Roberto Alemañ #2.

The longtime underground Spanish ripper floats a kickflip over a wall. Roberto's part in Consolidated's Going Bananas video is seriously gnarly.

It's been cold around here lately, like in the 22˚ - 27˚ F range every single day. Thanks to some expert snow management by my dad and myself, the driveway has been kept in usable condition so I've gotten in some skateboarding after work. I always thought that temps in the 20s were maybe a little too cold, but it has been comfortable enough to skate for 25-30 minutes. It really helps that there is no wind and that the sun has been out.

I'm always interested in what is too cold to skate in. I recall dudes saying 50˚ F was too cold and I find that kind of ridiculous. 50˚ is nice. I also started to consider how well a person skates as part of the equation. If you are starting out and still learning the basics, then doing that in freezing temperatures is simply not going to be fun. On the other hand, if you've been skating for a long time and have a decent grasp on how to ride a skateboard, you can focus past the cold, rattle off a few tricks, and feel good about beating the elements for a day.

RIP Big Brother's Larry Flynt.

The photo is by Alberto Polo.

Thrasher - July 2002 Volume 22 Number 7