Many of us skateboarders are nomads. We love to travel to new places, shred new terrain, and with a fresh cast of rad skaters. Plenty of us in the community dare to follow our skateboards wherever they may roll, and in many cases this passion to hit the road rolling takes us around the world. In my personal experience, the faith I’ve put into my passion for skateboarding has never done me wrong. Maybe with the exception of a few injuries, but even through those I’ve found something good. Basically, whatever it takes, make a trip dedicated to nothing but skateboarding and exploring—go get some!
Ladies-only. Los Angeles. Photo: Marcy Bandiqua.
As of late, there has been an increase in the number of international lady skaters that have been rolling through Los Angeles, and they are all smiles. Victoria Waddington from Calgary, Canada is on her second trip to California, and she’s been all over the coast—up to San Francisco, down to San Diego, and now she’s kicking it in Los Angeles. I asked her what the purpose of her trip was, and she said, “Just to skate” with a shrug and a smile. She’s stoked, skating everything she can find, racing in local outlaws against the boys, and getting psyched for the Catalina Island Classic. She’s getting it done and living the dream out here during this four-month California skate visit.
Canada’s, Victoria Waddington, enjoyin’ some LA sunshine & shred. Photo: Marcy Bandiqua.
(Skate Travelers be warned: If you visit Los Angeles, you must either have a car, rent a car, or be really ambitious in finding rides to the hills and skateparks! Skate trips don’t just happen by sitting around and waiting for someone to take you skateboarding. You have to make your adventure happen, go skate, get rad!)
Claudia Lehmann of Hamburg, Germany grips a sunny corner. Photo: Marcy Bandiqua.
Claudia Lehmann from Hamburg, Germany has also been visiting Los Angeles the past couple of months, subletting an apartment close to Downtown LA and falling in love with skateparks. She’s already made it out to a handful of the Malibu canyons, as well as the downhill gems in Downtown, but I usually link up with her at the Venice skatepark some early mornings, or the Culver skatepark some afternoons. When I started skating bigger boards almost three years ago, I thought it would be a very long time until I wanted to revisit skating a skatepark on a street deck. Just three years later, my love for skateboarding has come full-circle and I’m crazy about transition skating. Claudia has caught the bug as well, opting to cruise a park and to learn a thing or two on a street deck. Claudia’s friend Franzi was inspired by her California Skatecation and recently flew over here as well for a quick escape from Germany’s winter. We recently had a super fun downhill session at Mt. Washington and Franzi was radiating with happiness to be able to skate and enjoy the warm air and sunshine.
Franzi, soaking up the SoCal rays, downhill style. Photo: Marcy Bandiqua.
(Skate Travelers be informed: Claudia and I have been exploring and utilizing LA’s public transportation lately, and if you take a moment to look into bus and train lines, they just might help you and your skateboard get to where you want to go! Just don’t use the bus at rush hour [4:00pm - 7:00pm] and you’ll be golden.)
Claudia & Amanda back up top for another & enjoying the view. Photo: Marcy Bandiqua.
It’s been awesome to have these ladies in Los Angeles. They’re having a blast being away from their countries’ grey winters and soaking up the California sunshine, and their good vibes are infectious. There are hardly any gals consistently skating Malibu, so it’s been refreshing to have some ladies around. Sonso Masia from Madrid, Spain is a student at the European University of Madrid and has been spending her semester studying abroad down in San Diego. I met the sweetheart a couple of weeks ago when she came up to LA for a weekend. She’s been busy going to school, skating the San Diego gems on the regular with Sara Paulshock, and getting some hang-time with her friends at Arbor.
The ladies holding it down in LA! Franzi, Victoria, Claudia, and Amanda. Photo: Marcy Bandiqua.
No matter how you do it, whether it’s a constant journey or just a short trip, it’s okay to be a skate nomad—It’s beneficial in fact. By traveling with my skateboard as a guide, I have learned so much about the world, the skate community, and myself. The key is to have no agenda, but a lot of motivation. Be completely open to skating everything (within your limits). Be completely open to different cultures; absorb everything, keep skating. If you’re at your home-base and skate transients roll through, be nice to them and direct them towards some fun skateboarding—it’s great Karma!