The longest running skateboard race in the Pacific Northwest is going down again for the 13th year in a row on May 28th. Otherwise known as the Mt.Tabor to Sellwood Park Race it celebrates the tradition of skating at Tabor and Portland’s unique City Ordinance 20.12.205. This states that skateboarding is a legal form of transportation. Riders are expected to follow all traffic laws such as stopping at red lights and staying in their lane. The event raises food for Oregon Food Bank with riders bringing 4 cans of food to enter. Every 4 cans received a raffle ticket with no limit on donations. Then after the race at Sellwood Park all the prizes donated by the many generous sponsors gets raffled off. So basically the more food you donate the better chances of winning prizes!

Check out the Facebook event page for more details including your waiver print out if you are under 18.

The first 50 riders will also receive a laminated map of the course. The route is fairly easy to follow and for a push race it’s not very grueling so most any skater can do it easily as a cruise. It’s 5 miles of mostly slight downhill through the city, then 3.5 miles of flat on a bike path leading to the finish line at Sellwood Park. There are 2 sections early on that are steeper. However if you know how to keep your speed down by footbraking or simple getting off your board and either buttboarding or walking down them, then it’s no big deal. Just be prepared if you are worried about them by going down Lincoln street from 58th to 20th on your own prior to the event. Other than that you are in traffic so following the same rules bikes do will keep you safe. There are only 3 stop lights on the whole course: 50th, 39th, and crossing Division St.

If you’re a rider in the area and have never been, then mark in on your calendar to come out to support and good cause, celebrate our city’s privilege to skate the streets legally, and have fun rollin’ down the Eastside of Portland with a crew of locals!

Read the Full Article Racap about this weekend of races on SKATE SLATE.

Push In The Woods 2016

October 1-2^nd.

This 4^th 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 1^st. 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 1^st 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 –

https://www.facebook.com/events/161305167622144/

Hers is the signup and registration page to enter Sunday’s 5K and 10K races.

https://register.hakuapp.com/?event=db4549867d94ec840e87

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.

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!

Cost:  $77 online – REGISTRATION LINK

Required Gear:  Full-face Helmet and Slide gloves.

More Info at the Facebook Event Page.

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.