UK Mini Ramp Champs 2008

As mini ramp skating appears to keep on increasing in popularity, Mpora.tv have teamed up with X-Site Skatepark, the UKSA and a host of sponsors to bring to you the 2008 UK Mini Ramp Champs!

Held over the weekend of November 29th/30th at X-site Skatepark, Skegness, the two day event is set to go off! Saturday will be focused on under-16s and unsponsored riders, with Sunday seeing the ramp get a good battering by a whole host of sponsored skaters from up and down the country! You know how hard the last mini ramp session at Skegness went off - so it should go without saying that attendance to this will be compulsory!

Click here to see our Manhead doing his thing at the recent Third Foot mini ramp Jam.




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Route One Does Bulgaria. Part 3

After the best nights kip I’d had all week, we awoke on Day 5 to find it had banged it down all night. I felt like crying, today was the day that we were due to visit the spot that I was looking forward to most of all – an abandoned duck pond with transitions of all sizes and surely many photo opportunities for all on the trip.
As we sat and I avoided another peculiar Euro breakfast, the rain subsided and the decision was made to drive into the centre of Haskovo to see if a tree surrounded marble monument was water free and to kill some time, hoping the pond’s surface would dry out. Most of the guys weren’t feeling the spot, but Lynskey stepped up and quickly knocked out a nollie nose manual and flipped into one as well on either side of the monument, carefully riding out into a bank that left no room for error of judgement.
By this time we figured it was time to give the Duck pond a try. Situated in Dimtirovgrad, this spot was amazing and our timing was just right. We arrived to find the concrete just about dry and had ten minutes skating before the heavens opened. Luckily in this time Manhead managed to get a trick on a wall that only Jerry Hsu had managed to get to the top of before, and I managed to sketchily ride away from an iceplant fakie on a much smaller wall. I was happy to get my trick but gutted to be rained out. The place was ridiculous and we could have easily spent four or five hours there had the weather permitted.


Click here to continue reading

We hastily jumped in the van and Alex, our guide, suggested we visit the town of Plovdiv as it was on the way back to Sofia and he had some friends there that might know a few spots that could be dry and he knew of a great restaurant where we could sit out the rain, should it come to that.
Bulgarian cuisine is interesting to say the least. They seem to love their veal and odd cheese and it owes a lot to French gastronomy from the pre-communist colonial times. This led to me betting 10 Leva (local currency – about £4.00) that Avid couldn’t eat a whole plate of egg-coated frog’s legs or boiled chicken hearts and lungs. He opted for the former and polished them off quickly and so won the cash – even if he didn’t stop complaining of feeling ill for the next two days. We sat and debated the virtues of British processed food whilst Avid started to go a shade of green and went hoping mad (I thank you!) over all the frog references we made.


As the afternoon progressed, the weather took a turn for the better and we decided to see if we could salvage what was left of the day by having a look at some of the spots on offer. A set of 13 stairs was found and Makepeace stepped up to try and skate the beast. To find out what happened, guess what – yeah, it’s gonna be in Sidewalk! Lets just say that after 2 heel bruises, a badly cut big toe and a badly grazed back, he was victorious, even if he spent the rest of the trip urinating blood. Think on kids, getting gnarly looks cool but your body won’t thank you for it…


With only an hour or so before dark and having been inspired by Makepeace’s determination, Amir decided it was his time to get some. Alex led us to a perfect but huge 15 stair outside a small yet exclusive looking shopping centre. Just as all the flashes and lighting were set up, it looked as though our luck was out as a security guard showed up, only for him to happily stand and watch as the Amir Williams carcass toss began… Amir has my utmost respect. Not only is he a thoroughly nice and self-depreciating guy, he also has a hell of a lot of bottle. Over 30 times he threw himself down those stairs, dislocating his finger, severely bruising his right arm, as well as the right side of his hip and banging his head on more than one occasion (including kneeing himself in the teeth), yet he kept on getting back up and running to the top, desperate for another go to tame those stairs. He would surely have been successful too had it not been for a change of security, with the new guard kicking us out, trying to get physical with Amir and then having the audacity to call the police as we walked away.
We legged it to a nearby café and hid whilst Alex grabbed the van. He pulled up out front, we jumped in with no time to finish our drinks (bought not to look suspicious) and sped to the motorway to get back to Sofia. Plovdiv – great spots but watch out for the security!



