Puddy Tat Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Ok this is my new summer carve filler. I started hanging out with a group of guys 9who know how to ride bowls) about 5 weeks ago and riding down tiny ramps. As of last weekend I'd graduated to rolling in on 5' transitions and carving around in a bowl to the point where I am 5' up the walls. I even managed to roll out of the bowl after riding around in it a bit. The surfy carvey feeling is incredible. Last weekend I came around a corner frontside and then was riding across the wall and thinking I was about to fall backwards into the bowl when I hit the next corner and felt the pump and the g's of taking the corner hold me up. What a crazy rush. Seriously enjoyable. Still trying to get kickturns on transition walls and drop-ins before I can call myself even remotely competent. Dave Anyone else doing this for a summer fix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Haven't been in a bowl for a couple of years but been doing it since the 70s. Glad to hear you're enjoying it. Lately I've been hanging out on a facebook group called "Skaters Over 50", lots of pics and videos old and new. Most of the guys my age skated when riding pools was the Big Thing, so it's a lot of info on transitions, not so much with the flippy popsicle stick stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted June 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Thanks Neil. I'll check it out. I'm not quite qualifying for the group yet. But just about. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted June 19, 2014 Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Not everyone is over 50. I think "older skater" is pretty much good enough. Unfortunately I qualified a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkoonyMcGroomer Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 (edited) Keeping this thread alive with some bowl riding pics from earlier this year. 54 and still grinding. Edited June 24, 2016 by SkoonyMcGroomer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Futahaguro Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 54?? Nice! I'm 39 and haven't skated since the late 80's but at least I can look forward to skating like you when my daughter grows up:) She is 8 months at the moment and I hope to get her into skating/snowboarding:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Nice pics! I don't have anything recent but here's a vid I took on my 50th birthday, 4 years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkoonyMcGroomer Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Love to see guys our age still working the vert. Teaching my kids to skate was how I got back in to it... and that this skate park was built only a half mile from my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted November 22, 2015 Report Share Posted November 22, 2015 The surfy carvey feeling is incredible. Last weekend I came around a corner frontside and then was riding across the wall and thinking I was about to fall backwards into the bowl when I hit the next corner and felt the pump and the g's of taking the corner hold me up. What a crazy rush. Seriously enjoyable. Still trying to get kickturns on transition walls and drop-ins before I can call myself even remotely competent. If you carve the wall rather than kickturn you can carry a lot more speed, increasing that crazy rush. Loosen your trucks, put in softer bushings, a bit at a time (let you ankles adjust) and this will be a lot easier. For me, a longer wheelbase makes this even more enjoyable. Have not done this in at least a year for fear of screwing up my knee. I'm feeling the pull though. Teaching my kids to skate was how I got back in to it... Yup, me too. Start them early! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkoonyMcGroomer Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Yeah, there was a time when I would banter with my son about who is a better skater... not so much anymore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 24, 2015 Report Share Posted November 24, 2015 Great shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Brammer aka PSR Posted February 19, 2016 Report Share Posted February 19, 2016 Neil, what I learned really early on was 'quick kick turns', IE, 'tic-tacs', which meant that when I got into a curved tranny that (or, big hill, for that matter) required sudden turn/angle adjustments, I'd toss in a a light kick-turn [or several] to re-adjust my line. Kinda goes with riding those FAT Sims Comp wheels, me-thinks, you had to turn 'em Or Lift 'em! Sliding wasn't an option. Anyhow, what I practiced (after seeing both Mike Weed and Steve Cathey do this in, um, '76 or so) was kickturning in full circles at speed, both ways, until I could actually accelerate up to the point of grip (this with Road Rider 4's!) around the 'perimeter loop' on a basketball court. I'd forgotten about this until last year when the twins both started kickturning around on small ramps. JR (my boy) can now, using only tic-tacs to gain speed, go about 4' up any ramp, and Journey can romp 3' up if she's on her Fibreflex KT Bowlrider (Trackers and Turner wheels), and can even tic-tac my 44" Comet and gain speed! Kickturns for speed control are key! Anyhow, the ability to change directional angle quickly by mini-kick-turn has let me dial in many spots where tranny's and coping arcs didn't quite mesh (White Room Hotel Pool in Mesa, AZ, comes to mind, as does the underpass in Portland), but it hampered my willingness to pop ollies in a few notable spots (I stayed close to the coping, vs. letting it just GO, up). Cherry Hill in NJ was one of those spots (in the deep end of the big bowl) where my "lil" kickturn ability paid off, as I'd roll up, put the board (Kryptonics, p-tex bottom foam core) into a diagonal 'Rock+Roll', slide it, on the base mid-rock, then quickly kickturn it out to save my a$$. Salida's (COLO) mini-bowl (shallow end) is another spot where being able to bring the front around that extra few rotations paid off (really quick tranny, but open coping curve) mid-grind. One wheelers are the best way to grind there, just don't loiter in the grindage... Of course, I don't run 'slidey' or really hard wheels. I've got 97A Powells, and then 95A Alvas, and it goes Softer from there. 92A Krypto Pro's are my 'comfort zone', and they only slide under Court Order, and then only for a few micro-seconds. With wheel shapes, I've stayed true to conical back edges in pools, as getting hung-up just Hurts these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkoonyMcGroomer Posted June 22, 2016 Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 Representing the Older Kids at Go Skate Day 2016. Love the sound of clicking tiles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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