Continuing my Video Theme of the Month series I thought freeride skating my be interesting.
Freeride skating is like a combination of street skating and aggressive skating, with a bit of parkour thrown in for good measure. Of all of the "disciplines" in skating, this is the one that appeals to me the most: after watching some of these videos I want to put on my inline skates and try to do some of the things they do.
There is no doubt in my mind that, at this moment, nobody does freeride skate videos better than the French. Hands down some of the most amazing shots to watch come from not only French producers but French skaters too. I'm sure there are equally talented skaters the world over doing this kind of stuff, they just need to get their skills shot and stuck up on YouTube or Vimeo.
So most of what follows comes from the land of fine wine, good food, and awesome skaters (and skates, if you like Seba).
There's something happening within the inline skate manufacturers: they've really started to recognise this type of skating. For instance, the Seba FR1 skates are designed for exactly this type of skating. But Rollerblade are also getting in on the act: their X5 and X7, skates are going to have freeride frames with aggressive soul plates (for grinds). Personally I like the FR1 skates but, like some freeride skaters, I'm looking at combining an aggressive boot (actually the soon-to-be-released Deshi Carbon boots) with a freeride frame: comfort, strength, and speed.
Still one of the most impressive videos out there, this is the one I saw on the DVD "Soon" (I think) and got me interested in all of this:
Via jeroim.
I've put this video in because of the last section because it kind of sums up freeride skating. Léo descends a slope, turns round, and then works his way back up using the environment around him.
912 Production's freeride videos are some of, if not, the best I've seen; certainly they're some of the most recent. I've picked a few that really caught my eye, and made me forget what the time was, but check out the entire playlist for the 'Rollerbledar' series.
This video starts, and ends, with one of the dangers of this kind of skating: vehicles. Thankfully nobody is hurt but freeride skating can be frenetic and it should only be tried once you have got extremely good control.
Greg Mirzoyan is up there in my favourite freeride skaters to watch. His reaction half way through this video sums up the freeride experience: heart pounding. Not one for the squeamish at the end though.
I wanted to throw in the advert for Seba, because it's a classic, but it doesn't really fit the theme! So you watch the entire playlist to see it.
Here's Greg Mirzoyan, again, in "Ride on Babylone 2". The jumps between the railway platforms are impressive!
Via govi912.
Whilst I think that freeride skating should be done with freeride frames (where your wheels are normally 80mm), there is something to be said for aggressive skates. This video not only shows the production quality of aggressive skating films, which is somewhat lacking in the videos of other disciplines, it also shows what you can't do in standard freeride frames.
Via all4utube2.
Hopefully you've found those videos interesting and inspiring. If you have any questions, comments, or want to suggest a future Video Theme of the Month, please feel free to contact me. Next month I'm thinking "Roller Derby".
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