Skate Louis

2012-01-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

Skated the St. Charles park today and ran into Will from Deep Impact and his son skating the bowl.....

Skate Louis shirts restocked.....

2011-09-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

The T-shirt boat came in today so you can now get Skate Louis shirts at Devil City, No Coast, Infinity and soon Future Sk8. You can also pick up one of the few remaining Bad Brains 1982 Mississippi Nights flyer shirts at Devil City.

New shops.....

2011-08-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

There are two new shops in the Skate Louis metro area. First is Future Sk8 in Bridgeton next to the old site of the long gone Earth Surf skate park on St. Charles Rock Rd. Don Early has been involved in skating for over 30 years. He opened the original shop around 1986 and has now re-opened back in April. Next up is No Coast at Tower Grove and Manchester in the city. Bryan is the president of the non profit, KHVT that supports the Kingshighway skate park and is working to bring more parks to the city of St. Louis. You can find the link to both shops on the right hand side of this blog.

Both shops will have new batches of Skate Louis shirts as soon as I get them from the printer. Also, they will be available at Infinity in South County as always and a new outlet will be Devil City on Delmar in the Loop.

Earth Surf skate park of Bridgeton...

2011-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was talking to someone about the Earth Surf park in Bridgeton today which made me think to post the video that Paul Graf made from some super 8 film and photos that he had. I've also added a photo of my friend Chris Roddick from 1982 along with my ID card.

I met a lot if not most of the people I know from back then at this park. I met Glen Stallings, John Harms, Don Early and on and on skating there after it had been closed down. It was only open a few short years and I probably skated there more after it closed down than when it was open just because I had more access to transportation than I did at 14 when it opened. I tried to interview the last owner but he wasn't interested in talking. Although I did have a brief conversation with him anyway and he told me that he was hoping to put a building up to keep it open year round but he couldn't get the financing what with interest rates being around 20% at the time. At that point he had no choice but to close. It was skated up until it was bulldozed in March of 1983.

This is a piece of the park I picked up the day it was bulldozed.

Today in Skate Louis....

2011-06-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Today in Skate Louis, John Harms board slide in the egg....

Today in Skate Louis........

2011-05-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

A bit of video from the St. Charles Park, Jeff Rasp and Scott Laird in the bowl.

KHVT

2010-09-13T19:50:00.001-07:00

Over the summer a lot of building has happened down at the bridge. Along with that a non profit has been started to help raise funds to continue that building as well as spread the concept of DIY skate parks around the St. Louis area and beyond. There are several ways you can help the cause. You can go donate directly to KHVT at khvt.org and donate into the Paypal account. If you're looking for a new deck you can head to SOKA and purchase any of the Kingshighway Skateboarding decks they have left. They have already donated $750 from the sale of those decks. There are two events coming up as well. The first is October 15th at the Skatium. This will be a Halloween themed event with mini contests and all the usual good times. After that there will be an art show November 12th and 13th at the Grove Gallery. Remember you can always check out khvt.org for up to date information about building dates and special night sessions.

June Bridge Benefit.....

2010-06-03T00:16:00.001-07:00

Kanoa Flyaway helmet

2010-03-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid reading Skateboarder Magazine cover to cover I always wanted a Kanoa Flyaway helmet. I never wore a helmet but those always looked so cool. In fact the only time I wore one was the few times I skated the two short lived skate parks in the area and that was a rental. It wasn't until the mid 80's that I finally got my first one but it was black with white pin stripes, not the super cool metal flake ones like they had in the 70's. And I think by then the company had changed hands although it still had the more angular shape. I did many searches on line in the late 90's and around 2001 or so tracked down a distributor that had a few left. But these were the plastic models that had the more rounded shape. But since they were only $15 I took them. Later on of course you could bid on Ebay for a used one but not being sure if it would fit it seemed unwise to pay those kinds of prices.

A couple of years ago Concrete Disciples did a review http://www.concretedisciples.com/cd_articles/cd_articles2.php?article=565 of a new version of the Kanoa Flyaway helmet that was being handmade by a guy in Santa Monica. But even though they looked great the price at around $200 seemed kind of high for a helmet. But after a few months I decided that since I had always wanted one and I could get a custom color that I might as well splurge and get one. I tracked down the number for Marshall Von Wolf via Bulldog Skates and then to his website, http://kanoasurf.com/.

This is the helmet I got and I love it, very light and with much better air ventilation than my mid 80's model. If you want to buy one already made they are on the website and you can also get them through tailtap.com. If you're going to have to wear a helmet or if you always wear one any way you might as well look cool. At least in my opinion these look much better than any of the plastic ones you see today. Sure, they cost a lot more but they are hand made out of fiberglass and as I said you can get custom colors. Plus when I met up with Marshall recently at the Venice park he informed me that he will replace the pads when they eventually wear out as well.

December 29th DIY benefit for KH bridge project

2009-12-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

This is what it's about.....and now it's skateable.

New South City DIY photos...

2009-11-29T23:32:00.001-08:00

I got these photos today from some of the people making it happen down there.

Random photos.....

2009-11-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

Two from today at Kingshighway. Some excess concrete was donated and added to the deck of the corner/quarter.

