In this first episode of the Seismic Eurotour Video Series, Seismic Team riders Rafa Garrido, Javier Tato, and Aleix Gallimo drove from Castell de Castells in Valencia (Spain) to Almabtrieb, Germany, for the first race of the 2013 Eurotour. Despite a few misadventures on the road, they managed to get to the race on time – but not without first learning a lesson in auto mechanics!
Follow the next episodes in the Seismic Eurotour Video Series on the Seismic Youtube Channel.
Ever complained about the snow harshing your gnar? Snow doesn’t phase Dre “Grizzly” Nubine one bit as he tears down a Colorado mountain pass at speeds in excess of 50mph — with a little help from Seismic’s top-secret new speed/freeride urethane formula. Bright white to match the weather conditions!
Mischo Erban has been pioneering longboarding since man of you were in grade school! This guy is a true racer and has shown it with countless podiums on the world circuit and even a few titles worthy of boasting. This is a flashback to his 2011 season where he won the IGSA World Championship Title in Brazil.
From MIscho…
“Still hanging in by tooth and nail the, 2011 season was another to remember! I was becoming more tuned into my skateboard setup and confidence and perseverance paid off with the World Champion Title being seized on my most favorite track in Teutonia, Brazil!
Big Thanks to Fred Baumann, Ronin Trucks, GMR Skateboards, Dan Gesmer at Seismic, Xtreme Board Shop Glendora, Knucklenuts and Crocan for the video edit!”
Check out Javier Tato’s sick edit from the Velefique Freeride 2012!
Seismic team rider Javier Tato recently attended a downhill gathering in Velefique, a small town in the southern Spanish province of Almeria. Six kilometers (3.7 miles) of smooth asphalt, technical corners, and fast straights made for an amazing course!
Full raw run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwMxX7hWiow
Artist/Song: Kind Dub – Atlanta braves VS Waka Flocka VS Ludacris Remix
Not only did this guy help host the event, but he also destroyed the competition! 261.8 miles in 24 hours! No easy task, but this guy pulled it off making him the new world record holder for most miles skated in 24 hours! Check out this killer interview from Seismic rider Brandon DesJarlais…
Brandon DesJarlais: To start off, what was your set up and why did you choose it? What advantage do you think this gave you over the competition?
Andy Andras: I’m a Team rider for Subsonic Skateboards so my set up of course starts of with a Subsonic GT40 longboard. It’s a drop down and drop through deck that Scott Moore- owner of Subsonic, foam cored specially for me with the Ultra-Skate in mind. This deck rides quite low and is extremely light for its size that helps tremendously in distance push and is my “go to” deck for a long distance event. I mount this GT40 with Buzzed trucks. Buzzed lightweight precisions truck keeps my set up low to the ground for a minimal step-down on my push. My Buzzed trucks get the finishing touch of Riptide bushings, cubby’s board side and barrels roadside it give it a responsive but stable feel. I like to tie this all in with Seismic 85mm Speedvent wheels and 10mm Seismic Tekton bearings, which go together smoother than peanut butter and jelly. Seismic Speedvent have been tried and true for me in all my distance push endeavors and I find the 85mm the perfect size. 10 mm bearings is my little secret touch I use for pushing distance. I feel the sustained roll of the ceramic 10mm Tekton bearings is superb.
I have logged many miles and been in many push races with this exact set up. I believe the advantage of this set up comes not only by the science behind the light deck and trucks or great rebound of the thane on the bushing and wheels, but also in being confortable on your set up and having complete and utter confidence that what your riding works perfectly for you. It needs to feel just like an extension of your body. When you have everything dialed in like that, you just feel like you have a little edge on the rest.
Brandon: At what point was the most mentally straining part of the whole 24 hours?
Andy: Funny enough, you would think the hardest part of this race is the latter part of the 24 hours, and I definitely not saying it isn’t, but actually the biggest mistake most make is going to fast early on in the race. So a big mental part is staying on your pace earl in the race no matter how many times your completion is lapping you in the beginning. Racing at your pace and speed is a big key to success later on when the going gets tough.
