Awesome Decks - Five Mile Scarecrow

My second ever longboard had to be something special and extravagant (just as my bass guitars, tell me if you want to see them). Also, I wanted to have a top-mounted deck as I was sick of the beginners-friendly feeling of the NinetySixty BooBam. And I aimed for a update on the graphic as well, you understand once you've seen the BooBam. Then I saw Scarecrow.

Top-mounted - check.

Extravagant - Look at this concave and the nose and tail, CHECK.

Nice graphic - Love the colors and the motive, check.

I added Paris trucks in red and matched the wheels and the bearings as well - but I am now looking for a better exchange bearing because the old ones really suck. Although I messed it up a little by having to much of a stress on the style, I really love how it feels on the street. As I have to go downhill pretty much everywhere I go, I really appreciate how the pockets lock your feet in and you can easily keep a little swing to your driving. But I don't really reach any top speeds, although it is actually going down a hill - the rough ground and the fact that it's still in Germany's rather flat northern area don't make for a fast track. Also, the W-concave really keep the weight down and gives just the right flex for me. You might have some issues at first getting along with the bulge, especially under your front-foot toes, but it becomes really important in judging the optimal position of your feet once you've found it. And the price of $160 makes it a really nice deal for a very special board.

Hamburg Longboard Spots - Slalom and Speed

Today's spot is a lot shorter but I guess you could say it's a double-spot. It consists of two runs: One is a bit longer and keeps you on a continuous but shallow slope. The other one is just a short downhill track of about 100 meters. I actually had to mark the downhill bit by hand as it is no official way.

So we took some empty glass bottles from home with us to put them up as pylons. Some might say that was a little risky because the bottles might brake when I go around them to close and blah. Well, one did brake but only at the top so nothing too bad. People have done dumber things than that and still there are enough of them alive to go on with dumb shit. So let's go.


You actually drop in with quite some speed to get along the flat bit in the middle. Also there is a little crack just 50 meters after the start but that isn't any real problem. We didn't use all the space we had because we were to lazy to get so many bottles although we actually placed the crate on top of one of the boards. And as there were cars coming it would've been way too much work to get so many bottles out of the way and back into place afterwards. It took quite some time to figure out a setup for the pylons that isn't too hard but not boring either. Once we got it right there were cars trying to get along that street.

Actually we decided that the second built was enough and shortly got over to the downhill bit. Unfortunately we didn't get any good shots of that because of shadow and the wrong lens and stuff. Not my best work.

However, Wednesday I will give you some information on my camera and Saturday we're going to visit a place that you  might know from the morning bike ride. 'Till then, keep exploring and save your spots.

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Hamburg Bike Spots - Green, Planes, Sheep

Here we are, Hamburg Bike Spots episode one. This time it is not about a single route but a complete area of forest, dunes and slopes. The marked area on the map doesn't quite fit the actual area but it gets pretty close. I tried to cover as many of the individual spots as possible but as I said it's quite huge and many of the spots are hidden behind turns that don't actually look that inviting so although I personally kept exploring it for about two years I still find new trails and views every time.

We started at a little trail at the west-end of the area that leads through some trees and bushes. It is actually quite some fun to get along the tiny paths and try not to get your legs ripped apart by all the spiked branches reaching halfway over the path.









Following up there is a longer bit that is rather wide open and you can ride over the sand really fast and also have a wonderful view. You get the feeling of flying over all the little humps and also it feels like you aren't anywhere near Hamburg or even Germany.

You can also get along some small trails that have lots of soft sand on the ground - so wider wheels are recommended. And never stop, just try to drive through it and keep your front wheel straight. It's a great feeling to get across a hump that is fully covered with that sand and ride right down there.

Also, as seen on the map, there is that huge field with a airstrip. Actually there where ultra-lightweight planes flying that day. And also there were sheep. These sheep are part of the area and been there ever since I first explored the spot.




A bit further the surroundings changed to something rather forest-like. To the left was a hill of about 50 meters in total and there is a stair going up at one point. But going up is lame - let's get down there. In fact you could choose between the stairs - two meters forward from step to step - and a steeper bit. Guess what I chose.


However, this is it for today. More pictures, less text. Come back Wednesday for the first episode of the non-regular "Alien Post" series featuring a restaurant that I'm going to go to tonight or tomorrow evening. And still, keep exploring and save your spots.

