Feeling out of it and kinda sick after a bad night of sleep where I woke up at 4:30am for some reason I went to Boulder park.  I had changed my setup.  Basically just put my 5.6 trucks on a 8.3 deck and put some new bearings in some old orange 53mm spits.  It felt odd initially, but I recognized it and stayed patient.  Other than an axle nut that kept coming off it went alright.  I did a few backside ledge tricks and struggled a bit with crooks.  Then took way too long to get halfcab noseslide.  I couldn’t get a good front 50 on the bank to ledge after.  Had some okay front 50s from the top part of the ledge trying to go into the bank, but never quite made it.  Did a few ollies onto the various ledges.  There were a few people there.  One dude was wearing a facemask, but asked me if I wanted to share a joint with him.  A couple other dudes were there that made sure not to make eye contact of any sort or even just a quick nod hello.  I tried several switch flips on the tiny bank, none were close.  At one point I was totally over the larger wheels, but I did eventually notice they made ledge feel less tall.  I had some fun nollies and switch ollies over the little tiny hump.  Overall a pretty blah session, but for how sick I felt it went alright.

(setup 8.3 null jack night skate, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate hollow axle riptides, 53mm orange/yellow spitfire classic shape f4 99a, es swift 1.5 b/w size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 2/10 !!! just a little hip flexor pain)

After a better night of sleep and breaking down the campsite in BV we got to Leadville around 11.  We had discussed a 70 minute timer which seems impossible with this crew, but we managed to only go 20 minutes over.  It was a really fun session though and there weren’t many people there.  Except for the wannabe Blood Wizard dudes who ripped, but were jerks.  I’ll start with the person who landed the least amount of tricks.  Me.  I came close to a noseslide 270 shove, did some noseslides, putzed around even though I was having fun.  Ollie did some cool stuff.  The ollie up to almost side rock to grind and the ride over to manual were sick and tricks that he thought of on his own.  Richard destroyed.  Did kickflips and b/s flips up and down the euro, then battled nollie big heel up the euro before stomping it perfectly then battled kickflip back nosegrind on the bump to ledge until he also stomped it perfectly.  Matt put down a super good nollie varial heel up the euro and did some manuals on the little two level thing in the corner with Dan.  Eric did a sick blunt stall 360 transfer.  Joe lined out front shove up the euro with front 50 and front 50 180 down the hubba.  Gnar.  I know I’m missing a lot.  The park was fun.  

After a long drive, food, 303, we ended up at a crowded Boulder park.  So many people had joined (Jack, Kevin, Fuller, Skelly, Rob, Neil) or left (Ollie, Richard) that I have zero chance of remembering this.  I was pretty blown away by Rob not shying away from the crowds, kickflipping the hip and bump to tailslide.  Neil took a long time to get going, but man he got it going.  Kickflip the hip, nose manuals, pop shove up the euro, crooks shove, sometimes all of those in one line.  Fuller feebled the parking block qp, nose manuals, front 50 back 180.  Skelly got good pop over the hips, back 50 the qp to ollie down onto the bench.  Kevin front 5-0 over the bench to back lip the parking block qp.  Dan front 50 heelflip out BOLTS!  Joe and I did doubles down the hubba as once again all I really did was noseslides.  Oh and I hucked bigflips over the hip which did seem possible and I committed to a couple. They just didn’t work out. Joe would 5-0 down the hubba too, back 50 around the bench corner, front shove the hip.  Matt back nosegrind the bump to legde, crooks nollie heelflip out!!!  Jack back 360 flip the weird old hip, close to 360 flip noseblunt.  