Brandon: Did you ever have any doubts about achieving your goal?
Andy: 24 hours is a long time on a skateboard, and while you push for that long lots of thoughts go through your mind. You have ups and downs constantly. That’s what makes this race so hard, it’s not just physically demanding, but it tests you mentally as well, it will test your soul! You will be confronted with lots of trials and tribulations in though out the event. But staying true to the personal goal you set and keeping a persistent mentality will see you through it.
Brandon: A F***ING WORLD RECORD!… What next?? Any big plans for this season? Disneyland?
Andy: Ha-ha, Yeah I had my eye on this record for a while, I always felt I am best built for the long-haul races. I don’t have the top end speed like some of the greats in this sport, but I found that the longer the race goes the more the scales tip in my favor.
Just excited to look ahead to some of the next events this year has to offer such as the Chief Ladiga/Silver comet Sk8 Challenge. I really enjoy the company, commodore and completion the other distance skaters bring to each event. Hanging with riders form all parts of this country and other country’s is as fun as the push itself.
Brandon: Any words of advice for going the distance?
Andy: Get a solid game plan together. Training, pace, nutrition. IF you don’t have these things dialed in, a long distance competition will expose you real quick my friends.
Check out 2013 team rider, Troy Fairbanks, tearing up the streets of Lakewood, CO on Seismic 75mm Landslides (blue 83A) and Seismic 70mm Bootlegs (blue 84A).
Deck: Abomination board
Trucks: Surf Rodz
Song: Un4givable
Artist: Blackwell
Filmed: Peter Greco, Jordan Cieluch, Colton Dombroski and Kyler Sanford
Edited: Troy Fairbanks
Camera: Canon T2i
Lens: 18-135mm and Sigma 10-20 and Opteka Slider
Other Sponsors: Riptide, Abomination and BOARDlife
Check out new team rider, Brandon DesJarlais, trying out 73mm Elixir Speed Vents and Ceramic Tektons for the first time on the damp streets of Salem, Oregon.
Artist: Kind Dub
Song: Good Morning Sexy
http://soundcloud.com/kinddub/
Check out Seismic team riders breaking in Elixir 69mm Hot Spots, 76mm Hot Spots and 73mm Speed Vents. Our new Elixir wheels are made in a race shape performance mold and combined with our Elixir freeride formula (same urethane formula used in our slide wheels 70mm Bootlegs and 75mm Landslides).
Seismic Team Riders: Shaquille James – 73mm Speed Vents, Dre Nubine – 76mm Hot Spots, Devon Reece – 69mm Hot Spots, Brian Lugbill – 69mm Hot Spots, Troy Fairbanks – 69mm Hot Spots.
Tomorrow, Oct. Friday 18, Blue Sky Longboards will be holding a push race on the streets of New Jersey, the Blue Sky Mile Challenge.
This is the first year that this event is happening and the guys organizing it have been trying their best to make it one of a kind for a couple different reasons:
1. A bracket will be used to place the fastest skaters together in one final heat.
2. The prize purse will be split evenly between the men and women.
3. Great for spectators! And, the racers who didn’t make the finals will get to see the most exciting part of the event – the first place finish!
The biggest and most exciting difference at this event is the racing format. The day will begin with practice and qualifying. During this time racers are free to skate as much as you like. Once you are ready to qualify (you only get one, so be ready) you will collect your timing chip, skate a mile as fast as you can, then return the timing chip to the finish to get your time. Qualifying times will be available in real time on a monitor in the in field.
You can find more information about it here: Blue Sky Mile Challenge . There is no registration day and the registration closes toonight at midnight. You can register here:
Same day, same event, James Soladay will attempt the Guiness World Record“Longest one wheel manual on a skateboard“. The current for the longest one wheel manual (wheelie) on skateboard on flat surface is 68.54 m (224 ft 10 in) and was achieved by Stefan Akesson (Sweden) at the Gallerian Shopping Centre, Stockholm, Sweden, on 2 November 2007.
