Photo: Screenshot from LiveLeak
You know you're in the presence of something great when the only way to brake a vehicle is to make it go sideways. And when we say "sideways," we actually mean perfectly perpendicular to the road.
Skateboarding isn't necessarily an activity associated with speed. The two things that made it as popular as it is are Bart Simpson and the multitude of tricks one can perform while riding on a piece of wood with two sets of wheels at each end. Just think of a skate park or a half-pipe competition and you'll get the idea.
However, skateboarding - and skateboards as well - has evolved and there is now this rather dangerous discipline of downhill time attack. Fearless men and women launch in a descent on a twisty, sloped road in an attempt to reach the finish line at the base in the shortest time possible.
But as the clip will show, this is just as much a fight for survival as it is a sporting competition. There are so many occasions for things to go horribly wrong that these guys need to be on their toes (not literally) at all times. One false move and they could be traveling on the asphalt at the same speed as before, only without the spinning wheels acting as the middleman.
Since this is an organized event, the track has been set for the maximum level of safety. That means stopping the traffic (don't laugh, some guys like it with cars around) and placing hay ballots in the most dangerous bends (that would be all of them), so that riders are not tempted to take the short way down.
We can only begin to imagine the level of skill and balance required to perform these moves, not to mention the total abandonment of any self-preservation instincts. We're sure that one downhill ride such as the one Norman Plante exhibits here would beat the adrenaline boost of any rollercoaster in the world. We know that because our hearts start pumping just by watching it.
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=950_1468799409]
However, skateboarding - and skateboards as well - has evolved and there is now this rather dangerous discipline of downhill time attack. Fearless men and women launch in a descent on a twisty, sloped road in an attempt to reach the finish line at the base in the shortest time possible.
But as the clip will show, this is just as much a fight for survival as it is a sporting competition. There are so many occasions for things to go horribly wrong that these guys need to be on their toes (not literally) at all times. One false move and they could be traveling on the asphalt at the same speed as before, only without the spinning wheels acting as the middleman.
Since this is an organized event, the track has been set for the maximum level of safety. That means stopping the traffic (don't laugh, some guys like it with cars around) and placing hay ballots in the most dangerous bends (that would be all of them), so that riders are not tempted to take the short way down.
We can only begin to imagine the level of skill and balance required to perform these moves, not to mention the total abandonment of any self-preservation instincts. We're sure that one downhill ride such as the one Norman Plante exhibits here would beat the adrenaline boost of any rollercoaster in the world. We know that because our hearts start pumping just by watching it.
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=950_1468799409]
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