Articles by GFH

GFH helps host the CA Surf Festival, a benefit for the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, CA. Some lucky raffle winners will take home some sweet new GFH decks and wheels. Good luck!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Festival Rides the Waves of Oceanside for California Surf Film Festival

Oceanside, CA Nov. 11, 2008 – This past weekend the shores of Oceanside welcomed the inaugural California Surf Film Festival. The Grace Theater play host to the hundreds of surf film fans, filmmaker and special guest over the three day Festival as part of the California Surf Museum.

One of the highlights was a 50 Year Anniversary Celebration honoring Bruce Brown as a filmmaker. In 1958 Brown came out with his first film Slippery When Wet (1958) which then started his career as a successful action sport documentary filmmaker. To honor that tribute the Festival was able to have Bruce and son Dana and Grandson Wes Brown all contribute to a “LIVE” narration of the classic Endless Summer (1964). An electric vibe was at the Festival with filmgoers and filmmaker mingling about. Many surf film fans had a myriad of items clutched in their hands waiting to meet the filmmakers and surf stars to have them sign the pictures, flyers and DVD’s in their collections.

The Theater was standing room only as the Mayor of Oceanside declared that November 8th, 2008 would be known as Bruce Brown Day in the City of Oceanside. Also on hand was a who’s who of surf notables as well as the original team that were part of Endless Summer. Bruce Brown, Mike Hynson (star of the film), Gaston Georis (wrote the music), R. Paul Allen (Promoter of Endless Summer), John Van Hamersveld (Artist of the Classic Endless Summer Poster). The screening was a momentous and one time only event for the Festival. The pre reception held at the California Surf Museum was over flowing with Surf Legends such as Walter Hoffman, Skip Frye, and Linda Benson, all enjoying the food from The Fish Joint, Longboard Café and Mary’s Lumpia.

Other films screened during the California Surf Film Festival were; West Coast Premieres of Musica Surfica, by Mick Sowry, June by Christian and Spencer Diggs, Surf Noir by Suyen Mosley, as well as; Chasing Dora by TJ Barrack and Wes Brown, WaterMan By BamMan Productions, The Life by Jamie Brisken, Out There by Teton Gravity Research, Under The Sun by Cyrus Sutton, RIP Tide by Dennis Jarvis, Carving by Roberto Vennzoe, Together by Jeff Beals, and Play Mobil French Surf Shorts.

You may go to the Website at www.californiasurffestival.com Sponsors of the Festival were FUEL TV, 91X, O’Neill, Billabong, Wahoo’s, Anarchy/Angel eyewear, Honest Tea, Red Bull, Pac Sun, Rainbow Sandals, Marriott of Oceanside, Marina Suites, Wyndam resorts, GFH Skateboards, Globe shoes and Surfshot.com to name a few. Thank you to the volunteers and non-profits who participated in the Community Outreach Day: Surfrider, Rell Sunn Foundation, Christian Surfers Association, Boarders 4 Breast Cancer and Outdoor Outreach.

The California Surf Festival is a presentation of FUEL TV and the California Surf Museum. The CSM will be sharing the progress of its new location in Oceanside and encourage your support. The Festival is a continuing aspect of the Museum and its focus on preserving the culture and history of the surfing lifestyle. This Festival will enrich the locals and visitors on the world of surfing and share the surroundings of downtown City of Oceanside. www.surfmuseum.org.

We developed the GFH Fatties almost 2 years ago and after producing those wheels we knew we must come out with a wheel that is specifically designed for our mini’s. A wheel that not only looks great, but that performs. A wheel that is made with a high grade urethane compound that has excellent rebound and a long life. We designed many of our mini’s around the GFH 3” truck and we wanted to design a wheel with the same ideas in mind. The GFH Chubbie is such a wheel. The size, shape and premium urethane formula makes them perfect for our mini’s, allowing the rider to carve, slide, grip and rip up the city streets. Soon we will come out with new colors and different Durometer to meet all riding styles, but we wanted to use the very best wheel on our first batch and we certainly have done that.

I hope you are as pleased with the new wheel as we are.

The Staff at GFH Boards

Each year we at GFH Boards continue to do our part to help out those that are less fortunate and other non profit charitable organizations that bring aid. So with each longboard skateboard and retro mini skateboard that you purchase from GFH Boards you help to contribute to our cause.

Each year we proudly support schools, hospitals, shelters and clubs of all shapes and sizes.

