The Onterrible Report: Giants Head Freeride

Photo courtesy of The life on fire project
Words by Jason Epp 

For the last 5 years on the August long weekend people from all over have gotten together in the town of Summerland nestled in the heart of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia to ride the infamous Giants head. This year I was fortunate enough to count myself among those people to kick of the start of my BC skatecation. This is easily one of the best freeride hills I have skated, and if you’ve seen the videos it doesn’t do it justice. This event is amazing! I must say in their 5^th year these guys know how to step it up when they put on an event, and from the sounds of it they have been stepping it up every year. They even went as far as giving you a set of fresh wheels to try out on the hill and for some added fun you could try to fill out a score card to win your entry fee back. The score card included challenges like riding giants head on a 2X4, surviving the entire weekend without road rash (which is very difficult), doing a full run no hands, among other challenges.

For those of you who are unaware, Giants Head is a narrow one lane road leading up to the top of the mountain in the middle of Summerland. The road drops 700 vertical feet in 2km as you navigate your way through 13 hairpin corners. The very first day I was able to hit every run, I’m not sure how many that is but let me tell you it seems like a lot, then next day I only missed last run, and on the last day I was so tired and beat up I sat out the entire second half of the day to play with my camera. With 35°-40° weather and the fact that you’ve probably broken yourself off hard at least once by the end of the weekend I must say I was satisfied with the riding I got in. But let’s talk about the course a little bit more, it has 13 tight hairpin turns and the gnarliest part happens to be the only long straightaway known as tightrope. This is where many riders collided if the person in front of them happened to be doing heelside 180 slides all the way down the stretch. The features on the road were awesome, props to all the people who showed up days before hand to help build them. First there was a mellow bank at the top portion of the hill leading up to “gravel corner” which definitely lived up to the name. Halfway down the hill Comet had a section with a wallride bank and a ramp to a bank feature just before descending into the last 5 hairpins. Finally on the last right know as “dead man’s” there was a big rainbow bank that that saw its fair share of carnage, which also happened to be the spectator corner where Striker was announcing the event.

So as I stated earlier it was hot, really hot, and there are 100+ riders trying to navigate down this 2km stretch in a short period of time. Let me tell you, there was carnage. This mixed with the heat was a combination for gooey festering road rash and few escaped its wrath over the weekend. This event is fueled by blood and sweat, I considered myself lucky when I only got a bit of rash on my hip and split the tip of my finger open. There was one grom that needed stitches after falling on the rainbow bank, and this little dude was right at the front of the pack the next day. I even took one run at the back of the pack and happened to destroy a guy that was doing 180 slides all the way down the hill. Fortunately for me he broke my fall, I’m sure next time he’ll look before he pop a 180 standie across the path. I saw people getting to the bottom of the hill with road rash from their ankle all the way to their shoulders. This is the price you pay, and this price unfortunately can’t be included in the registration. So if you’re looking for an event that’s has no shortage of riding an amazing and technical course and some good times and shenanigans with friends I must say Giants Head Freeride a top notch event

Jane Paths Wet N Wacky Race

Photo by Luis Bustamante

The kickoff of the first annual wet n' wacky wace held on Toronto's Jane's path went off with a splash. Hosted by T.O's own Anthony Salvador and Joey Marion, sponsors lined up for this great, first of its kind, race idea including Orangatang Wheels, Loaded Boards,Concrete Wave Magazine, Randal trucks, Bombora Boards, Rayne Longboards and many more. The concept was simple, show up to race and expect to leave wet. Every rider came to throw down and most certainly did. All while having gallons of h2o dumped all over them and their boards making traction a laughable matter. The jam format saw 3 categories (grom, buttboarding, and open dh) battle out 5 heats to get the racers to semi finals and then finals. All the categories semi final heats saw the riders battle it out trying to slick their way to the finals. Lucky riders Jason Bull, Kyle Lahey, and Tim Borovsky stayed consistent making open finals, again Kyle Lahey making it to buttboarding finals with young guns Zachary Nyers, and Gene Sillas Jr., and finally rounding out the grom category were again Zachary Nyers, Jason Bull and Jon Norman. All 3 finals saw riders swap positions quicker than a bad porno with spectators going all out trying to sabotage who took home top spot by means of "land mines" (water balloons along the pathway) water-swords, two 50 gallon buckets of water, about 15 water guns and more hidden treasures along the course. Managing to scramble back to his board first in the grom category Jason Bull kept his top spot rounding out the Grom categories top spots:


