Sequence; Croft.
THE DEVIL'S PIT
Twisting high speed longboard lippers up, over
and all the way out, these three sequential like
photos show the uninhibited style of Pacifica
local Chris 'Rooster Oosterbaan as he
repeatedly attacks the edge at the Devil's Pit.
A legendary Nor-Cal spot the 'Devil's Pit'
Pit' is definitely first generation all the way.
Built way back in 1930, this gnarly oval
shaped reservoir has long since ceased
functioning as a runoff water storage in the
coastal hills south of San Francisco. When
clay turned to urethane back in '75 the
local surf/skate crew took it upon them-
selves to dredge the long standing slime
that had accumulated. What they found
was a rough troweled, but skateworthy
cement surface. At first the skaters were
timid, cautious with their lines. But, as the
carves got higher and faster the approach
became bolder with every run.
If the waves weren't happening, a
session at the 'Pit' usually was. Pretty soon
it became an obsession with some to
challenge the rough and unforgiving bowl
that certainly seemed to have been
shaped with skateboarding in mind.
In time, due to the discovery of other
skatespots and skateparks and the
subsequent lack of attention on the pit, the
bowl once again became partially filled
with the leaves from the high eucalyptus
trees that surround it. Mix with rain runoff,
a larvae breeding sewage once again
formed in the reservoir. The bowf became
a memory of some fun sessions at a
classic spot; for a while.
Pit master, Chris Cook, guides his blade fully two feet out onto the dirt during a frontside rollout. KT Photo.
Today, the 'Pit has been reclaimed by
the new kids, a standard case of "when
there's no place to skate, innovate!" A new
breed of power skater is now climbing the
trail to session in the totally shaded bowl.
Aided by new wheel formulas and the
same instinct for gettin' radical that pushed
their predecessors, the current locals are
shredding parts of the pit that hadn't even
been touched the first time around.
Still talked about sessions from the past
were definitely heavy for the day; but, only
now is the pit being skated to it's fullest
potential. Massive speed carves, needed
for continuous gyration, are being pushed
out onto the dirt surrounding the lip. Roll in
ramps have been added in strategic
locations to boost the force of the assault.
Regardless of whether other places turn
up or it is destroyed by whatever means,
the 'Pit' will always be remembered by the
generations of skaters that received their
bank riding credentials there.
KT
Perfect pipes. Intense, awesome, radical,
dangerous, mysterious and rare are a few words
that describe Pipe Skating. The chance to ride a
cylinder comes up only occasionally, if at all, in
the life of a skater. These small but workable 14"
sections turned up off the Great Highway in San
Francisco long enough for a few adventurous
skaters to take a chance, Tommy Guerrero
pumps the radius for what it's worth. Photo:
Bryce Kanights.
GOVER
PROPERT
ESPASSING
Angry Ron Schneider abuses the limitations of "The Spot" with an
aggressive backside lapover grind. Photo: Jim Schwartz.
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