It is surely every skaters dream to have their own ramp to practice on. I was no exception. Every weekend I would be off to my friends house, helping build a small kick ramp or quarter pipe in his back yard. It is definitely a great way to pass the time when it is raining.

These days, it is possible to buy a skateboard ramp off of the internet. You can get these either already fully made or as a flat-pack build-it-yourself version. From smaller jump ramps to full mini-ramps, the whole array of ramps can be bought. All come with instructions and they are usually quite easy to assemble if there are a few of you helping out.

PRO SKATEBOARD RAMP & RAIL COMBO/SKATE BOARD/GRIND/BMX $1.75

PRO SKATEBOARD RAMP & RAIL COMBO/SKATE BOARD/GRIND/BMX $0.99

Show all pro skateboard ramp items on eBay

If space is limited you might want to consider a small jump ramp that will let you get some air, or space permitting, get yourself a mini ramp.

There are also several metal skate ramp products available too. These come as complete units and are tough and very durable and are designed to withstand the rigors of modern skating. If you are just into getting a small ramp to skate on and are not interested in learning how these things are built, then this will be best best option for you.

Since giving up skating (quite) a few years ago I have been using the Xootr Scooter to get around the local town when ever I need to get that rush of curving, speed and sidewalk surfing.

The Xootr is a quality made scooter designed for the commuter and serious scooter user in mind. Made from quality components like birch wood, aluminum and magnesium, the Xootr is strong, light, agile and not embarrassing at all!

The Xootr is a common design – the same as any other kids kick scooter as it folds to allow for better storage and also comes with a strap to allow carrying whilst commuting on the bus or the train. The only difference with the Xootr is that you are riding a quality piece of equipment!

• All-magnesium deck for light weight.
  Lowest deck of all of our kick scooters for efficient kicking.
• Ultra-low-resistance polyurethane tires for a super-efficient glide.
• Award-winning industrial design by Lunar Design.
• Patented steering and folding system.

It is hard to describe what using a Xootr feels like compared to a normal Razor scooter or similar kids scooter. All I can say is that it is like comparing skating on gravel and skating on smooth polished marble. The ride of the Xootr is top class and once you have had it you won’t want to go back!

It’s pretty hard to find the Xootr anywhere else apart from online. I had to order mine from Spain in the end as there were no stockists here in the UK. You can always get one on eBay though:

Argh! It's gonna hit me in the face

If you still have a pair of those nasty cardboard 3D glasses from the superbowl, head into the Skate 2 game and then to the Extras menu and enter this code:

strangeloops

Once you have entered this, you will be able to enjoy playing Skate 2 in full 3D – as long as you can still find that pair of glasses!

Thanks to EASkateTV and Engadget for pointing me in the right direction!

Once you get past the age of 30 and your knees start to creak, crack and splinter at every bend to pick up your kids toys you may start to realise that Skateboarding is no longer an option.  You will have to resign yourself to playing Skate 2 or teaching your kids how to ollie – unless you get yourself a Sector nine longboard!

Sector Nine, now owned by Billabong, have been making skateboards and longboards for over 15 years and are the foremost manufacturer of longboards and long board technology.

Designed for speed, cruising, commuting or just good old plain downhill action, Sector longboards have a model for you.  They also make standard skate decks too.  A longboard is a more stable design of skateboard which adds to the stability of the ride and allows the owner to travel faster and safer – without the risk of too much Speed Wobble (which is how I broke my hand!)

Made from maple veneers, quality trucks and wheels, the Sector 9 long board is an excellent choice for those skaters who are not too interested in pulling a 360 laser flip – or are too old and too fat to care.  If you are taller, get a board that is wider which will give you a better, more stable ride.  Some of the longboard decks also come with more layers of veneer which will give you more strength in the deck itself – which overall adds to the stability.  If you really wanted to splash out you could get a sector 9 longboard skateboard that uses carbon fiber to make the whole deck lighter and stronger.

SECTOR 9 Longboard Skateboard BAMBOO GHOST TREE Complet $169.99	46 dregs longboard skateboard L1 SURF made by sector 9 $85.00	Sector 9 bamboo longboard skateboard Bamboo, NR, mint $92.00
Sector 9 Longboard Pipeline Oahu North Shore Series $78.88	Golden Sector Swarovski Crystal Gemstone Ring Sz 9# $9.99	Longboard *Sector 9* $71.00

Show all sector 9 items on eBay

iSkateboard is an database application for the iPhone that is constantly updated with information and locations of skateparks and spots around the world.

The best part is that this application is updated by YOU and therefore you will be able to tag your local spot in the database and let everyone else around the world see where your favorite spots are.  You can also add your local skateshops too!

It currently has a total of over 30,000 spots included!

Features:

• GPS location of nearby skatespots and parks
• Directions to the spots you find from where you are
• RSS feeds from major skateboarding websites like Skateboard Magazine and Transworld.
• Covers USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Central America, South America, Asia and New Zealand.

I know that some of you SkaterGeeks are also iPhone owners too – so will you be getting this app?

Buy iSkateboard from the iTunes store. (opens iTunes)

New Designer Green Monogram Case For Iphone 3G 3GS 3 G $0.99	NEW OTTERBOX DEFENDER CASE APPLE IPHONE 3G 3GS 3 G 3G S $20.59	New Designer Monogram Black Case For Iphone 3G 3GS 3 G $0.99
UNLOCKED JAILBROKEN APPLE IPHONE 3G 3 G 8GB $200.00	New Designer Monogram Purple Case For Iphone 3G 3GS 3 G $0.99	Apple iPhone 3G 3 G 8GB 8 GB AT&T WiFi MP3 Music Black $213.00

Show all iphone 3g items on eBay

Well.