After a dip in the creek we went to dog park.  I was so dead at that point.  I tried to get it going, but had nothing and when my bearing blew out I took that as an excuse to sit and get bit my mosquitos.  The Nebraskans were hyped and immediately going in on it.  Eric boardslid Full Metal jacket and slammed on a parking block.  His knee was huge.  Joe brought the energy as always.  Front 50 shove the tall bench!  Also fakie 50s, boardslides and a funny slam in the grass to end it.  Dan did backside willy back 180 out, fakie nosegrinds, cancel flips and no comply pole jam.  Matt nollie crooks, boardslide the tall flatbar.  Skelly one foot manual.  Neil had a casual line of 180 wallie world, cab the manhole, halfcab board the little flat bar, bluntslide the parking block, nollie lip the little flat bar.  Then the trip was done.  I was exhausted and happy to not have to skate the next day.  But also sad and bummed on friends going home and returning to our normal lives.  

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, es swift b/w size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

After a tough night of camping and a long drive we arrived at a sunny and hot Gunnison skatepark.  The park had lost some of it’s edge over the years.  I guess with other parks having mellow hips now it wasn’t as unique.  I chilled for a while and ate.  Ollie mostly sat in his hammock, but would come out for some manuals and f/s half cabs.  Dan tried to heelflip into the BMX track, did a double staple gun on the mini loveseat.  Eric and I attempted to play on the spine, but really didn’t do much.  His rock ride to fakie was good though as was the rock fakie attempt on the little vert brick qp.  He would also grind over the love seat way quicker than me.  Matt had some grinds on the ledge, nollie b/s flip over the hip, qp to nose manual.  Ricahrd ripped as he always does.  Melon the pyramid, b/s flip way better than mine, ghetto bird the hip, nollie big heel the hip, basics on the ledge like they were nothing.  I had a fun line of noseslide the pyramid ledge then turn around and b/s flip the hip, grind over the love seat and got remotely close to nollie tre the hip.  Joe, aka the Energizer Bunny, skated well even though his ankle was kinda wrecked.  He front 50’d the weird bank to ledge, front 50 shove and front 50 to front board the ledge, b/s flip the hip, back 50 the china bank.  

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, es swift b/w size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Ollie and I got to Frisco park around 11, chilled for a bit then Rob and Neil showed up too.  The park was pretty empty and it’s funny because of all the skaters that showed up everyone basically skated the street section only.  The scooters and strider kids were attracted to the moonscape pumptrack so I guess that’s a good distraction to keep them out of the good stuff.  So much skating has occurred after this that it’s really hard to remember.  Luckily there was some filming so there’s that.  I was definitely thrown off with the new shoes.  Ollie skated quite a bit which was cool.  He stuck with fakie front shoves and front 180s, maybe some manuals too.  Rob was shredding.  Bean plant and no comply shove over the A-frame, back 50s manuals and nose manuals on the little manny pad, was hyped to see him kickflip the bank, first try boardslide the down rail.  I skated okay, but not great.  Kickflip on the bank took awhile, couldn’t nosegrind the little ledge, struggled with crooks, didn’t get fakie nosegrind, had some fun kickflips out of the little bump, finally front 50 the little downhill ledge, couldn’t get the front shove off the wedge and my happiest moment was first try noseslide down the rail.  I haven’t boardslid a down rail in a long time, but I guess it’s more of a ledge.  I was still hyped though.  Neil’s ollies are just so good it’s great to watch.  Pop shove the A-frame, no complies on the bank, manuals and nose manuals the pad, front 50s, looking good.

