Peter Eubank
Yeehaw!: Being Aware.
Mr. Yeehaw! gearing up for a fast and ferocious 2012 season of Shred! Malibu, Ca. Photo: Charlie Treehorn.
2012 is going to be a big event-season that, for many, will require a bunch of travelling. This means dealing with long-distances, overpriced airport food, and carrying around large bags of shred equipment. That said, one of the most important things you will have to deal with is finding a place to crash while you’re visiting any given event. The best option, in my humble opinion, is to bring a tent and your camping gear and posting up near the hill or in your buddies yard. If you don’t have a tent, or didn’t bring it, then that means you’re couch-surfing in a local skater’s living room—getting deeply pitted by the flower-print upholstery of the sofa. Either way, yard or couch/carpet or lawn, you are staying at their house and should have some common courtesy in return for their generosity. Read More
Yeehaw!: Embracing The Power Of Kyah
The Kyah works! Make note of the aural glow beginning to form above Pete's visceral center. Photo: Karate Kid.
When I’m skating hard and pushing my personal limits alongside a group of good friends, I become really stoked. You know that radical feeling of zooming down your local slope, bangin’out all your steeziest maneuvers—It feels great! Sometimes when I’m in the zone—the times when my smile is a permanent feature of my face—I start to make sound effects when I’m slaying the course. I’ll make explosion sounds, martial arts cries, laser mouth-blasts, or I’ll even try a creative combo of lion roars and face-smashing calls from the underworld. Such calls boost my shredding experience into the outer limits, and, more than not, increases the stoke-factor of any homies within earshot. These spontaneous shrieks from the spirit-realm have been used for ages and are known in martial arts as Kyah. Read More
Yeehaw!: The Sacred Totem of Shred
Just a few of the boards kickin' it in the Wheelbase Shred Cave. Photo: Sexy Steve.
A nicely used board sits on the ground catawampus, slivers of wood poke and jot out on the edges; the graphic is covered with stickers, grime, and a large area has been scrapped off from boardsliders and bails. The griptape has dried mud spots all over it. You go to pick up this skateboard and get a whiff of somethin’ horrendous. It stinks from that one time you ran over an opossum which subsequently sent that furry vermin into the hereafter; or maybe the pungency is due to that time you carelessly left it outside in the rain for three days. Who know why it’s so darn smelly? But it’s your board, the roads are dry, and it’s time to ride. Read More
Yeehaw!: Dippin’ The Dogs
Mr Yeehaw! with a super pumped no-comply slider. Photo: Kris Kringle
If you are a skateboarder you probably rock through shoes faster than the band Kiss rocks through face makeup, so getting the right shoe for your specific need is critical. There are all kinds of radical footwear out there that cater to skateboarders and provide the synapse you need to connect you to your shredstick. Some dudes, like the always-radical Ethan Lau, even skate without shoes—and I have even heard that he footbrakes barefoot! That kind of craziness aside, most of us do wear shoes and are looking for a pair that best suits us. You may be familiar and partial to the Vans classic style that so many love, or are inspired by Rob Dyrdek and DC shoes, others get stoked on the connection they get from a fresh pair of I-path sneakers. Heck, I have bombed hills in a pair of Sanuk Sidewalk Surfers—which weren’t ideal for the shred, but at the time that’s what I had to work with—somehow I was able to pull it off. Ha ha! No matter your shoe preference, you probably put at least some thought into what your feet are wearing while you’re skateboarding. Shoes have been a passion of mine since high school and I believe I have finally found the right ones after 7 years of trying all different shapes and styles. Read More
Yeehaw!: A Bit of Draft Etiquette.
Pat Schep drafting Max Capps somewhere in California. Photo: Ron Huey.
Bump drafting and riding close in heavy packs is one of the addicting elements of downhill skateboarding. It is desirable to sit in someone’s draft-pocket for a number of reasons. If you can keep your shit together close behind someone, you have the power to pass them fairly easily; this can be very valuable in racing, and a good skill to possess in free-riding. Drafting also allows you to be lazier and not have to focus on your tuck as much—relax a bit and let the rider in front do all the sweatin’ until you desire to blast ahead. Swoop! Regardless of why you are riding close, there are proper ways and improper ways to “get your draft on”. Read More
