May 92 min read

The Eccentric Wheels of Ultraskating

A few weeks ago we briefly delved into the history of Ultrakstes, and we saw how the history of ultra skating is a fascinating journey from the cobblestone streets of the 19th century to the smooth asphalt of modern skate parks. We saw how it’s a story of innovation, community, and the enduring appeal of skating as a form of both recreation and competition. From the humble beginnings of a quad skate, to the simple desires of surfers wishing to be able to surf on land, ultraskating has arisen from the diverse evolution of the two sports, their many counterpart disciplines, and our innate human desire to explore and push the boundaries of what is possible.

As ultra skating continues to grow, it attracts skaters who seek to test their endurance and enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded athletes of this community/family has to offer. The sport has come a long way from its early days, and its history is a testament to the human desire to push boundaries and explore the limits of what’s possible on four wheels.

Certainly, this sporting discipline is not new to the notion of macgyvering solutions on the fly, and much of its evolution is down to its mavericks.

Now I hope many would agree innovation and creativity are a good thing, and some may even go as far as saying ‘there is no such thing as a bad idea…’ But certainly ‘innovation & creativity’ can take many shapes and forms, arise from anywhere, and can spawn some pretty unique results.

We’re all pretty accustomed within the sport to see longboards take a variety of shapes, most commonly, bracket setups, double-drops, drop throughs, top-mounts, and on occasion you’ll find a maverick shaping their platforms. A perfect example in my eyes is Clark Blumenstein with his mad battle axe platforms.

But certainly, he's not the only one. Other innovations have arisen, with ‘creatives’ side stepping, and exploring other sporting disciplines in search of advancing the sport, and pushing boundaries.

Pushing into the obscure:

Whilst the ‘obscure’ isn’t unfamiliar to the community, it's arguably not a common sight to see anything outside of the norms of conventional longboards and roller skates at an ultraskate. But in recent years, my good friend Mark Gansbuehler has been making waves, snaking through several ultraskate, and arguably setting new WR (world records) everytime in his unique discipline.