“Journey to Skate Boulder”

Skateboarding’s influence has the ability to inhabit almost any other art form.  In this era video is the king, and it has been used in countless different ways to convey the experience of skateboarding.  The spectrum of material produced by skaters now ranges from an endless stream of crappy phone-clips to full blown Hollywood productions.  There are so many skate videos out now it would be impossible for a human to watch them all.  Among all that madness, “Journey to Skate Boulder” is something genuinely unique on many levels.

This project by Clay Shank and Samuel Coodley (Big Toe Productions) bridges the gap between skateboarding and short film.  Often skate videos are hard for regular people to grasp, but anyone can appreciate this piece of work.  Skater’s will be highly satisfied as well by how gnarly the skating is, and I can tell you from seeing these spots first hand that they are even crazier than they look.

Over the next week I will be releasing interviews from the creators as well as a story about my experience helping with this project, so stay tuned and keep rolling!

WARNING:

This video showcases many illegal activities. Since making it public, law enforcement officers have tracked me down and confirmed that I broke many laws during its creation, including the use of an off-road vehicle on protected lands. Skateboarding is illegal on the rocks shown in this film and punishable with severe fines. Some of these locations are sacred historic sites, and all are pristine locations of otherworldly beauty. Skateboarding can be damaging to these areas and offensive to both lovers of wilderness and certain religious groups. When considering skateboarding off-road please take the time to consider the laws of the area, the sentimental value of the location, and the damage you may be doing. As always, when traveling in wilderness areas, please practice Leave No Trace principles and remember to respect both those who came before you and those who will come after. -Clay Shank

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