We got back to Sofia and I went straight to bed, the thought of coming too close to getting beaten up by some huge, skin headed Bulgarian police had taken it out of me.
I awoke to find all the guys in quite a state. Not good, as we had to be out of the hostel within the hour. I slowly got different stories from each of the guys as to what had happened on our return to Sofia. Lets just say it involved Sam Bruce lying on a bar, having Vodka poured down her throat by an overly amorous bartender and Sidewalks Ryan Gray giving the hostel’s toilet a traditional Heckmondwike pebble dashing!


As everyone gathered their things together, Alex arrived and we loaded our luggage into his van. We had a good seven hours to kill before we needed to be at the airport so he kept our gear safe whilst we went to NDK one last time to film and photograph any last tricks that people wanted. A good deal went down but as the photos are due to be used in the Sidewalk article, you’ll have to wait and see what the guys got. Some of it wa’ daft I tell thi!
As five o’clock approached, tricks were rushed out. Some were landed, some not. Then all that was left to do was get a quick team photo in front of NDK’s impressive fountains, jump in the mini bus and get to the airport. We checked in, got a coffee and a hotdog and sat there, waiting to get into that big metal bird.


And that is where this story ends. It’s now 8.43pm British time; the Route One skate team are all fast asleep around me and by my calculations we are probably somewhere over the Netherlands.
Take my advice: Visit Bulgaria, it’s a wonderful country and has shed loads of amazing stuff to skate, you certainly won’t regret it. And if you do go, get to that duck pond – it’s bloody ace!


In a bit…

Alex Winstanley (R1 team manager – of sorts).

Get Yer Peepers Round These Beauties!

Here at Route One we're always proud to bring you the best products before anyone else and where possible nowhere else!
What we have here are two shining examples of that philosophy: Firstly, we have the new range of Supra shoes that are due to drop at the end of October. Luckily for you, they're available to pre-order right now, so don't hang about, take a look and get your order in before someone else does!
Secondly we have what may look like a normal Sprayheart Tee from Blueprint, but these two are a bit special... That's right, they are both exclusive to Route One, meaning that you won't be able to get these anywhere else on earth. We're pretty chuffed about these, as we reckon both colourways beat any of the boring non-exclusive ones you can get elsewhere! Check 'em out here.

Route One Does Bulgaria. Part 2

Day 2, and we awoke to glorious sunshine. 2008 and the weather men still can’t get it right as, according to Google, it should have been pissing it down. Still, not gonna complain eh?
After finally getting everyone up and about we made our way over to NDK once again and spent the entire day there. Lines were filmed and photos were shot. The highlight of this fine afternoon must go to Andrew Makepeace who, after battling for over an hour, rode away from a banger of a trick on the big bank with a style reminiscent of Gino Ianucci. I’d like to tell you more but the trick hounds amongst you will have to wait until the sequence appears in Sidewalk magazine. Trust me, it’s worth the wait!
The rest of the day was spent either skating, filming or purchasing endless drinks due to the sweltering sun, leaving me with pockets full of Bulgarian receipts – well, you’ve gotta keep the finance folks happy!
As night fell Alex took us to his city centre flat/office/warehouse and we sat conversing into the early hours whilst watching various videos that Virus had released, along with showing the Bulgarian guys some of our lads most recent stuff. After a quick post midnight call at the very traditionally Bulgarian KFC (that was sarcasm by the way) we retired to our beds and quickly all dropped off to sleep.


More Skateboarding Videos >>
Click here to continue reading.

Yep, you’ve guessed it – Day 3 and we’re back at NDK. The place is like a magnet, drawing us in coz it is just that good. This time however we actually managed to venture away from it’s perfect spots to visit what remains of Sofia’s skate park. You may well recognise the monument that sits guard over the 10 year old metal vert ramp from our tour T-Shirts (available to buy from Routeone.co.uk if you would like one!).


On first inspection this place appeared to have little to offer, but two hours later we walked away with three banging tricks, one from Avid and two from Manhead. Sadly, once again to find out what these tricks were you will have to wait until the photos appear in Sidewalk! Needless to say, these tricks will surely leave you impresses viewed in a photographic format but seeing them live was special. Manhead landed his vert hammer 3 times in a row on a ramp that had a three inch gap between the coping and the platform, (major hang-up potential) and Avid fought through some truly awful slams to ride away from perhaps the gnarliest trick he has landed to date. If you’ve seen the guy skate then you know that’s saying something!

