In the January 1978 issue of Skateboard World magazine there is an article entitled ”Mt. Baldy Remembered”. It was penned by Stuart Swinson and featured Stan Sharp photos of Jerry Valdes, Curt Cortum, Gregg Ayres, Rodd Saunders and Mark Smith. As a young Skateboarder living in rural Georgia, I studied the photos for hours dreaming of ridding the “Skateboard Mecca” that Mt. Baldy pipe was in my mind. Even as the author touted superior skatepark terrain as a reason why Baldy wasn’t being skated, I still yearned to roll in the birthplace of pipe skating. Besides in Georgia there were no good Skateparks to speak of and a full pipe was just a pipe dream. Mr. Swinson went on to describe the water damage, $500.00 fines and multiple applications of tar that seemed to regulate my hopes of someday Skateboarding in the Mt. Baldy pipe to my dreams forever.

After relocating to California in 1985, I was pleased to learn from the brothers Alba that Baldy could still be skated if you had some soft wheels and didn’t mind the ruff bottom and leftover tar patches. My reply was a swift “When do we leave?”  The feeling I had the first time I walked into the concrete cylinder of my childhood fantasies has never been duplicated in my life. I’ve had quite a few sessions at the Baldy pipe over the years and I too began to lose my passion for the old pipe with its harsh surface and it’s hard to reach local. Then on the first year of the new “Go Skateboarding Day” holiday, some coworkers and I were thinking of where to celebrate “GSD” (on the clock) …. I suggested the rumored to be resurfaced (by skateboarders) Mt, Baldy pipe! All agreed and we headed to the womb of Skateboarding to be reborn. It was radical! I sampled the new surface on my hard wheels and it was fantastic! I never even put my pads on…… I felt like a kid inside….. I was feeling what it must have been like for the privileged early skateboarders I’d seen in that article all those years ago.

Skateboarders are still making memories at the hallowed hole in Mt. Baldy and if it ever becomes truly unskateable it will be remembered.

Go Skateboarding Day

There are so many social networking devices and applications that one can call into play these days it’s hard to know which one/ones to indulge in. Although I resisted them at first I must admit I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and family, sharing childhood photos and tales as well as updates on our current lives. Yet even “Saint Jobs” himself never possessed a more powerful social networking tool than my skateboard. It connected me to all my best friends, provided me with a trade, influenced my taste in music, art and fashion. It’s my personal trainer and my shrink. It influenced me to learn photography, graphic art and woodworking. I live where I do because I skateboard. I even met my wife at the first Warped tour after having snuck in riding a skateboard through the athletes gate while pretending I was in the demo.

For me a skateboard is the most powerful search engine on Earth.

Truck Bolts

Spike and the cat with no name Ft.Mead Fla 1981

In the very early 80s I was living in my Granny’s old house in Ft. Mead Fla. It’s a very small town that still only has one stoplight to this day. I’d always been a dog person until this stray white female cat wandered in our house. She took a like’n to me so I named her Spike and bought some cat chow. Spike turned out to be quite an talented cat ……. she brought me a few squirrels and learned how to skateboard. After leaving my board on the wood floor in my room Spike, completely on her own would pounce on the skateboard then glide across the room while clawing at the front wheel as it spun. She repeated this to and fro for hours. I just started keeping my deck in her favorite spot. I tried to tell my friends about it but they thought I was bullshitting. In this day and age I’d just put Spike up on youtube and she would have been in the Rose Bowl parade.

Then one day I came home from work and my friend Randy had been waiting for me in my room so we could go skate. Randy charged out of the house and proclaimed “Chuck your Mother F’n cat skateboards”!!!!! I laughed and said “I told you guys that” But Randy could not hear my words. He said “You don’t understand!!! “Your Mother F’n cat skateboards”!!!!! He repeated this many times until I just gave up and listened.

