The Triple 27.11.20

I don’t know why 3 is the magic number, but it just is. And if you really think about it, skateboarding is kinda magic, because we defy gravity and physics with tricks. Does that make skateboarders wizards? I think the proof is conclusive enough. This is The Triple for November 27th 2020.

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3. Christian Henry’s FS Lipslide

To start with, we’ve got a hefty banger of a Lipslide from Real’s Christian Henry. I’ve always found Boardslides and Lipslides scary on big drops. You don’t have the kind of control coming off a grind, or a slide on the nose or tail, would afford you. I think it’s because the middle of the board is the thing in contact with the ledge, so your ability to pop is severely dampened. In my eyes that’s what makes this Lipslide so rad: Henry grafts for this trick with a few bails and slams (and even a police encounter), and manages to hang onto the slide and control the board for a massive drop after.

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2. John Shanahan’s Ollie Into Mega Pole Jam

This trick made the cover of Thrasher, so it had to be one of my favourite clips of the week, didn’t it? Over the years there have been a few extreme pole jam moves in videos that have blown my mind. The lesser seen “mega pole jam” is always fun to see, but I don’t think I have yet seen one done in reverse. This pole is clearly a street sign that’s been half knocked over, and it would be sick to see anyone jam up it and gap to the loading bay behind, but John Shanahan goes one further and does a precarious ollie into a grind down the pole. Definitely Thrasher-Mag-Cover-worthy.

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1. Tiago Lopes’ BS 180 Switch Nosegrind to Ghetto Bird

I often consider myself a bit of a skate nerd when it comes to knowing what tricks are called, but this one had me stumped (I had to rely on the comments section for someone else to parse what was happening here). The speed at which Tiago Lopes pulls this trick makes it even harder for your brain to keep up: it is one of the fastest and smoothest Back 180 Switch Nosegrinds I’ve ever seen. The final blow comes when he adds a Ghetto Bird on his way out of the grind. This clip is mesmerising, fascinating and pure, technical wizardry.