Rating: COMFORT
Rating: BOARD FEEL
Rating: BREAK IN PERIOD (Good rating means it doesn’t take long to break in)
Rating: SOLE DURABILITY
Rating: UPPER DURABILITY
Rating: STYLE
Rating: OVERALL

This shoe might be the best vulcanized shoe on the market. It’s got a great shape with a wider toebox and lots of durability. There is a rubber internal toecap. The only two negatives I have to say about this shoe are that the sole goes bald kind of quick, however it still retains it’s grip so it doesn’t really matter. The other thing is it’s kind of a clumsy vulc. I think the internal toecap kinda takes away the flex in the front of the shoe. But really, the shoe is a good one. Really comfy, good durability and it breathes well.

Rating: COMFORT
Rating: BOARD FEEL
Rating: BREAK IN PERIOD (Good rating means it doesn’t take long to break in)
Rating: SOLE DURABILITY
Rating: UPPER DURABILITY
Rating: STYLE
Rating: OVERALL

I’ve had a couple pairs of the Westgates now. They are a good shoe. This pair with the yellow sole did not grip or flick as well as the previous pair I had with a regular gum/white sole. This shoe is very comfortable though. I could skate longer than normal in them. The board feel isn’t as good as the 288S or 533v2. But it’s still decent. They have a good heelflip.

On the first day of summer, Go Skate Day and Father’s Day my family drove to Denver. We were running late for the #pushforprogress and pulled up right as everyone was skating off. So we went right from the car to pushing a couple miles. I should have rode my cruiser, but instead I had my regular board that I had switched up again and put Venture Lows on. Anyway, I didn’t ollie or anything although did do a fun wallride on a jersey barrier. Ollie and Kevin were in our crew. Man it was cool. I was stoked all the Nullers were there too.

Then after a nice nap Ollie and I went to campus to do our annual Father’s Day skate session. The rain was threatening and we got in a few minutes on the narrow bank before the rain dumped on us. The lightning was so crazy. I had front shove to fakie and kickflip to fakie before doing fakie flips. We were trying to line things out going up a handicap ramp and off a loading dock. I couldn’t commit to the back 180. Ollie had some ollies. Ha. He got pop shove to fakie first try. He was close to front shove to fakie, but at least rode out a couple times turning around. He was popping his tricks way more than he used to.

Then we went to the engineering building to avoid the rain. It poured so much that it quickly limited the options at the spot. We had done a couple lines down the banks. I got close to kickflip into the first one, nollie the second then ollie up the 3. But the rain runoff stopped that. Ollie had back 180 into the first, halfcab into the second. Then we just played on the lower bank. Ollie tried kickflip to fakie for over an hour. He never got it, but he did at least land a kickflip and turn around. It was cool seeing him work so hard. I had the bad 3 flip out, but it felt good to land. The ‘tre a day’ thing is stressful. After that I got a heelflip, close to nollie varial flip and close to front heel. After Ollie landed the kickflip we headed home for dinner. Oh yeah, I had new shoes, my favorite as of late, 288S. They felt good.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture awake 5.2 lows, 1/16″ riser, bones medium bushings, 3 speed washers inside each axle, 51mm spitfire f4 101a radial slim, new balance numeric 288S size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

On a sunny day I went to Douglass running late as always. Kevin and Rob were there. Yes, Rob was there! So stoked to see him again. Carleigh, Dave L and Bernie would join us. Rob started out on the cruiser setup cruising around getting the feel for being on the board again. Kevin was doing lots of flippers and crooks. I was trying more flippers than normal too. At one point did a line with slow backside flip, switch 180 up the curb, heelflip, noseslide. I was struggling to get into crooks. Actually, the ledges felt huge the whole time. I would only get noseslides, a little crook and ollie onto one. Dave L and Kevin popped over the little wall like it was nothing. Dave manualled a bench, had some front 50s, back 50 I think. Kevin had good back 50s, back tail, lots of wallies. I didn’t see Bernie hit the ledges much, but he had some good manuals and flippers. Carleigh had a lot of good kickflips. I guess I was kinda unaware of what else was going on as I was bumming pretty hard on my skating. Rob broke out the regular board and treated us to a patented Rob back 180. Also some ollies, no complies, etc. Kevin, Bernie and I got into a treflip battle. Kevin’s was switch, but we’ll just ignore that. Bernie got his first. Kevin landed on lots several switch tres, but never rode away. I couldn’t even get close to treflip and it was infuriating. I had made a goal of ‘a tre a day’ during my furlough. Kevin did a quick nollie tre and reminded me that I didn’t specify which tre. So I tried nollie tres for awhile and after about 15 tries landed a terrible one. It did make me feel decent though. Bernie and Kevin were the last men standing trying flippers. Back to back hardflips! Back heels, frontside flips. The dudes were ripping.

(setup 8.3 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast plate hollow axle, bones medium bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, spitfire f4 51mm radial slim 101a, new balance numeric foy 306 size 12 blue, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)