Day 4 and after a quiet night we were up early to jump into the Virus Mini bus to venture out of Sofia onto the motorways for a three hour drive to visit the first concrete skate park in Bulgaria in a small town by the name of Haskovo. This day was by far the hottest yet and the three hour drive soon turned into five due to the very regular stops for drinks and ice creams. Yep, you read it correctly – Seven gnarly buggers they might be but you just can’t beat an ice-lolly or a 99 on such a boiling hot day.
We arrived at the park to find our hotel situated, and I kid you not, less than 30 meters away. Spot on! No worries about skating with all your valuables in your pocket as you could leave all your cash in your room with the nearest place to get a drink being the hotel bar anyway.
The local kids seemed amazed to have outsiders visit there little town and were super stoked, cheering every trick landed with Amir Williams being particularly popular. He and Avid must have signed over a hundred autographs on the posters we handed out and every kid went home with a smile.


After a quick meal in the hotel’s quaint little restaurant and voyeuristically taking a peak at a traditional Bulgarian wedding service that was taking place we made the very short walk back to the park that was now perfectly floodlit for a few beers and a lot of skating. Now that the park was free of kids we could really get going and I captured a number of sick tricks on film including an impossibly tweaked F/s Melon over the hip from the hands and feet of Ben Leyden. Even I managed to get in on the action as Avid, Manhead and myself put a kicker against a wall and tried our best to get lip tricks on the thing. Manhead being the swine that he is quickly rode away from a pivot popped to fakie whilst I battled my fears to eventually get a fairly stinkin’ front rock. Even got a photo, stoked!


Come back tomorrow for the final installment!

Route One Does Bulgaria. Part 1

As I sit writing this, I am sat aboard the 20:15 Bulgaria Air flight from Sofia to London Heathrow and with any luck, will get home for some time around 12pm tomorrow. The reason for me sitting here is that I, along with the entire Route One skate team and a couple of Sidewalk mag guys, have spent the past few days sampling the sights skate spots that Sofia, Haskovo and Plovdiv have to offer.
The story starts just under a week ago when Avid, Manhead, Lynskey, Sidewalk’s Ryan Gray and myself all met at Route One’s Leeds store to pick up a few last minute essentials (read – decks!) before embarking on a 5 hour train journey via London’s Kings Cross to Gatwick Airport.
Shortly after arriving we were met by Livingston legend Ben Leyden who immediately joined us in a stretch of the legs with a wander around, trying to find if anywhere was open at one in the morning to stave off our boredom.
Over the next seven hours we were joined by Brighton’s answer to Andrew Reynolds – Amir Williams, Bristol’s Andy Makepeace and the now London based Samantha Bruce, who has bigger balls than I do and a fair old trick selection to boot…
Our flight was scheduled for 10.30am and, after a thoroughly dull nine and a half hours meandering around Gatwick looking for ways to kill time, we were up in the air for a 3 hour flight to Bulgaria’s capital Sofia. As a regular user of budget airlines I was pleasantly surprised to be handed a free in-flight meal. This joy soon turned to disappointment as I opened the box to find cheese products galore. A traditional Bulgarian breakfast? Yes. Sadly your author is allergic to dairy products. Gutted…



Click here to continue reading.

We arrived in Sofia at around 3.30pm local time after a thankfully incident free flight and were met by Virus Skateboard’s owner and Bulgarian skate legend Alex Kyourkiev and one of his team riders, known to us only as Yavor. This kid had some amazing skills as we would later find out and has had a number of Euro magazine covers to his name.
A short drive later, and after stumbling along, weighed down with far too many changes of clothes, we had found our accommodation. For anyone that has seen the film ‘Hostel’ think of that but sketchier! Well, not really but the stairwell leading up to the main entrance gave a foreboding impression to say the least. But we need not have worried as the welcome was one of the friendliest I have encountered throughout my travels, they even had a kitten by the name of Lucky to hang out with when the stress if dealing with 10 skaters got too much to bear!
Luggage was dumped; boards were grabbed and within one hour of landing we were making our way through the equally beautiful and ghetto streets to the main hook up point – NDK (pronounced N-D-Ka). NDK is the Bulgarian National Palace of Culture and the architects that built this huge imposing building also accidentally created a skateboarding heaven. You may well have seen footage of the place in recent Death and Blueprint videos - banks down stairs, knee high hubbas and some a lot bigger and all manner of ledges, kickers and acres of perfect flat ground. Combine this with the low cost of living and we were in heaven!


