An Epic Story /Big ups to LBL

[Ras Wes]

First off, none of what follows would have been possible without the help of a man named Longboard Larry. He crafted me a 5foot sliver of heaven, and every time I step foot on my custom dropthrough pintail...well.. I usually end up having to change my undergarments... so here goes... an epic story of longboarding at it's greatest. It's a long one... so proceed at your own risk:
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So two weekends ago I took a trip up to my cabin. It's a quaint little 2room1bath in Dunsmuir, CA, about 5minutes from Mt. Shasta. I spent a great deal of time as a youngster up there; fishing, hunting, snowboarding, ANYTHING. So, as I'm getting packed up to head out, my DAD, of all people, says "Hey, Wes, you should bring your longboard.... just in case !" So I'm like.. ok sure... maybe do a little cruising.

Well we get to my cabin.. the first night we just lay low and take in the sweet mountain air. The next day we head up to Ashland, OR to walk the streets and feel the vibes and what not. After kickin back in Oregon for a bit.. we decide to grab a bite to eat at the Black Bear Diner in Mt.Shasta City, about 2 minutes from the foot of Mt. Shasta.

With our bellies full, we head up whats called the "old highway" (its not really that old... it's just older than some of the new highways that head up the mountain) and start getting higher and higher in altitude. Finally.... we come to a long straight away, and I think to myself "this looks like a nice mellow run that I can get warmed up on.. then move higher." So I say "dad, stop here"... he says "how bout we just go to the top of the straightaway.. that way you can ride longer." I figure its a good idea... so we go to the top.

I hope out of my dads F250 Turbodiesel in a button-up collared shirt, sleeves rolled up... shorts.. and birkenstocks (so I'm a hippie, shoot me hehehe), grab LBL 60' dropthrough pin outta the back.. and start cruising.

Now, time to break away from the story for a piece of side information. Back here in Sacramento I'm used to the valley terrain. Meaning... whenever a hill goes down..... it almost always comes back up an equal amount. In other words... whenever I go down even SUPER steep, 7%ish grade runs... there's always an uphill portion at the END to slow down.

Back to the story, seeing as how I was on a MOUNTAIN.... I GRAVELY underestimated the entire situation. First of all.. I didn't realize that it's a FREAKING MOUNTAIN... it's ALLLLLLL downhill. and Secondly, the "gentle straightaway" only looked gentle because of relativity. Compared to the rest of the mountain.. the straightaway looked relatively weak... but if I were to somehow bring that straightaway back hom and put it on level ground... it would actually turn out to be pretty gnarly.

So here I am.. at the top of the straightaway (it's prolly 3/4 of a mile long) carving back and forth from my lane into the oncoming lane and back again... standing up.. cutting back.. crouching down... brushing my hand on the pavement... dropping my knees.. standing back up.. cutting back........ you all know the drill... basically just surfing the crap out of this hill to control my speed. Well... the 3/4 mile straightaway is gettin smaller and smaller... and theres a turn ahead..... I crouch down to do some more soul surfing and starting picking up speed FAST. I didn't realize that in a situation like this... getting into a drop knee basically turns me and my board into a human bullet.

Here comes the turn... I'm locked in a crouch.. if I try to stand up I'll lose balance and die probably. I hadn't payed much attention to the drive up the mountain because I didn't think I would be riding the whole thing.. I really only payed attentio to the straight away that I was supposed to "Warm up" on. So I have reached the turn... I have no idea wahts on the other side... it's compltely blind. *wwwwwheow* I made it. Oh no... heres another blind turn. Made it through that one.

By this point I thought in my head that I was maybe goin 25-30mph and I KNEW I couldn't just bail. I thought to myself "what happens if you jump out of a car at 30.. let alone tumble off a skateboard at 30 in birks and shorts". So I figured ANY CHANCE that I had to stop... I HAD to take it. The 3/4mile straight warmup has now turned into about a 1 3/4 mile death ride stuck in a super crouch going through straightaways, blind curves, and any other nasty scenario this God-forsaken run could through at me.

