Super nice sunny day. Garrett, Dave L and I headed north to his Ratz and MRKT. We stopped at the high school in loveland with the weird bank/stairs/hip/loading dock. Dave and I started slow, Garrett manualled the bank to loading dock like first try, nose manual a few tries later. I had maybe only done back 180 into the bank before I started filming. Garrett got kickflip manual and kickflip manual 180. He had the kickflip manual before I started filming and then it took awhile to get it again. Dave L was skating it differently than anyone I’ve seen before. Ollieing into the bank, then curving around the sidewalk and pushing up the corners and ollieing over the curb and into the bank. It was pretty wild. He had some nice pop shoves over the hip too. He also dropped in onto the narrow ledge and thread the needle through some poles. As I filmed I started thinking how I wanted to kickflip the hip then curve around and ollie over the little ledge. I was hating my setup, the trucks were too tight, the wheels felt way to hard. The kickflip took awhile, but felt great when I got it. I know the ollie over the ledge would be easy for Dave and Garrett and maybe anyone else who skates, but for me it was a challenge. I want to ollie over things more. It took about 5 tries to get over it and it felt pretty awesome. I’m not sure it’s part worthy, but I was happy to do it. Then I filmed Garrett get a sick line.

We headed to Fort Collins and stopped at the bank to curb. My legs were toast and I got angry as I bailed basic tricks over and over. Garrett and Dave were working through the pivots and tail stalls right away. I also hit a stop rock and slammed hard. Ugh. But once I got a front pivot I rattled off a few basics including a no comply to tail that felt cool. Garrett had front 5-0 to fakie and fakie shove to fakie pivot, front blunt first try. Dave L did back tail then worked on kick back tail for awhile and got a couple. So sick.

(setup 8.5 null nolan deck, Venture 5.8 trucks (cast baseplate titanium hanger), indy 90a bushings , bones stf v5 54mm wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 306 foy b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

On a nice, but cool day I met Dave around noon for my first lunch skate in awhile. Dave was already at the blue skies flat in the warm up process. For some dumb reason I had setup the 8.75 deck. Warming up was slow for both of us and I quickly disliked the 8.75 for flatground. I was unable to do heelflips or halfcab flips with it, although skunked out a first try big flip. I couldn’t get a treflip either which is what I spent the most time on. I hucked a few fakie lazers which seem very doable, but maybe on a smaller board ha ha. Dave was getting robbed on fakie varial flips, but got a really good one. Lots of kickflips, varial flips, a first try bolts sex change, front shoves, switch shoves. Ripper.

(setup 8.75 null event horizon deck, Venture 5.8 trucks (cast baseplate titanium hanger), indy 90a bushings , bones stf v5 54mm wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 306 foy b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Went out to the garage on a cold/snowy night still fighting a cold a little. I immediately hated how stiff the indy bushings felt. I took awhile to do the nose manual shove warm up then took way too many tries to land a kickflip. So then I hucked switch heels for awhile. I felt like a few were pretty close and I committed, but never got both feet on one.

(setup 8.5 null nolan deck, Venture 5.8 trucks (cast baseplate titanium hanger), indy 90a bushings , bones stf v5 54mm wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 306 foy b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Starting to feel a little better after catching a cold I went to the curbs across the street at the very second the winter storm kicked in with a fierce wind. I did a couple slappy crooks, a couple ollies, and a front slappy and left. I had new wheels and my 8.5 setup. The STFs felt real good on the street.

(setup 8.5 null nolan deck, Venture 5.8 trucks (cast baseplate titanium hanger), indy 90a bushings , bones stf v5 54mm wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 306 foy b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level – I don’t know since I lasted about 5 minutes)

After a fun hike with the kids I met up with Carleigh at dog park. Her girl crew was there as well as Dan and a few others. I was super tired and lazy and it showed. I did a few basics like halfcab noseslide before settling in on flatground with Carleigh. She wanted to get a halfcab flip. I tried a halfcab heel, but gave up after almost losing my nuts a few times. Carleigh was super close over and over. I moved on to treflip, got a sketchy one then Carleigh got my back with a great halfcab flip. So rad, that’s her second one ever. Then we chilled, Jack showed, we watched a back smith bigspin almost go down and left for the 303 Zero premiere.

(setup 8.25 null abstract 6 deck, Venture 5.6 trucks, venom 91a bushings , sml 53mm og wide wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 306 Foy b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 3/10 just really sore)

Early in the morning Rob met me then we picked up Sean and Kevin and headed to REI for birthday boy to get buck. Unfortunately the rail he wanted to hit was knobbed so we played around on the river front manual pad area. There was this dude jumping rope forever. It made me not want to skate the spot, but Kevin and Sean had no problem grinding the edge of it. They did a few flippers too. I didn’t really do anything. Mike met us, he grinded the edge first try too. I hadn’t even ollied and then we got the boot.

