2.27.2012

chrome ball incident #759: legacy of brutality



















"9 times out of 10 Carlsbad will not let you make it." -Jeremy Wray

I remember when the Big Carlsbad Gap was the most goddamn gigantic thing on Earth.

Another one bites the dust. R.I.P.

Granted there's a lot of Markovich in this one but there should be. He seemed like the only one who stepped to this place for years, ruling it with an iron fist (until this). It's only right that he got that last ollie in before demolition.

This post kinda sputters out somewhere in 2005 as basically the whole world went batshit crazy over this thing all of a sudden. But you probably have those magazines.

Wish I could've seen this thing in person. I kinda blew it on that one.

Starting to miss these marquee spots... some dude's TF just isn't the same.

Gotta say that I loved the coverage from @transworldskate and @blairlylegal last friday on instagram as the shit went down... from the final curtain call to Kris' last flight in the face of impending doom, it was pretty cool to watch everything unfold like that.

(@chromeball  if you're wondering... can't front, shit is fun)

and on a quasi-related note, just how far ahead of its time was ON Video? Incredible.

18 comments:

Leiv said...

RIP

What's going on in that 4th picture? BS 180 one foot? Trick on the 2nd stair? Poser of the month? Inquiring minds want to know?

And ON Video was great! It's a shame it didn't last.

Anonymous said...

Poser of the month?! The 4th picture is Markovich doing a fakie ollie 1 ft down the stairs next to the gap.

Leiv said...

That was a joke. I know it's Markovich. The shot was poorly timed so couldn't really tell what was going on. It kind of reminded me of those poser of the month photos Thrasher used to run.
That is all. Thanks for answering my question though!

ciaran said...

Markovich is a bad-ass, definitely one of my all time favourite skaters.

Where did the footage of Greco's switch flip end up? I don't recall seeing it anywhere.

Spot on about the "marquee spots" vs. TF footage, Carlsbad was always an international proving ground.

White Ninja said...

That greco photo does not look like a make, he seems too low in the pic, video?

Dave said...

Great last couple days of posts, Chops. Nice change of pace.

And I was so psyched that you omitted all of the recent tricks that went down. It was way sicker when people went to Carlsbad to lay down a trick, as opposed to some rush near the end to solidify one's self in history.

Too bad there's a no benihanna policy -- Kasper down the gap was sick, even if the trick is kind of lame.

Anonymous said...

Damn that switch hardflip by Brandon Turner is just amazing!! It was also caught on video on a Shorty's video...R.I.P. Carlsbad gap! Kayoto

Henry said...

I think Kasper also had the worst slam- when he slid out and hit the back of his head on the concrete. Ouch.

Loo Ganida said...

Penny's switch frontside flip is SOOOOOOO perfect..... the angle is super sick too!

Skately said...

Sucks to see another spot of that caliber destroyed. R.I.P. I vote Markovich & Wray as co-mvp's. Maybe a skate park will recreate it one day, but still just wouldn't be the same thing.

Went there once to check it out only to realize my keys got locked in the car. Had to sit on the curb for 2 hours waiting for the Auto Club.

Steve M said...

Jeremy Wray's frontside flip at the beginning of his Secondhand Smoke part is still probably my all-time favorite Carlsbad trick.

I could have sworn that Grecs' switch flip was in one of his Baker parts, but I can't seem to track it down, so I could be mistaken.

Anonymous said...

Bart pic takes the cake. Alf's Duffs ad is sick, I love the footage of his 50-50 as well. Best quote at Carlsbad " gonna get fucked up tonight"

Jereme said...

I always thought that Cole's switch frontside heel was one of the most stylish looking tricks to go down at the gap. I always though that it was weird that it was just some random trick in a 411 or something.

justin said...

I like that Dyrdek switch ollie.

Anonymous said...

I remember a sequence of one of the Planet Earth riders doing a kickflip melon down the big gap.

I've got the ON video DVD with the retrospective on the Carlsbad gap and it's still amazing because it's not just the tricks down it, but the backstory to them as well. Also cool about that DVD is it has an easter egg of the Emerica team staying at their Hollywood mansion while filming This is Skateboarding.

Steve M said...

Didn't Josh Kasper benihana the Carlsbad Gap?

Was never a huge fan of that guy.

Roger said...

I think the switch flip is in Baker has a Deathwish.

Keith said...

It's always sad when one of the classic spots from the 90's gets destroyed. Markovich and Wray both stand out to me as the OG annihilators of that spot. Penny's sw fs flip in that 411vm Flip industry thing was pretty bonkers too.