Trying to escape the heat Jake and I went to Frisco. We parked right next to Dan and Ted. Epic. So we all skated awhile. I had put my 8.3 setup back together and was riding it. It was crazy how much more pop the higher trucks had. Other than a quick nose manual I really sucked it up. Dan was ripping as he always does. Ted and Dan put on a treflip clinic. I wasn’t really feeling like trying flippers. Partly because of pain. I wasn’t feeling great. Jake was working on blunts on the bank ledge. I was trying back 50s over the top on the little curb and failing. Ted went for a crazy back 50 no comply back bigspin out. So nuts. I tried my line a few times, but the crowd near the bench became too much and it was just too annoying. Dan killed it, nollie front 180 nose manual, feebles and blunts on the flat bar, back smith the ledge, nosegrind up the ledge, so much goodness. Jake basically tried to line out the front 5-0 in the weird corner the whole session. He did have some good crooks on the curved ledge. Me too, it locks in good. I took a bit to get the kickflip to fakie. Then was trying a fun line of crooks, back 50 the tiny ledge, front nosegrind the tiny ledge. I couldn’t quite get the nosegrind. Near the end I tried and almost got into a kick back tail. Jake and I got some food and were going to hit evergreen on the way home, but we were beat and just drove all the way home.

(setup 8.3 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 custom v-hollow, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire 101a F4 classic shape, 3 washers inside each axle, lakai atlantic b/w size 11.5, xero thin insoles)
(pain level 4/10)  

On a really hot and smokey day Sean, Jack, Cass, Garrett and I rolled up to the Fort. First stop was Fossil Creek for a Launch event. Some of us warmed up on the top with a game of SKATE after some messing around. I had new shoes. Lakai Atlantics. They felt pretty good, definitely different. Sean smoked us, but it was an okay warm up. I didn’t skate too well, mostly just kind of cruised around, bailing crooks and hating my low trucks. It was great seeing Riley skating. He was ripping. Front 5-0 back shove, fakie shove nose manual, a bunch of tricks up the euro. Jack warmed up by hucking kick back tails across the Carrol gap, did late shove for the Greg Harbour challenge and gap 50. Sean’s ollie over the elevated flat bar was so amazing. As was his front 3 up the euro. Garrett said he wasn’t skating because of knee pain, but still ripped it. Nose manny drop nose manny. Hayden did the gap board to fakie so casually even though he hadn’t done that before. He also almost killed a kid trying nose manual into the euro.

After that we went to a bank to narrow brick ledge. Most people didn’t skate it. Jack and Joe did though. Joe had a nice front 50. Jack did a funny casper stall, pivot and crooks shove.

Next up was this ledge spot. Really hard to skate, but oh so cool looking. Bo was quick with the camera so I tried to skate. I was really not feeling well, my feet felt weird in the new shoes. But since Bo was filming I made myself skate. My setup was driving me nuts too, I had no pop at all. I managed a couple noseslides and almost a crook. Jack went right to work with some back 50s then back nosegrind combos. Joe ripped it with the back 5-0 then back nosegrind 180. Sean came through with a sick 5-0 nosegerind 180 combo. Next was a wood rail that Hayden made quick work of. Then the ol king sooper bank, but we got the boot right away. So we chilled in the shade for awhile until Jack setup a board. But then him and Joe were having so much fun messing around on the little hips that I joined them. Joe was thinking ollie over the rail into the bank and somehow avoid a semi trailer. Jack was doing backside flips and double flips off the kicker. I started trying kickflips onto a little metal slant. Joe joined me, but was going hardflip. We got the boot before putting it down, but it was fun to try for a bit. Then a new bank to curb on campus that was amazing. I tried to skate, but felt nauseous and ended up just sitting. Chris Jones was there! We were so all so stoked to see him. And he was ripping! Manual to kickflip on the bank to switch manual out. Ridiculous! Jack ripped it too with the nose pick shove pivot, back axle to front axle. Cass almost had a hardflip to fakie. Joe had some good ollies in. Hayden had a couple moves. Then we went to eat at Torchys and have a couple margs. These dudes rule.

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 custom hollow AWAKE lows, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire 101a F4 classic shape, 3 washers inside each axle, lakai atlantic b/w size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)  

On a hot morning I met Cass at the 12th & Osage park.  We started on the quarterpipes.  It took me a bit to get used to the little diamond cut coping, but it ended up being quite fun.  We both did a few things, but moved over to the ledge when we got warmed up.  Cass had some good crooks, almost crooks shove.  Also got my back on a front 50 shove, his was much better.  I struggled at it frontside, the weird uphill approach is annoying.  I had some crooks, halfcab noseslide, switch front nose.  Then we moved over to a concrete ledge a block away.  It was quite hot, but we had some fun.  Cass got noseslide shove and some good front noseslides.  I kind of landed a super slow front 50 then a line ollieing the tiny gap, noseslide to fakie, then switch front noseslide.  I was not linking the low trucks for the lack of pop. Argh. We posed some noseslides over another ledge over a flat gap.  I was sore and hungry so we just sat and I had my smoothie.  After a drive to a cool ledge spot where we got the boot immediately we ended up at Cody Elementary.  It looks like such an amazing spot, asphalt banks, a hip, some rails and picnic tables.  Cass chilled initially, I hucked a bit to get warmed up then got a backside flip over the hip. I hucked nollie tres for awhile, frontside halfcab flips, 360 kickflips, nothing was working.  Cass got going, did some 180s, kickflips and a super good hardflip.  jack had joined and started a little slow, but did some really amazing tricks.  Hardflip, Rick flip, 50 180s over the hip, hippy jump the rail, kickflip fakie nosegrinds on the weird bank to hubba.  Actually so many chill tricks just messing around that are quite mind blowing.  Dave showed up, but didn’t wear his sun blocking old man hat.  His warm ups were cool, bigspins over the hip, grinds up the bank hubba.  He did a line of 50 up it to 270 off then front nose to fakie over the hip.   I went to get my camera to film it, but by the time I got back and setup Jack had filmed it.  Sweet.  Dave would also 50 the ledge.  Simon mostly chilled, but did some casual slaying.  He does the basics so well.  I had done a couple line attempts.  Kickflip to fakie on a bank then fakie big over the hip, but couldn’t get the fakie big.  Got a no comply bigspin then backside flip.  Then I went in on nollie tres.  Over and over, sometimes I would get close, even put my feet on some, but nope.  Denied.  Ugh.  After that we went to a nearby bank to curb that was really hard to skate.  I did some slappy crooks, switch front noseslide and barely worked up to boardslides.  Jack took a branch to the ear than chilled.  Simon had some steezy blunts.  Dave killed it.  Front disaster, front rock, front hurricane and then a super crazy windshield wiper.  What a cool trick.  Fun day.  I would like to have landed a nollie tre, but oh well.  

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 custom hollow AWAKE lows, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire 101a F4 classic shape, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 288s grey/blue size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)