If you are interested in supporting some of the organizations that GFH supports please email info@gfhboards.com to find out how you can help.

Merry Christmas from the GFH Boards crew!

GFH Boards finished up a couple new skateboards and now we need your help to come up with a name for these boards. The rules are simple. Anyone that is a GFH VIP member will receive any and all GFH Skateboard updates like this email. The email lists the two new boards and the rules for the contest. We are needing help with a couple new names for our boards and if we choose your skate name we will be sending you the board for FREE. Become a GFH VIP and get all the latest news from GFH. We are constantly sending out web specials and contests so don't miss out.

We developed the GFH Fatties almost 2 years ago and after producing those wheels we knew we must come out with a wheel that is specifically designed for our mini’s. A wheel that not only looks great, but that performs. A wheel that is made with a high grade urethane compound that has excellent rebound and a long life. We designed many of our mini’s around the GFH 3” truck and we wanted to design a wheel with the same ideas in mind. The GFH Chubbie is such a wheel. The size, shape and premium urethane formula makes them perfect for our mini’s, allowing the rider to carve, slide, grip and rip up the city streets. Poured locally in California, the purchase of these wheels support our nation’s economy, maybe even your local one too. You can now get the chubbies in a bright florescent ORANGE! pick up a set or two today @ gfhboards.com

After a successful "Name my Skate" contest and over 2000 name entries we were able to pick winning board names. The 28.5" Kraken will be a great addition to our line and shares a very successful shape along with the Mitch boards. Our new 30" "Dirty Thirty" was a bit tougher to name, but Daniel Walker from Florida was able to come up with a winner. We ended up with 20 people all coming up with "The Kraken" so we held yet another contest to give a way 2 completes. An email was sent to the 20 winners notifying them that they needed to respond immediately and within 60 seconds of pushing send we had 2 people that claimed their prize. The other 18 winners will be receiving the Kraken deck.

The GFH Pigme Warrior has been a staple in our line for several years and we thought we would give it a killer new graphic, just in time for the start of summer. We've used one of the best illustrators in the biz to come up with this graphic and we couldn't be more pleased with it. The new Warrior will be available in bright yellow and green and is available to purchase now. Be on the look out for more graphics by this artist...coming soon the Kraken!

Upcoming Longboarding Events – SkateboarderCross

Longboard skateboard events are not limited to simple race formats, at least not for much longer. On particular event that is pushing this idea further is named SkateboarderCross, a title that cross links origins from Moto-Cross, slalom skateboarding and downhill skateboarding.

Read below for further details on this great event from Jack Smith.

$10,000 total purse

$5,000 first place

$2,500 second place

$1,500 third place

$1,000 fourth place

This October, in Morro Bay, California where slalom was reborn in 2001 a brand new way of racing skateboards, combining street, vert and slalom skills in head to head format will be introduced to the skateboarding world.

It's called SkateboarderCross.

Legendary downhill racer Roger Hickey, creator and owner of Freshpark, has partnered with World Slalom Skateboarding Championships producer Jack Smith, publisher of The Skateboarder's Journal, to bring you this exciting new event.

Racers will compete head to head on identical 500+ courses littered with ramps, banks, jumps, whoop-de-doos . Each racer will be given two qualifying runs with the top 32 skaters advancing to head to head round.

In the opening round the skater swill be paired off in the typical 1-32, 2-31 format, with the higher qualifier receiving lane choice in each round. In the first round it's do or die, that's right one run will determine if you live to race the next day.

In the following rounds we will use the double elimination format, meaning that a racer must lose twice before being eliminated. No clock will be used in the head to head racing, first skater across the finish line is the winner. A world-class photo finish system will be used to determine the winner of close finishes.

At the end of the day we will end up with the two fastest racers squaring off for the $5,000 first place prize. Be there!

Upcoming Longboarding Events –

Broadway Bomb Many Longboard skaters around the entire US are looking forward to the highly dangerous, highly crowded longboard distance race taking place in only two weeks. The Broadway Bomb is an even that takes place in New York. Racers attempt to travel down Broadway in Manhattan while dodging traffic, creating shortcuts and avoiding crashes and collisions with each other as well. Read more info below for details on the race from Brian Davenport. BROADWAY BOMB 2010 – Weekend Schedule – October 15-17 The race will begin at high noon! The meeting point is at Riverside Park at 116th street & Broadway in Manhattan. The race begins just a block away up a big hill that everyone must get to the top of however you want but once you’re on Broadway you better drop that board and start pushing! Please note that the Broadway Bomb is not a sanctioned event and is dangerous.