I come through yet ANOTHER blind turn.. dodge some oncoming traffic... then... vuala.... a FLAT straightaway. here's my chance to slow down. I'm locked in this uncomfortable drop knee and my legs are about to cramp. no matter, I start grabbing my toe edge with BOTH hand on a heelside carve and just PULLLLLLLLLLL trying to get my back wheels to slip so I can slow down. then I grab my heel edge on a toeside carve and do the same thing. I'm slowing down bit by bit.... but this flat, straight part is ended quick and theres some more turns ahead. I wrench and wrench at my board trying to get into a vicious slide. NO luck, here comes the turn.... I take the turn to the right... then a left hand blind.. then another right.... I've traveled about 2 1/2 miles by now... and it's taken, what seems to be, and eternity. the turns stop.. another downhill straightaway, dodge some more oncoming traffic... all the while looking for a place to stop. 3miles now.... some more turns.... still stuck in this damn dorp knee.... legs are cramping and aching.

3 1/4 miles..... turns end... another FLAT straightaway. And now comes the kicker.................................. "RR Crossing Ahead". My heart literally skipped a beat. I go into a controlled panic. My cut elike 3/4mile is now pushing 3 1/2 miles and theres a freaking RAIL ROAD ahead. I figure I can't be going any faster than 30.... so I figure... what if I just bomb through the tracks... no way... they will eat my wheels alive and I'll continue at 30 without my board. Theres a white van coming at me in the oncoming lane. I'm still carving back and forth as the van gets closer and closer... if I straighten out to let him pass to soon.. I'll pick up way too much speed... so I gotta use his lane as much as possible until the lat second. 20 yards, 10 yards the van is right in front of me.... I puuuuuulllllllll back into my lane to let him pass. And then as he passes me... as if Jah himself had layed out such a perfect scenario in the sands of time long before this death defying ride..... I see it. My chance to stop. A small ski shop parkinglot that is sloped UPHILL and just MAY be long enough to stop me. I cut as HARD as I can into the parking lot... slow down to may 20. I grab my toeside rail with both hands and layback as HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD as I can... I break into a gnarly slide. Slow down to maybe 5mph.. catch and edge and flip over the fron of my baord.

I stood up with some BARELY blooded up knuckles and a small little strawberry on my knee. My heart was pounding.... the adrenaline was so thick in my blood that I could taste it. My dad, who had been following RIGHT behind me in his truck the whole time, looked like he had just seen a ghost. He pulled into the parking lot... lets me hop in.... and just says "WOW."

He informed me that I was averaging 35mph in the flatspots, 40mph in the steep parts.. and when I would straighten out to let a car pass... I would get up near 42-43mph.

I go back to the cabin, partake in the holy sacrament (ya know... that wonderful herb ). Layback on the patio... and remenisce on the most deathly terrifying... and out of bodily exhilerating experience of my entire human existance.


No video, no picture, no proof it even happened. Just me, my board, and three eye witnesses (my dad, my little brother, and my sister's fiance who where all in the truck with my dad).

LBL: Thankyou so unbelievably much for crafting me my board. You are directly and indirectly responsible for the best feeling of my entire life....


I doubt that I'll EVER take that run again. At least not without slide gloves to slow me down and pads to save my ass.

[EBasil]

Great story, and I bet that dose of adrenalin will last a while!!

I recently had an ultra-short version of that experience, and have been looking for a helmet to buy...

[MalakaiKingston]

yea... man.... thanks for sharing...

[LongBoardLarry]

That is an awesome story.
Were is a video camera when you need one.
Glad you made it and that the board worked great.

[Loki440]

yah wheres the camera when you need it, but one thing now do you feel like you need a helmet ?

