Black Label

Black Label is a skateboarding company founded and owned by longtime professional skateboarder and skateboard graphic artist John Lucero [1] in 1990. It is based in Costa Mesa, California. For more information visit our friends here!

Girl

Girl Skateboard Company is a Torrance, California based skateboarding company that was started in August 1993 by Rick Howard, Mike Carroll, Megan Baltimore, and Spike Jonze. Their primary product is professionally endorsed skateboard decks. They also make shirts, hats, skateboard wheels, hoodies, trousers, bearings, belts, wallets, skateboarding films and many other accessories. Their logo is the same as the symbol on many women's restrooms.

Girl Skateboards has grown into the Girl Distribution family, which includes Girl Skateboards, Chocolate Skateboards, Lakai Limited Footwear, Royal Trucks, Fourstar Clothing, Ruby Clothing, Crailtap (Girl Distributions online hub for all of their brands) and newer board company Skate Mental. Although they are marketed as separate teams, they appear in each other's videos, riders have been seen using either company's boards as well as both teams often touring together. For more information visit our friends here.

How to Ollie

What is an ollie, you might ask? An ollie is a fun way to jump with your skateboard still under your control. Any serious skateboarder will tell you that the ollie is the most fundamental of all skateboard tricks. Even if you are ripping down a rail or free-styling street style, you will find the ollie an indispensable trick in your shredding arsenal. You can perform an ollie while stationary, while riding down the street, or while negotiating obstacles or tricks. With these steps and a lot of practice, you too will be ripping and shredding, and jumping curbs.

1) Stand on the board. Get a good feel for its shape, the tightness of your trucks, and the size of your wheels. Ollies are always easier on a familiar setup. If your trucks are too loose and you can't keep in control while crouching, then tighten them until things are smoother.

2) Adjust your feet to the appropriate position. This can be the first really tricky part of an ollie to master. The idea is you're on the balls of your feet, which will help you greatly when crouching. This can be tricky because if you just go up on your tippie-toes, chances are you'll start turning front-side 'cause when just cruising on your board, the balls of your feet will usually be closer to the front side edge of the deck. (If you weren't already aware, the front side edge is the one nearest your toes). There are two good ways to reposition your feet. The first is a tiny little jump, just big enough to let you land with your feet where you need 'em. This is the best and quickest way, but also the trickiest. The other way is to just shuffle your feet into position. It's a slower, less accurate method, and it ruins your shoes pretty quick unless your grip tape is dead--which it shouldn't be if you want to be able to ollie well. The actual position of your feet is very important. The ball of your back foot should be half hanging off the edge of the deck's tail. The ball of your front foot should be central to the deck, somewhere between the bolts. How far forward/back you choose to have your front foot is mostly a preference thing, but it can affect your ollie too. Huge monster ollies will require your foot to be further back, but will be more difficult. Little kurb-hoppers can be easily done with your foot further forward.

3) Bend your knees and crouch down,Start to move at a good speed. Getting ready to jump. Balancing your crouch properly is crucial. Don't bend your back too much and don't stick your butt out too far. Try to drop down and keep your shoulders level with your feet.

4) Kick down (known as popping) when you jump off the board. Its a good idea to jump forward so you don't spin in the air. A good strong pop is very important. It's the power behind your ollie. It's called a pop 'cause of the noise of your deck hitting the ground, which will make it bounce. I'm sure if you've had a skateboard in your hands you will have tried the fundamental noobie maneuver of stamping on the tail to make it jump at you? It's the same principal with a pop, 'cept you're doing while stood (actually, more like jumping above) the board. Split seconds after you pop, drag your front foot toward the nose of the board. At this point, you are starting to ollie and creating friction between your front foot and the nose of the board. Bring your front foot up, using the grip tape to carry the board with your front shoe. If you find any difficulty rising the tail of your board, make sure you are popping while straightening your legs to jump, not while you are going down. It seems obvious doesnt it? But its a common mistake. Also another reason for the tail not lifting is because your foot might be hitting the ground with the tail not allowing the actual board to lift. Make sure as you are sliding your front foot forward while your back foot is rising.

5) Jump. Yes, as if, GET STRAIGHT UP OFF THE BOARD! The board's going nowhere with your weight on it, so the beginning of an ollie maneuver is to jump.

