Left: Mark Winkler peppers the Salt Lake Pool. Below: Ramp drying
session. Tile style by Andy Brewer.
BREEDING GROUNDS
FRAST
Salt
Lales City
park was getting the permits cleared and
of course, the insurance. She says that
as word spreads about the bowl, out of
state skaters are starting to check in.
After a day spent roasting on the beach,
where it's so hot you practically have to
sit in the 80° water to keep your cool, it
was time leave. On the way out of town,
Reg took us on the scenic tour past bas-
ketball great Michael Jordan's boyhood
home before sliding into the airport with
minutes to spare. A vow was made to
return in the fall when temperatures are
more skateable and conducive to outdoor
and midday streetstyling (which we didn't
get a chance to check). If you find your-
self lost on the East Coast, head for the
Lost Coast, and don't forget your skate.
fter the hype and circum-
stance of the NSA street
54 THRADER MAGAZINE
events inside Blaisdell arena had died
down, it was skating as usual for the
Oahu crew. The center of activity for
awhile now has been Hickam Air Force
Base with a hanger full of vert ramps and
minis. Nile Zacherie, Al Tod, Stacy
Ramistal, Kale Sandridge, Sergio, Eduar-
do and Eugene were sticking it to the ply.
We stole a US Air Force helicopter and
made a fly-over of the hot spots. First, we
hovered above the old Castle Park
amusement complex which is being torn
down for a new mall out by Aloha stadi-
um. Sergio Bolioli and the Bad Okole
crew were hard at work sessioning the
dust bowl and the bumper' bowl. Chris
Porter, Robert Jo Jo and Holo were tear-
ing the place apart more than the bulldoz-
ers ever would. We then buzzed the east
side of the island and found the metal
mini-ramp at Kailua. Little Tasha Bankitt
was working out on the lip. There's anoth-
er metal structure on the south side at
Kalakaua and a third one is supposedly
under construction. A summer camp at
the Mokuleia YMCA was just finishing it's
last session using the mini ramp and
street obstacles from the NSA. It was
reported over the radio that ramps are
growing like flowers in backyards all over
the islands. On the way back to Hickam
we circled several ditches like Zones and
Wallos that were almost lost during the
New Year's floods of 89. Now they are
thriving again and the cops have let up
the pressure, for now.
น
tah is located in the heart of
the Rockies between Nevada
and Colorado. Most people think of Utah
as a ski state, but there are some really
hardcore skate and snowboard rats. With
Above: Michael Donavan whips it around in one of Oz's many
public cement skategrounds. Right: You want crowd-pleasing
ramp action? You got it, mate!
Australia
locals like Brad Smith, Andy Brewer and
mini-ramp ripper Ben Pellegrino setting
the pace for the rest of the rising skaters
in the valley. The Utah skaters are
blessed with long, smooth street runs that
drop off from the base of the Wasatch
Mountain and flow through the city giving
skaters rides up to three miles long, filled
with driveways, curbs and numerous
obstacles.
M
ost street skaters prefer the
University of Utah shuttle
runs. A shuttle bus picks you
up at the bottom of a nice long run and
drops you off at the top, rested and ready
to book downhill. The university has
some regulations that skaters must fol-
low: no speeding, and the skateboard
cannot leave the ground. Try telling that
to the ollie gang. The area is also blessed
with the Fifth Street ramp, which offers
year-round skating. Even when the ramp.
is covered with snow, the Utah diehards
use many method for snow removal. Fifth
Street, which offers the best vert, is locat-
ed north of Salt Lake in Ogden. Back in
the "big city," the rise of skateboarding is
evident. When the snow blankets the
streets, most skaters head to Classic
Rollerskating Rink for the winter skate
jams.
The Utah authorities never did like
skaters and probably never will but
thanks to Brad Smith and his constant
efforts many skate parks are now on the
rise in Utah. Utah has a lot to offer but it
still remains hidden. The past year Utah
saw lots of skate jams with many top pros
stoked on the turn-out and fans cheering
their every move.
Overall, Utah can be summarized as a
skate ski town that has a lot to offer for
outsiders. Where else can you snow-
board the worlds' greatest powder and
long street runs within fifteen minutes of
each other?
F
or the last three years our editor,
KT. has been taking off for the
vast skate terrain and coastlines of Aus-
tralia. The occasion is usually the annual
Hardcore Ramp Riot in Melbourne. If you
can make the trip this summer (Novem-
ber 10th in Melbourne), you'll feel right at
home with many top US pros as they tear
up the Prahran ramp. Enjoy public
cement everywhere with no limits and no
rules. You want ramps? They got ramps.
Surf? The best. Girls? AAwwhhooo!
Food? Well, bring your own hot sauce.
Needless to say, if you you want to
expand your horizons, the land of Oz is
about as far as you can go.
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