James will be riding on Seismic Wheels and Seismic Bearings on this attempt to break the Guiness Workd record. Here you can check a couple of videos of him doing a manual and one wheel manual, enjoy and good luck James!!
We went to BBDH two weeks ago. We had a lot of fun and we are glad to see how much is growing year after year. We love to see big events like this in Colorado. We took some pictures and made a video. Check it out!!
Check out more images of BBDH 2012 on our Seismic Skate Facebook page! If you participated and you can’t find a picture of yourself, write us a message because we might have a picture of you!
Check out this gnarlylicious video of Buffalo Bill Downhill 2012!
Seismic’s Colorado flow rider Josh Mallin, is bustin’ flips on Red 80A Bootleg 70mm and on a Camber Kick Seismic Prototype Board in this clip to Jacob’s Better Stick Arround Me (Throwback) tune.
Videography and editing: Javier Tato
Animations and second videography: Laura Frade
Produced: Seismic Skate Systems
Music: Jacob – Better Stick Around Me (Throwback)
http://soundcloud.com/jbgib711
If you want to know a little bit more about Josh check out his bio:
https://www.seismicskate.com/team_flow_josh?url=team_flow_josh
The Buffalo Bill Downhill Longboard Race returns to Lookout Mountain in Golden, CO this Saturday and Sunday, September 29-30, 2012.
Four of our Colorado team riders will be participating this weekend and we want to share their set ups, tips and expectations for this race. Even though it’s their first time to race at BBDH, it’s definitely not their first time on this racecourse. They know Look Out Mountain like the back of their hands:
Yo. I’m Dre Grizzly, I think. I’m a RADo rider and like all RADo riders. Around this time, I’m getting prepped and ready for BBDH. My set up consists of 76mm 80a Hotspots, Landyatchz 9two5, and 45° Grizzly precision trucks. With this being my first BBDH, I’m rocking this set up because it’s comfortable and I know the course like the back of my hand. I’m rocking the 76mm 80a Hotspots for simply roll speed, grip and slide. If you’ve ever been on a set Hotspots (which I’m sure you have), you know that these three characteristics are all packed into this wheel. The course isn’t super hard. A few fast turns, a few hairpins, speeds range from 40-45. ADVICE FOR NEW RIDERS: KICK OUT AHEAD OF COOP AND STAY AHEAD OF COOP!!! Joking. Coop’s a rad guy so make sure you introduce yourself to him. Have fun and kick it pagan-style for a few days.
Brian Lugbill from Seismic here. I’m rocking a 39″ proto Seismic single-kick deck on 180mm Gunmetal trucks with Seismic Speed Vents 73mm Red 81A (Elixir Freeride Formula) for the technical course. BBDH is a truly classic hill that is long and technical enough to allow for passes to be made on the way to the bottom. My only tip would be to have fun, and stay alert in the heavy packs that are sure to come on freeride runs.
Captain Reece here. For my first experience racing Buffalo Bill Downhill Bloodspill this year I’m going to be rocking blue 77mm/80a Speed Vents. The Buffalo Bill course is a hometown favorite, and the top roll speed capabilities will be awesome for the first half of the track, which includes a couple easy corners amongst some straightaways. While super fun, it isn’t the fastest hill around, so I have a feeling that bigger wheel speed will help quite a bit. The second half of the course is nice and technical with four hairpins. The 80a durometer breaks into a sweet, controllable drift after a couple of break-in slides, and the EC core utilized in these wheels will offer a quick acceleration coming out of corners. The 77mm Speed Vents are going to feel sick!!!
