monday 31st October
2016 Urban Masters street riding competition
Legendary UK street rider Jay Nowman organised the 2016 Urban Masters street competition in London - the first reappearance of the competition in 3-4 years, so quite a big deal for the UK scene. A number of foreign rider made the journey over, including lengendary Dimension Streetboards rider Ismael "Bob" Calvo.
There were a number of frankly gnarly rails, which I was not in the right frame of mind for - but the last location was a set of ledges which were right up my street, and favoured my style of riding.
I managed to get some combos in riding backside on the ledge, and get enough footage to make this edit which I was quite pleased with. Enjoy!
Lymington & New Milton skateparks
 Back home I have used the short rail at Lymington to learn backside lipslides - requiring comitting, as bailing means falling backwards blind towards the rail. Nasty!
We have spent most of the summer riding Lymington and New Milton - the two best local skateparks with the most variation.
With enough small to medium-length features, they enable learning us to new tricks and combos without having to take chances taking it straight to big rails, like at Prevail.
 While not a fan of choreographed multi-rider shots, Lewis and I took a little time out to shoot this coordinated "smiths" image. Unsure how I feel about it, but here it is...
A couple of weeks later, on a super-sunny weekend, Lewis and I met Bristol legend Simon Johns at the Devizes park - one of our favourite places to ride.
Devizes skatepark with Simon Johns
The flatbar rail there is brilliant - a template that other parks should follow - a perfect height and long enough to get some combo's down. Starting briefly on some of the other rails there, we soon moved onto our prized flatbar and spent a few hours initially throwing down some standard moves, before working on entirely new combo's popping from smith to switch smith then into a slide tricks: lipslide, 270-lipslide etc.
Simon was pulling his trademark smooth rail mastery out the bag all day, but then started filming for us. We spent the the afternoon filming, and came away with some great footage to make the edit you see above. A superb day, riding with friends, it doesn't get any better...
I've been thinking of trying to get back to some street riding recently - thinking where locally would provide some potential...
Southampton ledges
 Southampton was an obvious choice, and so we did some recce missions checking out multiple locations within the city.
The central square is a favourite for local skaters, this ornamental bench however lent itself to some ledge trickery - Lewis chose 5-0 for this shot.
There are a number of features scattered around the town, both small and large - but they will need visiting as a day in their own right, so we have left them for another time.
Street riding in Portsmouth
The search led onwards to Portsmouth - a town well-known for it's street features. I organised a street-skating day with Lewis, Spal, and for the first time out riding - a Chilean rider who has recently moved to Southampton, Felipe.
 Parking up in town center, I had devised a route through town to hit a number of spots.
First up, the rail station, where I found the perfect block to stick this WuShu-style blunt.
Good start :)
We moved on through the Guildhall Square, but there were too many people to hit up many of the features I have previously ridden. A number of places were in a state of disrepair or have been skate-stoppered, including our previous favourite the Civic Building benches - which Flipside skated with Colin Horan almost 10 years ago now (how time flies!). A great shame...
We moved from the square through the student accommodation blocks - where Lewis found some banks to hit - and on to the University campus with a grindable sculpture and nearby metal benches. Felipe excelled with his huge 5-0's along the sculpture base, impressing all and hopefully setting the scene for future riding...
I took some spills on the rail, but managed to join Spal grinding the metal benches - laying down backside smiths, 180-switch-smiths, backside 5-0's and many other ledge tech staples...
An awesome day all-in-all - riding street has been well overdue, and it was great to get back on form with such a banger of a trip!
A visit to Mere skatepark
A couple of weeks later, Lewis and I drove to Mere - which I had ridden with Simon Johns in June 2014 - but Lewis had not been to. I had been disappointed by Mere when I originally went, having had high hopes, but wondered if fresh eyes could see new lines...
Mere skatepark still had the same fundamental issues, but this time I rode the rail rather than the block - leaving that to Lewis to lock huge tailslides into... I got some good 5-0's down the rails, and I gotta say, Lewis has the tailslide down like a Boss..! Fun, but I can't see us going back there again...
