What makes a good helmet? What features should customers look for? Sean Methven, Manager, Pro-tec’s Skate Line Fit, safety, and style. Make sure the helmet fits properly; this will ensure the helmet will stay in place during a fall. Make sure the helmet you’re buying meets the safety requirements for the intended application. The more comfortable you are with the look of the helmet, the more inclined you’ll be to wear it.

BUSTIN BOARDS Bustin originated in Maryland as a grass roots idea brought to life by a group of friends. They set out to create not only original, progressive deck models, but also a collaboration movement between the artist and the customer. “We pressed out some unique and functional shapes and people got stoked,” says co-owner Ryan Daughtridge. The Bustin Boards crew spent nearly three years refining their shapes and their one-of-akind printing shop that enables them to print each board according to the creative inspiration of individual customers. Using their interactive Web site customers can design a personalized board based on a variety of fresh graphics from diverse

Michael Brooke: What was it like being a part of the ‘70s skate scene? Chris Carmichael: Living in southern California in the early ‘70s was the epicenter for surfing and skateboarding. I was 14 years old when my grandfather gave me my first movie camera. I started surfing and entering contests and became No. 1 in 1969, in the boys division in the US. This also continued the following year in the Junior Men’s division. I was No. 1 in 1970 and 1971.

Marcus Vorwaller is the creator and webmaster of Silverfishlongboarding.com (SF). If you don’t know about SF already, it’s a website that offers longboard forums, reviews, and articles. Marcus may be better known to the riding community by his online username, zzzMarcus. Since inception five years ago, SF has seen dramatic growth and currently gets about sixty thousand unique visits a month. No marketing, no advertising – just strong word of mouth.