Most of us just had a gentle roll around but Lynskey was straight on to it – skating just as though he were at his local park. Within the first thirty minutes he had knocked out a number of film worthy tricks, finishing with a beautifully caught backside flip out of a mellow kicker and over a bin that had been raised well above it’s normal height.


As darkness descended the decision was made to go and get some food. So, going on the recommendation of our guides we headed over to “Bar Happy Grill”. Wonderfully cheap good food and stunningly attractive waitresses. This was sure to be an omen of the good times that were ahead…


After eating we split up. Some of us going to bed (me included – spending the last 36 hours awake had started to get to me) whilst others soldiered on through and went to witness a live set from old skool Hip Hop legends “Funk Doobiest”, in town playing their first ever Bulgarian show. The hip hop fans amongst us sure dropped lucky on that one and regailed tales of an apparent fantastic night the next morning. Well, apart from two of our guys accidentally ending up in a gangster’s house but that’s another story!

Alex Winstanley (R1 team manager – of sorts)

Continued very soon...

COMP WINNER! GET CARTER!

The winner of the Arto Saari Alien Workshop comp is...

Wait for it...

... A Mister Martin Carter!!!

Congratulations, You will also be notified via email and the winnings posted to you as soon as you respond! You lucky devil!
If you want to be like Martin and have a smile on your face... And loads of free stuff for answering an easy peasy question, then keep a look out here for more comps coming real soon.

Anyone Fancy A Sausage?

If you're in the Leeds area this weekend and are thinking of heading to the Hyde Park Unity Day then are you in for a treat!
Route One Team rider Avid and some of his buddies have arranged a Sausage Jam at the skatepark in Hyde Park as it was looking for a while like there was gonna be no skating going on at all this year's event, which would have been a proper tragedy!
It's being described as a mini ramp jam/p***s up, so don't expect anything too serious going on, but if you're up for a laugh and like sausages (and who doesn't?) then you're going to have a whale!
Should be a good afternoon's entertainment and if you need more info, head to our store in Leeds, where they'll sort you right out!

Manhead Victorious At Newquay Surf Festival

Yeah, you read it right Manhead's done the business at the Rip Curl Boardmasters Festival in Newquay. It's not all about surfing though you know...
Manhead won the Vans Newquay Park Pro competition at Boardmasters on Wednesday 7th August. Not only did he get a crate of beer he also got £300 and a trip to Morocco! In and amongst Manhead's rivals in Cornwall's biggest skate comp were top names including Chris Oliver, Ben Grove, Mike Wright and Ben Nordberg, so some seriously good riders out there.

The competition was judged on:
- Originality
- Difficulty
- Flow
- Use of course
- Combination tricks
- Amplitude

And the competition format was: - 6/4* man 10 minute jam session heats
- Top 2 go through each heat until10 man semi finals
- 4 x 4 man heats in semis, 10 minute jam
- 1 goes through to final from each heat
- 2 best runners up qualify for 6 man final
- 15 min final

So our man did really well! Big up Manhead!


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THE DIY BIG PUSH!

Here's a beauty of an edit for you guys this week! It's by Bristol head honchos Louis Gaine and George Nevin, featuring Korahn Gayle, Nicky Howels, Tristan B, Matt 'BOYO' Williams and Dan Wileman. It wasn't allowed into the big push due to the fact they didn't know Filmer's were counted as team members and had about a billion Filmer's, and it's just as well they did just have a look at this! In our humble opinion could easily have been a winner in the real or DIY big push, keep pushing guys and good luck for next time! Remember all this footage was from two days in two cities, good work boys!

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LRG OMG!

OH MY GOD! Have a look at this we have got the new DGK x LRG x Jack Curtain board, Along with the Organika x LRG x Carl Watson and Adelmo Jr Boards, AND as if that wasnt enough we have a new range of LRG. Have a Peak!

DE$TRUCTO BENJAMIN'$

Yet another hot release from Destructo this time we have a $100 bill wrapped around the hanger, with a gold base plate and drippy logo. These trucks are serious hot property!

DESTRUCTOOOOOOOOHHH, NICE TRUCKS!

Take a look at the new Destructo x MHI x Andy Warhol trucks they come in some crazy camo colours and deffenatly wont be around for long!

Jah Bless Plan B!

Here's another sneaky peaky at another series of boards just through the door. This time it's Plan B's Kingston series. There's enough red, gold, and green here to satisfy nearly all of your Rastafarian needs!