6) Slide your foot Turn your front foot inward and slide up the front of the board. This will cause the board to level out. This step must be performed at the same time as jumping.

7) Pull your knees up towards your chest. Exactly how far you need to do this depends on how high your ollie is, but that board can only go as high as your feet, so if you want your ollie to be high you have to bring those feet up.

8) Level out. Leveling out means making the board level to the ground while in mid-air. In other words, don't have the front of the board sticking up in mid-air. This technique will help tremendously when you get to jumping gaps.

9) Try to land both feet at the same time, preferably with your feet as close to their respective trucks as possible. If you land an ollie with both feet in the middle of your deck, it's gonna snap. Likewise if you land on your nose and tail, they could break off. Also, landing with your feet too close together can be hazardous to your health, since your balance will be compromised.

Almost Skateboard Decks

Almost Skateboards is an American skateboard company owned by Dwindle Distribution. It was founded in 2003 by skateboarders Daewon Song, Rodney Mullen, Chris Haslam and Cooper Wilt. Almost Skateboards use resin epoxy for their boards and have recently released impact support construction which uses a carbon fiber plate in the truck mount areas. Almost's products are noted for their lightweight construction. Find out more here.

Darkstar Skateboard Decks

Darkstar is a skateboarding company based in El Segundo, CA founded in 1997 by pro skateboarder Chet Thomas, along with his brother Matt Thomas, under Dwindle Distribution[1]. Originally a wheel company, it has since expanded into a board company with professional riders. It was named after the Grateful Dead song of the same name. Find out more here.

Baker Skateboard Decks

Baker Skateboards is a skateboarding company founded by professional skateboarder Andrew Reynolds and creative founder Jay Strickland in 2000. Its main products are skateboard decks and wheels. In 2000 Derek Puhl left every skateboard company that was ever made and started Baker Skateboards with Andrew Reynolds & Melissa Buchanico, along with Booz Distributions as an investment partner. Booz is a company formed by Havik Founders Cain Kerner and Colin Chaban to distribute their own products[1]). In February 2002, with pressure from Strickland to make good on Reynolds' promise of 50% ownership, Reynolds purchased the shares of Baker owned by Blitz to become the sole owner. Baker still remains a member of the Blitz Distribution family. Reynolds' promise to Strickland went unfulfilled, and Strickland left Baker to concentrate on his own company, Bootleg Skateboards (with the name taken from Strickland's first video, Baker-Bootleg released 2 years before Baker skateboards started) under NHS Inc., which has since folded. In 2005, the popular Baker 3 full-length video was released, instantly becoming a hit in the industry. In 2008 Baker's new promo video "Baker Has A Deathwish" was leaked on to the internet. Despite being a promo, the video features full-parts from all Baker and Deathwish pros and most ams, and the video is also over an hour in length, being longer than Baker 3 and Baker 2G. Find out more here.

Enjoi

Enjoi is a skateboarding company that offers a line of professionally endorsed skateboard decks as their primary product. They also offer wheels, bearings, and clothing. The company was originally headed by professional skateboarder Marc Johnson, who eventually left for Chocolate Skateboards. After Johnson's departure, Matt Eversole took over as head of the company. They released their first video, Bag of Suck in 2006, which won TWS (Transworld Skateboarding) Video of the Year Award. Enjoi is the only skateboarding company that does not use ads of their skaters doing skateboarding tricks. Instead thay use witty ads that depict skateboarding in a non-skateboarding way. Enjoi is owned and distributed by Dwindle Distribution which is owned by Globe International.

Enjoi skateboarding company's logo is a tight panda, usually white and black but sometimes rasta. On some skateboard decks they have various colors and patterns, such as plaid, stripes,shades of green and dots. Find out more here.

Flip Skateboards

Flip Skateboards is a US based international skateboard company, owned by Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon and Geoff Rowley. The company manufactures skateboard decks, wheels and clothing. Flip is distributed by Blitz Distribution in the US. Flip Skateboards originally started in the UK in the 1980's as Deathbox Skateboards (later to be named Flip in 1994). The original name 'Deathbox' is a term used for the swimming pool overflow channel in the form of backyard pool skating. Buy Project Forex Megadroid

Alien Workshop

Alien Workshop makes highly artistic and unique skate deck designs. They make traditional 7 ply skateboards, have some corrugated technology decks, their Ultralight, and "Nice Price" decks that feature less ink and untreated veneers so they cost less. These are only some of the different types of boards made by Alien Workshop - they are a highly innovative skate deck company!

