Performance longboarding gets a bad rap. At some point in the progression of surfing, when boards started to get smaller, and judging criteria began to shift away from noseriding and hot-dogging toward critical maneuvers in the pocket and time in the barrel, longboarding split. Some maintained the traditional aesthetic. Others sought to emulate shortboarding, making longboards thinner and lighter without sacrificing the length. Two unique schools of thought, seemingly mutually exclusive.
To be honest, I’ve personally never been a fan of progressive longboarding alone. In many ways it seems unnatural – trying to be something it’s not. But this little edit made me question that assessment, because it may successfully combine both aesthetics in a way I never thought possible. I still think it kills the image a bit, riding a longboard with a leash. But, its pretty amazing to see someone pull a layback on a log only seconds after an incredibly long nose ride.