NEW TRANSWORLD DVD!

Here's a sneaky peaky at the new Transworld DVD that will be out any day now.
It's sure to be an epic as is every Transworld production to date, and with the likes of Kenny Hoyle, Nick Trapasso, David Gravette, Richie Jackson, Matt Miller, and Sean Malto appearing i wouldn't expect anything less! The name is in dispute over legal reasons but it's either going to be "The Now" or "And Now" either way look out for "... NOW" It's going to be awesome!

Silver Trucks x Rogue Status!

Check these out! These bad boys have just arrived fresh through the door! Rogue Status is an awesome brand coming out of LA with the likes of DC's Robby D and Travis Barker behind it we are only expecting good things from them and this Silver Truck collaboration is no exception! Bang Bang!

We Have Gone Elemental!!!

We have just got in a shed load of new Element gear including the new series of boards with graphics by Todd Francis! For those who don't know who he is he has created graphics for all of the big guns like Spitfire, Real, Anti Hero, and Stereo!
These boards are not to be slept on, like all his graphics these sure wont be around for long! Also we hear that there are going to be more Element x Todd Francis goings on in the not so near future! Click here to see his other series.

Skaters Go On Rampage In Guildford

After the rain of last year, the sunshine was out again for the ever popular Rampage event which is held at stoke park in Guildford. Skateboarders and BMXers of all ages were ready to bust out their best moves in front of a big crowd, many of whom had come to support their friends and family on the day. Once I'd put up a variety of banners to represent the various sponsors who had donated prizes for the event, I got straight on the mini ramp that had just been resurfaced for a quick roll before things started to get kicked off. The Matrix trust had also organised an additional halfpipe for the day from Fearless Ramps which enabled everyone to keep going throughout the day in between the comp runs.

As per last year a dirt jump was set up away from the skatepark which provided another obstacle for people to use throughout the day, and although I witnessed two serious slams, there was some amazing stunts being pulled off during the competition which took place before the skate/bmx finals.

Click here to continue reading.


The skateboarders were split up into Under 16 and Over 16 groups, and skated in a jam format to decide who would be chosen for a place in the final round. The Under 16 final saw Guildford local Kieron charging at the large quarter while Farnham locals Josh and Joe did some decent flip tricks on the on the drive way, flat bank and hip to guarantee them a chance to win some well earned prizes.


As always, it is difficult to decide who comes where in the over 16 skateboarding finals, as the standard of skating is so good. This year saw local Guildford skaters Pete Adams, Ben Coughlan, John Balchin and Andy Bateup wow the crowd with some amazing tricks. Dean Robertson and Sam Ridges skated hard all day and impressed everyone with now consistent they are on a skateboard considering they've only just turned sixteen.

Standout tricks were: Nollie backside tail on quarter, backside heelflip driveway, nosegrind across and down gridbox, frontside smith down gridbox , switch 360 flip off driveway, frontside indy transfer and gap to noseslide over driveway.
After the over 16 finals it was time for best trick and for a change this year it was to be held on the mini ramp. James Thornton eventually came through with a gap transfer melon from the mini ramp into the flat bank on the street course, which brought an end to a perfect day.


RESULTS;
Under 16 Skateboard
1. Josh Playle
2. Kieron Mills
3. Joe Connor

Over 16 Skateboard
1. Pete Adams
2. Ben Coughlan
3. Dean Robertson


Thanks to the flowing they provided prizes:
Karl at T.K.C., Joe at FAZE7, Chris @ Blackbox, Jerome at Shiner, Steve at DUFFS, Leigh @ Dwindle and Simon Clark for photography throughout the day.

Words By Route One Guildford Store Manager, Greg Foster

The Super Size Sale Is On!!!

What are you waiting for? The Route One Super Size Sale has started and you're invited to join in the fun! Rammed to the gills with more savings than you could shake a deck shaped stick at, the sale has got literally tons (we've not weighed it all, but it probably is...) of unbelievable bargains.
With most shoes from £19.99, (some at £4.99!), T-Shirts from £4.99 and decks from £19.99 amongst loads of other amazing deals, there is something in there for everyone.
You may have received the catalogue in the post recently, but don't forget that it is just the tip of the iceberg, as the website is the place to go to see the whole sale. Make some time though, there's a lot to see!

ARTO WORKSHOP COMP! ENTER NOW!!!

