The Best Thing To Ever Happen to Longboarding

Start Line Chaos at the Halloween Parkade Race in Van 2013 – Photo Credit to Olivier Bashonga

         It is quite easy to argue in circles about what’s the best. To claim the best of anything is usually short sighted and lacking in context. For example, what is the best invention? There are many inventions with colossal impacts on our quality of life. How do you measure the good resulted in the use of one machine verse another? What if one machine was a prerequisite to another? So then, what could possibly be the best thing to ever happen to longboarding? Its simple, clear, and unarguable and the context is a hair shy of universal: Garages.  Imagine the straight face, even tone, and cold but honest stare of morgan freeman — garages are simply the best occurrence to ever benefit this sport (longboarding) in any way shape or form.

Dan Herzog of Boz Boards hangin ten          Photo Credit: Jonathan Nuss

        The pampered downhill or freeride longdecker may think, “awwww, but garages totally suck. They are not long or fast enough for my sensitive skate palate. Where is the mountain breeze and scenic landscape? Besides, they are not challenging enough. I must practice for my upcoming bout of competitive ass chasing by tucking and staring at a wall. And, well, if I can’t pull a three digit flatspotting slide, it is just not gnarly enough.” Screw you, shut up and listen. (thats right, I just shut down a hypothetical position I made up, what of it?) The rock that downhill skateboarding was built on was at least 50% garage ruble and the rest was skate parks, chunks of signal hill and some pieces left over from the devils toy. Don’t know what those are? Get googleing, you have homework.

Legendary Skate Invader John Park         Photo Credit: Jonathan Nuss

            For the sake of argument, one could make a strong case for the invention reverse kingpin truck. Where would longboarding be if Randals never came about? Reverse kingpin truck may have helped us turn, or go fast, or whatever, I can’t even tell you why its better for longboarding than a traditional kingpin. No one knows and fewer care. It has never mattered what you ride. If it did, skateboarding would have stopped at metal wheels. Those suck. Garages are what let a landlocked kid, with no cash or car, to go down something with their friends on skateboard and then get taken to the top by an elevator (all for free, and even with metal wheels). That sounds simple, and it is, but its also very special. One must learn how to corner slowly before they can corner fast. With a garage, anyone has that opportunity to advance. And I mean everyone. Only a few can afford a lift ticket (or have parents that can), but trespassing is free forever and always.

Ian Hussel getting his tuck on in leathers. . . . Photo Credit Olivier Bashonga

            Just as dead standing tree’s harbor some of the most rich habitat space in an old growth forest, garages foster some of the most community in longboarding (theres some nature for all you pot smokin hippies out there). The garages themselves are merely vessels for crews to form and begin establishing their own tradition and local skate culture. Every major city in Canada and in the US has garages, and hence a regular garage session. Just because you don’t know about the one in your city just means you haven’t found it yet.

Toronto’s Old School Night Shred (OSNS) at Devils-Ass-Crack     Photo Credit: Jonathan Nuss

        Local garages sessions have all the accoutrement of any well-rounded culture. There are legends about the founders, but there is never one specific leader, although those with experience and a sense of direction often guide. Garage sessions are self sufficient, and do not require any sponsorship or corporate backing to sustain themselves. There is diversity in almost all regards, even in the garage designs themselves. There is a wide range of ages, political opinions, styles and backgrounds. But unlike some cultures, this one run on pure raucous fun, and allow anyone to enter at their own pace, in their own way. That may sound very airy-fairy, and optimistically inclusive, but it is the over competitiveness that stunts the creativity and growth in this sport. If you have been to a garage session, you understand how casual it is. It is that relaxed environment that is so conducive uninhibited skate-and-create mentalities.

Skate like a Ninja, not like a Pirate.

            But garaging is more than just a cheap and accessible way for people to have fun in an environment that is designed to convince them to pay for entertainment. Skating garages is an incredibly effective way to introduce the skater who traditionally just skated from A to B, to the fact that they can completely reinvigorate the possibilities of their environment with a skateboard. Garages become playgrounds; now prepare for the cheesiest statement of all: and a road becomes a canvas, and your wheels, a brush. It hurt a little to type that.

Photo Credit: Jonathan NussPatrick Switzer surfing some ass-fault          Photo Credit: Jonathan Nuss

        But this is all just fancy rhetoric. Shit I threw together using an education in BS. Lets look at some of the AMAZING riders that arose from the dirty halls of garages. Patrick Switzer is my favorite example. Unfortunately he was born in a very flat place called Hannover Ontario. I’ve been there, its super god dam flat. You can watch you dog runaway for weeks. But by the time he was in late teens and early twenties he was running (and winning) the Underground Race League. Almost all of the OG downhillers of Ontario have stories about the URL. Almost all of the OG races of BC have stories of their garages too. Because garages are what helped many of the racers of today find the stepping stones between a casual commuter on a board, to a DH enthusiast. The internet can only take you so far, and its likely to misguide you or land you in a creepy man’s van. Getting to know a garage crew will open worlds of skating opportunity.

See what I mean? This is Patrick Switzer in toronto 2007

        If you are part of the industry, than support garage sessions in any way you can. They increase participation, which is more than you could ever ask for. If you are getting into longboaring, start attending your local garage session. If you can’t find it, look, they aren’t all that hard to find. Or start your own! If you are one of those unspoken leaders of garage sessions that makes sure they aren’t baited out and newbie’s find their way. Thank you, I love you. If you are a longboarder that read this and thought “Man, I never really skated garages, what is this babble?” Than speak up, I have never met anyone like you.

        Finally, if you are now a well known and sponkered skater, or joe shmoe with a soggy pintail, and this resonates with you, if it offends, please leave your thoughts and reactions in the comments section bellow.

NoBull Longboard Team gets MAD props for their huge garage event. Epic success:

shamelessly ripped off of facebook 🙂 

Montreal has severly shitty winters, but a super hearty garage scene. Here is a group photo from the FFA Winter Outlaw, held in a wicked spiral garage. Mad Kudos to Free For All Skateshop for sponsoring such a sweet event.

Photo Credit: Olivier Seguin Leduc