EARLY LIFE AND THE BIRTH OF STREET SKATEBOARDINGMark Gonzales stands as one of the most influential figures in modern skateboarding, a pioneer who helped redefine what street skating could look like while simultaneously carving out a respected career in the art world. Born in 1968 in South Gate, California, Gonzales came up skating the rough […]
The portal reopens — and this time, it’s glowing brighter than ever. Santa Cruz Skateboards and Netflix’s Stranger Things have returned for Drop 2 of their massively popular collaboration, and this round pushes everything to the next dimension. Fusing the energy of 1980s skateboarding with the dark magic of Hawkins, Indiana, the Santa Cruz x […]
Santa Cruz Skateboards is once again turning back the clock for the Holiday 2025 Reissues, delivering four classic decks that defined an era and continue to inspire new generations. This drop features the bold yellow Micke “Malba” Alba Crash Test, the fiery Jeff Kendall Pumpkin, the grotesquely iconic Rob Roskopp Face Two, and the gritty […]
The Legendary Ride That Defined a GenerationGreat Scott! The iconic Madrid Valterra skateboard, made famous by Marty McFly in Back to the Future, is officially back—and this time, it’s not just a limited nostalgia drop. The 40th Anniversary Madrid Valterra Complete is here and fully available, bringing the legendary 1985 design back under your feet […]
The Living Walls of Skate Culture CalStreets is more than just a skateboard shop — it’s a living museum of sticker culture, a space where design, brand identity, and skate history converge in vivid collage form. Walk into the shop today and you’ll immediately sense the weight of its legacy: four full display cases crammed […]
The Santa Cruz Reissue Department just cracked open the time capsule again, and this one’s straight from the heart of late-’80s skate mayhem. The new Kaleidoscope Reissue Drop is a dazzling resurrection of four legendary pro models: Jeff Kendall’s End of the World, Tom Knox’s Firepit, Micke Meek’s Slasher, and Corey O’Brien’s Reaper. Each deck […]
A Legacy Reborn Through Sidewalk Distribution The World Industries Heritage Collection has officially landed through Sidewalk Distribution, bringing back an era that shaped skateboarding as much through controversy as through innovation. This drop isn’t just about graphics on wood—it’s about revisiting a raw moment in skateboarding’s timeline when Steve Rocco, Rodney Mullen, Jesse Martinez, and […]
Few eras in skateboarding history shine as brightly as the 1980s. It was a decade of neon colorways, oversized graphics, backyard ramp sessions, and the rise of skateboarding as a true cultural movement. In our latest video, Flashback to the 80s with Mark, we crack open the time capsule and let the energy of that […]
Independent has been the reference point for traditional-kingpin (TKP) skateboard trucks since 1978, when Fausto Vitello, Eric Swenson, Richard Novak, and Jay Shuirman launched the brand under NHS in Santa Cruz. From Stage I onward, Indy iterated relentlessly—lightening castings, strengthening baseplates, and refining turn—cementing the “Built to Grind” ethos and shaping how street and transition […]
A Legacy Forged in the Late ’70s Independent Trucks has been a cornerstone of skateboarding hardware since its founding in 1978, born from the need for a truck that could handle the demands of the rapidly progressing skate scene. At the time, skaters were pushing vert, pool, and street riding further than ever, but existing […]
Chap 12 SkateGeezer Comes Home Five bucks. That’s what it cost me to access the Internet back in 1995. This got me an email address and an opportunity to have my own website. According to an inflation calculator, $5 is about $9.40 in today’s money. In the mid-90s, the Internet was just entering the public’s […]
Skateboarding has always been a culture deeply connected to creativity, rebellion, and individual expression. Over the years, skateboard decks have evolved beyond their utilitarian roots into full-blown art pieces—canvas-shaped statements from iconic artists, legendary skaters, and underground creatives. As the line between functional object and collectible artifact blurs, one question keeps popping up: is skateboard […]