Hamburg Longboard Spots - Beating the Train

Welcome to the first episode of Hamburg Longboard Spots. Today I'll present to you a nice ride that will bring you directly to the city if you pursue it long enough. But this time I limited it to one third of the total length for this post as the amount of photos is already too damn high. Still I will add all worthy pics to an upcoming site that will include all the photos from all the posts plus some extra shots. So, let's get started!

Starting off at the Allermöhe train station we go west following the train tracks. As on this side of the train tracks there's no city but the countryside we get into a huge cloud of dust from a field machine right next to us. Not good for our lungs and not good for the camera either.Actually we got no possibility to race a train -- doesn't even matter as at least three other trains would have passed us on the way -- so we took our time to enjoy the ride (song of the week by Krewella) instead of rushing through.

As the camera I use still isn't my own I left it inside the bag for a long part of the first third of the ride because it seemed quite dangerous to me to carry it around my neck and in my hand while I was on the board. Also most of what I saw wasn't that awesome for photos. But I knew about some good possibilities to take a good shot.

For example there was this bridge leading us to the other side of a little river flowing along the fields. Well, hardly flowing. That's also the reason for the disgusting smell in some areas of the track.

For some reason there has to begin a dike right where the bridge is so the path has a bump of one and a half meters right before the bridge. The dike goes on to the left of it but only five meters to the right this wouldn't have been a problem. But this way you actually have to get off your board. What a shame! At least in the direction we were going as the bridge was very board-unfriendly. The other way round the bump was actually a nice help to get onto the board with at least some speed. 

The next problem was the tarmac at some parts of the track. Some small cracks are fine but you don't want to be forced to practice jumping because of them.

So we made it to the first train station and took a break preparing for the next part that generally looks better and also made a lot more fun what resulted in more photos.

As most horses were in their boxes already we had a hard time searching for one. But only for you I got a shot of a real beauty. Well, I found it right next to the path. Wasn't that hard to get.

Actually there was again a obstacle, a standard red and white bar. But my girlfriend had a nice solution. Just sit down on your board and roll on. As I was concentrated on taking the photos I didn't even bother trying it.

Some hundreds of meters further there was a handcrafted bench placed on the side of the road. Nothing you'd want to have standing in your living room but still it inspired us to shoot some photos.

I can't really describe it but in general I like places where you see man-made structures perfectly blending in to its natural surroundings. Or also if it didn't blend in so well in the beginning abandoned buildings that become one with the nature can be beautiful in their very own way.

But the best about the photos left and below is the contrast of my board, the red and black scarecrow, to the wooden bench and the green grass and trees. Also my girlfriend made a good job especially on the last one with the diagonal line of the plants on the ground, the rather decent focus on the bench and the relation of me to my board.

But then we we almost at the prison. Obviously I couldn't take many pictures of it as the guards don't really like that.

After passing the prison we approached the bridge that lead us over the motorway. Also nice for pictures and riding down on the other side. There, the motorway actually went through a tunnel underneath a freight yard with those huge cranes on rails moving containers from trucks to trains and the other way round. Unfortunately we didn't see more than the tops of the cranes moving from one place to another as there was a huge wall.

That's it for today. We didn't go on to the spot marked on the map as we didn't want to just ride along that boring straight road. But if you want to go home by train you should go there as the train station of Billwerder-Moorfleet is right next to it.

I hope you like this new series, tell me if you actually finished reading in the comments and also tell me what you'd like to be changed. Next Saturday we kick off the bike spots with a nice off-road spot. Until then, keep exploring and save your spots.

Why Longboarding? (2/3)

Hope Monday's post helped you :)

So now that you remember what your longboard is, how it's shaped and how it behaves under your weight (no offense) you should try to catch the spirit of longboarding. The feeling of the street melting under your feet, catching you up in waves to throw you forth and back ever so gently.

Never forget: It's no race, no contest. It's about the feeling you get standing on the board. Do you feel save or are you afraid to tip over? Do you want more or is it just enough? Tell me what you think while you're riding your very own waves!

Why Longboard? (1/3)

Longboarding.

Downhill, cruising, carving, freeride, dancing.

So many possibilities all made from simply a piece of wood and wheels. Of course, nowadays longboards are more than that. Bamboo, Canadian maple, glass fiber. Trucks, bearings, wheels. Many options to play with that piece of wood.

But you should watch out not to get lost. Longboading isn't all 'bout racing or having better parts than the guy or girl right next to you. If you're stuck in that loop of "bigger, better, faster" just take your board outside to a place you two have never been before and lay down on it and feel the edges and bends, the flex and the ground below your wheels.