Lib Tech Skateboards

Lib Tech skateboard decks are strange - they are well built, and always feature some new technology that puts them in a league of their own. But, they tend to not be seen as often as regular 7 ply wood decks. But, they do tend to work very well, so if you are into trying something unique, check out Lib Tech boards. Lib Tech's graphics tend to be a little ugly in my opinion, but that doesn't mean that you won't love 'em. Lib Tech is also well known for their snowboards.

Toy Machine

Toy Machine makes good 7 ply skateboard decks. They don't offer much new technologies or anything in their decks - but their decks are good quality, and well made. A lot of their graphics feature cartoon monsters. The Toy Machine skateboarding team features riders like Billy Marks, Ed Templeton and Josh Harmony.

Birdhouse and Blitz

Birdhouse is Tony Hawk's company, and he has made sure that his skateboards are good quality. Birdhouse also has its Black 6 technology - this is a 6th thicker ply in the skateboard deck's construction that is supposed to add pop and help with flicks. Tony Hawk has assembled a pretty impressive skateboarding team, with himself, Shaun White and plenty more.

Birdhouse is part of Blitz, which also distribute Flip, Baker and Hook-Ups. These are good brands too - nothing really fancy or anything, just good quality 7-ply skateboard decks.

Blind

Blind's skateboard decks are good quality, and they have several unique skate deck technologies: an 8 ply board, a lighter 7 ply board, boards with a vertically laminated core, and decks with Texalium (aluminum and epoxy glass) inside. That might seem like too much to choose between, but it's not, really - just get the deck out like the look, weight and shape of! Blind's graphics tend to be very dark, gritty, violent, and death-filled (with their little "cute" reaper).

Powell

George Powell teamed up with Stacey Peralta back in the stone ages of skateboarding, and created Powell Peralta, the company that founded the legendary Bones Brigade. Powell skateboards have been well built now for decades, made in California from rock hard American maple. They even brag about having a spacial unique AirLam press for the boards. The bottom line is that Powell skateboards are well built and good to ride. The style of Powell graphics varies quite a bit - it really depends on the year!

Element

Element skateboards have been one of the higher quality brands of skateboards for a long time. Element is a highly environmentally conscious company, with boards like Triftwood decks, which are 7 ply skateboards set at a cheaper price than their lighter, higher tech Fiberlight and Featherlight boards. Element also has a Helium line of skate decks which have air chambers inside making them stiff and light. Element's graphic style is generally simple, with crisp clean imagery with complementary colors. The most famous rider on the Element team is probably Bam Margera.

Plan B

Plan B is a relatively newer skateboard deck company, and they have made their name with quality skate decks and by putting together a very respectable skateboarding team. Plan B decks are high grade 7 ply skate decks, with nothing really special about them besides being well made, wood, and reliable. Plan B's graphics tend to be simple. The Plan B team features skaters like Danny Way, Colin McKay (those two took over the team in 1994, and eventually the company), Ryan Sheckler, Jereme Rogers... seriously, it's an all star team, which is how Plan B originally started. Plan B decks are good quality, and I recommend 'em.

Habitat

Habitat is a skate deck company with a calm, earthy, stylish feel. Sort of like Element, but without even trying to appeal to the kinds of skaters who like Bam Margera. That means that Habitat might be less well known, but their boards are still very high quality, and their graphics are artistic and iconic. Habitiat has a few board styles other than the usual 7 ply: the Skylite lighter skate deck, corrugated bottom ply decks, and Terralone Earth-tone decks.

Zero

Zero has always had a strong gritty image, with plenty of blood and skulls. When pro skater Jamie Thomas took over the company, Zero kept the same feel but added an even stronger Gothic tone, sprinkled with punk. Zero decks are well made, and have been one of my personal favorites for a long time. The Zero team features skaters like Jamie Thomas, Chris Cole, Elissa Steamer and more. Mystery is another Jamie Thomas company, and Mystery decks are made exactly like Zero boards.

Skateboard Decks - Welcome!

Welcome! Here we are going to review skateboard deck companies so you can find the right skateboard deck for you.