This 4th annual event is going down the first weekend of October this year. The past 3 years its been a one day event on Sunday located in Banks, OR. On that day there is a 5K and 10K race on the Banks/Vernonia Trail. The course is flat but narrow in a beautifully wooded area just 45 minutes West of Portland. The event has been known to attract some of the best distance skateboard racers from around the country to battle against the locals of the Northwest. Many of the participants are new to skateboard racing and are there to just have fun and cruise the trail permitted for skateboarding that day. Plus win many of the great prizes donated by the generous sponsors of this event. Check out this video to get a feel for how the event goes and what the trail looks like.
New this year are two additional events happening the day before on Saturday October 1st. Both of these events are free and not officially sanctioned, otherwise know as outlaw events were everyone is responsible for their own actions. The first race is for riders 18 and older called the PDX SGS (Portland Super Giant Slalom) located at Mt.Tabor on the Eastside of Portland starting at 9am. It’s a single rider timed course down the main run that is closed to cars. The course consists of several cones set close to the edges of the road forcing the rider to cut across the road several times to make the course. To the locals it’s known as the Death Race. Despite its slower speed than bombing the hill, it’s rather difficult and unnerving to make the course, especially if the road is wet. The race is run rain or shine. 3 timed runs for each rider, best time wins! Check out the video below of myself winning the last time the event happened in 2015.
Another event happening at 9pm that same day October 1st is a parking garage session and race. This pre-session has happened in previous years the night before the official Push In The Woods 5K and 10K race on Sunday morning. It is located at a garage in downtown Portland known to the locals as HomeBase. It is a very nice wide open garage that has a medium and consistent grade that is fun for riders of all skill levels. In addition to the regular session will be a Chinese style skateboard race where everyone goes at once. The last 5-10 riders of each run taken will be eliminated until there are 6 riders left. The last 6 will take a final heat run. Here is the Northwest we race a clean style gentlemen’s racing. This means no touching or grabbing other riders to gain speed or make passes. To find the location of the garage, info is posted on the Facebook Event Page for Push In The Woods –
We thank all of the many sponsors including Daddies Board Shop who has partnered with Eastside Longboards and the IDSA.org to run and organize this event. We look forward to hosting a fun filled weekend of skateboard racing and good times with the Longboarding community hear and afar!
Many thanks for the support of the sponsors who contribute to the continuation and success of this event.
Our tradition of sharing the path by letting bikers go by giving them a skateboard tunnel to go through before the 5K race.
The word is official, and our newest model is about to drop next Friday August 5th! Check out the DK DropKick
Go to our Facebook and Instagram to enter our contest to win one before they are released! Random winner announced August 4th.
Specs: Length: 39.5″ Width: 9.75″ WB: 26.75″
Price: $99.99
By popular request here is the DK DropKick. It is based off one of our oldest designs, the Carbon DropKick. We went all out creating what our fan’s wanted; a freerider’s dream board with drop-through mounting and double kicks. The mold we designed for this board has a very comfortable concave featuring rocker, foot flairs, and mellow “W”. The kick-tails are shaped wide enough to actually use them in a functional and confident way to drop off curbs and lift up the wheels at speed.
Double the pleasure with two kicks to leverage whatever tricks you can imagine! With the lowered platform created by the drop-through and rocker combo, this lightweight board is perfect for LDP as well. This makes it one it one of our most diverse designs able to do it all. We highly recommend it for the beginner rider or anyone seeking an agile yet stable freeride deck with really useful kicks.
Constructed of the highest quality 8 ply maple with a matte black finish and a silk screened graphic of a topographical map featuring the surrounding hills of the Portland Zoo Bomb run.
Located at the most famous hill in Portland, Mt.Tabor Park on the Eastside. This hill is legendary to locals and riders afar for being a closed run completely free of cars and open access from the top to bottom on Wednesdays.
