Skateboarding in Medellin

While checking out Colombia Reports recently, I saw Adriaan had posted a link to a blog called Windsurf Colombia.

The specific post he linked to was Skateboarding Colombia Going Through a Golden Era.

The Colombian blogger highlights a bunch of professional skaters from Medellin and Bogota, but of course, I’m more interested in paisas skateboarding in Medellin.

I may have retired from skating around 10 years ago, but I still carry around an appreciation for how hard it is.  I never reached the point of handrails, yet I still scope them out today as though I were playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

The first guy (above), according to the blogger, is Colombia’s most famous skater.  David Gonzalez was discovered at age 11.  Now, at age 20, he’s still going strong.  And judging from all the times I said “wow” while watching this video, he deserves the success.

(Part 7: Jose Velez – Frontside Skate Shop from Frontside Skate Shop )

The second guy is Jose David Velez.  The video starts off in Parque de las Luces (Park of Lights) downtown.

At 2:35 he boardslides, and then 50-50’s one of the giant handrails outside a metro station.

At 4:15 he does a bluntslide, followed by a 360 kickflip in the small plaza in front of the Museo de Arte Moderno, which is right next to my apartment.  I walk by here almost every day, and it’s a popular spot with the skaters.

At 4:45 he does a nosepick on the ledge at the bowl behind my apartment complex!