So until next time - keep safe!
saturday 30th June
Summer skating
So a promising start to what looks like a great summer..!
 There has been quite a lot of skating to date at Ringwood - now conveniently near and a change from Prevail which was becoming tired.
With a couple of exceptions, the weather has been consistently sunny and and hot - sometimes a bit too hot for comfortable skating, but shouldn't whine - better that than rain.
Getting on with the main flat-down rail more now - and although it's only really easy to hit it from one side (backside), it's forcing me to practise tricks approached from this side, so that can only be a good thing...
It's quite a high rail, and again, it's meaning that you've gotta up your game to get one it - and stay on it for the duration.
Sunday In The Park streetboard jam
Day One owner Colin Horan organised a new jam "Sunday in the Park" starting at the newish park in Haslemere - the idea being to visit a new park which no one had been to, both to get people out-and-skating and to discover new places.
I started off hitting a gap-to-rail with Lewis, but for some reason took quite a nasty fall and hurt my elbow - so switched feature to this graffiti wallride, which I managed to get a couple of pictures on.
Lewis was killing it, but I didn't manage to get any pictures of him as I didn't take a camera, which was an unfortunate oversight - and a kick up the ass to remember to take my camera next time...
The day was a scorcher, and I got fairly sunburned - I suppose you got to suffer for your art... :)
With ex-Flipside rider Spal making the first appearance in many years, Joshy attending and Kent-based rider Rob Paine making the long journey over, it was a great day, and I hope this jam format continues as riding new parks injects a sense of energy into the proceedings.
Ringwood & New Milton sessions
We have been riding at Ringwood and New Milton skateparks regularly, and I have managed to get a collection of pictures together.
Both Lewis and Tim seem to have lit a fire up their backsides, as both have been riding a lot over the last few weeks, and improving their respective games - which is good to see.
Lewis especially has an eye for unusual tricks, and this often makes for good photos, as can be seen below.
 James has also made a couple of showings, which I am happy about, as I have felt that due to prolonged absences, when he does skate he gets a little disheartened by his rusty performance - but unforunately skating is one of those things that you have to be *on* the whole time, or things slip fairly quickly.
He has been in good spirits however - and it's always great to see him, and enjoy his cheery countenance, so I hope he keeps regular appearances...
So all in, it has been a fairly productive couple of months - and with the weather showing no sign of letting up, I am hoping we can have a good summer and build the South Coast Streetboarders brand...
Here's looking forward to another action-packed episode next month!
saturday 30th april
Leaving Monkton Crescent
In a departure from the norm, we have big news in this article - CJ & I have sold our beloved bungalow in Bournemouth to move onto pastures new!
11 Monkton Crescent will be as indelible a piece of history in our lives as Wanaka, being the first house we ever owned, and of course where our gorgeous munchkin Violet was born!
It was not a decision we took lightly, as we have loved this place and our enightbours are fabulous - but the house was not child-friendly, and we needed more space to enable Violet to grow and flourish and enjoy other opportunities not available here...
The sale has been an ongoing nightmare for the last 9 months (which I have spared you readers the tedious horror of!), but we finally went to exchange mid-March and moved out on 31st March...
Our last day was a very sad affair, closing the book on a chapter which has provided us with much happiness over the last 6 years. The house looked so bare with all our possessions packed away, much like the day we moved in, but with our stamp still visible in the form of the updated layout and lounge floor and uplighters.
We will miss this place, and the companions that made it what it was - our neighbours, the cats and wildlife in the garden... But onwards and upwards, it's time for another family to move in and make it their own - good luck to them I say, we'll remember it with love and laughter..!
So where are we now..?!
A place that I have always wanted to live - it's rural location and views, combined with brilliant access to Bournemouth and Christchurch make it the perfect location in my opinion...
Welcome to Sopley!
Sopley is a great place to live and grow up in; on the very edge of the New Forest with one of the most recognisable pubs in the area, it's an area of walks, bike rides, playing in streams and exploring - the kind of thing a childhood should be made of...