This year Portland’s premier skate shop Daddies Board Shop is presenting the event. And doing so in a very similar matter as the past 5 years. If you are not skating at the event, come out to watch! You won’t be dissappointed, it’s a rare day for a legit downhill race to be located right in the middle of a huge city. Most other events of this status are located far away from metropolises on such hills like Maryhill. So this is your chance as a spectator to see some top notch racers from all around battle it out! Good racing and good times are had by all that come out, don’t miss it!
This event is well known as one of the events riders get the most runs at. It’s a one of kind day at Mt.Tabor as a skater by being shuttled to the top upwards of a dozen runs. Normally you’d have to hike and after a half dozen runs, most riders are spent. Plus to have the whole hill completely free of all peds, bikes, and cars with the confidence you can go full speed with no worries. Then adding to the fun doing race heats with riders of your skill level and age group. If you plan on racing, don’t worry about being eliminated and not skating as much. All riders get to go back to the top on every run except the finals. So everyone gets a chance to do the hill all day long. Previous years riders do practice runs all morning until lunch break. Pre-registered riders get to choose their sandwich online and everyone takes a break to eat. After lunch racing begins and runs are had for the rest of the afternoon. Age classes are separated for racing with Grom class (15 and below), Womens, Masters (40 plus), and Open Class that everyone can race in.
Robin McGuirk on left. Jon Huey on right. Photo by Spencer Morgan during the first event in 2011.
Notice the overlapped feet and knees side by side. This “Old School” tuck is required for the Open Class. Photo by Kroll Images 2011.
Riders getting shuttled in the uhaul back to the top. Photo by Spencer Morgan.
Tuck pumping during the first slalom race at this event. I won this head to head race that was located on the soapbox hill. Photo by Kroll Images.Oregonian Brandon Desjarlais as a grom winning the Tabor board in 2011. Photo by Dabe Alan.
Eastside Dan Thatcher leading organizer Billy Meiners in a semi-final heat in 2013. Photo by Skate District.
Eastsider Eric Hovey tucking down the straight in 2013. Photo by Kroll Images.Riders being dropped off at the top and getting ready for the next run in 2015.Quarter final heat in 2015 down the straight. Photo by Khaleeq Alfred.Groms Ernie and Sky resting after a heat.
The waiting game is key on this hill. If you pass too early then you will most likely get passed back before the finish. Photo by Khaleeq Alfred.
All smiles after lots of runs! Defending Champion Brandon Tissen on the right with finalist Pat Haluska on the right and Eastsider Dan Thatcher in the middle.
New DK DropKick model to be released… Dimensions: 39.5″ L / 9.75″ W / 26.75″ WB
The DK DropKick is a new board we’ve been working on for the last 8 months. We have had many many requests over the years to release a double kick version of our popular Carbon DropKick model. So we finally pulled the trigger and went all out on this one!
Concrete Wave Buyers Guide Listing for Eastside in 2016 featuring the new board and what the graphic will look like. Once inch of length and wheelbase have been added since this listing was published.
Starting from scratch we designed a new mold for this one and ended up changing it several times along the way as we tested and rode each prototype. Our focus was finding the perfect wheelbase for such a board. Not too long as to make the overall length too big and awkward to ride. But not too short that an average size rider couldn’t ride without having a too short a stance for freeriding and downhill. A lot of companies have a similarly billed model featuring a drop-through and two kicktails. However many of them have 2 versions to suit either big riders or small riders. One is rather big like a 41-43″ length with a 29-32″ wheelbase. And the other is smaller around 37-38″ length with a 22-25.5″ wheelbase. So after making several prototypes, we came up with what we believe has the perfect dimensions for this style of board. It has a 39.5″ length with a 26.75″ wheelbase. It feels just right and not too long when using the kicktails and distance pushing. And it still has enough flatform to let loose with a wide enough stance for some fast freeriding. The 23″ EFP (Effective Foot Platform) allows a decent sized stance to stay on the main part of the board and push out slides at speed without your feet coming off.
Shot of the killer concave, rocker, and wheel flairs to keep your feet locked.