Yes we have some pretty special product to give away this month in this easy peasy comp. It is to celebrate the fact Arto Saari (Skater of The Year of 2001) has just been put on the Alien Workshop Pro roster. Arto is an absolute BEAST and so are his new board graphics! Expect a lot of GNARLY going's on from the new workshop shredder! Check out his video part in Flip's video 'Really Sorry', it's years old and still AWESOME!
ANYWAYS, the bit you've been waiting for is the question... (DRUM ROLL)
In what year did Arto win Skater Of The Year?
Just email your answers to our very own team member Andy Makepeace and he will pick a winner at random on FRIDAY 11TH OF JULY so be sure to check back then!
Send your answers to him at andy.makepeace@routeone.co.uk

It's A NASS Film Extravaganza!

If you weren't already aware, there was a small gathering down in Somerset last weekend that involved some rather talented young people doing all manner of crazy, gnarly stuff. We were there and we no doubt saw plenty of you there. If you weren't (really? What else was going on that beats NASS?) then don't worry, we've grabbed a load of the best videos from the weekend and stuck them all in one place for your enjoyment, so as usual, get the volume turned right up, sit back and ENJOY!

First up is a is a great weekend highlights package:



Click here to see the rest...


Next is a compilation of the Street skate finals, keep an eye out for Route One Team member Josh "Manhead" Young who came fourth overall - good work son!



Next is the Skate Vert finals, with some good air being shown, this was one biiiig halfpipe...



Here's a good BMX compilation from all the events:



Finally and most impressively we think, is a fantastic edit showing the Route One Inline Team in action, what skills, what drama, sheer class!


Routeone Inline team at NASS 08 from Routeone.co.uk on Vimeo.

NASS Winners Announced

For those of you that came to NASS on the weekend, you'll know we were running a rather tasty competition and we've got the winners right here. All you had to do was fill in a card and slot it in our massive golden box and you were in with a chance of winning a pair of shoes EVERY HOUR!
So here are the names, a massive thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations to those that did, you'll be getting your free shoe invite any time now!

You're a winner!
Aaron Roberts, Adam Skinner, Adam Winchester, Danielle Arund, David Davis, Elliot Stock, James Gibson, Gary Roper, Jack Turrell, Jake Harris, James Robinson, Jo Foy, Joe Johnstone, Josh Gideon, Olly Beha-Burr, Owen Jones, Sam Barnes, Simon Rose, Stacey Smith, Thomas Rees, Tim Bickham and Wayne Norton-Hill.

COMP WINNERS! IVAR K DAWG AND JAK T.

The winner of the Zoo york comp is IVAR KDAWG! He wins A Tee and Board from this extremely limited range from Zoo York X Ghostface Killer X Def Jam. There are less than 500 in circulation and you cant buy them ANYWHERE! They are promo only! So you are one lucky DAWG!

The winner of the very simple globe comp is JAK T. Who wins a globe board and other Globe Paraphernalia!

Get in touch via one of our team riders Andy Makepeace at andy.makepeace@routeone.co.uk and give hime your name and address and he'll post your winnings to you pronto!

Route One Riders Have Arrived!

Why we haven't done this any sooner is a bit of a mystery, but finally we're giving the Route One Team Riders the spotlight that they deserve!
If you didn't know already, Route One has two teams, one skateboard and one inline, both rammed full of the best skaters we could get our grubby little mits on! On the profile pages you will discover a bit of background behind the riders and see some sweet shots of them in action. The profiles will be updated all the time, with new videos, photos and information for you to peruse at your leisure. NASS should give us some great footage, so keep an eye out for updates.
So if you've got some spare time, give it a look and find out a little more about some guys (and girls) with a very bright future.
GO TEAM!

Just Arrived - Route One S2 Maple Logo Deck

We've just had a delivery of our brand new Route One Logo Decks and boy do they look good. With a fresh and clean design for Summer 2008, these American Maple decks have been lovingly crafted in Europe's top board shop to ensure the highest possible quality, and at a penny under £30, we reckon they're about as good a price you'll find ANYWHERE!
3 colours, 3 sizes, choose your favourite, get some trucks and wheels (plus the free any deck set-up deal) and get rolling. We reckon if you go budget, you can get a complete (and assembled by us) American Maple set-up for under £60, including delivery!
GET IN!