The name is Shaquille, but you can call me Shaq Daddy;) This will be my first time racing and I’ll be rocking some 76mm blue Hotspots, Tekton Bearings, Arbor 38 Vugenhauen, Ronin Trucks and a really cool foot stop that my friend made for me. I dig the 76mm Hotspots because they are fast, grippy and have a very nice slide. Plus for a bigger wheel they have awesome exit speed out of Colorado styled hairpins. BBDH is a dope course that brings a little of everything to the table. Skate fast, skate safe.
BBDH 2012 SCHEDULE:
Saturday, September 29, 2012
7:00 – 7:30 Volunteers Meetings (Staging Area)
7:30 – 3:00 Open Practice (Vols & Racers)
3:00 – 3:30 Grudge Matgch Helicopter Redeption Finals
3:30 – 6:00 Open Practice
Sunday, September 30, 2012
7:00 – 7:30 Vol Meetings (Staging Area)
7:30 – 9:00 Open Practice
9:00 RACING BEGINS
* Awards on Hill after the Racing
ADDITIONAL INFO:
– All Racers, spectators and volunteers access hill from I-70 Exit 256
– All parking along road south of actual closure
– Be prepared to walk from car (bring water, food, extra clothes, etc)
– No Parking in museum Lot
– No volunteer or spectator parking inside Closure
Seismic Flow Rider Lamin Cassama laminates the narrow woodland streets of Sweden with his Red 69mm 80a Hot Spots and Blue 70mm 84a Bootlegs. With the combination of Elixir™ freeride urethane, Tekton bearings, and style for miles, the “Laminator” offers a new level of steeze to the sport. Enjoy the free-ride!
This year’s Adrenalina Skateboard Marathon is featured in streets of San Diego. This is a first of it’s kind battle of fitness, endurance and actions sports!
The Adrenalina Skateboard Marathon is a 26.2 mile longboard race that consists of multiple laps around around Fiesta Island in Mission Bay, with the top winners sharing$5,000, in addition to product giveaways from the greatest and latest in the long skate industry. This is a course designed to showcase different cities around the world, this year it will be show casing San Diego as it did showcase in 2011 the cities of New York City, Caguas, Plano, and Hallandale Beach.
Committed to not only fitness and endurance, the Adrenalina Skateboard Marathon will also support the community. A portion of each registration fee will be donated to Champion Sports Academy (CSA), a youth educational sports training program developed by the San Diego Hall of Champions to provide a diverse curriculum of life and leadership skills to the San Diego community.
You can still register for the race following this link. You can find all the information and news about the race on their website or follow them on Facebook for all the updates about the race!
Seismic flow rider Brian Lugbill coats the streets of Boulder, CO, with yellow 79a urethane ripped from his 75mm Landslides. From bustin’ 100ft (30m) slides to tearing 58mph (93kph) downhill, Lugbill shows just how versatile the Landslides can be. This freeriding speed demon is also rockin’ Seismic Tekton bearings and a Seismic rocker-kick topmount carbon prototype. Brand new Seismic deck line, coming soon! For more Seismic Skate videos, please check out: http://www.youtube.com/user/seismicchannel?feature=results_main
Seismic rider Dre Nubine shows deadly style on 70mm Bootlegs, 73mm Speed Vents, and Tekton bearings. Dre puts his own spin on things with a low, rubbery, effortless approach. P.S. We call him “Sweet Knees” because they’re so scabby!
Seismic Skate Systems is proud to present its 2012 Team!
Matt Rosborg (USA) rowing, sliding, and spinning on blue Bootlegs
Josh Mallin (USA) bustin’ flips on red Bootlegs
Javier Tato (Spain) speeding and sliding on 73mm Speed Vents
Shaquille James (USA) bombing hills on 76mm Hot Spots (Elixir freeride formula)
Dre Nubine (USA) 360-sliding on blue Bootlegs
Lamin Cassama (Sweden) wheelie on red Bootlegs and stair jump on 76mm Hot Spots
Brian Lugbill (USA) long heelside standie on yellow Landslides
Check out Seismic flow riders meltin’ pavement all over Madrid. AND TURN YOUR EARS to the sound of “In the Whale”. The band started underground in Greeley, Colorado then moved to Denver shortly after to be a part of the growing music scene.
