skate journal: denver streets in the heat with cass, dave, jack and simon (aug 15, 2020)
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)