and center this January.

“The special events area and skate demos provide the perfect place to unwind, network and blow off some steam between appointments,” says Andy Tompkins, ASR Group Show Director. “This year we’re upping the ante by adding a MegaRamp to the mix to build even more energy around the skate exhibitors and skateboard hardgoods area.”

Top pro MegaRamp skaters will drop in on the 30-foot mega ramp and perform heart stopping tricks at insane heights in Hall G. Eight MegaRamp demos are scheduled on Thursday and Friday at 11:00, 1:30 and 4:30 and Saturday at 11:00 and 1:30.

Throughout ASR a mini ramp and street course offer up some down time from big business dealings on the floor. Choose between the 64-foot wide mini-ramp with multiple heights and extensions, including eight-foot decks, or the flat-ground area featuring ledges, flat bars, manual pads, and most importantly, plenty of space for casual games of SKATE.

As the skate market continues to evolve, IASC and ASR showcase over 30 skate hardgoods brands in an ASR neighborhood with its own flavor. See how art and music are helping shape the future of skate, CreateASkate in action and the many business opportunities these brands have to offer in Hall E.

The Skateboard Mag and Damn Am have teamed up to create the first ever Am Awards taking place at 6:00, immediately following the first day of ASR. SPoTlight Productions and special guests host as skateboarding’s finest ams are honored with awards and The Skateboard Mag YBAm is crowned in meeting room 20D.

The Grind for Life Chill Zone presented by DC Shoes and Powell’s Rip the Ripper Art Show go off upstairs providing a break from the hustle and bustle throughout ASR. Over 40+ artists have been invited to celebrate the Ripper's influence on skateboarding since his introduction with the Rip the Ripper Art Show in meeting room 28B. After the show grab a book of all the Ripper art pieces created for this event. The Chill Zone provides a place for networking, while learning more about GFL’s outreach efforts to further promote skateboarding and now famous GFL Ollie Contest in the Ballroom.

On top of all of this, check out skate film premieres, parties and of course summer and fall product lines from over 80 skateboard brands. Learn more about all the events at ASR January and register for the show at ASRbiz.com.

SKATE NEWS

The Real ams and Nick Dompierre took a trip to Dompierre-land and came back with this footy for their Lost Days And Throwaways video log. Justin Brock, James Hardy, and Davis Torgerson all threw down, and make sure you catch Nick Dompierre’s kickflip at the end. Wow. While you’re at it, check out the rest of their “throwaway” videos. Some good, good stuff on there.

TECH DECKS /TECH PARKS ARRIVED

The wait is finally over....
Long awaited Tech decks and tech parks arrived
With a very wide range...

At a $%#^ing ridiculous bargain!!Best pricing in Singapore.

Come on down and check it out!!!

SKATE NEWS

SKATE NEWS

Stereo Skateboards is very proud to unveil this pro series with world famous artist and culture icon, Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant. Shepard's imagery here blends together political elements and album cover iconography. In recent times, he has played a pivotal role in creating the visual propaganda for President-Elect Obama and is currently coordinating The MANIFEST HOPE: DC Gallery, which highlights the work of artists that used their voices to amplify the grassroots movement that carried Obama to victory. This exclusive pro series combines all of Shepard's influences, creating another timeless board series sure to disappear soon.

There is one common thread that ties all skateboarders together regardless of race or religion, homeland or dialect, male or female: we have all, at one point or another, had or wanted to have the best moustache the world has ever seen.

SKATE NEWS

SKATE NEWS

Louis Vuitton and famed graffitti artist, Stephen Sprouse teamed up to make a new board. Most likely you won't get one. They are going for $8,250 bucks. Good news though! The proceeds will benefit needy children in New York City.

For the launch, the luxury goods company is also creating two limited edition pieces, which will only be available at the SoHo location: a Stephen Sprouse graffiti skateboard replete with a hard case monogram skateboard trunk, and a Stephen Sprouse "Roses" T-shirt. The company hopes to sell three graffiti skateboards with trunks for $8,250 each, and 70 T-shirts for $250 each.
broccolicity.wordpress.com

(Los Angeles, CA, January 6th, 2009 )— X Games two time gold medalist and active philanthropist, Ryan Sheckler, will host Down for Life — Fight for a Cause. This Friday night fight supports the mission of his non-profit organization, The Sheckler Foundation. The multi discipline event will take place at The Grove in Anaheim, California on Friday, February 6th at 7:00pm, the night before the Monster Energy Supercross Series kicks off. The evening will also feature a performance by a special musical guest.

