Since I was 9 years old, I have always wanted a Powell-Peralta Bones Ripper. Skateboarding was an important part of my youth, and the first subscription magazine I ever bought was actually for Transworld Skating magazine. And my parents were incredibly supportive. They bought me boards for my birthdays (All told, I had a Vision Gator, an Alva III, and a Lance Mountain), and my dad even built me a quarterpipe.But like many kids my age, the Bones Brigade Skate Team fired my imagination more than any other thing (see the documentary below). And for me - the raddest skateboard in the world was the "Ripper." Powell-Peralta (the eponymous skate company who single-handedly popularized the sport) fell apart and stopped making the ripper in the late 80's.
So you can imagine my excitement when a random kid was literally walking down my street recently carrying a brand new Bones Ripper. I went to ask him about it, and he claimed that he just bought it brand new a few weeks ago. A few google searches revealed that Powell-Peralta have reunited and are rereleasing the "Powell Classics" - which includes the 80s boards of Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk, Mike McGill...and of course, The Bones Ripper!I bought it this week, and have been skating it everyday since.
Nostalgia can be a tricky thing, so I often try to steer clear of it, for fear that it will stop me from living my best life in the current moment. But the past is prologue, and it can sometimes serve to remind us who we are - and what we dream. In this case, the Ripper is literally a piece of wood on wheels - but it is providing just a little nudge to keep dreaming, and never give up.
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