A little bit about the band:
“…Our music tends to explore the sleazier side of life… the creepy guy in the bar eyeballing the pretty girl, the televangelist who tells you he can save you from the lake of fire, that one uncle you have with the gun collection. We hope to convey a sort of mixture of passion, aggression, and fun with our live show, and we like to think we do a damn good job at it, thank you very much…” – In the Whale
Check out Team Rider Javier Tato sliding down the streets of Madrid on the 75mm Landslide wheels from Seismic. The Landslides are poured on the Elixir urethane from Seismic. The first urethane designed for modern day freeriding.
Seismic Skate is proud to sponsor Skateventure South America:
This is a 2500-kilometer human-powered, carboNZero™-certified journey, starting near Machu Picchu (Peru) and finishing in the spectacular Patagonia region of Chile.
On December 11, 2011, native Kiwis Troy, Alan, and Guy began their longboarding journey, which they hope will inspire others to experience life and travel on an environmentally-sustainable basis.
Check out Team Rider Javier Tato riding Downhill on a sick Spanish Road on Seismic Hot Spot wheels. Hot Spot are poured in Seismic’s fastest urethane formula, BlackOps formula.
Check this out! Great gear review written in Australia on our 75mm Landslide Wheels:
“The responsiveness and consistent slide blew me away, I don’t know if I’ve been out of the freeride loop or just been riding race wheels for too long, but I was so impressed with the freeride ability of these wheels straight off the shelf.
The Landslide is a very similar sized wheel to the purple Durian, that I’ve always been a fan of but these have just a little wider contact patch. Hands down the wheels did seem to drift a little too much but I’m sure its just my technique. After a solid session behind the Hopshop, I started hitting the toe sides hard, feeling free to get it sideways knowing that it was always going to come back with no trouble. The result was my first pendy style standup toeside! Stoked on a new slide in the bag, I got Maga to start taking photos and the ripping continued. After I threw on some Durians for a straight up comparison, the result was shocking, the Durians needed more time to work in and definitely harder to… (Read more… Seismic Landslide Freeride Wheel Review)”
All in a day’s work… On Sunday July 3, Seismic wheels and bearings took 2nd place in Men’s Open Downhill at the Maryhill Festival of Speed (Tim Del Rosario), took 3rd place in the Junior Downhill at Maryhill (Austin Joseph Nicassio), and also 3rd in Street Luge (Christian Conaway). Congrats to all!
After Maryhill, we had a chance to catch up with Austin Joseph Nicassio and find out how our 76 mm Purple Hot Spots performed throughout the event:
“The best thing for me was their acceleration in and out of turns, the performance core complimented the outstanding rebound of the black opps urethane that created the exit speeds necessary for racing and advancing on the Maryhill Loops Road. Along with the core helping exit speeds, it also kept my wheel lips stronger which allowed me to have a more firm yet smaller contact patch and intern still offer more grip for more nimble and faster racing lines than my opponents.”
Seismic Skate Systems will be one of the lead sponsors for the 7th Annual Vernon Downhill IGSA North American Championships!
The 7th annual Vernon Downhill is also the IGSA North American Championships for the third consecutive year in 2011. Vernon, BC is the place to be June 11-12 to see the best downhill skateboarders in North America battling it out for the championship.
Taking place in the residential neighborhood of Middleton Mountain in Vernon, BC, the race is unique by running through a residential neighborhood. Extremely kind and co-operative residents have allowed us to have this unique experience of racing down their local streets.