1st Jason Bull
2nd Jon Norman
3rd Zachary Nyers


In buttboarding finals, Lahey managed to get out to a sizable lead but blew the first corner sliding out, getting back to his board quickly he put the pressure on passing riders Zachery Nyers, and Gene Nillas Jr. Going into the 2nd hairpin. Zachary couldn't hold onto his board and slid out allowing Lahey to gain some ground on now first positioned Nillas Jr. Seeing his opportunity to pass as Gene developed wobbles, Lahey managed to squeak past into first place right into the last corner and holding position to make buttboarding podium results:


1st Kyle Lahey
2nd Gene Nillas Jr.
3rd Zachery Nyers


With the first two categories now done and having seen Lahey winning buttboarding, and Bull winning groms category the pressure was on for one of them to make it a double podium day. Off the start Lahey managed to gain a sizable lead with a strong one push, followed by Jason Bull and Tim Borovsky. Lahey drifted super early into the first corner anticipating the floods that were upon him managing to just stop shy of the end of the track due to the water. Tim and Jason battled it out trying to pull off a stealth pass on Lahey as he slid out in the 2nd corner trying to grip a slow yet wet hairpin, unfortunately they tangled up allowing Kyle to hop back on his board and retaining his lead, coming around the last two lefts Tim and Jason both managed to lock wheels and bail allowing Sir. Kyle Lahey to be deemed both open DH and buttboarding victor. A scramble for boards left the opens finals results as following:


1st Kyle Lahey
2nd Jason Bull
3rd Tim Borovsky


 With such a rad event to cool down in the blazing summer heats, you can bet this will be an Ontario annual skate race. So make sure you get you panties wet with us next year :)


Ziiiiiiip peeaaaccceee!






Words By Kyle lahey

The Onterrible Report: Maryhill FOS

Words By Jason Epp

Maryhill FOS 2012 

Bright and early on June 27^th a handful of skaters pile into the PDX Sk8 bus outside Rip City Skates in Portland, Oregon. Many riders weary from the travels passed with delayed flights, missed connections, and missing baggage to name some of the hardships associated with traveling coast to coast for the 3^rd leg of both the IGSA NorAm and World Cup series; the infamous Maryhill Festival of Speed.  The excitement was high as the Sk8 bus began to roll out of Portland, with a quick stop in Hood River for some groceries and an impromptu bowl session at the skate park we were now almost to Goldendale, Washington for one of the most iconic races in the IGSA circuit. As we approached the racecourse you could see the rows of wind turbines spread along the skyline with a winding strip of smooth black pavement snaking down the side of the golden valley. We were here.

As we arrived fashionably late it was time to register and complete tech inspection, the name of the game for the next two days was to see how many practice runs your legs could handle before first day of qualifying on Friday. This being a world cup event there were fiercely competitive riders here from all corners of the globe to represent their respective countries. As the first 2 days went on and the riders began dialing the course the packs started getting bigger faster and hairier with the tailwind increasing as each day went on. These tailwinds lead to a few injuries by the end of the 2^nd day including a dislocated shoulder by Toronto local and Skate Invader Alex Megit unfortunately putting him out for the remainder of the event. The winds speed at times made for this surreal silence where the only thing you heard was your wheels on the pavement, and air breaking was rendered useless. This also meant that a few of the right hand turns had a headwind going into them making other portions of the course much easier to navigate.

First qualifying run happened after one practice run on the Friday morning and order was determined by your previous year world ranking. As the days went on the wind increased which generally favored the top ranked riders who were the last to do their qualifying runs. At the end of the first day people had laid down some solid times including Douglas “Dalua” Silva setting a new track record with a time of 3:05.662. The next day the winds were stronger and many people were looking to improve upon their previous times, and that is exactly what happened for most. Just 24 hours after the previous track record was broken Zak Maytum put down a 3:05.523 securing him the new track record and the pole position for the 2012 MFOS. After second round quail it was time for the last chance race for rider ranking from 93-140 in qualifying to try and secure the last 4 spots for race day followed by the king of the hill race. After qualifying it was looking like rain was imminent and the tailwinds were blowing hard which made for some interesting heats with lots of crashed at Cowsers. The rain having finally come down the King of the hill race heat had decided to race sitting down to avoid any risk of injury for race day.