Then we went to Buena Vista to meet the Nebraska crew which was Dan, Joe, Eric, Matt and Richard.  Man it was great seeing them.  We would get interrupted by rain at times, but skated for a couple/few hours.  This is impossible to remember everything.  Neil was ollieing up the euro, cruising, one foots, kickflips out of the bank.  Joe went in on a line of kickflip out of the bank, rock ‘n roll the qp, front 50 to tail the weird ledge.  He would get it, but he paid on a couple slams.  Luckily his ankle was okay.  Dan did some cool manuals variations from the miniramp to the park and back, then a front board to switch 50 then ride in the qp on the weird ledge to qp.  Eric rock fakied the weird euro qp.  I skated it with him and tried a bunch of axle stalls before getting it first try a camera was brought out.  Ha.  Also got rock ‘n rolls.  I couldn’t get a halfcab flip on the bank.  Then Eric and I tried tricks out of the mellower bank for awhile.  He went shove it which he’s only done once and would get it.  I couldn’t get a treflip and ended up losing my temper.  Ugh.  I put too much weight on that trick.  Matt was shredding, but I can’t remember a trick.  Rob had some stylee f/s grinds on the qp.  Richard b/s flipped over the rainbow rail second try and then crook, feeble and front board the rail.  I wish I would have just landed a treflip instead of losing my mind, but it was still a fun session and I was happy those dudes were visiting again.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, es swift b/w size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Directly after a stressful day of work I bolted to meet up with Rob, Neil, Dave and we drove to Lakewood.  It was hot.  The ramp had been done since last time we were there. It was crazy how fast the coping was and how smooth the ramp was.  It took some getting used to.  Jake was there as was John the owner who only skated switch on his daughters 7.5″ board.  Ha ha.  He had some good switch carves, axle stall, switch back smith.  Dave had been there recently and it showed.  Grinds over the hips, around the bowl corner like it was nothing.  He would get up to back tail over the hip, switch crook the mellow corner, back d, backside ollies over the hip.  It’s really hard to describe how hard he ripped.  Jake was quick on the grind over the hip too, he would get a few.  He had some nice grinds around the bowl corner too, lots of front 5-0s and the only one to successfully get the ollie transfer.  I battled the transfer with him and landed something, but I never got enough transition.  It was fun hucking though.  I also had some fun back 50s, a few other rampy tricks and a couple back disasters on the tiny qp (couldn’t get the treflip after though doh).  Rob’s carves through the corner are incredible, fast slash grinds, back 50s.  Neil got some rampnesia again, even on the little 3′ wall.  But man he flowed around that bowl slashing grinds and ollies when he got in there.  

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, es switch b/w size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

On a nice afternoon I went to Dog Park after work to meet a bunch of old dudes.  My adductor pain was pretty intense so I tried some other shoes – this time Es Accel Slim Plus.  They lack board feel, but it seems like they helped with pain.  For a good 30 minutes I just kinda pushed switch and tries switch stuff to even out my hips.  It may have helped, I may have even done a couple slappy switch crooks.  Neil was popping over wallie world, boardsliding, 50s, pop shoves, shredding.  Jake was popping over wallie world too, lining out tailslides, trying nollie back lip, front boards on the little bar.  Rob looked like he was shredding too, saw some back 50s, halfcab boards, ollies over wallie world.  Skelly joined after work and was manualling, halfcab boardslides, one foots, etc.  Saul showed too!  I saw some slappies.  Mike was there but I didn’t really see him skate.  Fuller was shredding of course.  Him and Neil ollied onto the table.  This was before some younger dude changed the kicker to ollie over the table and put down some horrendous slams and then landed a few.  I don’t remember many Dave tricks in particular, but he was shredding.  I tried to crooks the new metal bench, tall metal bench and little flat bar in one line.  I got the first two, then kinda did the flatabar, but it was more a hilariously bad little willy bonk.  Got a laugh out of Rob at least.  I hucked a bunch of flippers and didn’t land much, especially when it came down to a game of SKATE with Jake and Rob at the end.  I mean I wasn’t as bad as Jake who almost didn’t land anything (hee hee he told me to say that).  It was good having Rob back in the SKATE mix and showed how rusty I am on my no complies.  What a fun crew, hope I didn’t miss anyone.  Oh yeah, near the end a whole lot of scooter dudes came and it was super annoying.  Those things are loud when they constantly drop them or throw them when bailing tricks.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, es accel slim plus grey size 12 no insoles)
(pain level 7/10 hip flexor)

