74
cisco to enter the very first streetstyle contest
in Golden Gate Park. I slapped down my entry
fee and proceeded to take some practice runs.
Every time I hit one of the curbs it moved
around, throwing me way off and bumming me
out. I shined entering because of that, bad
curbs mean a bad time in my book.
Contest promoters must hate curbs. They're
heavy, hard to transport and they get knocked
all over the course because they're so tough
to anchor. Besides, kids don't want to see curbs,
they want to see air. So what are the promoters
to do? Exactly what they're doing, PVC...the
pasteurized curb. PVC is lightweight, easy to
transport and cheap. It's too bad, though,
because curbs deserve a lot more respect.
TYPES
Most of the curb skaters I've talked to prefer
your basic square curb, un-painted, about six
inches tall. Others go for your slanted, painted
variety. There are so many different types of
curbs-Cement, asphalt, wood and steel-a
dedicated destroyer will never grow bored. Add
in the selection of curb shapes-square,
slanted, 5-sided, platform, rail and curved-
and you're looking at a virtual curb cornucopia.
On the ground or on top of banks, any combina-
tion can pop up anywhere, anytime.
The Montague Banks had slanted curbs flush
with the top of the bank that extended the en-
tire length, uninterrupted, on both sides. Any
other type of curb wouldn't have worked at Mon-
tague. Square curbs would have had a jarring
effect, while 5-sided ones would have made the
place inconsistent. Ironically, it is 5-sided curbs
that prevent skating at Montague today.
Other curbed bank havens such as the Cof-
fin Banks in Sacramento and HP Banks in Santa
Clara, CA, are sessioned minimally due to their
curb placement, which is about four inches from
the lip of the bank. Dedicated Sacramento
locals have installed wooden shims on top of
the Coffin banks from lip to curb. Ingenuity
breeds shredability, as they say.
PAINT
Curbs are painted to let auto pilots know if
they can park by them or not. In most cases,
paint makes the curb slicker than normal. This
makes for some fast sliding and grinding, but
painted curbs do have their drawbacks. For one,
you don't have all the control you have on non-
painted curbs. Secondly, almost anyone can
slide or grind a slick, painted curb, but what hap-
pens when they go skate a non-painted one?
After a while, everyone has to shed their train-
ing wheels.
When the Scurbs started getting sessioned
for the first time, they were so sticky. But after
dozens of sessions, dozens of hard-core slams,
and dozens upon dozens of Variflex rails, the
place was finally tamed. All it took was patience
You can also doctor your curb. Fiberglass resin
is an excellent filler for large cracks. Rubbing
wax on the curb makes it slippery, sooner.
TECHNIQUE
ATTACK, DESTROY, ANNIHILATE, FLAT-
OUT SPEED... Now that you're familiar with
curb history and composition, put the above
words in your head. The next step is to grab
your board. It doesn't matter if you ride a big
deck or a freestyle board, whatever you're com-
fy with will do. When we began curb skating,
all these fools tried to tell us to get a "street"
deck and that "big boards don't work in the
street." That's just a load of bull. The trick to
skating curbs is to treat them just as you would
the lip of a pool or ramp. It's another edge that's
just begging to be slapped and slid into sub-
mission. Push hard, get aggro and save your
finesse for something else. This ain't no dance
contest.
Just like any other part of skateboarding, you
have to start with the basics: rock 'n' roll sliders,
50-50's and footplant variations. The worst thing
you can do is a trick that involves no board, truck
or wheel contact with the curb. Streetplants?
Get real, dude. Eventually, your most rewarding
curb maneuvers will be executed at speed. If
you're a newcomer to this brand of assault,
think aggressively, but take time and learn the
basics first. Soon you'll be on your way to noisy,
gnarly, spark spittin' curb sessions.
So, the next time you're bored out of your
mind and there's no vert in town or no street
ramps due to the last tornado or whatever, go
slap some curbs. You might-I mean, you
will-have a great time.
Micke Reyes crushes both sides with a high
speed 50/50 crossover.
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