Moonwalks! Yeah, very cool to do going uphill. Still have my Hobie Parkrider, which I learned those on.
Now, thank the Good Lord (and a few veteran skaters!), we've got re-issue stuff that brings some of the best 70's gear right back under our feet. No re-learning curve needed, just hop on, Shoot-The-Duck, nose-wheelie, throw down a Cess slide, cruise around, and enjoy the stoke of some nice graceful turns (or grinds, if terrain allows). I'm SO freaking stoked that Bennetts, Trackers,Fibreflexes, Tunnels, Logans, and Gyros are back! Never thought I'd see that kind of stuff NEW again, ever.
Stiff Vs. flexy, um, for Racing, go stiff-ish. For carving around, have a little flex in there, just to make pumping more fun, and to also allow for deceleration, too. Bowl riding, hey ride whatever, let the youngin's figure it out after you blow by 'em. ;-p
Pick your stance for how you ride, and change it up on a whim. Watch the Video 'Downhill Motion', take note of Greg Weaver or Steve Cathey. Their footwork was great then, and still stylish today. Damn hard to copy IMHO.
I showed that vid (an original copy) to Abe Teter some 16 years ago, and a few years later, when step-in 'clicker' type bindings arrived on the snowboard scene, I saw Abe toodling along the beginner slope hangin' 5, with the board's tail up about 2 feet, he backpedalled, hopped up in the air, put his feet back in the binding plates, carved away. Too Cool!
I think E-Tree (Englesman) got that as a photo-sequence later that season in one of the mags.So, relax, go skate the way you used to, but don't stop learning new moves. Ride retro gear only if it suits your style. There's lots of new designs that blend various elements of old+new in them, probably the best time Ever to be a Skater (excepting, maybe, '74 to '82), the possibilities are endless. Oh, and welcome back!!