Another hot and sunny day, but feeling a little better.  Picked up Rob and Neil and went to 3rd St skatepark in Greeley.  There was a slight breeze and a little shaded area that saved us.  Will was there and doing front smiths and nosegrinds as we pulled in.  We skated a long time there.  I wore cupsole 440s in hopes of less pain, it worked until later on when they felt worse.  I’ll start with Will since he was the first to go.  He almost had a line of crooks then front smith.  He almost got up on front 50 down the long mellow hubba.  I skated decent, but took too long to get a flyout treflip.  Had some fun crooks, kickflips to fakie, slowly ollied up the ledge, failed at ollies up the two stair, and couldn’t get noseslide 270 shove.   I also basically did nothing on the manual pad because i was imagining I would struggle to ollie up it unlike everyone else.  Neil casually ollied up it, ledges, 50s, back 180 and pop shove up the euro, boardslide up the end of the long mellow ledge, a lot more.  Rob was in demo mode.  Manuals, no comply up the 2 stair, back 180 down the 2, almost back 180 up the manny pad to switch boardslide, nollie lipslides, boardslide off the ledge on top of the manny pad, manual around the park, much more.

Then we went to Centennial park.  Blah.  I scared myself dropping in a few places, carved tile in the shallow of the bowl and couldn’t land anything other than axle stalls on the litte qp.  Rob had some sick bean plants out of the crazy A-frame, Neil mostly sat this one out.

Last up was Peak View park where we pulled in the same time as a couple families of scooter kids.  Warming up was incredibly difficult.  Rob got the fire though and we got to see demo mode again.  No complies on the bank, kickflip on the bank, bean plants over the hip, back 50s the curb, one foots on the bank, front slash the diamond cut, there was much more.  Neil had some good lines with no complies on the bank, nose manual the ledge, crooks, 50s and a good case of Rampnesia.  I had some fun back 50s on the diamond cut, but couldn’t put them together with anything.  I ended up forcing myself to skate the ledge even though I was dead tired and only managed a few basics.  It was fun trying though.   Bryan from SK8 Ratz had shown and quickly blew our minds with fakie bigspin front tail 270 shove out!  He had some other wild ones like cab bigspin on the bank, front 50 to front tail shove, nollie heel, dude was ripping and fun to skate with.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, new balance numeric gsd 440s then 212 cream size 12, nike sb zoom air/ sole tech insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Another bright and hot day I was beat and running slow, but would meet up with Rob and Neil on campus.  We were quickly at the Baker ledge.  We seemed to all skate pretty well out of the gates although it was funny seeing Neil bail a manual that was totally locked in.  Neil was the only one locking into front 50s.  Rob had front board, halfcab board, board pop outs, manuals, I think nose manuals.  Neil filmed such a good line of him that included a front board pop out, no comply back 360, no comply finger flip.  Neil had some good lines too.  Front 50 then nose manual, halfcab up the curb front 180 off, halfcab noseslide shove, front shove.  I had manual and nose manual, noseslides and filmed a little line of switch ollie up the curb then switch front noseslide and kind of a fakie bigflip.

We briefly hit the downhill hallway ledge spot.  I got halfcab flip then noseslide.  

Then the stadium bank.  My legs were beat I was really hurting at this point.  Managed some kickflips and stuff, got stuck on back heel and treflip then gave up.  Neil and Rob did some good bean plants.  Neil tried a bunch of halfcab heels, but never got on one.  Rob had kickflip, one foot, back boneless, wallride nollies, killed it.  Then it was off to get some food and play some Cornhole at Jack’s.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, new balance numeric 212 cream size 12, nike sb zoom air/ sole tech insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

On a hot morning Neil and I rolled to Scott Carpenter after his red eye flight and a breakfast.  There were only a few people there initially and it wouldn’t get crowded.  We skated for about an hour.  Neil had some skate trip energy and was charging.  We stuck only to the new stuff.  It wasn’t long before we filmed some lines of each other.  I was doing crooks then noseslides and trying to add in a 50 or more.  Got one with an accidental 5-0 and nearly a treflip after.  Neil couldn’t quite get kickflip over the hip, but had some sick grinds through the mini snake run.  Then he added crooks shove, one foot the hip and a nose manual on of the bump to ledge. Eric would appear, had some good wallie 180s up the slappy ledges, slammed hard on a crook.  Saul appeared briefly too on his bike around when I got a b/s flip over the hip that only took 4 tries.  Then we bounced, hit 303.

