Skate season is in full swing and the parks are open and events are happening all over the City. I kicked things off with a new setup. My Girl deck was inspired by the groundbreaking video from Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Jackass), Fully Flared. The intro above is just a taste of the style and beauty of this work.

The video was four years in the making, and is not suprising, considering the amount of footage and dangerous work. The intro ends with a “Switch Napalm Flip”, followed by a staircase being blown up with napalm. The soundtrack is equally impressive, complimenting the different skaters’ personalities. Here’s the list by skater/feature:

Intro: M83 “Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun”
Mike Mo Capaldi: Arcade Fire “No Cars Go”
Anthony Pappalardo: Bad Brains “Don’t Bother Me”

Jesus Fernandez: Calexico “Alone Again Or”
The Royal Family: The Charlatans “The Only One I Know”
The French Connection #1: David Bowie “I Wish You Would”

The French Connection #2: Mannie Fresh “Real Big”

Cairo Foster: The Flaming Lips “The W.A.N.D.”

Jeff Lenoce, Scott Johnston, Rob Welsh: The D.O.C. “Lend Me An Ear”

Alex Olson stress: Hot Butter “Popcorn”

Alex Olson: King Diamond “One Down Two To Go”

Rick Howard: Echo & The Bunnymen “The Cutter”

Mike Carroll #1: Judas Priest “Riding On The Wind”

Mike Carroll #2: Three 6 Mafia “Triple Six Club House”

Brandon Biebel: Young Jeezy “I Love It”
Eric Koston #1: Public Enemy “Night Of The Living Baseheads”

Eric Koston #2: Public Enemy “Harder Than You Think”

Guy Mariano #1: Band Of Horses “The Funeral”

Guy Mariano #2: Band Of Horses “Is There A Ghost”

Marc Johnson #1: Q Lazzarus “Goodbye Horses”

Marc Johnson #2: Fischerspooner “All We Are”

Marc Johnson #3: She Wants Revenge “Us”

Credits #1: Unkle ‘Heaven”

Credits #2: Franz Ferdinand “All My Friends”

Full video (poor quality) here.

For skateboarding, I’ve always stayed away from Nike’s and gone with the more “core” skate shoes, like Emerica or Etnies. But it’s hard to ignore impact the giant is having on the skateboarding industry. They revamped the staple ‘Dunk’ with a thicker tongue and elastic straps, an ollie guard, and more cushioning to create the Dunk SB. They do have other styles, but the Dunk remains the most popular. It transcends other skateboarding shoes and creates a cult classic with its limited supply and varation in colorways. Some of the colors make my stomach turn, but Nike did one thing right: SB’s are only available at participating skate shops. KCDC in Williamsburg is one local place or check out online shops, like Active Mail Order. I’m not ready to get on the wagon just yet, but these dunks with the plush pink lining look perfect for that cold weather session.

I was finally able to make it up to the Highbridge Park Mountain Bike Trails this past weekend. In May of this year, the Parks Department teamed up with the NYC MTB Association and built the first-ever mountain bike trails in NYC, including a full dirt jump park.

The 6-miles of trails are mostly single-track cross-country and provide pretty challenging terrain. If you’ve been up near Fort Tryon Park, you know how hilly Manhattan can be.

The park has two sets of jumps, one small and one big, as well as several speed bumps and a couple of berms. The jumps are well-built and the kickers are shaped for big air (steep). My only gripe is that the sets are too close together. But keeping these jumps in good condition in an urban environment must be a challenge. Kudos to the crew who build and maintain them.

The vibe is laid back from little kids on BMX just fooling around to guys on 26-inch dirt jump bikes doing table-tops and 360s. So grab your mountain bike or borrow your friend’s old BMX and check it out.

A nice, short video from opening day here.

American Gladiators is back! NBC announced the return of the late-80s, early 90s show. In fact, you can try out to be a gladiator this month. I loved watching this as a kid, but fear that the modern version won’t have the same cheese that made it so good. I mean, where are you going to find a guy like Malibu?!