Leeds Is Where It's At

Either there's not a great deal to do in Leeds, or it is rapidly becoming the hub of all things good about British skating. I reckon it might be the latter as we're beginning to see a lot of good things coming out of the white rose town, (i guess with the lack of decent football in the city, skating now rules...)
Anyway, after recent hits, such as Yorkshire Puddings and Baghead Flats, the Leeds scene is at it again, with the forthcoming premiere of Friday The 13th, on, you guessed it, Friday the 13th.
Featuring the likes of Route One Team riders Joe Lynskey and Avid, along with Tom Brown, Rory McKenzie and Tom Harrison among others, this promises to be unlike any other skate video, and from the trailer below it does certainly look different.
If you want to go to the Premiere, and who wouldn't, get yourself to The Faversham near Leeds Uni at 8pm. Good work lads!


More Skateboarding Videos >>

Route One's Gone Social Networking Mad!

In an effort to reach out and touch (not in that way) all our customers, we've been setting pages on all the social networking sites. From Facebook, to MySpace, bebo to Skatebook, Route One is now there.
If you want to be our friends, and we'd love it if you would be, then get over to your network or networks of choice, find us and add us, as we're a bit low on buddies at the moment!
These pages will be updated pretty much daily with new stock, new and exclusive competitions, news, videos and much much more, so they should be your first port of call if you want updates on the wonderful world of Route One!

Friday Film Extravaganza!

By now you really should know what this is all about, so just watch these and enjoy!

First up is a nice compilation of Mike V footage celebrating his 21st anniversary as a pro skater. Starting as a pro on Powell-Peralta in 1987, Mike has pretty much been there and got a lot of T-Shirts in the process, whilst growing a helluva lot of hair! This video shows a lot of awesome skating through the years and is well worth a look.



Click through to see more:

The next and final 3 videos are all of the new Girls Pros mentioned in an earlier post These are a taster of what we should all expect to see in the next few years of Pro goodness.

First up is Malto:



Next we have Alex Olsen's part in Fully Flared:



And finally Mike Mo:

Girl Makes Boys VERY Happy

Girl have just announced that they're making Sean Malto, Alex Olsen and Mike Mo Capaldi full pros on their team, about time too we say, especially after their star turns in Lakai's Fully Flared. Malto, especially, has been ripping up the Internet and is surely the way skateboarding will be heading in the next 10 years or so.
In case you were wondering, Alex Olsen is the son of the mighty Steve Olsen, and becomes the first son of a pro to turn pro himself.
Good work boys, we're looking forward to seeing their boards, due in the summer apparently.
Click through for the new Girl video, Yanks On Planks, featuring the new pros, filmed recently in Australia.

NASS - So Close You Can Almost Smell It!

It's just over a week away and boy are we getting excited! That's right, NASS '08 is just around the corner and the anticipation is almost too much to bear. The Route One stand is coming along nicely (sort of), the R1 teams are getting prepared and the long range weather forecasts look promising, all we need to sort out now is what we're sleeping in, tent, car, hotel or ditch...
Anyway, if you haven't got your tickets to the UK's biggest and craziest action sports and music festival, what in God's good name are you waiting for? It really doesn't get any better than this! Pro skaters, live music, mad happenings and Route One of course, all set in the beautiful rolling west country hills.
Perfection!

We Have A Winner!

A little while ago, we ran a sweet competition in Sidewalk Magazine for a whole bunch of cool Mike Rusczyk gear, and finally a winner has been named...
The lucky chap is David Murphy of Cork. David will be receiving all of these goodies:
2 Foundation team decks; a Mike Rusczyk deck, doodled on by the man himself; a set of Indy 139's; 2 sets of Pig Wheels; a foundation Testament DVD Box Set and a copy of Cataclysmic Abyss.
All for answering a ridiculously easy question. Not bad eh?
So if you fancy getting your hands on some free stuff, head over to our competitions page where there's always something going down.
Well done David!

Element & Tosh Part Ways

Element has decided to part ways with twenty-three year old Huntington Beach pro skater Tosh Townend.
Joining Element as a fourteen year-old he turned pro at the early age of sixteen with his first pro skateboard deck and eventually was instrumental in the launch of Element’s shoe division with the design and introduction of the “TOSH PRO” model shoe, leaving his long relationship with Emerica to do so.
Tosh is now a free agent able to pursue new opportunities in skateboards, footwear and apparel while maintaining his current endorsement relationships with Independent Trucks, Boost Mobile, CCS, Map Cargo, Upful Hardware.
This decision comes on the eve of Tosh’s second independent skate film release “The Weenabago Projekt II/Crossing America” this summer. Along with touring on the Independent 30th Anniversary Tour.
From skateboard.com.