Then we ended up at the Niwot ledge manny pad spot and met Sean F.  Neil and I were there first.  Neil loved the spot and went in pretty hard quickly.  He was shredding.  Manuals, nose manuals, 50s, noseslides.  I would get out the good camera to film a line of his.  Halfcab noseslide, nose manual, front 50 shove.  So good.  Sean was of course shredding too.  Everything at max speed and smoothness.  Neil filmed him do a casual line of front tail to fakie, halfcab manual, back 5-0 shove.  It’s crazy how he could do a tailslide that fast and come out with enough speed to do the halfcab manual.  He would later almost get 180 nose manual too.  I didn’t have much at this spot, I did a few tricks, wasn’t charging and lacked energy.  Had some okay crooks, a back 50, heelflip, accidental front 5-0, posed front crooks and switch crooks and didn’t get close to either.  

Next up after a visit to Sk8 Ratz we met up with Donnie and Riley at a school in Loveland that has a lot of variety.  There’s a bank to curb, a little stairset and a long ledge/manny pad.  Upon arriving I thought the ollie up the curb to the bank to curb felt impossible.  Riley, Donnie and Sean were getting it though.  Riley front tail kickflip out, Sean back pivot front 180, Donnie manual to nose stall to almost fakie manual down.  Oh yeah, Skelly had joined us with Emi.  Skelly kind of kept to himself trying to get his sore back to work.  He did get a back 50 front 180 out on the bank to curb.  The rest of us ended up mostly skating the ledge and man it was fun although tough with how much we had already skated Neil and I definitely struggled.  Donnie had some solid back 50s, front 50, manuals and would eventually get the dirt board out and try some manuals off a little retainer wall.  Man it was good seeing Riley.  He was skating so well.  Switch nose manual the whole thing, almost fakie flip out, halfcab noseslides, halfcab crooks, front 5-0 shove, etc.  Sean had back nosegrind, manual, nose manual and much more.  Neil had gotten himself going for awhile.  Lipslide, manual or nose manual, 50s.  But when i filmed him he had shut down.  I had a couple great feeling crooks and one that grinded so far, but I didn’t land it.  Tried a line of front 50 shove then switch noseslide shove for awhile, but never got them together.  Seriously no idea how I wasn’t landing the front 50 shove I was so close most tries.  Super fun session, day, crew, spots, etc.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, new balance numeric 212 cream size 12, nike sb zoom air/ sole tech insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Feeling lazy after a tough week of work I went behind the school (they have construction going on the side) armed with a list of 10 tricks and a setup change (8.25 / 5.6 / 50mm).  After the briefest of warmups I went in.
kickflip – took a few tries but got a couple
fakie flip – couple tries
halfcab flip – few tries felt good
heelflip – barely got the 10th try
fakie heelflip – Actually got one pretty quickly and it felt cool
halfcab heelflip – was close, but could not get it
360 flip – got a really bad 270 flip one in a few tries, but could not get a better one
nollie bigflip – a couple flipped right, but I didn’t get my feet on any
switch flip – not really close
switch front heel – still feels doable, but not close
Then I ollied onto the rock back there a few times and did a couple stalls.  I was glad I didn’t let the laziness prevent me from skating.

(setup 8.25 null spanbauer pro deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate with riptides v-hollow hanger, 3 washers inside each axle, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire f4 99a 50mm classic shape, new balance numeric 212 cream size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)