Track Facts
Course Length: 1.2 km (.8 mi)
Top Speed:
Qualifying Records
Downhill Skateboard: 55.094 Kevin Riemer (2010)
Street Luge: 57.846 Kolby Parks (2010)
Classic Luge: 1:02.125 Kolby Parks (2010)Previous Winners Downhill Skateboard Winners 2010 Kevin Riemer, CAN
2009 Mischo Erban, CAN
2008 Thomas Edstrand, CANWomen’s Downhill Skateboard Winners 2010 Brianne Davies, CAN
2009 Brianne Davies, CAN
2008 Haven Anderson, CAN
Junior 1 Downhill Skateboard Winners 2010 Quinn Dubois, CAN
Junior 2 Downhill Skateboard Winners
2010 Alex Tongue, USA
2009 Spencer Smith, USA
2008 Spencer Smith, USA
Street Luge Winners 2010 William Condon, CAN
2009 William Condon, CAN
Check out this Rad video from Team riders Stephan Reinhardt, Mark Riley, Nick Delgado, and Nate Ryan hit the streets of Boulder, Colorado on their longboards to test the prototype Seismic 75mm double-radius wheels in the new Seismic freeride formula. Stephan even got a chance to ride a prototype Seismic 36-inch double kick!
These wheels allow you to do really smooth and consistent slides. They are really controllable and they will easily allow you to pull out standies. They also leave thick thane lines.
These wheels are poured in Seismic’s Elixir Urethane. A formula designed specifically for modern freeride. Coming out soon, stay tunned!!!
The bearing behind the Official IGSA Downhill Speed World Record!
Boulder, CO – After more than two years in development, Seismic is proud to unveil the patent-pending Tekton™ bearing – the bearing behind the Official IGSA Downhill Speed World Record. (Click here to witness the awesome feat on YouTube.)
Said 2009 World Cup Champion Mischo Erban, who set the new record of 80.83mph last fall, “Tekton bearings roll fast, hold alignment better and stay cleaner, longer. It’s that simple!”
“The difference is the wide flange at the ends of the integrated half-spacers,” said Seismic founder/owner Dan Gesmer. “The big, flat contact surfaces square up, co-align and self-stabilize inside your wheels.”
“Once coupled, the Tektons literally block themselves from sitting or rocking out of alignment, so they stay straighter than any other bearing system ever,” Gesmer added. “Your wheels roll faster with better control, while the bearings last longer and stay quieter!”
According to Neil Sload of Focus Supply, one of the world’s leading suppliers of bearings to top pro skateboard brands, “The Seismic Tekton is by far the most technical skateboard bearing I’ve ever seen produced.”
“It wasn’t easy to find a bearing factory capable of manufacturing this design,” Gesmer continued. “The integral flanged half-spacers need to be custom-machined, not just cut from a stock steel tube.”
Tektons should not be confused with bearings that have their inner races stretched on one side to form a simple half-spacer. Sometimes called “industrial” bearings, these have been used in pre-assembled skateboards since the 1970s, and more recently for racing, but they’re still vulnerable to misalignment.
The diameter of the Tektons’ flanged contact surfaces is up to 35% larger compared to bearings coupled with floating spacers, and up to 23% larger compared to bearings with stretched inner races. This translates to exponentially better correction for flaws in bearing seat levelness, bearing seat spacing, axle diameter and axle straightness.
“I have total confidence in their ability to push extreme speeds – 80mph and beyond!” said Erban.
Tekton bearings, rated at ABEC-7, are precisely dimensioned to provide superior alignment safeguards in all modern high-performance skateboard wheels. Features include steel balls, nylon retainers, black outer casing, removable rubber-coated steel seals with printed graphic, and a proprietary lubricant combining both oil and grease.
The inner race is stepped underneath the seal to resist contamination, and it’s stepped between the bearing and the flange to save weight. (A set of Tektons weighs the same as a set of conventional bearings with simple floating spacers.) On the side opposite the flange, the inner race extends 0.5mm to form a thin integrated washer.
Like all Seismic wheels, trucks, and decks, Tekton bearings are available from finer skate stores and online at www.seismicskate.com. No bearing spacers, axle washers, or World Record budgets required.