Professional athletes, Travis Pastrana, Brian Deegan, Jason Ellis, Kit Cope, Erik Apple and Danny Abbadi will be among the guests who head to the ring to raise money for charitable causes supported by The Sheckler Foundation. Charities benefiting from this contest include Road 2 Recovery, which provides financial assistance to seriously injured motocross and supercross athletes and their families and Talk About Curing Autism, TACA, which provides information, resources, and support to families affected by autism.

"I like raising money, but I love giving it to worthy causes, even more. I believe there will be a cure for cancer in my lifetime." Ryan Sheckler

The Sheckler Foundation is happy to join forces with Fight Night, LLC to make this spectacular event possible.

www.shecklerfoundation.org

Tickets available Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at www.grove-of-anaheim.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Los Angeles, CA — We could sit here all day and tell you how awesome Braydon Szafranski's first Emerica pro shoe is--how it's something new and different, something truly special, and designed by Braydon for 100% pure skateboarding destruction right out of the box. We could go on for a long time, but we thought it would be best to have Braydon tell you about it himself.

Check out the video: http://emericaskate.com/shoes/

Szafranski Scratch 'n' Skate Emerica Contest
EmericaAfter you watch the video, be sure to enter the Emerica Braydon Szafranski Scratch 'n' Skate sweepstakes right now! All you have to do is get your paws on a Braydon Szafranski Scratch 'n' Skate lottery card. If your card contains any of the combination of Braydon shoe colorways shown on the contest page, you're a winner!

Click here for the contest page: http://emericaskate.com/scratchandskate/

SKATE NEWS

Black Box Distribution is hosting the first ever Crossroads Retail Show on January 21 complete with a demo, best trick contest, and product toss open to the public. Over 40 skate brands will be represented. Come check it out!

Gatorade Welcomes Chaz Ortiz to the Team

CHICAGO, January 5, 2009 – The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, announced today the addition of 14-year-old skateboarder Chaz Ortiz to its elite team roster. This is Ortiz’s first beverage sponsorship deal.

“The support from Gatorade means a lot to me and I think it’s important for skateboarding too,” said Ortiz. “It’s a sweaty sport, and if you want to stay out there and keep skating, you have to be hydrated so it just makes sense for Gatorade to support skaters.”
Ortiz is one of the top young up-and-comers and took home several big wins in 2008, including the overall 2008 Dew Tour title in Skate Park, edging out three-time reigning champ Ryan Sheckler.

In addition to working with action sports athletes like Ortiz, snowboarder Ellery Hollingsworth, and BMX rider Nigel Sylvester, Gatorade also has plans to support professional and amateur action sports events in 2009 and will do more with parks and in films as well.

“We’re excited to take our presence in action sports to the next level,” said Kenny Mitchell, action sports team manager with Gatorade. “Many skaters are using our products already because they know Gatorade is what you reach for when you want to stay hydrated and fueled so you can session longer. We think tapping into this interest is a very authentic move for us as a brand.”

NEW PRODUCTS

The Converse Skateboarding collection has launched on the 1st of January 2009. Here we give you a look at the Black & Gold Pack out of the collection.

The pack consists of the high top ERX 300 model, coming in a black/gold/red colorway with a nice mix of leathers on the upper, and the CTS model, which comes in a subtle black perforated leather version. The ERX 300 goes for 90 USD and the CTS for 70 USD.

Talk about a blast from the past, Poets Skateshop in Long Island has a very old Nike Skateboarding Stock. Were talking about Nike SB Dunkle’s, Leather SB Jacket, and the Mafia Pack Peacoat Jacket. Head over to Poets Skateshop to view more older Nike Skateboarding Product.
In4mation has released the FUCKING AWESOME x Etnies Perry Plus last year, if you missed out, better head over to CommonWealth to cop your pair. Right now there are only select half sizes left, so if your an 8.5-10.5, then your in luck. 110

NEW PRODUCTS

Lakai/DVS are one of the most recognizable skateboarding sneakers in the industry, and now for the previous month of December they dropped their Belmont Mid in a nice black colorway. Hit the link below to view a more detailed image of the sneaker.