Longboard News – Longboard Skateboard Trends -

Freeriding Several companies have been developing longboard deck shapes designed specifically for a type of riding named freeriding. This type of longboard skating involves high speeds, standup slides and drifts, and ultimately riding skills. Freeride longboards are usually dropped low to the ground by way of drop through style designs. This particular design allows the rider to drop the base plates of their trucks through the board rather than mounting them on the bottom. In effect, this allows the riders longboard and feet to come closer to the ground, providing a feeling of more stability and control in most cases. Be on the lookout for the drop through style of longboards to take off through the end of 2010 and into 2011.

Longboard Deck Material

Longboards are commonly made from maple, bamboo, and even fiberglass. However, with all of these options, there seems to be a lack of knowledge regarding the abilities of, and the positive and negative attributes that come with each. When purchasing a board, make sure you first look at the shape, size and attributes that will allow you to ride the way you plan. The material that the deck is made from doesn’t always have to be the most important factor when choosing what board to buy and ride. With that being said, any material can provide any type of ride. Depending on the number of plys that are used in the deck, a board made from bamboo can act the same way as a board made from fiberglass or maple. In short, the construction methods used are more important than the material itself. GFH has a selection of boards made from maple, bamboo and composite mixes. Check out the selection on the site and choose what suits you best. Ask if you need some help.

Board Size

If you are going to get a longboard, you can get a longboard that is long, or you can get a longboard that is short. Short longboards are generally referred to as minis, and that’s what we do best. Minis are great from getting to point A to point B quick. Oh, and once you get to point B, you can take your board and bring it in with you, because it’ll be about the size of an Apple IPad, which are cool too, right? If you plan on going fast for long periods of time, like going down a big hill, going back up, and then going down again and again, get a bigger board that you feel comfortable on. If you are awesome, you can ride one of our minis down hills, people do it all of the time. Just make sure you match your board size to your riding type before you make a purchase so you are happy.

Boarding for Exercise

Instead of sitting around and talking about longboarding, or sitting on your big couch or chair watching the boob tube, your time would be better spent by hopping on your longboard or mini and pushing your heart out. Actually, don’t push your heart out, just push until your heart feels like it’s beating out of your chest. Longboarding serves as a viable cardiovascular exercise. What does that mean dude!? Dude, all that means is that you can get your heart rate beating at a level to where you are burning calories, and so you’ll burn some of that lard off that you hate looking at. If you go out and ride your GFH board and you lose 20 pounds in 6 months, we’ll give you something free. Seriously.

The size of your board matters… only if you are really picky and can’t expand your mind. It is very possible to do any trick and any type of riding on any board, though obviously, there are limits to this idea. However, if you have the skills and the patience, you can go to your biggest local hill and hit 30 on your 30 inch board, and likewise, you can go to your local park and hit the bowl with your 42 inch board.

LONG story SHORT (see what I did there?) go out and skate, take your time, practice your skills, and never limit yourself.

:Peter Weinrauch
master of content and relevancy  

The difference between big and small wheels? There isn’t just one difference…

Small wheels will naturally fit your smaller sized decks better, that is, if you don’t put a bunch of risers and super wide trucks on your mini board… something that sometimes takes away from that true mini feel. Likewise, larger wheels naturally fit better on your larger sized boards… but wait-
You can put smaller wheels on a larger board. In fact, some people prefer wheels smaller than 65mm on longboards because they sometimes break in faster, and give quicker response and more control to the rider. However, sometimes the rider wants grip, so slippage around sharp speedy turns, and shock absorption when riding over sidewalk cracks and bumpy pavement.

Here is a tip- start off with the wheel size that naturally fits your board. Stick with wheels 65mm and above for longboards over the size of 35 inches, and go with a wheel 65mm or smaller for your boards under 35 inches. Then, experiment after you’ve gotten the feel for how wheels work with the size of your board, the width of your trucks, and the height of your risers.

P: Weinrauch

Master of all things useful and all useless knowledge.

Making Videos....(not those videos you perv)

If you want to put your longboard skills on the internet for the world to see, make sure you have a few things thought out first.

#1 – Be pretty good at longboarding. No one wants to watch someone who is not better than them… just think about it.