Race day was now upon us with the brackets set and the heats stacked.  This was definitely the most competitive race I have seen with 2^nd round brackets looking almost like potential final heats it kept the racing tight and exciting. Like any competitive race there was no shortage of issues on the race hill either, with Byron Essert losing his 2^nd place position in the Junior B finals, the Junior A finals requiring a re-run, and having Kevin Reimer and Billy Bones crashing at the start line in the open finals. Patrick Switzer took the gold for his second time followed very closely by Zak Maytum and Alex Tongue then Kevin Reimer, Douglas “Dalua” Silva who crashed during the finals and Billy “Bones” Meiners. Big congratulations to Ontario riders Luke Melo (22^nd) Braden Tibbles (31^st) Justin Readings (57^th) and Cam Brick (71^st) for killing it at one of the most competitive races around.

The Onterrible Report: I Heart DH

Words By Jason Epp

The evening of June 22^nd riders from all over North America converged in the

small ski town of Wyndham, NY to begin tech inspection for the first annual I love

DH Skateboard and street Luge race. There was a large contingent of riders from

Southern Ontario in attendance as well as a number of top ranking riders from

Quebec, B.C, Colorado, and California. Practice/qualifying runs took place the

following morning with the announcement that they were going to be testing a new

format that automatically timed every run towards qualifying.

The first look at the course was very promising considering the recent

announcement that we were no longer able to race the top portion of the course due

to liability reasons. The revised course consisted of a push into a steep dropping left

hairpin with terrible pavement, this then led into a straightaway that would dump

you into a technical left right chicane that was followed by a long straightaway

where you would reach top speed (where top downhill skateboarders were clocked

at speeds upwards of 75km/h) followed by 90° left that led to the finish line.

Practice runs were slow and the new timing system was questionable at best leaving

room for improvement for next year but first day eventually got rolling after each

riders attempt at a solo qualifying run. After the day of practice many riders grabbed

some beers and hung out at the slide jam being hosted close by until it got dark.

The next day consisted of a single practice run followed by a day of racing. The

day started with the Amateur class, and after long delays due to injuries they had

to postpone it until the end of the Pro and Street Luge classes. The organization of

the racing brackets also left much to be desired along with the fact that the timing

system had failed to qualify a handful of riders but as the first couple rounds went

through the racing began to get interesting with tight heats and big crashes through

the chicane leading into the straightaway. Patrick Switzer, Alex Tongue, and James

Kelly were dominating their heats along with Ben Dubreuil, and Charles Ouimet

from Quebec who both made to the finals. Unfortunately in the Semi-finals Hanover

born Patrick Switzer ended up falling and being eliminated from the finals but then

took 5^th overall in consolation. At the end of the day it was Alex Tongue who took

home the gold followed by James Kelly who narrowly passed Ben Dubreuil at the

finish line and Charles Ouimet to follow in 4^th. Though the organization could have something to aspire to in following years, the

venue has much potential, and I look forward to seeing everyone there in the years

to come.

PEC Gravity Fest is back for 2012!!

Rider: Patrick Switzer
Photo: Reggie Smith

The Prince Edward County Gravity Fest will be returning in September for its 3rd year. As many rumors swirled around internet-land about it's demise, riders patiently waited to hear of the fate of this dear event. I use the term 'dear event' not because it's the most gnar track out there, or fastest, but because it is Ontario's only sanctioned downhill event. This race has a very different vibe than others, it's hard to put your finger on what's so different about it. Perhaps it has something to do with the massive amount of local riders attending the event, or maybe it has something to do with the awesome community that hosts it. Whatever it is, we're all happy to hear it's going on again!

Just to make sure everyone's getting stoked on this, I had the opportunity to play twenty questions with one of the event coordinators Krisha Parks. Here is what she said to just a few of those questions!

1- Soooooo, It's official. P.E.C is going on again?

Yep! We're moving forward with the race and it's very exciting!

2- For someone who hasn't been to this event before, could you tell us a little more about P.E.C?