This week’s clip comes from one of my favorite skate videos, Yeah Right! It has some pretty innovative filming techniques from director Spike Jonze, like this magic board scene. You may know Jonze best for his killer music videos from Beastie Boys to Bjork, or for his film work in directing Being John Malkovich and Adaptation (yeah, he did Jackass too).

Jonze has also been making some noise lately with his filming of the children’s book, Where the Wild Thing’s Are. I loved this book and can’t deny that I’m excited for it’s 2008 debut. The movie will star Paul Dano from Little Miss Sunshine and voice cameos from the likes of Forest Whitaker. They are currently filming but if it’s anything like Jonze’s other work, you can expect some modern cinematography and an amazing soundtrack. Sneek still shot from the film here.

On my recent post for Go Skateboarding Day, I said that the “skateboarding is not a crime” days are nearly over. Well, apparently that’s not the case in Smalltown USA. Check out this disturbing video of an out of control cop using excessive force on four teenagers. It’s almost too much to watch as he manhandles one of the girls in a choke hold for doing nothing. After half-a-million views on youtube and public outcry, the local police department has put the cop on suspended leave (with pay).

I guess I’ve been jaded by the NYC cops who never give a rats ass since they have bigger fish to fry. It’s always the security officers with nothing better to do that lose their cool, like this homeland security cop in San Francisco.

Not only is tomorrow the Summer Solstice, but it’s Go Skateboarding Day! Cities and towns around the world will hold fundraisers, contests, protests, demo’s, all in celebration of the pure exhilaration, creativity, and spirit of skateboarding. The NYC event draws hundreds of boarders who take over the city streets, starting at the Brooklyn Banks (12PM) and stopping for a few sessions under the Manhattan Bridge, Tompkins Square Park, before ending at KCDC skateshop in Williamsburg. Tons of free gear will be given out and free food and drinks will be waiting at KCDC. The party continues late into the night at Kush in the LES.

Since I started eight years ago, things have changed and skateboarding has become more widely accepted. The “skateboarding is not a crime” days are nearly over with 12 million skateboarding in the US alone. And with the rise of Gen-X and Y extreme sports, people see skateboarders more like true athletes. In fact, there is talk of including it as an official sport of the 2012 Olympics.

So get out there and support your local skateboarder. If anything stop by one of the spots and check some sessions. There should be some excellent photo ops.

UPDATE: I only took a few shots, but skatespotter has a ton of festive pics here.

A new segment of the 5-mile long Hudson River Park is under construction and part of the design includes a new concrete skatepark. The segment, called the Chelsea Cove, is located between Piers 62-64 and will feature a large central lawn along with gardens, winding paths, and a carousel.

With the recent closing of the Chelsea Piers skatepark, skaters have been packing into the temporary park at 30th street and up at Riverside Park. And with 12 million skaters in 2005, NYC is finally catching up to the rest of the country and providing quality skateparks.

Chelsea Cove is scheduled to open in 2009. No details on the skatepark yet or who will be designing it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if local legend Andy Kessler is involved.

I love the after-school-special feel and the 60s surfer tunes. Barefoot with clay wheels…far out!

I’m still feeling the pain from 10 hours of skating this weekend. But how could I leave a quality built skate park just a few minutes from my apartment? This past Saturday, the relocated Hudson River Skatepark unofficially opened (Ernesto delayed the prior opening) and skaters from all over came out to test the waters. Even legendary Tony Alva was there ripping it up along with Fruit of the Vine directors/skaters, Coan Nichols and Rick Charnowsky.

The park definitely lives up to the hype with new lines abound in the bowl and mini ramp. The former kidney bowl now drops into a 10-foot section. The mini ramp is also a blast with the new spine-to-wall section and multi-level construction. The street course has little to brag about with no rails, but the big drop-in gives you enough speed to ollie over both sets, which is pretty fun. The park is located right next to the Heliport and the choppers are deafening, but I’ll have to admit, when they come in and the propellers hit the water, the mist sprays all over the park and it makes it all worth it. More pictures after the jump…