And a photo by Scott Spaeth at O'Fallon.

New graphics....

2009-10-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

New Skate Louis graphics available today. See the Store for details. Also now available at Hillybilly Bombshell in Belleville and Infinity in south county.

Skate Louis goes to Spain....

2009-10-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well, a Skate Louis sticker did anyway with my friend Mikey which he pasted on a post near a skate spot, took a photo and then chased some gypsies.

Out.....

2009-09-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm out of commission for the time being. I took a board to the ankle in Florida at the Kona park. It's been three weeks and it still isn't really up to it. Not cool.

I will have two new shirts in the very near future. Stay tuned......

Skate Fest 2009.....

2009-08-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

O.K., I only shot the bowl jam and not the "street" stuff. This year it was a jam format. They did two divisions, intermediate and skilled. I think intermediate was for ten minutes and the skilled was for twenty. Which seems backward considering the age of a few of the skilled skaters. Just because I'm older than them doesn't mean they aren't old and open to mocking. Anyway, fun was had by all. Here is the video. I didn't get the announcements of the intermediate winners I do remember that Brenna took third and Trey won first. If you know who won second let me know and I'll edit this rambling post. Oh, and watch for Trey's collision. Thanks to Paul for putting the video together.

More DIY....

2009-07-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

I skated the South City spot today. They have added some new features the best of which is the way buttery smooth quarter with pool coping. Seriously, smooov....

Random.......

2009-07-10T19:31:00.000-07:00

For a reason unknown to me there was a little plastic ramp at the O'Fallon park today. I decided to try it out on the picnic table they have there for some rock and roll fun and then Paul took it up a notch with the "board slide".....

Way old school skateboard......

2009-07-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a very low quality video from my phone of Christian dropping in on a plastic skateboard with open bearings that has to be over 30 years old.

Go Skateboarding Day 2009

2009-06-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

Go Skateboarding Eve and Day 2009 I rolled around shooting a bit of video. I caught the bowl jam on Saturday at the O'Fallon park which was pretty cool actually. It was a jam format for 35 minutes. Bob Mechtly more than deserved to win it with inverts and big airs. On the actual GSD I checked out the newly reopened Mills skate park which I guess is now the Plan Nine skate park. After that I checked a couple of DIY spots. Skating is skating and will happen every day but a fake holiday for it is always cool too.

Here is a bit of video from the two days that my brother put together....

New batch of shirts have arrived....

2009-06-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

I have a new batch of Skate Louis shirts. I have them in sizes down to youth medium and large as well as adult small. I also did a limited run of gray shirts.

Go Skateboarding Day eve.....

2009-06-19T22:39:00.001-07:00

I'm actually talking about Saturday being GSD eve. The first day of summer is still the 21st. Why move the holiday? Sure, it's a made up event created by the retailers and manufacturers but still, stick with the first day of summer and lets not make this like Memorial Day or Washington's Birthday. So yeah, go skate every day anyway.

I had heard that the city might demolish the DIY spot from my last post but I checked it out today and it was still there. Not only was it still there but the city seems to have dropped off a dumpster. The area was very clean and they had added a list of rules which deny graffiti, breaking things and littering. I thought at first it said no loitering when I read the list. That seemed like it would be hard to do since hanging around is sort of part of the process of skating a spot.

I'll have more about the GSD 2009 later. There are lots of GSD eve events. The O'Fallon park with total chaos, Plan Nine's new Mills park opens for more chaos. Beyond that I think Ramp Riders is free too. You should double check that since I'm no John Auble. Anyway, I hope to have some video and photos from all the GSD eve events that I make it to. Remember, go skateboarding every day, but GSD is still on Sunday, not Saturday. Call me a stickler......

More DIY......

2009-05-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

From the folks that brought you the "tennis courts" and other DIY spots around St. Louis is this latest creation.....There is a lot more there and it looks like even more to come.

Three things......

2009-05-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

The first thing is that I found this yesterday......

I was just killing some time skating random things and did a little driving around behind some obvious buildings. I first spotted the facing banks then I noticed that someone had added a bit of quick crete to one of the banks. It was fun....

The second thing is that this weekend is the annual slalom race in Tower Grove park. Go here for info....http://www.ncdsa.com/contest_registration.asp?ContestID=427

This isn't from Tower Grove but it is John Harms....

Tight slalom at the Texas Sizzler, March 29, 2009
Photo: Eddy Martinez

And the last thing which is probably old news by now, the Mills indoor park is being reopened by Plan Nine skate shop. It's been closed for four years now if I remember right. They'll have it open June 19th just in time for "Go Skateboarding Day". You can get the info on their website. I'll see you there over the winter......plan-nine.net.

Oh, and I can't figure out how to make those links to....link, so just copy and paste...you know how.

The whole Hermann's Hole Story....

2009-04-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

When the skateparks of the 70’s started closing down in the 80’s the solution was to build halfpipes in backyards across America. But now that we are into the end of the first decade of the 21st century a new version of the back yard ramp has come into being: the purpose-built concrete bowl for skating. It might look like a pool but it’s never had water in it for swimming. This is of course a more West Coast trend than any place else but here in the Show Me state one skater with a lot of help has created a place he calls Hermann’s Hole.