Vision Streetwear, Now In Stock!

New in stock this week is a nice little range from Vision Streetwear, one of the forefathers of skating as we know it. Retro as you like, but still contempory in an 80's revival kinda way. Funny how that works eh?
If you didn't know, Vision was founded in 1976 and it's Pro Team represented some of the sickest and most innovative skaters at the time , including Mark Gonzalez , Lance Mountain, Tas Pappas, Duane Peters and Mark "Gator" Rogowski.
Anyway, we've only got a few choice lines in, but if these prove to be popular then expect to see a lot more from Vision in the future.
Click here to see the Vision Streetwear products page.

AN ABUNDANCE OF NEW BLUEPRINT AND LANDSCAPE JUST IN!

We have just unloaded a shed load of new Blueprint and Landscape boards so here's a peep of some of the new UK graphics! Be sure to check out all our other blueprint and landscape boards, And don't miss the opportunity to WIN WIN WIN one of the fine comps below go on enter there's not long to go now! STOP PRESS! Also just in the door NEW US graphics from Enjoi and Almost! Go Check!

NEW NIKE SB IN OUR GUILDFORD STORE! NOW!

We have just received loads of new Nike SB in our Guildford store! They are instore only so give them a bell to get hold of a pair, and if you ask nicely they will even post to your door. Call the store on 01483 570 688 for sizes, availability, prices, styles, and colourways. GET THEM WHILST THEY ARE THERE! Also go enter the 2 eary as pie comps bellow!

COMPETITIONS WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

Winners for both competitions will be announced here on THURSDAY JUNE 19th! So be sure to enter and check back on the 19th! They are so easy it's unreal, and the prizes are AWESOME so be sure to enter as they could be on there way too you!

GET "UNITED BY FATE" WITH THIS LIMITED GLOBE BOARD!

To celebrate the launch of the new episode of "United By Fate" and new shoes (a low and mid UBF magnum) we are giving away this AWESOME globe board, DVD, and a load of stickers! All you have to do is give us a name of one of Globe's pros! Past a comment here and just keep checking back as the winner will be announced here at the same time as the Zoo York comp bellow! So why not increase your chances of owning an AWESOME limited board and enter both?

ZOO YORK X GHOSTFACE KILLAH SUPER LIMITED BOARD AND TEE SHIRT COMPETITION TO LAUNCH NEW SKATEBOARD HOMEPAGE AND BLOG!

YES YES YES! We have managed to get hold of 1 tee and 1 board from this extremely limited range from Zoo York X Ghostface Killer X Def Jam. There are less than 500 in circulation and you cant buy them ANYWHERE! They are promo only! So you can pretty much guarantee you will never see someone else in this tee and rockin this board! *BIG HINT ALERT* The t-shirt has a bunch of Ghostface's nicknames over the years while the skate deck includes an empty pill bottle stuffed with one hundred dollar bills. As we are so lovely here at Route One we have decided to give ours away in an extremely easy comp all you have to do is post a comment on this blog with one of Ghostface Killah's nicknames! It's that simple! A winner will be chosen at random and you will be notified if you are the lucky winner. This comp also ties in with the launch of our new skateboard homepage so after you've entered this easy comp to win this amazing prize go have a look or just tell us what you think in your comment! NEW SKATEBOARD HOMEPAGE! A winner will be announced soon so keep checking back if you want to be the lucky winner! And don't worry if someone else has already put your answer every one counts!!!

HAROLD HUNTER DAY!

In New York on the 17th of May it was Harold Hunter Day Sponsored by Zoo York, New Era, 5Boro, KCDC, aNYthing amongst others. It was a day of remembrance and celebration to one of New York's finest skateboarders, actors and all round fun loving guy! It was an amazing turnout with music by DJ’s Neil Nice, Pete Rock, and the first man to ever ollie Love Park Vinny Ponte! The celebrations were something that would have been more than appreciated by the New Yorker with all his old friends and skateboarders such as Todd Jordan, Kevin Taylor, Chad Muska, The Gonz, Rodney Torres, Jeff Pang, Eli Reed, and Dave from DQM. In other words there were some serious heads in attendance! Check out this link for all the photos! And Check out the video from Harold's part in the Zoo York video Mixtape 1! LEGENDS NEVER DIE!