Travelling in the USA with a longboard - a never ending story

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“We value experiences more than things, and that is what this lifestyle is all about”. It couldn’t be a better way to present you Shane and Katie, authors of the blog The Lost Longboarder.com, in which outbreaking landscapes meet skateparks in this never-ending journey around the United States of America.

And it is where you can buy Shane’s handmade design longboards - one of them was accepted by the Morro Bay Skateboard Museum in California. Let’s find out more about this story that combines art, riding on longboards and a total sense of freedom.

Tell us a little bit about you: where are you from and when did you start to skate? 

I am a happy guy, always looking for adventure and fun. I am originally from Ohio (USA). I used to play football and run track, but I never picked up skateboarding as a kid. The first time I jumped on a longboard was in college. I had met some people longboarding in my dormitory and they asked if I wanted to try. I was unsure of the idea at first because I'd never skated before. I jumped on a flexy bamboo longboard and rode 3 or 4 blocks on super smooth asphalt without having to kick at all. That's all it took... I was hooked!

What made you choose to skate longboards? 

I have always been drawn to the chill cruising aspect of longboarding far distances. With the right longboard I feel like I'm surfing the cement. I like a bamboo/fiberglass longboard, because of the flexible material that really adds to the experience while carving and pumping. It wasn't until my wife and I started living on the road full time in 2017 that I began taking my longboard into the skateparks. As we travel, we see so many great skateparks. Before my experiences, I didn't think skateparks could be as big as they are or have such a good flow on a longboard. Many big vert skateparks with smooth transitions are great for longboarding and make for some perfect cement surfing!

We create hand crafted longboards and sell them on our travels

Your drawings are unique. How important is travelling to inspire you? 

Yes, my artwork is unique - thank you for noticing! Traveling full time is a great inspiration to my artwork. The places that we go and the landscapes that we see are inspirational, but our lifestyle and freedom is what encourages me to keep creating whatever pops into my head or whatever my hands want to paint.

Can you tell us more about your artwork?

Lost Coast Longboarding is our work and the brand we created. We create hand crafted longboards and sell them on our travels. We started our company by screen printing our own t-shirts and eventually started creating our longboards. The other side of our business is our blog TheLostLongboarder.com, this is a documentation of our travels, adventures, and the skate spots we find. We have also been spending a lot of time and effort creating a YouTube channel @LostCoastLongboarding as well as the other social platforms.

Can you choose and show your favourite board drawn by yourself? And why is it your favourite?

Can I choose a favourite of my longboards?! Oh man, that’s a hard question..  Painting is when I am at peace, so they all mean a lot to me. But I definitely like some more than others lol.

One of my favourite design is our swirl boards. These mean a lot to me because I really enjoy painting them, and it comes very natural for me to paint in this style. These boards also mean a lot to me because one of my swirl boards (pictured) was actually accepted to the Morro Bay Skateboard Museum in California. Having my artwork and one of our longboards in a museum seems unreal and helps me remember that we are creating something great with Lost Coast Longboarding.

When did you start to make those road trips? And how far did you go?

We started our road trip in 2017, and how far did we go? Well, we haven't stopped yet.

Hard question: from those road trips you have made so far, which is your number one?

Well, actually it's all been the same road trip, so there is only one to choose from! We have been on the road full time since 2017. We have travelled thousands of miles and been through deserts, mountains, forests, snow, volcanos, jungles, big cities, small towns, and every skatepark we can find along the way! We have gotten to experience a lot and we've seen a lot of beauty. We've also been documenting our travels on our blog The Lost Longboarder.com

We have been through deserts, mountains, forests, snow, volcanos, jungles, big cities, small towns, and every skatepark we can find along the way!

How relevant is an existence of a skatepark to make you go to place X instead of place Y?

Skateparks are very important to our travels, but not the #1 requirement. I love skating new parks, and when we travel to an area that has some good skateparks we make sure to check out as many as we can. But our travels are not limited by skateparks. We enjoy experiencing somewhere new, hiking, mountain climbing, and many other outdoor activities. And I can paint anywhere whether there is a skatepark nearby or not. Plus, you don't need a skatepark with a longboard. It's easy to find a good hill or some smooth streets in most places.

Can you point out the most surprising skate spot you have found so far? 

Most surprising skate spot so far? I have been surprised with how many AMAZING skateparks there are all over the country. But if I had to pick one... I would say that the Volcom Skatepark in Mammoth Lakes, California surprised me the most. That's because this was one of the first big skateparks that realized I could skate with a longboard. The Mammoth Lakes Skatepark is a huge skatepark with tons of organic curves, smooth transitions, and an amazing flow. Plus, the skatepark is set in the beautiful Sierra Mountains surrounded by the forest.

Your kind of experience is an inspiration for many people. What kind of advice do you have for those who want to have this lifestyle but for some reason just don’t go forward?

Living on the road is much harder than it seems. This lifestyle requires lots and lots of planning and thinking ahead, and often requires creative problem solving. We sometimes find ourselves in some crazy situations that the average person couldn't even come up with. Most days are great, and some days are really hard. With freedom comes independence, and that can mean having to figure out difficult problems on your own without depending on others. We value experiences more than things, and that is what this lifestyle is all about.

Instagram Lost Coast Longboarding Visit website Lost Coast Longboarding

By Manu Silva

Brandoa Skatepark: A Symbol of Progress

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Bombarral Skatepark Tour: Transforming the Ordinary into something good

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Peniche Skatepark Tour: Surfing Paradise with Room for Improvement

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