They had Steve Badillo playing Ty Page and Chad Mason playing a character like me (gymnastic style freestyle) and wanted a third skater to round out the "upright skater brigade". I was already on the set as a freestyle stunt choreographer. The director Catherine Hardwicke couldn't find any other young skaters who could do old-school freestyle and asked if I knew anyone. I didn't. She started flipping through an old Skateboarder Magazine and saw Russ. She laughed and said, "You could play Russ Howell" but was looking at a balding forty-something and was afraid (at first) to ask me if I'd be willing to wear a wig and makeup. After telling her "hell yeah" she sent me to wardrobe, hair and makeup and I came back as a ready willing and able Russ Howell.

Check this out if you haven't already ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZLHh5VorKmKY6s

@@chrischaput Oh I have watched that! I have been a big fan since the days of Skateboarder Magazine 1976- ! I even had a Chapstik! Here is what is interesting to me. The Z Boys did a lot of "upright skater brigade" moves themselves., am I wrong? Jay was doing bunny hops, Stacy was doing 360's, It's on the video from Del Mar.

@@john26660 Yes, the Z Boys did freestyle and that included some headstands, handstands, footwork tricks, etc. You can't fill an entire routine with carves and slides alone. But for purposes of a good storyline that movie goers can easily understand, you have to set up contrasting characters ... cowboys wearing white hats or black hats. So there were outcast/pirate/surfy/non-conformists (the Z-Boys) and then there were the upright/traditional/robotic/sponsored/figure-skaters and our job was to provide that contrast. It was a ton of fun and in the end, Russ won the Nationals at Del Mar and I won the Worlds at Long Beach. We got the trophy and the check, but they got the girls, the magazine coverage, and the reputation of being a badass.

@@chrischaput Yes, the "contrast" is definitely what makes the story. We can't have Tony Alva in yellow shorts and tube socks! I appreciate you responding. You are a big deal in the history of skateboarding. I was in North Carolina 1976-1982 and Skateboarder Magazine was our window into your world.

I always start at the lowest position and usually keep them there. If my pedals scrape in the turns, I move 'em up a little.

When the pedals are set high i am having a lot of trouble to accelerate with the wheel. It is very exhausting

Yeah baby, the Likes and Subscribes are pouring in like rain in the tropics. This is my pathway to being a major influencer on IG and TT for sure!

I know. It looks unimpressive in the video. Until you've done it successfully, it seems as if you're headed straight into a brick wall with a head of steam. I appreciate your help and taking the video. New hurdles ahead ...

@@chrischaput the camera lens doesn’t do that hill justice…..it’s really steep and to be honest I was nervous as heck when I tried it the first time, which was by myself with nobody filming 😂 so I give you more credit for doing it live for the first time on camera 💪🏼

Happy to entertain you ... and pause for dramatic effect ...

I'm the stooper in yer pooper, my little jolly Roger ... Pirates we are!

Barely. Even Downhill Skateboarding is on life support. More of a hobby than a sport these days ...

Take care of them lungs euc brotha!🙏🙏

That's the Mini ... great little all around wheel.

I like the seat mounted the way I have it. I can easily grab it to sit up, sit down, or brake. I've never felt as if I could slide too far forward without the seat getting higher or wider in the front. If anything I like it raised in the back to remind me to scoot forward. It's also easier to come up with a 3D printed quick release "latch" that could anchor the seat on the handle in the back near the trolley handle. A lot of Marty's rides run long and it's cold and dark when you get back to the cars. Flashlights, water, food, a multi-tool and layers of clothing are worth their weight at the end of a long, long day. Roger packs too little. Marty packs too much. I need to remember flashlights and gloves more often.

Yeah, in the slow-mo version you can see that he barely gets his left hand out just before impact but it was an awkward fall that caught him totally by surprise. I didn't see the ice until I circled back but when I saw what happened to Justin I knew to go straight, slow, and not make any sudden moves.

@@chrischaput funny how Marty ignored you on the other video. I cant believe he didn't trust you 🤣

I'd like to think that I could've make that first section if someone (who will remain nameless) hadn't of stopped in front of me. I think I'll bring a road wheel AND the Mini for a future Lodge ride and show up early to try and tackle that first section up and down.

100% This particular video is less about the ride and more about documenting how the the stick works and what it brings to the table. I included the chest cam footage knowing it didn't match the 4 tracks from the 360 cams. That's what I meant by "quick and dirty". Quick meant bad key-framing and switching. Dirty meant adding the chest cam stuff. The goal is to try and evolve the system so that the sticks and the cams are completely "invisible" and then see what can be done about eliminating the shadow of the stick using AI or some editing software.

And Marty complains that people don't listen to him. Which is true but still ironic.

@@timsaloga According to Marty, leading a group ride is "like herding cats" . On the tour I led two on two of the days. It's chaos. No one listens. Herding cats is actually being kind.