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PRODUCT
PATROL
by Jake Phelps
Every once in a while I get a crav.
ing to take a slalom board out at night
and do some cruising. It's one of the
best feelings because there are no
tricks or head trips, just you, the road
and the bullet under your feet. Well,
right when I was thinking about it.
Santa Cruz made me an offer I could
not refuse. Included in their usual
shipment of equipment was the new,
complete graphite loaded slalom ma-
chine. That night I left my problems,
job, cares and worries at home and
went out to cleanse my soul.
Skating is so trick-oriented now
that the basic body motion of gyrating
on a board is almost a lost art. Those
of you out there who know the feel-
ing of finding a long smooth stretch
of pavement and hauling ass down
it without pushing know what I mean.
Santa Cruz has been making slalom
boards for well over ten years, and
while I am sure they don't sell as
many slalom boards as they sell
"signature models," the slalom sticks
are of the same excellent quality.
Slalom boards generally have what
is called "camber flex." That means
they have a hump running from nose
to tail. Camber springs back when
you press into it, thus making it
easier to gyrate. This baby came with
Independent 101s and 92A Hosoi
Rockets, and let me tell you, it was
eye-watering fast. This particular
model measures 28" long, 8" wide,
IM
HIEBAUD
with 1% of tail, a 2" nose and an
ever sc stable 19" wheelbase.
The components are very import
ant to a slalom board set-up because
you can't have wide trucks and hard
wheels. You may have to do some
specialty shopping to get the parts
that are ideal for you. I recommend
softer wheels (92 to 95) because the
pavement varies so much, and
smaller trucks (99s or 101s) for less
wheel bite. Those are all the
necessities; add a little guts and
you're in there. You may not be able
to find a slalom board in your local
shop but you can write to a company
for prices and availability. Hey, don't
knock it till you try it.
Two of Santa Cruz's side opera
tions sent in their decks also; the
Sergie Ventura from Team Hosoi and
the Jim Thiebaud from Santa Monica
Airlines. The Ventura is a well
packaged plank with a good combo
of looks and function. It features a
semi-square nose and a smooth-
edged tail area with a nice, evenly
distributed concave. While the SMA
decks feature the Santa Cruz con-
cave, Team Hosoi blanks tend to have
more of a camber design from nose
to tail. Sergie's stick measures 31"
long, 10% wide, with 6½" of tail, a
4" nose and a 15%" wheelbase.
The Thiebaud, when seen from
the side, looks like it has the same
concave as the Grosso that I told you
about a couple months ago. When
I look at these decks I ask myself,
"How the heck do they bend them
like that?" Jim's top feels a little on
the small side, but with its tri pointed
nose and slight double kick it is easy
to see that this deck will withstand
some serious street poundage. The
measurements are 30%" long, 10"
wide, with a 6½" tail, 3½" of nose
(not much) and the same 15½"
wheelbase. For info on all three
decks write to Santa Cruz, 4401
Soquel Dr, Soquel, CA 95073.
As promised, I checked into the
Walker line and found the Scary
Monster deck. At first glance you can
tell that it is a big boat with plenty of
room for those size 12's. Walker's
concave is not the deepest or the
most, it is just an evenly tapered front
leading back to a semi-steeptail (with
double kick) that makes it work. The
numbers are 31% by 10% with a
7" tail, 3% of nose and, you guess-
ed it, a 15½" wheelbase. Also wor-
thy of mention: the fact that Walker's
graphics are some of the weirdest I
have ever seen. Take a look for
yourself, but don't show your mom.
Walker Skateboards, 150 Woodland
Ave., Cocoa Beach, FL 32931.
Slight trinket news from Kinetic
Entities: the Skate Strap is for those
of us who don't drive but depend on
a bicycle for transportation to the
local spot. The Skate Strap is a
looped nylon strap (one loop for each
truck) that functions as an over the
shoulder skateboard holder. Hey. I
use one and it works.
Well, that's all folks. Some night
when the air is brisk go to the top of
your local hill, take a deep breath,
and go a little faster than the last
time. Write to: Jake Phelps, clo
THRASHER, PO Box 884570, San
Francisco, CA 94188-4570.
97