For further information, contact info@seismicskate.com. Stay tuned this year for more startling innovations in trucks, boards and wheels from Seismic!
The last day of September, on a secret, two-lane county road in northern Colorado, downhill skateboarder Mischo Erban was clocked bombing a hill at 80.83 mph, the highest recorded speed on a skateboard in history.
The news and corresponding YouTube video spread like poison ivy among the downhill community but made little impact beyond — a fitting response for a sport that, in cases like this, can best be compared to drag racing.
Erban, 27, the reigning World Cup downhill champion, was aided by three visual spotters who used hand signals (not radios) to warn of a car driving uphill and thus alert Erban to stay in his lane on the twisting mountain course, which started at 8,000 feet and dropped 670 feet in a mile. Its average grade, 12.7 percent, was steeper than most Tour de France climbs.
“The stars really did align with how this road was built,” allowed Erban, though he wouldn’t disclose its specific location. “It’s like a marble countertop; perfect for what we do.”
Erban hit 80.83 mph on his 19th of 20 runs, clocked by a Tag Heuer timing system known as a “speed trap” that he borrowed from the president of the International Gravity Sports Association. The system measured Erban’s time between two photo cells 100 feet apart, then converted that to a speed more precise than those recorded by GPS units or radar guns.
The world governing body had a representative in attendance, Gary Fluitt, and recognized Erban’s speed as a new world record. Whether Guinness will is still in question.
Initially, Erban — who flew from his home in Vernon, British Columbia, to bomb the hill — took some heat from local downhillers who were angry he didn’t alert them of his runs in advance. So he declined to pursue the Guinness distinction. He also wasn’t sure what he needed to do to get it.
But according to Guinness spokeswoman Sara Wilcox, Erban’s timing system and witnesses meet the standards required for a world record. When notified of this Tuesday, Erban said he’d submit a claim to Guinness after all. The current record is held by Brazilian Douglas da Silva, who was clocked more than 10 mph slower (70.21 mph) in October 2007.
Erban already makes an unlikely world record holder. Born in Prague, he lived there until he was 2, when his parents fled “the strict control of communism,” he said. “There wasn’t much freedom.” They settled in British Columbia and Erban now lives halfway up the twisting road to Silver Star Mountain Resort.
He won his first downhill race in 2005, two years after he picked up the sport. Now, at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, he competes on a World Cup circuit that stops in 10 countries. “People fear him on a race course,” IGSA president Marcus Rietema said.
Even among top racers, downhill skateboarding still operates largely underground. Take the secret site in Colorado: A few years back, some locals bombed it and posted on the Internet speeds in the mid-to-upper 70s (mph), much faster than the official world record. As Erban tells it, one of those locals soon asked some pros if they’d like to come run the hill, and its reputation grew.
Erban got his first shot last year (or the year before; he can’t recall), recording a speed of 74.5 mph but narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with a police car that pulled out of a vacant parking lot. The cop turned into the uphill lane as Erban blew by in the downhill lane, causing the incensed officer to U-turn and chase Erban to his stopping point.
“He said if he caught us idiots again he’d charge us with reckless endangerment,” recalled Erban, who once splatted onto the pavement at 57 mph.
Undeterred, Erban returned in September to do some test runs with his sponsor, Boulder, Colo.-based Seismic Wheels, in front of eight people. After whizzing through the speed trap on his 40 ½-inch, self-designed GMR board, he’d stand up from his tuck and hold out his arms for four-tenths of a mile on flat asphalt, eventually stepping off at a near stop.
The day wasn’t without a close call, however. Not long after Erban set the record, a cop showed up. “He’d gotten the call about us earlier in the day but he was busy with something else,” Erban said. “We got lucky.”
Asked what it feels like to go that fast on a skateboard, Erban replied: “It’s surreal. I know I’m in control the whole way, so you have, like, this calm; and you also have this raw power pushing you down the hill at 80 mph. But it’s so smooth that you could be thinking about what you’re going to have for lunch.”