After driving down from my mom’s, some slacking and some eating I headed to Broomfield park. I was tired and disoriented. Something about all the change in altitude messes with me. When I first got to the park almost no one was there. I warmed up for awhile then had a fun little line of front 50 or slappy front tail then boardslide transfer on the brown ledge. That was probably the funnest thing I did. I was happy to never bail on the tiny down rail as I haven’t done one of those in awhile. Other then that not a whole lot to remember. It was fun, I was really tired though and skated longer then I wanted since I needed to pick up India at the mall.

Went to work thinking it was going to be super dead at work so I could get out and skate for awhile at Blue Skies. Of course it was way busier then I imagined. I still managed to skip out, but it was just for a short one. I self filmed a noseslide for Neil that I was gonna gram, but I just couldn’t do it. But I guess somehow I’m alright with posting screen shots of it here? Makes no sense eh? Anyways I managed two new things at the park. It had a lot of ice/puddles/snow so not everything was skateable. Started with a warm up run of ollie the flat bar, no comply 180, switch noseslide, then turn around and switch front noseslide. Both John Brandow’d. Then I found a new way way to skate the dumb big contraption. I rolled off the tallest ledge onto the lower ledge then off it to start some lines. Pretty fun way to start a line actually. Did that, then front 50 front 180 out, pump the bank then crooks. The other new thing was to front 5-0 down an escalator ledge. It was just the very end of it, but it’s a start. This park technically sucks so bad, but I can’t describe how much I love it compared to being at work.

There was supposed to be super high winds, but it was just breezy and kind of warm in the mid 40s. I setup a new board as I could not get the crap off of my grip from the night before. It turned into this weird slippery mess. Grip gum, shoes, scrubbing would not get it off. And since I’m totally over PJ I had to get rid of his pro trucks. Ha, ok, as if. I had grinded them to the axle and being the poser that I am I don’t like keeping trucks around when I get to the axle. I mean when you get to the axle you already won right?! So I setup some new black ones that Reed from DLX had sent me. I had to wait awhile before I could leave because Liz was picking up India so I had to watch Ollie. I skated Rampy for a bit. Not having all that much fun. Oh I had put my old Bones medium bushings in the new trucks. I don’t really know why. Partially because I’ve wanted my trucks a little tighter, partially because I didn’t want to take the PJ trucks apart. Anyways, Rampy kinda sucked. I almost died trying a couple front tailslides. Forced myself to do a frontside ollie then it was off to the Research center.

I started near the Max rail. Just doing that line I love of noseslide, boardslide pop out then roll down the long stairs. I was struggling a bit with the new setup. After awhile I moved back to the 4 stair side. I really wanted to get up the 2 stair part then down the 4, but I’m not good like Matt and Josh. So I settled for an ollie to back axle stall, turn onto the top, push and ollie it. Yippe. I tried a couple front 180s after, but they were just poses. Then I went over to the ledge. Had a few crooks, a sloppy back 50, a couple really great feeling front 50, really great feeling front 50 shove, a couple worry attempts at front tails and of course some noseslides that were supposed to be crooks. I lined out a couple things that felt good. Ollie up the curb, crooks, front 180 the manhole, halfcab flip. Had a few b/s flips. And trying to learn switch back 180s better. I would love to do that trick up curbs.

Then I skated flatground for awhile in the big parking lot out back. I had told myself to do 20 tricks and was at 15 when I got distracted by trying a long line. Manual a bit of the sidewalk in the background by the snow pile (the manual took me forever and I think I toe dragged a little (TILT!)), no comply 180, fakie flip, halfcab flip then ollie the tiny gap over the curb in the foreground. I only got to the ‘gap’ once and it was way smaller then I thought so luckily I did it first try. That pretty much drained me and I headed home after that. The manual seriously took me forever. Ugh.

Was slacking at home thinking I’d probably just skate Rampy for awhile as it was cold out. I was still in a bit of a funk over the fact that PJ doesn’t have a part in Plan B True. But Liz said I should be the one that picks up India from ballet after skating for awhile. Called out! So I did it. I went downtown and had about an hour before I’d have to pick up India. I started at the yellow curb section and things were not looking good. I was in a t-shirt, thick Crisis hoodie and a wind breaker and was still cold. I got a couple 50s and bounced to St Julien. Well, on the way I hit a stop rock and took like 20 steps to recover. I don’t know how I didn’t pull a muscle running out of that one. At St Julien I started to feel warmer and better. Got a couple sloppy back 50s. Was doing nollies over a tiny ice puddle then front 50 or slow front tail the other way. Then I went down into the garage via a bomb, foot drag, bomb. It was faster then I remember. I walked up the stairs next to the homeless people, saw that St Julien has nothing to offer anymore (well except the big stairs). Went to the corner ledge for a bit. Did noseslides both ways, rode off Josh’s ledge, boardslides, ollied up the curb slowly, did a back 180 into the street then bailed pushing (doh). Ended up at the new ledges and started hucking kickflip noseslides slowly. Some of them felt sooo good. I never locked into them, but I did land what would technically be considered a kickflip noseslide. Mostly because it slid off. I need to learn these posted up. There was some weird film of crap on the bricks and I got it all over my grip. It would not come off either (even later with grip gum). Ugh. I skated the alley curb for a bit. Got kickflip axle stall and front tail shove before getting the boot. Then hit the white ledge for a few back 50 poses before I left not wanting to bum that lady out twice. Then it was time to go. Glad I skated.

TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!!!!! #jmascis #THEBEST

A photo posted by Null Skateboards (@null_skateboards) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:22pm PST

I’ll just start by saying that on Friday I had the tune “Listen To Me” stuck in my head all day. Although it isn’t my favorite J Mascis song I hoped he played it. He opened with it Friday night. All day Saturday I had “Thumb” stuck in my head with the same hope. He opened with it Saturday night. It just gets better from there. The opening act Luluc was alright. A little mellow and simple for me, but a decent fit and the crowd liked them. The setlists had some overlap, but most of the songs he played both nights were songs I really wanted to hear twice (or every night). Alone, Ammaring, Get Me, Me Again, Every Morning, Drifter, Heal The Star. Actually, he played rocking versions of Drifter leading into Heal The Star both nights. They were my favorites both nights. Friday night had Little Fury Things, Out There (which was insane!) and closed with The Wagon. Saturday had Quest and ended with Just Like Heaven. Both nights were spectacular. They raised the stage for Saturday’s show so shorter people (not me) could see J better which was nice. What an awesome couple of nights. Thanks Larimer Lounge, there is a reason why I consider you my favorite venue.

Derek at Northglenn park. @nitonwiton #coloradoskateboarding #nuttyblock @teampainskateparks #nullskateboards

A video posted by Null Skateboards (@null_skateboards) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:20pm PST

Picked up Carleigh and we went to NorthGLENn park to meet up with Derek, Riley, Nolan, Garret and Bernie. There was a party of scooter kids which had me bumming immediately. I mostly just cruised the bowl without hitting coping. I guess a couple little grinds and tile carves. Carleigh did a rad polejam rock to fakie. Man it ruled seeing Derek again. He is one of the best dudes to be around. Such a good skater and goofs around a lot. Riley and Nolan were ripping. I skated a little in between phone filming a bit. Got a kickflip to fakie on the flat bank. Yippee.

Huge thanks to @whiskeytee for letting us skate today! Riley back d. #skatecolorado #carleighinarazorhelmet

A photo posted by Null Skateboards (@null_skateboards) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:11pm PST

Then we went to this bowl where I did nothing but freeze my ass off filming and then pose out when I was done filming. Nolan killed it. Intro clip soon. Riley went from not being able to carve the shallow end to doing feeble fakie over the stairs. Derek was so funny. He started from the bottom the first couple of times right into ollie to fakie. He would eventually roll in on the deep end. Gnarly. Carleigh carved over the stairs every try, slashed the deep end and almost got back 50 in the deep. She had the Razor helmet to prove it.

Then we went to a somewhat nearby hip spot where we all skated. I filmed Riley do a rad line. Carleigh mostly learned back 270s. Bernie forgot the war paint, but got close to double b/s flip. Nolan tried switch front wallrides. Derek went 100mph and tried to wallride the whole building. I did a tiny kickflip.

Check mentalinsect.com for more amazing art and music by Frank Zirbel.

Ok, I’ll finally settle on one name for the park I skate near IBM. I’ll go by it’s actual name. Blue Skies park. It was Flatground Friday. I was sore from Red Curbs the night before. I wanted to skate in the hockey rink, but it was still covered in snow. Oh well, the park is smooth too. After warming up I got through a few basics. Got a bad treflip, but didn’t care because that trick is the enemy these days. Struggled with pretty much everything. Got a nollie varial flip. Came close to fakie varial heel and nollie f/s flip. Couldn’t do a nollie tre. Left disappointed.

First time I’ve skated outside at night since it’s gotten cold. It felt colder then I thought it would even though it was 41 according to my phone. Rob was there when I got there. The warm up process is so much harder in the cold. Rob was already ripping. He was trying slappy crooks up to back 50s and getting really close. I did a few 50s, hucked some flippers. Got a few treflips with my back hand down. Argh. The basics weren’t going so good so I started hucking. Kick back tails, fakie flip front tails or treflip back noses. Only got close to kick back tail. Treflip noseslide is a pipe dream, but what the heck I felt like hucking. Rob was also trying back 180 fakie 50 shove out. Carleigh showed and rattled off some flatground tricks. Fs halfcab, fakie shove, nollie shove (I have trouble keeping track of what goofy footers do), kickflip, shove. Battled heelflip for awhile then put down a super steezy one. Rob put down a couple slappy crooks pop up to back 50. So sick! Carleigh and I ollied a styrofoam box (they have a ton of these in their trash). I felt like it was a leap of faith for me to get over it. I put a taller one after a curb and tried to ollie up the curb, over the box. Got it on the low side, couldn’t do it the high way. Then did kickflip up the curb, ollie over the box the low weigh. It was one heck of a rocket ollie, but whatever.

Lunch break sessions is back!

A photo posted by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:18am PST

It was kind of warm out, you know, 38 degrees and I split out of work to see if the nearby skatepark had been shovelled. As I pulled up the hockey rink and basketball course were totally covered in snow. It wasn’t looking good. But low and behold the park itself had been partially shovelled. Rad! I started slow, then had a brief period where I skated pretty well. I mostly just skated flatground and the ledge, I mean there weren’t really any other options anyway. I landed 360 flip, nollie 360 flip, f/s halfcab flip, heelflip, varial flip, fakie flip, b/s flip. Hucked varial heels and didn’t get close. Hucked nollie bigflips and was remotely close. On the ledge I had a few front 50 front 180s out, front 50 shove out, back crooks, halfcab noseslide. I also added a very slow fakie front 50 f/s h/c out, a front tail stall and the worst excuse for a fakie nosegrind ever. But it ruled trying them. That is exactly why I go to that park, to play around and try stuff I wouldn’t try with other people around. It rules.