March 7, 2011

Tri-fi


Late to the game on this because I was busy maxing out the Zorch Meter™ in AZ. The little dude did it, even after tweeting this, and one has to think that CJ was in attendance at that game if you listen closely.

Scroll down to the bottom of this and watch the last video from Devolve for your other DT news of the day. Prep rallies for dayz...

Skating ultra steep banks is like trying techish manual tricks for us mere mortals. Low return in tricks made, but every once in a while you roll away, and then it's worth it. I was going for the high risk low return thing, but...CBI has the Beryl Banks on display; it'd be interesting to ask Rick Howard how that thing stacks up to our own Steep Bank of Doom. Hey Fink, how's that doc coming around?

Being an alum of an early 21st Century skatehouse, from a very productive time in both skating and partying, I read Frozen in Carbonite's skatehouse rundown with great interest. Heads up to the Done House of KC.

Two different takes on some Locs in SF: lo-fi and then the hi-fi and then I guess I just found this. So three.

Wondering about what's up with the clip Meyer posted below, I've never seen that.

If you say "other" in the poll, tell everyone where in the comments.

17 comments:

PhilmerPhil said...

What was at ING? Hasn't it always been the rail and fountain gaps since that building came up? Also, never heard of Gold Rail.

I voted Metrodome Plaza. Never skated it before the LRT, but judging from vids, it looked like what is currently there, just 5x bigger with more ledges.

platinumseagulls said...

There used to be skateable marble ledges at ING. Gold Rail is the 5th Street Towers, as called by the old dudes that would skate the four stair rail.

The lower part of the Dome plaza used to have smaller ledges than the upper part before the LR, and it used to have stages that were pretty much steel coped boxes with adjustable height that you could angle if you wanted to. I voted for the Dome too.

Todd Brown said...

The Fed aka black tubes. Nough said church.

Anonymous said...

Having had the luck (or misfortune depending on point of view) to skate both Beryl and Steep Bank of Doom, I would say without question SBOD was much, much harder to skate. The "jolt" at bottom of both banks was about the same, and Beryl's flaw was it was humped slightly outward, whick fucked with your timing on the pop. Also, it was kind of lumpy so it certainly wasn't a consistent bank. The reason SBOD gets my more difficult vote is the runway was so crappy--uphill and crappy ground. The most important thing skating either bank is getting enough speed to muscle over the kink and Beryl had all the room in the world pushing on perfect Cali schoolground. On SBOD, flip tricks sucked because by the time you got enough speed, you were already at the bank with no time to set up your feet. On top of that the weird triangle shape limited options and created the potential for hanging up, which would not have been physically surviveable. I believe my average getting good attempts at tricks was about 1 out of 15 ("good" attempts mean I was able to actually get to where I needed to be heightwise and had feet/body in position to give it a good shot). That ratio factors in botched attempts due poor footplacement, lack of speed, kink disruptions, bum popping his head up, etc. I have said on more than one occation that skating that damn thing felt like me trying to dunk on Shaq. I managed to log a couple tricks on that thing but am confident the effort shortened my life by 4-5 years.

And on a side note (literally), and to save time with similar question, there isn't a comparison between the Beryl bank to ledge and MPLS tennis court bank to ledge. Any trick at all on Beryl bank to ledge is impossible, and firmly believe any of the existing footage invovled green screens and humans suspended from cables.

-Dan Jackson

A.C. Slayer said...

The O.G. NSP setup?

Unknown said...

I choose Hyatt because the interior part is so rad, all the bank/hip options, slide...plus the banks were good brick and that spot would look way too rad with todays cameras.

pancho said...

Highland middle school ledges

GG said...

My vote was for Fobia, because with Fobia came the crews of people that were always skating downtown, which made every spot a fun spot.

COAS said...

Murphy ledges?!

I voted Pillsbury though with Hyatt Banks at a close second. Hyatt banks didn't make the top because you can still kind of skate them.

sprntrl said...

Like Turkey said, the correct answer is the Fed. Not so much for the terrain, but for the fact that at any given time there were 30 or more kids skating there at one time. It was truly our EMB. It's safe to say that 90% of the tricks kids do today were done there 10-20 years ago.

Todd Brown said...

To piggy back off what Rob said it wasnt just 20 to 30 random heads. Every one knew each other. The Fed created a sense of community. On a friday night you didnt go out looking for a party cause what was going on at the Fed was way iller than anything. That place taught you about life in a way nothing else ever could. It was cold and very real. It shaped me as a person and it did the same for most of my close friend's. It very much was our emb and it makes me sad that most kids wont ever get to have an experience like that.
In this day and age street skating in it's real form is dead. For the most part cats skate parks and only skate real street to film. Things and time's change thats just life.
WE have a such a sick scene i just wish that aspect was still part of it.

Unknown said...

I agree with that statement Todd, I was like 14 and it was 1996 but I caught the tail end of the Fed and it most definitely was the "spot" that you would most likely meet other skaters and spend most of the day. Its amazing how many memories I have from there from just 1996-1998 or so. I can't imagine what it would have been like skating there in its prime but I have an idea from all the stories I've heard over the years. It truly is sad that kids these days dont have that downtown spot like EMB, LOVE, Pulaski, Fed, City Halls and Courthouses...but what goes around comes around its up to us to bring back dwtn, lets de-skateproof all of dwtn! Remember how much of a bust it used to be? Thats cause mofos was skating that bitch! I used to be ninja skating down there because they would just snap on your ass so you got good at avoiding the fuzz, they dont do shit but kick you out anymore... recently I've had cops park and watch fertheluvuvgod. Never thought I'd wish skating was more illegal but these new kids got it way too cushy.

COAS said...

I'd kind of have to disagree with you Elijah. With the new Downtown ambassadors lurking in pretty much every corner, skating downtown is nearly impossible unless its after dark.

Anonymous said...

thanks for the link bro

sprntrl said...

I feel bad for COAS if he really listens to those ambasodors when they tell you to stop skating.

COAS said...

Its tough man, they are everywhere during the day. You get kicked out by one, wait ten minutes for them to leave, and there is another one right there. There are definitely some safe spots that they dont touch (Gov, covered 5, etc.) but anywhere on Nicollette has no chance any more

sprntrl said...

I agree about Nicollet mall, but its always been a bust. Ironically I find I have the best luck during lunch hour or between 4-6 pm, cause you're able to blend in w a sea of civilians