PEC Gravity Fest is the only IGSA sanctioned race on the east coast of Canada. It's a 2 day, action packed race that takes part in the heart of Picton, Ontario. The course has a 14% drop into a 90 degree hairpin turn, with a mad dash to the finish. Riders get at least 15-20 rides in per day! There will be music, food, and awesome prizes!

3- Is there anything new or different going on with this race than other years?

We're working on some awesome stuff for this year! There's going to be more prizes, raffles, and other super secret things I'm not allowed to talk about yet.

4- If you can tell, what were some of the issues you had getting this event off the ground for 2012?

The biggest issue getting PEC off the ground this year, as with any year (and i'm sure other race organizers will tell you the same) was finding sponsors. Luckily, we have a huge support system within the longboarding community (thanks y'all) and I actually had sponsors calling me this year- which is a first! 

5- Any new sponsors jump aboard?

A ton! Switchback, Bombora, Ultimate, just to name a few!

6- Any big name riders or companies coming out to P.E.C this year?

Switchback is coming with their massive RV, which is very exciting, and I'm hearing rumours that Patrick Switzer is going to try to make it a three-peat. 

7- Are we still to expect that deliciously massive meal like years past?

You bet! We're coming up with new and awesome ways to feed you! Honestly, when we have our committee meetings, a large portion of the meeting is dedicated to the meal, haha.

8- Has anything been sorted out yet for sleeping accommodations for riders? (hehehe)

Camping has yet to be finalized, but I'm pretty sure we'll have the park again!

9- Any wise words for someone who is thinking of putting on a bigger scale event like this?

Having a good support system is key. PEC is run by a committee of about 12 people (!!). Putting on a sanctioned race is like having a full-time job, so just be prepared to not see your friends for a while. It's hard, it's stressful, but it's so worth it in the end. 

10- Final Words/thoughts (Anything you feel like mentioning.) 

I'm just so grateful for the Ontario Longboarding and Street Luge community, you have no idea. I mean, they're the reason the race is happening. (without them I'm just some crazy girl lining a road with straw bales, haha) The race is coming along swimmingly, and I hope to see you all in your leathers in September! 

The Prince Edward County Gravity Fest is still open to any sponsors interested. For inquiries please feel free to contact Krisha at pecgravityfest@gmail.com.
 To the riders: see you there!

Sector 9 Butterballs: A review... by a girl

I've heard so many different things about Sector 9's butterballs, that they cone in under two hours, that they can last a decent amount of time, etc. Needless to say I was crazy stoked to have a set show up at my door last week. Thanks Sector 9!

I was really excited to try them out, "will this be a wheel that little 110 pound me can wear?". After all initial questions bounced through my head, I finally got the wheels set up on my board.

They are round... Nice!

Hey! My bearing match my wheels... Sweet!

Now off to Barrie for the slide jam with some new wheels to shred

My first run was pretty much a straight bomb, the wheels accelerated very nicely and were smooth. Time to slide!

My first one was a nice long one-handed toe side, I was amazed by how they had the perfect amount of grip and drift right off the hop. Throughout the day it was nothing but predictable and easily controlled slides. Full of stoke, day one was over and with minimal coning I was ready for road trip number two!

FRENCH CONNECTION!!!!!!!!

It was a hot day... and I mean hot!

I was the first one geared up and ready to take on the hill. What can I say, I was excited to try out the wheels again!

My first run down the hill was full of super fast acceleration, my first slide was insane. PURE butter with a hint of ice, but 100% controllable. I had a blast rippin these wheels for the duration of our stay at that hill. Now I'm just learning standies, my first week to be exact. Out of every wheel in my quiver these are the ones I'm most comfortable attempting them on. I feel safer, not like they are going to ice out on me like other wheels. I had no problem attempting heel-side checks and was feeling more confident every run I took. By the end of the day I was totally thrilled with my progression!

Overall, I've had a blast on my Sector 9 Butterballs and will continue to do so until there is nothing left, but cores. At the rate that's going i'm thinking that'll be another month.

First Blog

Hello everyone!
We've started a blog just because facebook couldn't do everything we wanted it to. With having all this extra room we're gunna be adding more photos, posting videos, product reviews and interviews with your favorite and up and coming riders.
Stay tuned for more to come!