NEW PRODUCTS

Earlier we posted on the upcoming CONS Black & Gold Pack, now thanks to Converse Blog, we have a detailed look at the Erx 300. The color-up is pretty unique, but there’s also key details like memory foam in the anke area so the shoe will contour to your foot the more you skate/wear it. Also interesting to note is a lobster, yes, a lobster, on the inside of the label on the tongue. Check out more images below and expect these to hit retailers in February ‘09.Just a few months ago, word was confirmed that Converse was back in the skate game. They launched a brand new website showcasing their team, and most importantly, they’re brand new lineup of skate shoes - CONS. Now CONS updated their site with the Black & Cold Pack, which consists of the high-top Erx 300 model in a smooth black/gold/red color-up (above) along with the CTS model in black perforated leather with gold and red accents - straight up butter. The Black & Gold Erx 300 will retail for $90 while the CTS Black Perforated will retail for $70. Available 2/15/09. See detailed images below.


Back in February, we saw Travis Pastrana’s custom gold Pro Spec 1.0 racing shoes, but now you can get your hands on some Pro Spec 1.0’s as well as official Subaru Team Gear. There’s plenty of tees, hats, and jackets, all featuring Rally Car logos and homages to top guns Travis Pastrana and Ken Block. Pictured above is the Volcano SRT ($80), but also check out other rally-inspired gear like Pro Spec 1.0 ($199.99) and Chicane $124.99) shoes below. Available now through the DC Online Store.

According to Weartested, the latest Nike SB Tre AD’s (above) and Dunk’s all have new Kevlar shoelaces, with “Kevlar” printed on the aglet (tip) over a staggered checkered background. But where does this Kevlar material come into play? If you skateboard, you know that your laces rip quickly, so the bigwig innovators at Nike decided to put a strand of Kevlar string inside the laces to prevent them from tearing up and/or breaking so fast. Kevlar is used in bullet proof vests, so it should stand up to skateboard sneaker abuse pretty well. Take a look at the Kevlar inside of the shoelace below and let us know how your laces hold up if you got a pair of new SB’s.

Whether you’re down with flip trick extraordinaire Mike Mo, newbie Sean Malto, or the OG killers Koston and Carrol, the tight-knit Girl skateboard team is one to represent without shame. So do it up right with this gray denim/wool-blend New Era featuring the classic Girl logo that you see on skateboards and bathrooms across the world. Check more images below, including the Girl script loog on the back, and grab one online through AMAZING STORE. And yes, these Girl hats are sell out quick.

SKATE NEWS

Check out the second half of the “Hot Seat” interview with legendary skateboard artist Todd Francis. In this interview Todd delves more into the early days of Stereo and discusses some of his favorite board graphics, what it is like creating graphics for very diverse brands and more.
Also check out some photos from our recent roadtrip to San Diego to meet up with John Lupfer in his hometown.

Todd Francis has part 2 of his Hot Seat interview up at the Sound Agency. has done some of the most influential graphics of the 90s, gracing the undercarriages of Real,Stereo, Antihero, Element and New Deal. His work centered in a comic book style, but he ran the gambit between twisted toon drawings (see Antihero above), 60s beatnik-style art (Stereo graphics), vibrant print art (Element) and quirky, almost Akira-style caricatures (New Deal).

Stereo
He's back talking with the Stereo crew and they have an interesting interview getting into his work, Stereo's legacy and vision and some of the funny insider info you'd never know unless you had the history Dune and Jason Lee have had with him. Peep the interview, then check his site at www.toddfrancis.com.

Venice Skatepark

No Hurrah-ta Just Yet

RRM Design Group
Maybe Chris Roberts and Joey Brezinski are just fine with the Santa Monica ledges and Venice manny pad, but other people may be jumping for joy over the new skatepark proposed for the beach front of Venice. The project has been given to RRM Design group and the plans look pretty legit, except for the little section that says "Skate Dance Area." What is that anyway? Will there be rogue clans of oddly dressed people skate/breakdance fighting like the lunging gangsters from "Bad"? I'm waffling between excitement and indifference, since these beautifully drawn plans can so often be butchered. On one hand, Frank Hirata's not involved, so that's good (click here and scroll down to the bottom). On the other hand, the idea that there's an area called the "Skate Dance Area" makes me suspicious. Innocent until proven guilty. I hope it's nice. I'm not too far from there.