The new concave, rocker, and flairs we put into this new mold are really nice and all together work to hold your feet in a locked position while riding fast and sliding. It also has a slight amount of “W” running down the middle of the concave. This amount is not enough to negatively effect distance pushing, but just enough to add another point of reference for your feet. It also adds some strength to this 8 ply maple board, which keeps it strong but light weight.
Testing some really steep and demanding hills on the Eastside of Portland with an early proto.
We had a lot of things in mind when making this board and really wanted to allow many styles of riding to be had on it. As said fast freeriding and downhill that suits most every sized rider with it’s balanced dimensions. But also as a pushing and commuting board that you can still have a lot of fun on in an area without hills. So yes onto the main feature of this board, the double kicktails! We have tested a lot of shapes and sizes of kicktails over the years since 2006 when the first Eastside DropKick board was released. We found that if it does not have a big enough shape for the foot to fit onto, then it cannot effectively be used as a kicktail. Meaning if its not wide enough and long enough, then the rider won’t use it functionally when they want to. If you look at our shape of tail compared to many other brand’s version of a drop-through with kicktails, you will see that many are an inch or more shorter with too narrow of a shape to allow your foot to use it in a fast responsive way. The way the rider needs proper kicks to lift the wheels up when going off a curb, getting over a big crack, or just having fun doing manuals and tricks. When you are doing all these moves, it’s nice to know that a real size tail is there and you don’t have to look down to see where it is. It doesn’t take long to get used to it and have confidence in moving your foot back (or front foot) on the kicktails when you need it.
Riding out manuals on the DK DropKick!
Some may say well how strong is it? Isn’t having a kicktail on a drop-through a weak point in the design and can break? Yes that is a concern and rest assured we have tried all the possibilities when designing this style of board. One factor is that we found if you don’t have the right amount of rocker in the board, then the kicktails will not be strong enough. We experimented with different types and depths of rocker in the board as well. In this process we also found the perfect size and shape of the tail to have the most control with the most durability. Thus allowing the perfect combination of strength and function. As we changed variables in each prototype we finally landed on something really magical here. Once you step on it and ride it for yourself, you will instantly know and feel it’s powers! We guarantee it will perform better than any other drop-through with kicks and allow you to have fun wherever you are!
Stay tuned, we will be announcing the release date shortly. And be running some contests to win one!
Lots of testing at our home hill Mt.Tabor in Portland, OR.Early proto with too much “W”. We made it much more mellow to allow riders to push the board more comfortably.Final version with more concave, rocker, flair, and less “W”.
More test riding down the Eastside of Mt.Tabor.
Freshly cut off the CNC.
First round of the production model getting ready to finishing.
Graphic featuring a topographical map of the hills surrounding the Portland Zoo.
DK DropKick deck. 5/8″ radial concave with 0.75″ rocker, foot flairs, and slight “W”.
The 12th Annual P-Town Throwdown was successfully completed this last weekend. Many had fun riding through the streets, almost of ton of canned food was donated, and nobody died! Check out my photos from the event.
Riders meeting.
This Sunday around 80 people showed up for the Critical Mass/ Race starting at Mt. Tabor and ending at Sellwood park. 1,535 pounds of canned food were donated to the Oregon Food Bank. The organizer Robin McGuirk gave out directions and a map and then announced to everyone where the most dangerous parts of the route are and warned that you could die. After the unofficial safety meeting, we were all ready to ride.
Organizer Josh Burt leads the pre-race ritual group bomb down Tabor!
Everyone got to bomb down Mt. Tabor as part of a tradition led by Portland OG Josh Burt. Josh organized the first ten Portland Pusher races that Robin famously dominated over the years. Now, Robin has taken the torch and has been running the P-Town Throwdown for years.
Organizer Robin McGuirk introducing the event and explaining the course with the course map provided this year.
At the bottom Mt. Tabor, everyone gathered together to ride the eastside of Portland down to the water. Following a bike route for most of the way, it’s a relatively safe race.
