I want one of these. Now.

January 23, 2000 7:38 PM

I want one of these. Now. It has barely snowed in the Southern California mountains (Mt. High shows 1" total of snow this season), and these pseudo-snowboard skateboards (freebord is another) are looking better every day.
posted by mathowie (9 comments total)

I saw these in Wired magazine as well...They look fun as hell to ride...I'm surprised no one has come up with this concept before.
posted by dangerman at 8:11 AM on January 24, 2000

I'm not suprised that nobody has come up with the concept before - since it's only now that people are trying to duplicate the snowboard experience with a skateboard, instead of the other way around... I even remember the "Snurfboard" - which was pretty much what it sounds like, a surfboard for snow. It had a leash for the nose, to help you steer it. The thing that kept me from calling flowlab as soon as I saw the wired article was my skateboard gathering dust on top of the bookshelf. Hollywood isn't the ideal spot for big carved turns, it's only an okay spot for commuter boarding, which wouldn't be ideal on this board. Still, it's a great idea, I'd love to try one out.
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 12:46 PM on January 24, 2000

I'm surprised hardly anyone pays attention to skateboard wheelbase lengths, you can acheive much the same thing with a short wheelbase. Wheel bite? Remember wheel wells ? Use a power file to carve em out. Yeah I remember 'Snurfers' and 'Skeeters' fins and ropes.
BTW John Cardial rides a 13 1/2 in wheelbase, try finding one that short on the shelves.
posted by bbob at 1:34 PM on January 24, 2000

I don't know about that (these really look like they would provide less rigid ride than standard trucks), but I get your point. Wheel base, wheel hardness, wheel size... it all seems pretty well standardized these days. I admit that I took about 8 years off, but I went into Val Surf and felt like a complete dinosaur. I might have been able to hide it, but I made the mistake of asking about skidplates. Uh, yeah grandpa, I think they're behind that box of Boomtown Rats LPs.

I remeber the pro skaters of the late 70s/early 80s having a full "quiver" of boards for different applications. That doesn't happen anymore. It's too bad, too... I miss Dogtown and their wide/short boards.

posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 2:57 PM on January 24, 2000

Ha! Joe, I too, have felt the weight of my years upon entering a skate shop. I'm only 27 for chrissakes! I can still ollie a foot high! The last board I bought was probably 4 years ago, the wheels are much to small and worn for commuting, and it sits gathering dust in my office (as if to prove that even though I have an office and a job, I'm still somehow punk...pathetic).
posted by mathowie at 3:42 PM on January 24, 2000

Heh. I actually bought this most recent board to commute from my parking space to my office, which is about a .4 mile walk. The only down side of it is that it ends at 5th and Grand. Do you remember that truck ad last year where the recliner goes down the really steep hill with the sleeping guy in it? That's it. Basically, if you don't stop riding soon enough, you have to go about 3 blocks in order to slow down enough not to die... praying for green lights as you go. Anyway, I thought I was so street for having my skateboard leaned up in the corner of my law firm office... *sigh*
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 6:35 PM on January 24, 2000

I think the skateboard in the shy thirties is a last ditch effort to tell the world...damn it, I'm still young! I also bought a skateboard in my late twenties to commute between office buildings...I think I also started wearing my earring again around that same time as well...sheesh. Anyway...I'm off to Carousel.
posted by dangerman at 6:53 PM on January 24, 2000

This is tempting, but the last two times I tried to skateboard I broke my collar bone, but what the hell, it looks neat.
posted by corpse at 7:32 PM on January 25, 2000

you can get some snow on ebay...



posted by jessamyn at 11:50 AM on January 28, 2000