Out with the old, in with the new. May you be stoked the whole year through! This is your chance to read up on all the best product reviews, riders interviews and more!
10. Behind the Brand: Landyachtz
For countless skaters, the simple act of seeing someone riding past them one day has been enough to spark their imagination and inspire them to get on a board themselves and begin a lifetime of side stance action.
In the case of Thomas Edstrand, this common occurrence follows a similar trajectory. Except when Edstrand came across Michael Perreten on the University of Victoria campus, the two would transform their ensuing conversation over Perreten’s food coloring-stained, maple and fiberglass-wrapped deck, into a pursuit to start Landyachtz in the basement of a ski cabin in Whistler, British Columbia.
The evolution of the Landyachtz Dinghy.
9. The Longboarder's Bucket List
Everyone should have a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket. It may seem morbid, but death is an inevitability. It's often when facing our end when we feel most alive.
As extreme sports athletes, we probably know this better than anyone. Skaters are not immune from growing complacent. When we do, our lives can sometimes fall short of fulfilling.
That's where the bucket list comes in. It keeps things in perspective. It's a constant reminder that the meaning of life is simply to make sure your life has meaning. That may be something completely different for you than it it's me, so feel free to add/remove from this list as necessary, but as far as a basic outline goes, this is what I think the "longboarding" portion of your bucket list should look like. This list is everything you need to be able to look back at your time spent on a board and think "Wow, I really kicked some tail".
Meeting a personal idol is part of the bucket list and it's safe to say that for a lot of us Rodney Mullen is a living legend that we definitely want to meet.
8. Five Easy Tips to Improve Your Longboard Photography
Are you are trying to take a photo for your Instagram feed, for some kind of photo contest or to surprise your loved one? Don't know where to start? Well look no further! With these 5 simple tips and tricks you you will gain more followers, win the first prize in the photo contest and put a smile on your partner's face.
Maybe Forrest should have skated across America. Brandon Prugh created this image at an iconic spot from the movie Forrest Gump.
7. Turn vs. Lean: Dialing In the Perfect Longboard Set-Up
Dialing in that perfect set up is the goal of ever longboarder, but how do you get the trucks to turn the way you want them to? One key aspect is picking the right baseplate geometry. Do that and your longboard trucks will make your set up ride like a dream.
6. The Ultimate Skateboard Hardware Length Calculator
Bolts come in lots of different sizes and when you're shopping online it's hard to figure out what length will fit your skateboard. In 5 easy steps this calculator will tell you exactly what you need!
5. Behind the Brand: G-Form
As a company that began focused on manufacturing padding for traditional sports, G-Form did not get its introduction into the longboarding world until the surging boom of longboarding swept North America around 2011-12.
At this point, Stephan Vast and CenMass organizer, Mike Girard, joined the company and put their deep connections to the core longboarding scene to use. Through Girard’s work with Loaded Boards, G-Form padding began to to make it’s way into the hands of the Loaded riders and ambassadors and their quality spoke for itself.
The only acceptable butt shot is one that shows off G-Form Elbow Pads this well.
4. What It's Like to Skate Venice Beach
Just a half hour from the offices at Stoked HQ are the grounds of the quintessential Southern California skateboarding experience, Venice Beach.
Widely revered as the birthplace of skateboarding, the sunset mecca has evolved exponentially for the skateboarding community and the general public alike since the days when the Z-Boys ruled the land.
On one hand, tourists flock to the area in an hopes to get a taste of the action, wandering into the lines of dozens of skaters lines along the way. On the other hand, a pristine, transition-oriented skatepark and a collection of skatable obstacles just outside of the park makes for the daily migration of more skaters than anywhere in the world. To break down this chaos, we made a guide for first-timers to highlight the best skate spots that Venice Beach has to offer.
3. Insane Longboard Crashes
At this point we’ve all seen this video. In my opinion this might be one of the best downhill skating vids ever made, and James Kelly might be one of the best downhill skaters out there. This does not mean, however, that he can’t fall. Speed wobbles happen to the best of us, and if they happen to James, you know the crash was gnarly. The American Dream eats it at 2:26.
Longboarding is an inherently dangerous sport. While most of the time we step on a board we step off okay, there are times when things can get a little hairy and just a little too gnarly. This post is dedicated to those moments. Stay safe out there guys and girls.
2. The Ultimate Longboard Deck Guide
Longboards come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, designs, models, etc etc. When reading about various deck types and deck features, it can be hard to wrap your head around what those features can actually do for you as a rider. In this Tech Article, we try to cover all of the different deck shapes and features.
1. What's a Mid? All Wheel Cores Explained
We hear about Mids and cores all the time. Someone might ask, "Are those mids?" or "That's a triple round." But what is a mid? Where do these terms come from? What properly classifies a wheel?
As always, we encourage active participation and conversation. If you have questions or comments, please send us an email at help@stokedrideshop.com or hit us up on instagram @stokedrideshop!
