The Original way, and others
Aside from my initial interest in longboarding, Original Skateboards played a huge role in inspiring me and nurturing my starving interest. For those of you seasoned riders I’m sure you’ve heard all the critiques about this company’s products, specifically their unconventional trucks. So whatever you’ve heard, or whatever you may hear, forget it just for duration of reading this post. You might be surprised at the end.
Anyways, the point I was beginning to make was the about the impact this company has had on how I see and experience longboarding. During the painful weeks of learning how to ride (I’d never even been able to skateboard before this), and this is referring to physical pain and the pain experienced waiting to get my own board, I lived on Original’s site and youtube channel. They’ve got videos on pretty much all their boards but also the various escapades and adventures they embarked on. While the first few episodes might seem amateurish, the riding and shooting quickly evolve into something beautiful and inspiring. My initial encounter with this sport left me struggling to define my experience and feelings, something that was fixed by Original’s videos.
So for those of you who might be wondering what all the fuss is about, go look at these videos. But don’t stop with Original, other brands like Loaded and Landyachtz have great videos featuring not just their products, but the longboarding experience as they see and feel it.
Ah, I almost forgot. Check this out if you’ve doubted Original products:
I ride a 40 inch pintail with 200mm Original trucks; the Malakai, made by Original Skateboards. 70mm O’tang 4President wheels at 80a durometer, and enough flex in the board to give me my own portable trampoline. I’ve had it since June but I learned on two other boards. The first board I got on was Drew’s 40″ Torpedo, also an Original, but it was way too surfy for my weak sense of balance. So in case you were wondering, that’s my ride.
