FIND IT. SKATE IT
WINTER LIFE IN THE WINDY CITY
Photos by Chris Anderson
S
UMMERTIME IS GREAT IN CHICAGO
because you really feel the city come alive.
People are pleasant, with an attitude and aura of
romance. Humidity makes everything move in
slow motion. You bathe in your own sweat for the
entirety of the daylight hours. At the end of it all, you
retire to bed with no less than two fans rattling and
pounding that same thick, moist air onto you. Then fall
arrives, with the scent of burning leaves filling the sub-
urbs. The trees shed their layer of orange and brown
foliage on to the pavement, and your wheels slip and
slide while your front truck becomes a mini cow-
catcher, scooping up the rotting compost which lies in
your path. If these are the days, then what of winter?
Winter, that darkest of dark seasons. The romance of
the city has taken a back seat to hatred. Hatred of the
bitter cold, hatred of seeing your breath every time you
exhale, of the omnipresent grey sky, nearly forgetting
that there is a sun. Your toes go numb within the first
three pushes, while your bushings are frozen to within
half of their previous turning ability. The freezing cold
air allows you to notice the abundance of pollution
constantly being emitted from auto commuters and
buses. Snow turns black on the sides of the roads, as
does the hope of sidewalks ever being skateable again.
Chicago is called the Windy City. Every time you
step outside during those winter months, you are
painfully reminded why. Sitting in your house, watching
videos and looking at the flicks in the mags, you're
bombarded with images of kids in sweat-soaked t-
shirts. Your brain reflects back on all that you love
about skateboarding. What you'd give to feel that vibra-
tion in your feet while your wheels roll through a rough
section of asphalt. Your mind scans through the list of
tricks you'd do, if only... You start cataloging all of the
new spots you've found, spots now covered in snow.
But come that first thaw...
You've got the itch. There's a voice inside your head
repeating the words of El Gato: "Gotta skate, gotta
skate." Now is the time for action. No more sitting by
Secret shit
70 THRASHER
Besides hosting the tallest building in North America, Chicago
also has Mark Capadanno and his whoppin' desk lipslides.
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