skateornot.com .:. since two-thousand four

Creature’s Stu Graham is Scottish.

Three BIG Skate Footwear brands are following the trendy bandwagon of boycotting ASR and hosting offisite “Open Houses” and other events to pull buyers away from one central location, thus making it harder for them to do their job efficiently.

From the Gravis rep, “Arto Saari brings this weird portable finish sauna thing with him to skate spots. He stretches out in it and warms up before he skates.” Dylan Rieder, who’s gone from NikeSB to Vans to now Gravis, apparently skates in these shoes:

Note: It’s really hard to find Dylan Rieder on the new Gravis skate site. Why is this?

I think I’m going to see if Patrick O’Dell wants to do an interview.

I’m fascinated with Re-Issued decks. Why not? They’re readily available for you to buy without fighting it out with several people (sometimes several hundred people) on Ebay and Craigslist. You’re probably older now, and you have some part of your house that you can hang some old boards on. Am I right? Why hang a board on your wall that has no personal sentimental value to you that you purchased on Ebay? Sure it’s an original, but it’s been skated by someone other than you! Just buy it NEW and start that collection fresh. It will still have sentimental value if you skated in the era that you bought the board from, right?

Below are some Re-Issued Powell decks that are no doubt classics. From the Ray Barbee to the Caballero to the Bones Ripper. Get ‘em while they’re hot.

Maybe you’re a filmer? Maybe you’re a T-Dog who likes bowls? Better yet, maybe you just like soft wheels and make no apologies about it? If you’re any of these, then the Almost Modern Softie is for you. These wheels are street legal at 54mm, so they’re not super big and cumbersome. They also come in a 78a durometer so they’re truly soft. I got hooked up with a pair of these from Dwindle Distribution and I’m thoroughly stoked on them. The Northwest is notoriously known for super rough, gnarly streets and sidewalks so to have a second board with soft wheels like these is a must. You can get a pair by clicking on the image below.

The past few seasons, Fallen Footwear has put out a shoe so similar to the Chukka Low that you’d be crazy not to see the similarities. Big toe box, vulcanized sole, no logo splat on the side all contribute to the Forte’s almost blatant copy of Vans Chukka Low. The one subtle difference? Vans has five eyelets and Fallen’s Jamie Thomas Forte only has four.

I have to say though that I like the simplicity of Fallen’s Forte. Of their whole Spring 2009 offering, I believe the Forte is the model that sets the brand apart from it’s past. Below is a picture I snapped of the yellow Forte from Fallen’s Spring 2009 line at a recent private viewing. Do I like it - YES. Is it a Vans - NO. Who cares. It’s a great looking shoe at an awesome price. Retails just for a few dollars under $54 (The Chukka Low Price).

I recently looked at Podium Distribution’s Spring 2009 line. For those who know, Podium represents Matix Clothing, DVS Shoes and Apparel, and Lakai Shoes and Apparel. After looking at the line, which I was super stoked on as always, I was given a stack of DVS’ new promo DVD for their Original Intent shoe line. Original Intent is their “higher end” shoe line if you will, made exclusively for non-mall shops. Anyway…

Not sure why there hasn’t been much discussion about this video - but - I do know that Torey Pudwill is my new favorite skateboarder. I mean, are you kidding me? This kid’s been the poster child for Matix Clothing and DVS for a minute now and we’ve seen him in few flicks like Skate More and Shorty’s How to Go Pro. However, baby boy Pudwill is all grown up now and dare I say, his skateboarding closely resembles that of Mike Mo. Click on the image below to be taken to his part in Dudes Dudes Dudes.

From Skatedaily.Net:

Relive the 80s this Saturday in San Francisco with a Jump Ramp comp/jam. 80s attire highly encouraged.

Last month evo hosted the Second Annual Skate Inside Your Store Contest. This year’s event was a Wedge to Planter Challenge that consisted of a giant wedge ramp, a small deck on top, and a two-tiered planter box setup with real plants.

Sponsors Included: BFC, enjoi, Manik Skateboards, Nike 6.0, Skull Candy, and Ally Video.