By the cemetery overlooking the river Avon, this bungalow is in a beautiful location on the edge of the forest, with a gravel front drive big enough for parking and a long garden at the back. Complete with large patio and eucalyptus tree, it's perfect for long summer evenings and BBQs! It's even got donkeys at the end of the garden!:D
The garden is great for Violet - a paradise for exploring and playing, and will provide loads of space for different activities as she grows...
The house will be a fantastic base for the whole family going forward, a keeper that we can develop into the perfect family pad, with space to develop as we need and slowly mould the lifestyle we want from.
And lastly for me, a proper HQ; to use as the perfect skate hut to lodge buddies in and launch more roadtrips from - and also space to keep and maintain the cars... Every need fulfilled!
And so the story begins afresh from our new crib...
saturday 26 march
Skating in the New Year
Happy New Year to you, people!
 Straight into the year skating, meeting up at Prevail with the newly-returned Josh Newman and Lewis Langford on the 2nd Jan - start as you mean to go on and all that :D
It wasn't a particularly memorable skate, but great to see so much enthusiasm so early in the year!
Snowboard Destination: Obergurgl
Instead of our usual January snowboarding trip, the WHOLE extended family went out to Obergurgl in switzerland - an idea my father Tony had been planning for a while.
CJ, Violet and I were in an apartment that backed onto the learners slopes, sharing with my brother Jules, his wife Jo and little Camille; Tony, Jane and my sister Pip & friend Cam were in another, and mum was in a hotel room. Large, luxurious apartments right in the centre of town; our apartment even had a sauna in!
The apartment backed onto the learner slopes; CJ and I took turns looking after little Violet, so the other could ride. Although this meant that CJ and I couldn't ride together, it was great riding with Jules again - it's been too long...
Obergurgl is a very picturesque typical switzerland mountain village about an hour from Innsbruck, the next village up the valley from Solden.
Mountain hut and cat-track hits
The slopes are divided into 2 different areas, Obergurgl and Hochgurgl, both easy terrain more suited to beginners than us. There hadn't been much recent snow, but we managed to find a few hits, including a sweet little mountain hut at the side of the piste near the bottom of the run down to the town.
We hit it quite a lot, but the landing was too icy to get creative, in case a misjudged take-off sent you tumbing onto the ice sheet beyond...
In Hockgurgl there was a great cat track dropping criss-crossing down across the powder fields below. We hit this over a few days until the powder was all tracked out - I got some great 360's off the side over those few days until it ended in a spectacular faceplant, and Jules was practising his on another hit further down. Happy days ;)
Violet's first skiing experience!
We bought Violet a set of white plastic infant's skis, and took her to the nursery slope. It was hard work running down the slope with her, trying to hold her up while ensuring her skis didn"t cross, but it was so good for her to be on the snow - even though shes a bit too small to understand what it's all about!
Violet and Camille go sledging
We all took her and Camille out on sledges one afternoon, rickety wooden things with health and safety nightmare written all over them, and sent them sliding down the slopes for an hour, which they loved! Me and Jules less so, being the lift service back up :D
Violet was starting to do the right thing by the end of the week - I think next year we will be able to understand more about what she is trying to do, and will have a more interactive experience.
We finished the holiday with a fabulous meal out in the top hotel in Obergurgl; a lavish, sumptuous affair with waiters serving courses in silver dishes with remvable lids, true butler style... A once-in-a-lifetime experience seeing how the other half live! Fantastic!
 Unfortunately all good things come to an end, and it was time to head back to the UK. It's never great to finish a holiday, but swapping snowboarding for streetboarding softens the blow somewhat...
That said, I had a heartbreaking (but not entirely unexpected) experience when I broke my Disaster streetboard bar...
Disaster: Death of a Legend
To put this in context - I bought this bar at the 2005 World Championships in Lyon, just before CJ and I moved to Morzine for the season. Constructed using snowboard technology, using entirely different method to the usual plywood bars, this bar had become my trusty backup when all others failed me.
