FRESH TRACKS
FRANKFURT, GERMANY
SHOECOUSA TORERO
RAILSLIDER
D
hartt
Park designer Frank Garcia-Hirata throws down a kickflip frontside flip for ferret liberation.
5
RAILSL
Where: Frankfurt, Germany.
What: Indoor über-park called Skate Halle.
Good: More wood than a Brazilian rainforest.
Bad: Intimidating, too many lines even for Chris Senn.
Pads?: If the vert dogs want some.
Locals: Tech-dog big guns.
Crash-Up Derby Factor: Mad-dog Euro scenesters make it 5 out of 10.
Directions: Fly to Germany, then ask at the local skate shop. You'll
never find it on your own.
Overall: This shit rips. 8 out of 10.
VISTA, CA
Where: Vista, CA, a community northeast of San Diego.
What: Designed, in part, by Frank Garcia-Hirata, the Vista park features mellow bowls
with metal coping, hips, flatbars, ledges, rails, quarterpipes, and a pyramid.
Good: Smooth surface, fun hips, pyramid easy for tricks, both metal and concrete lips,
speed lines very possible. Unsupervised and free.
Bad: Bowls are almost too mellow (no Smith grinds), coping is soft and doesn't stick
out much, steep quarterpipes have no decks, handrail is hard to get to because of stairs
on one end of the piece, insufficient deck space at starting points, ledge on tabletop is
end
too low. Most important: too small for the amount of people who want to skate there.
Pads?: Full pads required, but so far not enforced.
Locals: 5%
: 5% sponsored or pro, 25% street dogs, 25% slash dogs, 25% beginners, 20%
inlines, longboard goofs, BMXers, high school kids looking hard, and little girls running
around screaming.
Crash-Up Derby Factor: 6 out of 10 before school gets out, 9 out of 10 after.
Directions: From the 5 freeway, take the 78 East to Vista. Exit on Escondido Ave and
go left. Take a right on Eucalyptus. Park in the huge dirt lot, not at the library.
Overall: 7.5 out of 10 (but easily the best concrete park in Southern California).