[Ras Wes]

helmet... hmmmmmmmmmm... it's a GREAT idea.... but lets be hoenst... I'm too stupid, young, and arrogant to actually follow through with a helmet

[Bantam]

It's a good thing you had a long WB board so you could ride that out with stability! That was a killer story dude! My heart was beating faster with every sentence. I felt as if I was with you on that mountain.

Anyone looking for a good helmet should check this out.
http://hockeymonkey.com/ccm-652-x-ray-helmet-03.html

It is a hockey helmet and it's desinged for ice hockey and hurtling pucks. I may pick one up for skating myself.

[Afrodeziak]

good story man, my advice on helmets, wear a helmet for what it is designed for.

Although I'm not sure if there's such thing as a longboarding helmet..
It's kind of like seeing a person on a ski hill with a bike helmet.. then again I could be very wrong.

[ShaggyIan4]

Sweet story, sounds like a killer hill. Nice job tearin it up!!

[revelation2]

sounds like it should go in a book. I would've fallen by the first mile.

Good job, man. Hitting 40+ in birkenstocks

[Airin]

dude, you must'a been skating with horseshoes in your pockets.....

ok, now let's see a pic of the board that went for the ride with you!

[CRASS]

Cool stuff..

Dude, Ras.. my roomate & her family ALWAYS go up to Dunsmuir for vacationing.. maybe we can meet up sometime!!

[Ras Wes]

Man are we ever gonna skate!?!?!?!? How many times have we talked about it. You're in the bay right? lets hit it up in the next couple weeks here. I'm down for some hills/ditches/banks/whatever you wanna throw at me.... for reals



peace and love

[Ras Wes]

That's my baby.... all my buddies (and I) call it the 5foot Sliver of Heaven. Dear Lord, excuse me for my blasphemous ways.... but it's as if Jahova himself took a chunk out of a Heaven-tree and throw to the eart. It just so HAPPENED to land at my front door in a shipment box. BIG UP Longboard Larry.... you are the man

[crash]

sweet board and nice story, now put on a helmet you hippie

I mean you want to live to feel that again right? would rather not read yet another stupid longboarder dies thread here. that and just think how lonely that board would be if you ate the ultimate s h i t.

[bean-a-reano]

Good story. No wonder you made it, I would expect you to with the four leaf clover.

[sam]

Haha- awesome story! Sounds like fun.

And that board is absolutely beautiful! Any concave/camber?

[Ras Wes]

Ok... the board is seriously crafted PERFECTLY. There's enough concave to keep my feet relaxed when I'm bombing hills (hills, not mountains)... but not so much that it feels like I'm standing in a soup dish.. you know what I mean. and the camber on it is amazing. it's 12ply (i'm pretty sure) so with a wide wheelbase like that... you can imagine HOW flexy 12ply would be..... however.. Larry threw in some camber in the very front where I stand... and it keeps me PERFECTLY off the ground. I can go into WRENCHING, PULLING, DEEP carves and the board will NEVER hit the ground.... I've literally thrown in cuts that bring my board centimeters away from hitting the ground.. but it NEVER does... its weird. It's like there's a magnet relationship with the board and the ground that just keeps the two from touching.. no matter how hard you try. And it's a strong.. reliable.. solid flex..... not that weak, board-about-to-snap flex.

I'm telling you guys.... LBL is the ish. I know it's all personal preference... but I'd MUCH rather throw my $100s that I spend on boarding to a grassroots company with amazing customer service like LBL and his crew of longboard gnomes. The man dexerves every bit of business he receives.. and then some

[CanyonCarver]

This was a real cliff hanger, man. My heart was pumping as I read it.

[CRASS]

Damn sweet board! Yeah!

I knew from the first board Larry posted he was gonna get some love. I shoulda hopped on the deck I wanted MANY many moons ago..

Ras - Yeah man, heh, i know we always talk about skatin it & never do.. haha, bummer. I'll get back to ya & shoot ya a PM once I dont have class for a while & see if we can rig somethin up!