#2 – Have a camera that can capture what you want on your longboard, or else you’re going to be frustrated with the way the footage turns out, and you won’t even want to put it online.

#3 – Don’t be scared to film yourself on your longboard adventures. Use milk crates, tripods, mailboxes, and the ground to capture yourself from multiple angles… which brings us to #4

#4 – Multiple angles… generally, you don’t want to have a clip of one single angle that lasts for more than 6 seconds, unless there is something funny or super extreme happening.

These are only a few tips for making a nice little longboard video, but think about them with an open mind. Don’t get discouraged or frustrated when making your first few videos, the good ones take time and practice.

:Peter Weinrauch

I like to make movies

Watch Out! Longboard Safety Tips

Longboarders need to take this seriously; keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel at all times. Many people who longboard fall into the trance of death… the road is smooth, you feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your skin, you are relaxed… and all of the sudden, BOOM! You hit a pinecone, a mom and her baby in the stroller, or a parked car.

As a word of caution, always be on the lookout when you are longboard. If you are in the road, you become a vehicle and you need to abide the traffic laws. Since you are not protected by a seatbelt and airbags, you need to have extra caution. Be able to stop on a dime and slow down when you need to before you hit the streets or busy sidewalks.

GFH Boards Street Team – Make One

Did you know that if you start a longboard club at your college or high school that GFH will support your crew with discounted goods? If you have the dedication and passion to make and maintain a crew that rides for the fun of it, plus likes to market and network with people all over your city and state, then GFH Boards is your company.

We are here to help you grow your passion and learn new things about yourself, and your boarding skills. Simply email Peter@gfhboards.com or get in touch with someone through our livechat system on the GFH Boards website!

Peter Weinrauch
Master of useless knowledge  

Falling Down on Your Longboard Generally, you will fall down on your longboard.

In fact, if you don’t fall down, you are part of a very small group of people. Listen, there are thousands of longboarders around the world. To think that a bunch of those guys and ladies never fell would be quite the silly assumption. And so, falling down can be good a bad. Once you fall, you will either have less or more fear, until your next fall that is.

Some people get sketched out after their first fall and tend to hold back on their ripping abilities. Some people, after their first fall, say, “Dude that wasn’t even that bad” and they skate right along. Of course, you might have a really serious tumble, and you’d be justified to be a little hesitant to try new things on your board. So remain cautious on your board at all times, take things slow at first, and make sure you wear some pads and a helmet if you anticipate a tumble or two during your boarding session.

Peter Weinrauch: Master of all things that don't make sense.

We set out to take advantage of the drop-through design’s ability to bring the deck of a skateboard closer to the ground and created a ride that is stable at speed, cornering, and drifting, yet incredibly easy to push when cruising; due to the reduced reach required to put foot to ground. If you are in the market for a fast maneuverable board then you need not look any further. This board might not help you get a date, but it certainly couldn't hurt your style points.

Grip Tape – Differences and What Matters Most people who longboard or skateboard are used to seeing the tops of their boards covered with the standard black gritty grip tape. However, longboarders are a little more used to seeing some other types of grip on the surface of their decks.

One popular type looks like crushed up glass or sprinkled sand… that’s because it is in fact crushed up glass or sand. Most people don’t ride on this type of grip barefoot, simply because the glass is a bit sharp and pointy… But in most cases, it’s not legit sharp broken shards of glass on the board, guys and girls… it’s usually some rounded down chunks of clear stuff that looks like glass… (we hope, for your sake)

You need to know a few things.

#1 – If your grip gets wet, you might not be able to lock your feet down the way you like. Usually, the black grip will give you a bit more grip compared to the sandy grit grip, and that’s because there isn’t so much space between the individual grains of grip on the black stuff… in other words, you won’t be standing in pools of water on the black stuff, which sort of leads to points #2 and #3

#2 – Your grip won’t get super wet if you always keep one foot on the board.

#3 – Sometimes, it’s better to not ride around in the rain. Don’t spend too much time choosing grip, unless you want to go pro… if you are in that category, contact us, we’ll see how pro you might be.

¬¬¬¬ Resources, Get Some If you have questions about your longboard, riding your longboard, or anything that has to do with a longboard, here are some good resources for you.

This and other valuable information brought to you by the genious muscle head Peter Weinrauch. The mans in charge of all things that seem pointless, but might save your life.

 Peter@gfhboards.com