Unfortunately, a loud crack in Prevail signalled that the end had come for this bar, and it"s time was up; the final wood stringer had cracked and it's integrity was finally, truely compromised... Gutted.
South Coast Streetboarders - the UK's Largest Crew
 But on the upside, with Joshy back we have had a big group of riders regularly congregating at Prevail - it has been suggested (by others) that we have the largest streetboarding group now in the UK.
With up to 7 riders available at any one time, things bode well for the summer..!
 We usually get 3 or 4 people able to skate at any one time, and this raises the curiousity of many of the local youngsters - who always ask to have a go.
David at new startup Ascent Boards was kind enough to supply a demo "Ice Cream" model board for learners, so we put it to good use teaching interested youngsters how to ride!
Big thanks to David - thats exactly the kind of support we need to help this sport grow!
sunday 27 december
This month's article is less about skating - more about developments concerning a certain longtime skater friend... ;)
Adam Walder - Engaged!
Ex-Flipside owner Adam Walder is getting married to his longtime girlfriend Sophie - and Flipside riders Josh Newman, Paul Nash and I were invited to his surprise stag do down in The Old Mill near Fowey, Cornwall.
Adam's best man Krys Bascombe (owner of the Good Old Boys brand) organised a top-secret stag party in this fantastic location, selecting friends from Adams past, including friends we had previously met like Char Holmes, and many we hadn't - such as Adam's dad Adrian.
We spent 3 days in this fabulous location - a famous retreat with integrated music studio, having been used by all manner of famous guests and recording artists before us.
The mill had no road access and required us to use the river as our primary mode of transport, equipped with 2 speedboats to help us explore the remote location and venture into Fowey itself.
While not so beer-soaked as to ensure amnesia for all, Adam received the obligatory stag challenges and duties, and we all had a thoroughly good time - and no one fell overboard, and no search parties required! :D
A great time - made many new friends, and learnt that pidgeon breast tastes just like steak! Thanks for the culinary experience, Box! ;)
Violet: Our Little Girl Growing Fast
Turning to home matters - little Violet is growing up fast! Now a bundle on interactive energy, and it is fantastic to be a part of her life as she experiences new things and learns more day-by-day.
 CJ and I are taking her for more active adventures now (relatively speaking!), so longer walks, beach trips and more missions out are the order of the day!
She is always so happy she takes it all in her stride and relishes being outdoors. Good girl! ;)
Violet's 1st birthday
We wanted to make a big deal of her 1st birthday, so we hired a bouncy castle, soft play equipment and ball pit - and invited loads of her friends and family to come and help her celebrate!
The weather held out, and we *just* managed to fit the bouncy castle into the garden, and all the toys and play equipment onto the patio - loads of her friends and relatives came around and she had a lovely day wreaking havoc in her element, so a massive thanks to all who made her 1st birthday so special! :)
Birthday photoshoot
One of her birthday presents was a photoshoot to document her at the end of her first year - we used the same photographer we had used for the previous shoot, but now Violet is so much more mobile, it opened a world of possibilities not available to us before.
It was a lovely shoot, perfectly documenting her character and development at this milestone in her life... :)
Adam and Sophie Walder's Wedding
Nearly at Christmas time - and just before Santa forced his way down peoples chimneys, there was one more event on the skate calendar - Adam Walder's marriage to his fiance Sophie!
Adam had chosen Rhinefield House in the New Forest as the venue, a fabulous location set in acres of beautiful New Forest countryside. It is the jewel in the crown of the New Forest, and all the usual suspects from the stag party were there to celebrate it with them - and many more besides!
 The stunning Tudor and Gothic architecture gave a fairytale atmosphere backdrop for the ceremony - a perfect winter wedding!
Krys and Char as best men were hosting the proceedings with plenty of stories and laughs - its was a great evening with friends, celebrating Ad and Sophies marriage in such fine style!
Congratulations to you both!
And on to Christmas - I hope you all had a fabulous xmas, and are planning a debauched New Year!
Roll on 2016! :)
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