Skater Quick Profile: Natas Kaupas

Image copyright Santa Cruz, inc.

Natas was a skateboarder that was truly ahead of his time; he was one of the most innovative street skaters of the 1980's, and far beyond. Doing amazing tricks on curbs, spinning on fire hydrants, and maybe the first to do wallrides, banging yourself harshly against a vertical wall with no ramp or transition to ease you in. It is said that he had one of the first attempts to do a railslide down a handrail at a contest in Oceanside, and later perfected stand up grinds down handrails.

He had a certain fluidity and prowess that was the opposite of a deep end pool rider or vert skater, but came up on the scene at a time when streetskating was making major waves. in 1986, there were many great street contests in California, Atlanta, and the rest of the US, and things like launch ramps and trashed old cars were made into gnarly obstacles.

People like Natas, Steve Rocco, and Julien Stranger really made a big name for themselves, as kids nationwide started to realize they could skate whatever obstacle they had handy, especially curbs. "Wheels of Fire" and "Streets on Fire" were great Santa Cruz videos that really highlighted his ability to do shove its, no complys, wall rides, and many, many more tricks on the streets.

Catching any of the clips of him available on YouTube and elsewhere will show you that back in the day when street masters were born, they controlled the board under their feet like no one had ever achieved before. The setting of Santa Monica, Venice and elsewhere with long curbs close to the beach are still some of the funnest to watch videos of skateboarding ever; where technical tricks were starting to blend quickly with the basic fundamentals of skating.

Hawaii surf design spotlight: Eric Arakawa Surfboards

The North Shore of Oahu is definitely where a lot of the surf action takes place, and this is where Eric Arakawa designs now calls home base. Creating a product that has been ridden in many major competitions and events worldwide, he has traveled to many of the surf hotspots around the globe to enjoy the feeling of riding a wave and creating the coveted medium to do so. Rated amongst the top ten creators of surfboards in the world by Surfing Life Magazine, he utilizes the highest technology and bona fide island style gut feeling to create his product. Shortboards, Fishboards, minis and longboards are all among the wonderful creations offered up by this company. Hawaii is a land that requires respect when treading the waters and paying homage to its traditions, and this iconic surf brand is all encompassing when it comes to the spirit of Aloha and feeling the power of the North Shore waves. For product line info and details, go to their website:

At this Link.

Surfing without Paddling; attractive even if Cheating

Everyone on a surfboard has imagined at one time not having to do the hard work of paddling out, turning around and sometimes.... just waiting for a long time for a wave. Even though it could be considered not purist, so could the use of jet skis, which really enable pros to go where they want to in the water right away. This battery powered motor is built into some surfboards, at a cost of close to five thousand dollars. A bracelet remote controls the motor, which also kills automatically upon wipeout. Long ago the valiant riders of the South Pacific and California would have scoffed at this, but at speeds of up to 12 mph; you'll have a little bit of arm power left to sling the cooler of beer close to the campfire later.