Deconstructed, it still feels complete — too cool for grip tape for sure. Photo: Dan LeMaitre
I’m not sure when exactly it happens, but there is definitely a distinct point in most surfers’ and skaters’ lives when opinion of aesthetics shifts — sometimes drastically. As a grom, you always wanted what was deemed “cool” in magazines and by your friends (whatever made up the latest trends, really), which you more often then not found in the seasonal buyers’ guides or heavily touted in the latest drop from your favorite rider. However, when you’ve grown up and have been seeing and hearing the same hype for years and years and have developed your own tastes, this “cool” no longer relies so much on being new or flashy or eye-catching, but rather on backstory or minimalism or structural integrity. Pine & Tree’s hand-crafted mini cruiser skateboards has all three: an almost historical backstory having been inspired by Australia’s Byron Bay and the surf of yore, lending to a minimalistic, throwback design with a simplicity that invokes a maturity of sorts; and a structural integrity in the way of being manually cut and assembled and tested in Italy.
It’s all in the details. Photo: Dan LeMaitre
To be honest, after receiving the 50-centimeter Head-Off Fish (pictured here, priced at €89.00) all the way from Italy, I felt and continue to feel more comfortable with it on my wall than set up with trucks and tape in the street. It is gorgeous; in hand, it is sturdy, like a traditional alaia. It calls to mind Bella Vita, Jason Baffa’s surf film that co-founder Matteo Todisco saw while at the Byron Bay Surf Festival. There is a calming presence about it. Running your hand down the stringer, it’s almost like an old piece of furniture your grandfather built, the chair that is still stronger than anything your parents have bought since.
It brings a slower sensibility to the fast paced city. Photo: Dan LeMaitre
But don’t take that to mean it doesn’t do its job — it does, and while perhaps not the most favorable for long skates or steeper bowls, it’s almost perfect for a couple blocks to the cafe for your morning cup. And made initially for the Italian market, Todisco and partner Pinuccio Quaini are confident that even their fellow countrymen would be proud to carry it around among the most discerning of crowds. I know I’m not wary of toting it to and fro.
To see their complete line of hand-crafted mini cruiser skateboards (coming in varying lengths of 50, 55, and 65 centimeters), check out their site. And for more information, email info@pineandtree.com.