Start line. Riders getting ready to all take off at once.Always a hectic start! Most of the crashes from the event are from getting to the start line and starting the race.Riders hitting the first hill section as they bomb down threw the Eastside of Portland.Riders tucking together and enjoying the radness of cruising through town in a big pack!Everyone getting their push on!
Once you get to the waterfront, it’s mostly a flat push and everyone gets spread out. At a certain point, I put away the camera and pushed.
The first of 3 woman riders to finish! Marisa Nunez from Daddies Board Shop.
I caught my friend Skip (the man behind Turnco) finishing the race at almost 50 years old, soda in hand. He most likely found a few shortcuts in order to finish the race. The hardcore pushers lined up for a podium shot and Everyone hung out by the train tracks as prizes were raffled out. So many prizes were raffled off. If you brought a good amount of canned food, you could have easily walked away with a a new longboard set-up.
Riders all done and being introduced to their Open Podium finishers!Sol Bilderback 2nd (youngest podium finisher ever age 14 on left), Colby Cummings 1st (defending Champion in center), Miguel Aldrete 3rd (right)Prize spread! So much gear thanks to all the sponsors!Getting all the prizes laid out, 19 boards!Womens Podium! Carly Stiverson 3rd (left), Marisa Nunez 1st (middle), Delany Morgan 2nd (right)We had so many many prizes it took over an hour to get them all out!
After all of that, we went to Hot Lips Pizza to relax and get our well-needed protein.
After Party at sponsor Hot Lips Pizza on Hawthorne Blvd.
A big thanks goes out to the volunteers who collected food, distributed raffle tickets to those who donated, spotted corners and intersections on the route, and recorded final placings for the competitors. A big thanks goes to all the sponsors of the event as well: Daddies Board Shop, Eastside Longboards, Longboard Larry, Gorge Performance, Cal Skate Skateboards, Abec 11 Wheels, Seismic Skate, Loaded Boards, Orangatang Wheels, Bustin Boards Push Culture, Predator Helmets, Sellwood Market (Water/Gatorade), Hot Lips Pizza (After Party).
12 Annual Event Poster. Sponsors providing prizes for the raffle that anyone can win. The more food you bring, the better chances of winning!
12 Annual Event Poster. Sponsors providing prizes for the raffle that anyone can win. The more food you bring, the better chances of winning!Legalized Skateboarding in Portland City Ordinance Sticker will be given out to everyone at the event!
This 12th annual skateboard push race is going down again May 29th. The route leading from Mt.Tabor Park to Sellwood Park has been a tradition in Portland and definitely the longest running skateboard race in the Northwest. Riders meet in Mt.Tabor park to register and bring their food for donation to Oregon Food Bank. Every 4 cans of food they bring, they receive one raffle ticket with no limit of how much food they donate. The Prize raffle happens at the end after everyone has finished near the finish line at Sellwood Park. We always have more than enough prizes for everyone to get something thanks to all of our generous sponsors. More food = More raffle tickets = More chances at winning! For the last five year’s the event has collected over 7,000 pounds of food!
Besides raising food for the hungry in Portland, this event celebrates our unique City Ordinance 20.12.205 that states Skateboarding is as a legal form of transportation. As long as we obey traffic laws just as cars and bikes do. The course starts near the west entrance of Mt.Tabor Park in the neighborhood and goes straight through the heart of the Eastside of Portland down a bike route. Lincoln and Harrison streets are the main roads from 58th avenue all the way to 9th avenue. Then you cross Division street and enter the nearby entrance to the Spring Water bike trail going South for 3 miles leading to the finish line at Sellwood Park. There are only 3 stop lights and a handful of stop signs during this 8.5 mile course. However all riders stop at each red light and stop signs in accordance of the City Ordinance. Riders who disobey risk being banned from the event and DQ’ed from the raffle and podium. So for the top 20 or so who are racing, it’s part skill and luck by stopping and restarting as you go. For the majority its all about riding together and having a good ol’ time rollin’ down the Eastside! Critical Mass!