The Skate 2 demo is here and I have spent a good few hours playing it (again and again) – so I present my thoughts and views on the successes and failures of this newest title from EA and Black Box.

I suppose we have to remember that this game is just the demo – and (hopefully) by no means the last and final version – although they are cutting it a bit fine if they are going to make any changes now.  Small things may be changed, but I expect that this demo is 99.9% true to what we will see when the game is released on the 23rd of January.

Graphics

The graphics do look better than the original Skate and certainly on my PAL 360, the framerate was much higher leading to a smoother and more polished feel to the game and the way it looks.  It does seem to suffer from slow down at some points, like when you crash off your board – but this may be intentional so you can see your face bite the coping in HD slow mo.

There is a difference between the quality and style of the graphics on Skate 1 and Skate 2 though.  Skate 1 seems more realistic to me.  Skate 2 seems more arcade like and dare I say it… more like the Tony Hawk series.

Gameplay

The gameplay is pretty much the same as Skate 1 but does seem better than before.  I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly has changed apart from the addition of new tricks, new animations and new environments – but the whole game seems to have had an overhaul.

Getting off the board using the yellow button is a nice addition and I can see that it will be helpful to get to those out of the way places that you can see – but could never get to on Skate 1.

And I will go against my predictions – handplants, footplants and no-comply’s are excellent!

Characters

There are lots of the usual pro skaters featured in the game and you play someone who has just got out from prison and has just come back to San Van (hence it has all changed).  One of the skaters/photographers in the game speaks of going down town to skate and is told that there are lots of security guards there.  I hope that this will not be too over stressed in the game.  Getting chased by the over zealous local rent-a-cop was funny in Skate 1 as they were so stupid – but if there are loads of them in Skate 2 it could become a little tiresome.

I also like the extra options you have to customise your skater, adding clothing, customising the deck and changing their body and face design.  I foresee the downloadable content for Skate 2 being in this area!

Replay Editor

Now.  This is the “drop kick you off your chair” part of Skate 2.  If EA get this bit right with the online side, they are laughing.  The editor has been changed to allow you to create “clips” to which you can assign various cameras and effects (effects not present in the demo though).  Even the simple addition of the tripod camera – which you can pretty much place ANYWHERE is amazing.  I was setting my camera to full zoom and getting in right close to the wheels of the deck as it popped a 360 shove it.  Add on the slow motion effect and you have a winner.  I was able to pause the trick mid jump and then position the tripod camera under the skater.  You then get a nice clip of the skater coming towards and over the top of you.

The video editor is going to be HUGE!  And I expect big things from all of those “realistic skate vid” makers out there on YouTube.

Conclusion

• It does feel a bit “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” to me at times – but after playing the demo for the 10th time I kinda forgot about it.
• The camera angle is a little too close at times – lets hope we can change it slightly.
• Moving stuff around is fun.  Try pulling a ramp off a ledge and letting it (and you) fall to make a new weird angle to skate on.
• Hippy jumps are cool.  Try doing it as you drop off the edge of a big ledge and see if you can land it.

Bring it on!

New 5pcs Tech Deck 96mm Fingerborad Skateboard H137 $4.99	5 New SKATEBOARD BLANK 8" DECKS 8.0 BLANKS DECK + GRIP $56.04	Custom Skateboard Deck New, DC, Powell, Flip, supra $17.00
New Tech Deck 96mm Fingerborad Skateboard U02 $2.00	27CM NEW Tech Deck Handboard Skateboard Skiing Game M40 $0.01	27CM NEW Tech Deck Handboard Mini Skateboard Dragon M46 $0.01

Show all skateboard deck new items on eBay

As predicted the other day, the Skate 2 demo has been released onto the Xbox Live Marketplace in the last few days and so far, the general consensus is not good.

Bumbed left a comment on a previous Skate 2 posting to let us all know the following:

I just played the demo of the game today….and it fucking sucks in
comparison to Skate 1. It feels like it’s running on a completely new
engine, and the physics are much more “buggy”. The walking they added
is a joke, and was very poorly executed. Moving shit around is really
cool, but the mechanics of the game feel much different. Hitting rails
feels like a lot of control has been taken away from the player. The
physics simply don’t feel as good, and the game feels more
“arcade-like” Overall…disapointed with the new version of the game.
Fuck you EA.

I have to admit, looking at the footage of the game whilst in development, it did start to look more “arcade” like.  EA seem to have taken a stylised approach to Skate It for the Wii – so why not Skate 2?

Also, the user comments about the demo and the lack of multiplayer options in the demo over at the Xbox360Fanyboy site are not too favorable:

It is a good sequel but the demo leaves much to be desired as there is
no open spaces for you to skate around like the skate 1 demo.

The skate 2 demo requires you to do challenges to gain more time to
freeskate. On the first try I rushed through it to get as much free
time as I wanted. Granted it was the 1st time playing the demo, I was
only able to get just under 8 min of freeskate time.  I just wanted to learn the new tricks and free skate for a while to get
a feel for the game, not be forced to do career tasks on a demo.

I have not had a chance to get online to download the demo yet and will be getting it over the weekend.
Anyone want to share their thoughts on the demo?

Just a quick posting to wish all of my readers and subscribers a very Happy Christmas and I look forward to posting more articles and information about Skate 2 when it is released in Jan 2009.

I am also planning more features for this site and may be looking for others to join the team and post some content – mainly as I do not have enough time to post here every day.

Are you interested in joining the SkaterGeek team?
Do you have any suggestions for improving the site?
What do you want to see here?

Send me a message via the Contact Me page.