So we went to Ceasar Chavez park which was really crowded with kids running around everywhere. We stuck in the back are with the ledge then 3 stair. Rob and I warmed up with a game of SKATE that went on forever before we even flipped the board. Kevin, Mike, Sean were hitting the ledge and stairs. Rob and I really started slow on the game of SKATE. I had a few letters when we started flipping and unfortunately Rob rolled his ankle pretty bad on a heelflip attempt. He took it pretty well and chilled the rest of the day without complaining. Get well soon Rob! Jack, Carleigh and Dave F arrived. Fuzz would arrive later. This spot is so hard to skate. I had no confidence at all and couldn’t even go in on a noseslide initially. Sean was trying 5-0 shove then f/s flip, but settled for kickflip. Kevin was trying for a line of fakie 50 then switch f/s flip or switch flip. He also did front 50, 5-0, and I think nosegrind off the 3, but couldn’t commit to switch crook. Jack was on bluntslides and back tails right away, but pretty sore so keeping it chill. Carleigh was busy starting with kickflips and swearing up a storm when not landing them. ha ha. Mike almost got nollie back tail then front shove. He had some real nice treflips and impossibles on the basketball court. Dave was lining things out. Switch ollie over a shirt, switch no comply 180 front 50 180, switch ride down the 3. I had given up on the ledge for the most part and just started trying a line to make me feel better. Front 180 a little flat gap, fakie flip on flat, switch front nose to forward, ollie the 3 stair. It took awhile and I struggled with fakie flips somehow, but when I landed the line it did cheer me up quite a bit. Carleigh had also ollied the flat gap and had a really funny slam where she hung up and knew immediately she hung up. After my line I messed around and did a little noseslide 270 then beanplant down the 3. I thought it was pretty dorky (it is), but the way Sean filmed it looked rad. Fuzz showed around the time Mike, Dave and I went to the front area and skated the 2 up 3 down area. Kevin joined too actually. I hate how the approach is slightly downhill. Anyway, Mike was almost doing switch manual. It was so sick. He got very close. He also had a hilarious slam where he switch ollied off the 3 and exploded. Kevin ollied this weird little ollie off a ledge then nose manualed the 3 stair manny pad. It took me awhile to ollie the same little gap. It was nothing, but you went right at a rail so it was kind of weird. I couldn’t quick feet the 5-0 I wanted to so I started filming Kevin try a line of 180 then switch nose manual 180. He got so close. He was really struggling, it was tough. Birthday boy really wanted to get a clip, but it wasn’t working. Dave did a cool line. Front 180 up, halfcab 50, back 180 down the 3. I had moved on to get water at that point. I chilled for awhile then forced myself to get a couple halfcab noseslides before I filmed some. Carleigh had done a sick front 50 then ollie the 3. Sean ollied the 3 to the curb cut. Jack did a bluntslide to fakie nosegrind 180. So crazy. I filmed Fuzz do a boardslide to fakie 50 180 out then ollie the 3 stair. It was so sick, he powered through it. Kevin got close to back 5-0 then kickflip down the 3. He got so close, but a couple bad slams at an inopportune moment and ended his board. Then we got dinner! Ha. It was a good, long, frustrating, but awesome day.

(setup 8.25 null abstract 6 deck, Venture 5.6 trucks, venom 91a bushings , sml 53mm og wide wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 379 b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 4/10 just really sore)

Is this the best part since PJ WHL? Maybe. The fact that I’m even considering it shows how monumental this part is.

On a warm Friday I had the day off work and the Dave’s and I rolled to this spot. Not really on a specific mission, Fuller was just asking about hip spots and this came to mind. We got there around 10:30 and it was already getting warm. Warming up was not easy for any of us. At first just rolling off the curb was scary because of the crack. Dave L went and got some food. Fuller and I started in on the hip. The number of tricks are pretty low so it may appear we were only there for a bit, but no, we were there for over 3 hours. Ha ha. I got a wallie nollie pretty quick and a rocket flip somewhat quick. But that would literally be all the tricks I landed. I hucked front heels for quite awhile and got somewhat close, but never got me feet on it. Dave F though, man he put down a lot of stuff. Backside flip, back 360, lofty bean plant, cab bigspin (seriously!), halfcab flip and probably a couple more I’m forgetting. I failed at boneless 270 and no comply 270 shove. Dave L had some steezy casual frontside ollies on the mini bump and the hip. He went in on backside bigflip and got pretty close, but couldn’t really commit. He would go on to manual a large portion of the bank. Right at the end Fuller and I skated a different part of the spot, a weird hipish thing into the bank. Dave got a helipop and I battled f/s halfcab flip before giving up defeated again. I was remotely close, but the approach was really throwing me off. All in all a fun day street skating wtih the Dave’s. I need to work on my front heels and go back for that one. Maybe the f/s halfcab flip too.

(setup 8.25 null abstract 6 deck, Venture 5.6 trucks, venom 91a bushings , sml 53mm og wide wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 379 b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 5/10 just really sore)

What a great week for Colorado shredders. Glad to see Jaeson getting some shine. Nolan is one of my all time favorites. Also glad to see Mike get some shine. The Okay video has so many lines, I love it.

After watching Suciu’s new part a couple time and trying to keep my legs moving at work I went to the dog park on a super nice day. It was rad there was only a few people there. Rob came for a bit, but left not feeling the stoke. Warming up went better than normal for me. I guess keeping my legs fresh and the Suciu part had me hyped. I stuck with boardslides for awhile. Had some fun long lines with totally basic tricks. I had made a trick list for the day, but forgot to put halfcab crook on it. I tried one on a concrete bench and it locked in really good. I should have landed it first try. Instead I took about 50 tries, but man, I finally got one. It felt so good and I even got a fist bump from another dude skating the bench. That would be the highlight for me. I lost some juice after that for awhile, but eventually found it again and posed some more tricks. I wanted to do a nosegrind shove, but I never even committed to front nosegrind. At one point I told myself “if I do this wallie I’ll commit next try” and I slammed so hard because of wheelbite. So that was a real turn off. I have no idea how people skate big wheels. I putzed around some more. Did a couple little ollies. Tried to quick feet the 2 step with ollie up then boardslide or ollie up then 50, but never could. Then I left. Kinda bummed on how I skated overall, but quite hyped on finally landing a halfcab crook.

(setup 8.25 null abstract 6 deck, Venture 5.6 trucks, venom 91a bushings , sml 53mm og wide wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 379 b/w size 12, footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 3/10)