Related Photos: Utah Bound

Just 5 months after the Olympics and it was time for Utah to host the fattest event in skateboarding, "The Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark Tour." Why did we go to Utah, you ask? Well that's simple, a kid by the name of Luis Diaz. You see Luis entered a contest called Hawk in the House at last year's X Games in Philly. The winner of Hawk in the House won a Tony Hawk Tour stop in their neck of the woods plus dinner with the boys. I don't even get to eat with the boys, oh well! This Luis dude must be a hero in Pleasant Grove because on this stop we had Bam Margera, Kris Markovitch, Alex Chalmers, Bucky Lasek, Jesse Fritsch, Jason Ellis, Mike Vallely, Willy Santos, Sean White, Kevin Staab and the Birdman Tony Hawk all these pro's in your home town, just by winning a contest. It sounds to me like the whole town of Pleasant Grove won!! I think Luis should have a key to the city or something. Major props to the Hawk in The House Contest.

Hawk in the House contest winner, Luis Diaz, feelin' like a VIP with Tony. It pays to play on EXPN.com.

The Demo was scheduled for 2pm when we got there. I stopped skating around 12:43 after taking 2 hard slams on the street course. I guess that's why I get paid to write and talk and not to skate. I think slamming real hard is better then a double mocha, it seems to wake you up real fast. After I warmed up the park for the guys it was on!! I have never seen so much insanity in one Skatepark in one afternoon! Bam Margera bomb dropped off some high voltage wires about 10 feet above the park onto a bank.

Shaun White, mastering the vert ramp after conquering the halfpipe.

Mike Valley did the same drop over another area just about 30 yards from where Bam was jumping from. People bungee of things smaller than this! Kris Markovitch busted the biggest frontside grab over a 12-14 span from a bank to transition wall I have ever seen in my life! Jason Ellis got into the mix by busting out a Bay Door Roof Drop. Don't ask, it was ridiculous! Alex Chalmers did a wall ride on a transition to wall, about 20 feet high, any higher and Hill Air Force Base would have called for back-up. The street course at Proving Grounds pretty much got torn up!

Tony Hawk getting inverted in Utah.

The vert demo started around 4:19 with same ramp they use on the Hawk Boom Boom Huck Jam slated for this fall. These guys threw this ramp up in about 2 hours. I never thought I would see the day when you could put up a vert ramp in 2 hours, isn't technology great? Tony and the crew put on one hell of vert demo. Sean White busted a backside rodeo and everyone else was pretty much ripping. Jessie Fritsch did a switch heelflip to fakie. Tony pulled down a 720 and a couple 540's as well. Tony even did a 540 on quarter pipe on the street course, what can't he do? This was an unbelievable demo. Utah has some great skate fans major props go out to all the skaters that were there. If you are ever in the Salt Lake area make plans to head out to the Proving Grounds in Pleasant Grove and say hello to Sunny tell him Brad J sent you. Eight stops down 2 to go. Next stop Sin City, Las Vegas and after that Tony's home town, San Diego. Make sure you click on the TV schedule for the TV times on ESPN 2.

Quote of the day on stop # 8 comes from random skater "Why is your board so fat"?
L8er
-Brad J

Related Photos:
Utah Bound

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