If you live in the area or visiting during that time, be sure to check out all the info here and come out to support this Portland Skateboarding tradition! It’s always tons of fun!
Registration and Riders Meeting located on the lower parking lot of Mt.Tabor. Photo by Matt Hemingway.
Startline outside the park at S.E. 60th and Salmon. Photo by Kroll Images
The mass start heading into the first turn onto 58th Ave. Photo by Kroll Images.
Second turn onto Lincoln St. This one will be spotted so riders can make the right safely. Photo by Janse Deming.
First downhill section from 55th – 52nd on Lincoln St. Photo by Spencer Morgan.
End of the second downhill section at 20th and Harrison St. This one will be spotted to riders can go through the gap and into Ladds Edition. Photo by Kroll Images.
After navigating across Division St. riders then enter the Springwater bike path going South to the finish line at Sellwood Park. Photo by Tim Laidlaw.
Eastsider Mario Pieretti coming through the finish line. Photo by Janse Deming.
Organizers Josh Burt and Robin McGuirk about to run the raffle near the finish line. Photo by Kevin Carlton.
T-shirt toss at the end of the raffle. Photo by Kroll Images.
Racer bibs.
2015 Open Podium. Current Champion Colby Cummings in the middle.
2015 Womens Podium. Current Champion Christin Ellis of the left.
After party hosted by Sponsor Pizza Cato on S.E. 22nd and Hawthorne.
2015 food drop off at Oregon Food Bank! We average 1200 pounds a year!
HELMETS ARE REQUIRED! No helmet = no raffle ticket, no racer number.
REGISTRATION and Food Collection – 10am – Located at the lower parking lot on the North side of Mt.Tabor Park.
Map – http://goo.gl/maps/38Sc
RIDERS UNDER 18 MUST HAVE A PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGN THE WAIVER AND SHOW UP WITH YOU TO CONFIRM. Or you cannot participate in this event. Waiver will be available online shortly with a link here.
ANYONE RUNNING RED LIGHTS WILL BE DQ’ED FROM THE RAFFLE AND PODIUM.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This is the original course used for Portland Pusher #4 in 2005, the Annie Ross Open from 2006-2010, and the last five years of the P-Town Throwdown. The route is 8.5 Miles through lower S.E. Portland. First 5 miles is mostly slight downhill but includes two sections that are 6-10 blocks of steeper downhill with speeds of 20-30 mph. Knowing how to footbrake will keep you under that. The last 3 miles you enter the bike path leading you South along the Willamette River towards Sellwood Park and the finish line just before the Sellwood bridge. The whole route includes only 3 traffic light signals to watch for. As a city bike route there are very few stop signs along this course, but please be aware of traffic at all times!
PLEASE PAY ATTENTION AT THE RIDERS MEEETING – The course will be explained highlighting the most dangerous intersections. If you are unsure then follow a group of riders who have done it before. NOTE: This race is unique to other distance skateboard races. Riders will be going as fast as possible but will be obeying city traffic laws all the way through. Basically racing to the stop signs or red lights, stopping, then continue racing again. Any riders not doing this will be disqualified and banned from the event!
ENTRY FEE: 4 Cans of Food and approved liability waiver.
4 items of approved food are required for entry into the race (See list at bottom).
Bring more food for more tickets! Every 4 items will receive another raffle ticket with no limit on donations for tickets. More food, more tickets, more chances of winning prizes from our generous sponsors.
PLAN OF THE DAY:
After everyone is signed in and all food is collected, we will hike up to the upper parking lot and gather at the gate leading into Run 1 – a closed to car traffic hill leading around the Reservoirs. Here we will carry on the tradition of this race by doing a fun group run and celebrate the history of longboarding at Mt.Tabor! Once you get down to the lower gate, continue downhill towards the exit of the park turning into Salmon St. We will gather again on the Westside of 60th ave on Salmon for the start of the race.
RAIN OR SHINE!!!
Prize Raffle near the finish line at Sellwood Park after everyone has finished at approx. 12:30-1pm.