The force behind the creation of Hermann’s Hole is JP. He got his first skateboard for his tenth birthday from his dad in 1986 and, until a move to Phoenix at age 19, it was just transportation or something to do. But after the move and being followed out by his friend Deaf Brian (deafskateboards.com) he met up with the Cow Town crew and it was on, skating 24/7. JP said at that point he was “Busing tables for money and breaking myself off for fun. I learned to film, travel, and a whole lot more stuff college would not learn me. I moved back and forth here and there for a while always skateboarding and being reckless”.

After he landed in San Diego for a while, he watched the start of Washington St grow from a small hip and rail to what JP calls the “best skate park in the world”. It was during this time in San Diego that JP also made it up and down the West Coast visiting every piece of concrete park he could find including the now famous homegrown Burnside. All the while he was there he had a mini ramp in the backyard just two blocks from the ocean. I think this is what is often referred to as living the dream. It was during this process of living the dream that he conjured the idea of building his own concrete bowl after being inspired by a bit of traveling to “Cholos bowls in Hawaii, SK8Goa in India, Cuatros Casas in
Mexico, and Zarosh's Place in northern California…I'd have to say
those four and Washington Street SD are my key inspirations for Hermann's Hole.”

In October of 2005 he left San Diego because as JP puts it, “I always felt like I was sitting talking about it but not actually doing it in California. The norm for most of us oppressed skateboarders hiding in the shadows huh”?

JP landed back in St. Louis for a brief time until he decided he was “Off to skate the world! India to build some concrete skateables the hard way, Germany to skate with Grobowski at Minus-Ramps, England shredding with the Death Team and the Wada Pirates. After a while of that I came back and got a job with California Skate parks. Built a bowl in Greenbelt, Maryland in 2007, skated FDR, and the Green Lab bowl in D.C. I came home again and dabbled in DIY stuff around St. Louis with Deaf Brian and Soup but we always got harassed by the cops. That’s when I decided to stop my skate travels for a while and concentrate on building something Missouri needs!!”

At first JP said he was just going for a “mini ramp then it turned into hand poured half pipe with parking block coping”. But after deciding he had the money and crew to do it the plans changed and it became “Hermann’s Hole.” Since it was started last spring he has since added decks and the beginning of a flow bowl with some street obstacles. JP said, in the future “hopefully with the help of some STL and Midwest skaters, we can make a crazy race track go 360. Then some landscape later, and along the way I’id like the place to be in natural surroundings, but on and around the ‘crete it’s gonna be a grand work of art—a monument for Missouri bowl skaters.”

JP would like to thank a few of the people that made up the crew. “Chris and
Michelle, Deaf Brian, Soup, Pat, Terry, Kyle, Mute Weddle, Hollie, Dega,
and anyone else who helped... It wouldn't be possible without ya!!”

There will be a one year anniversary weekend party/camp out May 8th through the 10th. See the flyer for info, it should be one rad weekend.

Hermann's Hole part 1 "The Awakening" from Hermann's Hole on Vimeo.

More photos and contact available at http://www.myspace.com/jpmonkey or click on the flyer at the top of the story.

Old Men Sunday Morning Skate Club

2009-02-22T21:50:00.000-08:00

My friends Scott and Joe have put together a Sunday morning "Old Man" skate session. Here's what they have to say about it, "It does what it says on the tin. Old men go skateboarding on Sunday Mornings. At Sylvan Springs skatepark (near Jefferson Barracks) for starters, may expand, may not. Old men are unpredictable. While it's cold, we don't get there until 9am or so, but it will get earlier as spring approaches.

Oh yeah, even though the name is sexist, on the off chance that there are old women skateboarders interested...."And here's one when Scott was a little less "old man"....

Welcome to Skate Louis.... 2009-02-07T18:40:00.000-08:00 A couple of years ago the phrase "Skate Louis" popped into my head and I had one of those moments of "how did I not think of this before". Not long after I had that thought I had the first batch of Skate Louis shirts printed up and ready to sell out my car. People seemed to dig them so I had more done the next year which has now led me to this website. The point of the site as I explained in the "about" section is to help link up the scene in St. Louis. Eventually I'll have a forum on here but until then send any comments, photos or videos and if I dig them I'll post them in the blog for the time being. In the near future I will be adding new T-Shirt designs for sale through the site. The Skate Louis shirts are now available at FiFi's on Delmar. Otherwise feel free to order one through the site using the handy dandy Pay Pal. Or of course you can always get one from me if you see me out and about. That's all I have for now. It's been a great two days of warm weather which happened the day after the site went on-line. Hmmm, it was dismissed as a coincidence. Speaking of warm weather here's a video my brother put together of us from Go Skateboarding Everyday 2008..... First Skate Louis blog..... 2009-02-05T22:17:00.000-08:00 Hi, and thanks for checking out the Skate Louis site. I'm very stoked to finally have this up and running. I have to thank Jim Harper and Mike Pringle for putting this together for me. I think it turned out great. So yeah, first blog.......