LAS CRUCE
the deser
The recently cleaned reservoir at the tip of the ditch (spread) slowly filled with
skaters and spectators. Heavy as a howitzer, deep as a mine, Milky Fly (opposite
top fuse punk, metal and DJ styles. A tall wood carving of Dineh (opposite bottom)
representing all Native Americans. The few (below), the proud, the downhill crew.
34 Тнельне
the enchanted land of New Mexico, sleek and
smooth drainage channels are carved in the earth to
control the raging forces of desert nature. When
these refined concrete ditches aren't buried beneath
mud, dirt or water, they are powerful benefactors to
skaters who flow with liquid speed.
The cream of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is a banked run known simply as "The Ditch" A shaker named
Beaker had a dream of a no-hassle contest where tech mongers and carve hounds could cruise it togethe
er. He sent out the cry for a ditch-flavored street contest asking "Who Still Skates?" Utilizing natural
resources like family and friends, Beaker peppered the event with obstacles, burritos and pure chile.
A session was already brewing on a cloudy Saturday afternoon as the obstacles started to arrive-a
quarter pipe, a fridge, three parking blocks, a pallet, a file cabinet, a bench, and a footlocker from
White Sands Air Force Base. Girls, gawkers and onlookers soon surrounded the concrete arena and a
Story and photos by
Brian Brannon