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He might be going when it's empty.
If you're looking for some inspiration here at some 'older' youtube skaters in their 40s.
Ben Jaeger Thomas (started at 40)
Skating 4 Satori (relearned at 40 )
The good thing about starting late (or in my case relearning after a 27 years) is that you have nothing to prove to anyone, It's just for you. The buzz of achieving to most 'simple' of things is immense.
Also check out How to Skateboard for Beginners
Go get a board, find a quite carpark and start rolling!
Good to hear Nick, possibly, yes, if P gets his way. Just need to work on my bouncing... MrsSpud and family all good too thanks. Hope you all are!
Just to clarify... I am not expecting this to be easy... I am also not expecting that I'll be able to skate like the people in videos...
What I would like to be able to do is hang out with my son at the skate park, play about on a board and have some laughs.
As for riding bowls... most of the local skate parks are bowls... or at least have a bowl as a large part of them, so being able to drop in and cruise around a bit is pretty much required!!
Now, I know it would be easier to use a scooter... or a BMX (although I have plans for that anyway as there is a local(ish) pump track now)... but I've always wanted to learn to skate, it was something I wanted to do as a kid but never quite managed and I now have an excuse.. :oD
And yes, I am aware of at least some of the etiquette at the skate park, having an 8 year old there helps with that!! They aren't the busiest parks in the world either, and we've been there before where we were the only ones there! I've also scooted around on a spare scooter on occasion. And finally, I don't plan on taking a board there until I can at least get around on it without too much trouble!!
Thanks for all the suggestions folks... I'll have to check out some of these YouTube links and try not to get too excited before breaking myself on my first time out on a board!! (This outcome is quite likely according to my other half!!)
Spud, if I remember what P is like you'll be getting a board pretty soon then!!
Then we just need to persuade Rob to start again... :o)
And yep, all doing good here... although nobody ever warned me that an 8 year old would be quite such hard work, so we are knackered most of the time!!! :oD
46 still skate street, parks and indoor places with the kids. They enjoy it, especially when I fall off, but equally were actually quite impressed with a little hand rail and kick flips on the banks.
Nearly removed my gonads with an Impossible Gone Bad
Bobba I’m not sure boards have come along way at all
I have a newish Krooked deck, it's light years from my old Dogtown and Alva boards - really small and twitchy but easier to flip. If we had a decent carvey park nearby I'd go back to an old school board, but everything is mini ramps and fun boxes 🙁
Hasn't skateboarding had any heroes to sticker up your board with since Tony Alva?! 😉
Hasn’t skateboarding had any heroes to sticker up your board with since Tony Alva?! 😉
yes - Shogo Kubo 🙂
Shogo signed my Dog Town shirt in erm 1978.. around then! 😀
Agree with Butcher's post above re. what type of board to get. Best to get a modern shape with a decent nose length, but if I were you I would not go anything below 9 inch deck width at this stage. I also would not get a cruiser board for what you plan to do or a deck with a small nose. And get full pads and wrist guards and helmet.
Do not expect to be able to ride any sort of incline straight away. You need to find a quiet corner of the park out of everybody's way to go up and down a million times until you get your balance. Just practice pushing, turning, tic tac, manuals over and over and over.
I am 46 and skate park, but just carving/ kickturns/ manuals etc is enough for me. Having said that I am forcing myself to do at least 50 ollie attempts each visit.
It is great fun. And let's face it, skateboarding is the coolest thing ever invented.
Good luck getting your child off the scooter. I think a lot of children don't take to boarding as it is much harder.
Shogo signed my Dog Town shirt in erm 1978.. around then! 😀
at Guildford ? that was where I saw him
Nick - I have just remembered I have a barely skated (maybe 6 times?) 9 inch 'Creature' deck with Indy 159s on it in the attic. I sanded the graphics off as they were rubbish and lacquered the base. Deck and trucks are in excellent condition (about 95%) if you are interested - you would just need to buy bearings and wheels. Let me know if it is of interest.
Hey Andy... would certainly be interested depending on price etc... so if you can drop me an email/message...
And have a quiet road outside the house, so will practice there... the neighbours already think I am slightly odd, this will just confirm it to them!
I started skating ting again after a ten year break in November. Ironically it seemed safer after I broke my ribs mountain.biking! Was super rusty but lots of stuff came back fairly easy and even learnt some new transition stuff I could never do back in the day!
totally been loving it and the can reccomend the mas forum as a source of middle age stoke. Currently on a bit of a Euro family road trip and found this crusty park in cervinia after some summer snowboard action last week.
morzine tomorrow for mtb action but they have a new skatepark which looks ace too!
got a board earlier this year after my missus started going to the girls only session at Manchester Projekts and enjoyed borrowing her board when we went to the local skatepark...
then projekts started doing "adults only" nights (16+!) end of the night, of the first session, when to go down a slope i'd done several times that evening - only this time went over the nose and dislocated my shoulder.
ho hum. back to the bike
at Guildford ? that was where I saw him
Southsea 🙂
That Ben Jaeger-Thomas channel on youtube is incredible. Talk about dedication! This 40+ year old films himself skateboarding EVERY SINGLE DAY for YEARS. Very inspiring and amazing to see his progress.
Nick I will attempt to send you a PM.
I'm back to explain myself
What I forgot to say about the re-issues - it's been found that the wood being used in a lot of the reissues isn't as strong or do they have the same longevity of the woods used in the modern designs, whether they be Popsicle or shaped decks.
While the basics of the boards and trucks etc. haven't changed much, modern trucks are a bit lighter, stronger and better turning geometry. The boards themselves have had a lot of work gone into the construction and concaves. Not to mention tail and nose lengths and angles. Wheels are a lot better now too, a whole host of sizes and hardnesses.
It may all be hogwash, but the boards do seem a lot better now compared to the horrendous early 90's boards that broke when you looked at them.
If you are hellbent on a reissue though, this is a good buy at the moment:
I'd also take a look at Polar, Death, Heroin, Crve Wckd and see what floats your boat
Yes but re issues are more for nostalgia than riding.
A £30 wide blank will suffice for actually using,