I used to think hard goods and construction techniques were the reasons behind the excelling of the physical act of skateboarding but board construction and shoe designs don’t appear to have made massive changes for several years now.
However, watching modern skate videos I do feel the methods employed to render ledges skateable has had a strong effect on the tricks we see done. Spots are unlocked snd skaters have the time to set up or shift about, far more than in previous decades.
Maybe I’m digging for good waxing stories..?
These are the sort of threads you get from me when I’m off the na beers and self chatisisibg over watching traitors episodes. @nav will have a field day when he wakes up tomorrow morning…
I think this is a spot on observation. I look back at late 1980s and early 1990s videos, and a key theme seems to be discovery. It’s like skaters have just worked out what you can achieve skating street architecture and there’s this explosion of creativity. Everything is NBD, everything is up for grabs.
Now, in contrast, new spots seem to be at a premium. Architecture is more hostile and cities more commercialised/privatised. Skaters have got to get inventive, so more grate popping, bondoing, and brick rubbing. All those DIY skills learnt in guerrilla builds now taken to the streets more broadly.
Although not sure skating is at its zenith. Undeniably someone like Nyjah or Foy is peak skateboarding. But a lot of the younger skaters skate in a very flowy, intuitive way which sort of ignores out and out stuntman shit. They’re not bothered about jumping on the biggest handrails, but have a more unique, expressive style to their skating. Less Joe Hinson and more Bear Myles.
I think kids/younger skaters give less of a shit about ‘pro skating’ these days and therefore don’t aspire to get good like that any more. What’s the point really?
I don’t care what anyone says, rollerblading helped push skateboarding forward. Those fuckers put a layer of plastic and wax on ledges and it helped a lot. They ruined every flatbar but I don’t fuck with that anyway
Scooter-er-ers just don’t have the same waxing skillset
Went to a red bull demo about a year or so ago and the one thing that stood out to me was the shameless amount of waxing that Felipe and a few others undertook on some of the ledges at the park.
Also, at the risk of sounding like a grom… in 30 years of skating I’ve never once used “skate wax”, always the cheapest candles I could find or buy… is branded wax actually noticeable better or different?
Yeah, actual skate wax is harder and creates a slicker surface, whereas candle wax can be slippier but then end up clagging with dirt and end up getting mushy. I just used candles for about twenty years but now I’m an active advocate of proper wax.
As a grom it was random candles I could find, bars of soap and that one special occassion when I bought some Sex Wax which smelled amazing, but after one particularly how and sweaty skate session , it melted in my pocket and almost ruined a favourite pair of shorts.
The rub brick and lacquer spray is also manadatory for unlocking certain ledges. Wax alone won’t do it. The only person I remember using those BITD (and getting clowned for it by the younger generation) was Salba.
The ikea tea lights are really good in conjunction with proper skate wax. Base layer skate wax to get into the cracks and bumps and even the surface out, then Ikea tea light on top for extra slick slide
I’m still on the same block of wax I bought about 15 years ago. I dont really use it much. Even on the iciest ledge my front tails still stick - need to get good I guess.
More to do with the texture of the ground than anything.
I’ve noticed over the past 10 years that there’s been a shift to skating more obstacles with rough run-ups or roll-outs
TBF, I think it’s got a lot to do with the rise of Lisbon as a skate destination, given how in so many spots over there use those mosaic-style rocks for the pavement which don’t roll smoothly like in Macba or Parallel.