AFTER PARTY following the Prize Raffle at HOT LIPS PIZZA on S.E. 22nd and Hawthorne. We have a large area reserved at 2pm.
PRIZE RAFFLE SPONSORS:
These four top sponsors have been the longest running supporters of this race and all of the original Portland Pusher Series. Huge thanks to all of the sponsors generous support!
Daddies Board Shop
Eastside Longboards
Subsonic Skateboards
Longboard Larry
Together we can make a big difference in people’s lives right here in Portland. Bring food and lets have fun Rollin’ down the Eastside!
LOCAL SKATE LAW: City Ordinance 20.12.205
*It is legal to skate on any street or sidewalk in the city 24 hours a day outside of the defined downtown core. In the downtown core area–defined geographically by Naito Parkway to the east, 13th Avenue to the west, Northwest Hoyt Street to the north and Southwest Jefferson Street to the south–you are allowed to skate in the street only, not on the sidewalk.
The City of Portland has designated certain downtown streets as “preferred skating routes.” These streets will be signed as skate routes. Outside of downtown, the Portland Office of Transportation recommends skaters use designated bike routes. Those routes are signed for bicycles and will be signed for skating in the future. To obtain more information on the city’s bike routes and to get a map, please call Transportation Options at 503-823-CYCL(2925).
There is NO skating allowed on any portion of the downtown transit mall on 5th and 6th Avenues or on the walkways in the center of the downtown park blocks.
All skaters under the age of 16 years old must wear a helmet at all times while skating. If you skate after sunset, you must wear either reflective materials, a flashing reflector or a light on both your front and back. All skaters using the city streets must obey the same rules of the road that apply to bicycles.
Any violation of the new skate rules carries a $25 fine. If you are under 16 and get caught skating without a helmet, your parent or guardian will be notified of the violation.
Remember, it is still ILLEGAL to skate on private property or to cause damage to any ledges, stairs, rails or other urban architecture. Other applicable laws still apply to this illegal behavior and these laws will be strictly enforced by the Portland Police Bureau. It is also still illegal to skate on any brickwork, cobblestones or ornamental surface, picnic table, tennis court, fountain area, planter or sculpture located in a public area.
OREGON FOOD BANK needs these nutritious foods:
canned meats (i.e., tuna, chicken, salmon)
canned and boxed meals (i.e., soup, chili, stew, macaroni and cheese)
peanut butter
canned or dried beans and peas (i.e., black, pinto, lentils)
pasta, rice, cereal
canned fruits
100 percent fruit juice (canned, plastic or boxed).
Oregon Food Bank can’t use-
To ensure food safety, we cannot use:
rusty or unlabeled cans
perishable items
homemade items
noncommercial canned or packaged items
alcoholic beverages, mixes or soda
open or used items
PLEASE NOTE: Do not bring GLASS items. They will not be accepted.
Yes you may have noticed the drastically updated website here. It has been a long time coming and something we’ve been meaning to do for about 3-5 years now! It’s just that we’ve been so busy building boards, innovating and redesigning our products, that this was one thing left on the back burner. The time has come and we went simple and clean, fast running, and mobile friendly. Check it out when you get time and let us know if you see errors or problems. If you find something, contact us and we will reward you with a 10 % discount on any one item including a Longboard Complete. Also as a courtesy we are letting the site run with
FREE SHIPPING on all products for a limited time. If you’ve taken the time to read this, support a skater run brand made for skateboarders! Thank you much!
NOTE: Free Shipping on our website only applies to orders in the U.S.
(except Hawaii and Alaska). All International orders will be sent an additional email and PayPal invoice for the shipping cost to their country for the product(s) ordered.
Here’s a archive screen shot of the old site. Go ahead and be amazed and have a good laugh for old times sake!
Based on the Eastside of Portland, Oregon. Owned and operated by local longboard enthusiast, creator, racer, and instructor Robin McGuirk.
All products are Made in the USA.
Eastside Est. 2003.
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