Spike didn’t care who knew she skated …. she just liked the feeling. Self satisfaction is really what skateboarding is about. Sure it’s great to hear everyone hoot when you pull a trick …… Yet sometimes they’re cheering while inside you know that you’re not satisfied with how it felt …… You know the feeling of when it’s done your way and won’t really be happy with less.  But when you do execute a maneuver just how your physical being yearns for …….. It’s matters not who’s observing the event ……. The feeling lingers longer than any applause.

Now go get that feeling……..   Truck Bolts

Near death experience.....

There are two great feelings in Skateboarding. The first and more obvious being, rolling away from a perfectly executed trick and feeling the satisfaction of control and flow. The other happens when you find yourself in a very unsure and unsafe situation ……… with no easy way out. You want to bail but you know that will only make things worse. Survival instinct takes over ….. muscles act preemptively before the mind can consider a veto …… disaster is certain. Then right as you brace for the impending pain …… you roll away! Your jaw drops open, eyes widen, friends laugh and say “No Way!”

Marty Jimenez  captured one of these moments when I put a little too much mustard on a frontside grind at the San Juan pool. It would be two years after the photo was taken before I would see it. At a party John Lucero says “I have a slide of you doing a crazy edger Chuck” …… I was shocked to see just how lucky I had gotten and was reminded of the sketchy footing I had as I roll by the drain.

In the past two years my family and I have been living a life not unlike the edger in the photo. The future looked petrifying at best …… Survival mode was in effect. Bailing was not an option. Yet just like the grind gone wrong it was where I wanted to be …… my choice …….. my responsibility ….. full commitment. Thankfully it payed off and we’re rolling away …… our footing is a little sketchy …… but we’re still here!

I’m sure there are times ahead when I’ll take the slam ….. in skateboarding and in life. Luckily I’ve learned from Skateboarding to hang on tight and if that doesn’t work to get up and try again.

“If at first you fail your deed …. try again ’til you succeed”   UnderDog

Truck Bolts

A pink golden ticket....

In 1988, skateboarding, a sport that earlier in the decade was clinging to life at best, was enjoying an upswing in popularity that equaled or surpassed the previous boom in the 70s. Skateboard style and clothing had become almost common and mainstream. It seemed our pastime for outcasts was being stolen from us by trendy dayglow posers.

About this time Vision Street Wear sponsored the NSA vert finals and billed it as the “Skate Escape”.  It was the most elaborate skateboard contest ever staged. It featured an enormous double ramp with conecting spine and speed chute. Some of the pros were even a bit intimidated by the ramp and voiced thier complaints. There was even a backstage warmup ramp. Behind the ramp was a styrofoam facade with VSW logos placed all around. The ramp surface was painted to match the scenary and even a 3-D skatemovie was to be shown. After the whole thing was setup and ready for the big event I stood at the back of the arena surveying the contest layout with condesending distaste. The ramp Jinx and I had fought to make happen sat there dressed up in funny clothing. How can this be happening to our secret world I thought. Sudenly the arena doors opened and the first of the kids came pouring in, thier eyes as big as manhole covers! The first words I heard were “OH SHIT! THAT RAMPS SOOOO RAD!!!!…….. every face had a huge smile of anticipation …… I’d never seen stoke on so many mugs in my life. My distain for the marketing felt quite foolish and selfish as hundreds of skaters readied themselves for thier best day ever. Pride for helping make it happen replaced my missguided feelings. Later the Red Hot Chilli Peppers played live on the deck while the pros demoed then Hawk and Hosoi had a classic showdown in the finals. Tons of ripping went on for two days. MALBA stands out in my mind.

In retrospect what we percived as over the top marketing seems quaint and understated compared with the Mega-X Ramps and billboards the size of whole skyscrapers. A local skateshop now has more branding at a demo than the “Skate Escape” had. I thought I knew it all back then….. I just look back and laugh a myself now and feel lucky to have been there.

Truck Bolts

Steve Douglas and a mere three VSW logos....

Mr. Miller enjoys the transfer line...

Phasing between two dimensions.... I struggle to get a rail down on the warm up ramp

these photos were taken by O ….. I think?

Chris Robison R.I.P. and Chuck Hults Super Ditch Fun!

http://www.deckcrafters.tv/