n wagomy my Vmioleslv-po ing I’m in do ur, ho er. downhill at 50
winding front of me th the two guys in best to keep up wi rves I have cu n ee fast that betw They’re going so m. I spot the e los t no to r orde opposite to hit the gas in the in me toward feels a a Mercedes racing 50 k— ally tap the brea nsidered. lane and instinctu co s ng thi all , ad this ro little sketchy on d don’t seem year-old up ahea The 19 and 20 certainly don’t ey Th s. de rce Me bothered by the slow down. a car. They’re ng: they’re not in And here’s the thi on skateboards. myself. “T “Oh scrahzyit.” ,” I whisper to
hese
dudes are
out my word tion aren’t wild ab The dudes in ques rs them; it’s the bo t tha cursing choice. It’s not the er burgers ov er, A few hours lat the word “crazy.” to distance hs gt len t ea gr l go to and cokes, they’l o is reckless any thrill seeker wh themselves from of recklessness. just for the sake Arthur “Wex” a death wish,” “We don’t have a death wish. “Heroin users have Wexell tells me. e’re athletes. W . sh a death wi Meth heads have ar helmets. we we’re doing. We We know what use that’s ca be zy cra us to call a hill.” People just want ing mb they see us bo how it looks when
g this to “We’re not doinad . rselvuseeswe,”lovedsit.”Alex Ronses hurt outhi s beca “We’re doing
photos by Stephen Bramucci
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of the Laguna ex are members Both Wex and Al e name just Th . R) BD (L ers Beach Danger Rid l skateboard hil wn : they’re a do about says it all ach locals. Be stly of Laguna club made up mo us. And it’s dangero of a booming the cutting edge They’re also on d boarding), ee sp r skating (o sport. Downhill vert-ramps the periphery by long pushed to ere is this wh No e. ris on the s travel and freestyle, is Kid h. ac in Laguna Be in the ls as noticeable as hil to ride Laguna’s rfect pe hundreds of miles wn do nt hu to go on trips hill wn do same way surfers of e is the North Shor panding waves. Laguna ex y idl rap t thin tha skating and wi weight. LBDR pulls serious universe the name lture for very und downhill cu “You can’t be aro ys with a halfabout us,” Wex sa long and not hear s are all over eo vid DR int. LB shrug. He’s got po gazines and ma in ir photos are the internet, the of the biggest onsored by some their riders are sp the skaters for t Bu sport. companies in the lades don’t co ognition and ac themselves, the rec . weigh very heavily ,” says Bryn ost, we’re friends “First and forem ’re all really we e us ca ppened be Jones. “LBDR ha her way to ot an , skating is just close. So for us where you int po the to t You ge know each other. to you is xt ne y what the gu can sense exactly going to do.” DR regulars handful of the LB As I chat with a maraderie ca ine nu ge of sense over tacos, this tling is a jos oeg e absence of , action and the complet ars ye . In the past thirty n into ow breath of fresh air gr ve ha ng ati and sk the to e sports like surfing du rt pa industries, in hyper-competitive asing the ch are es let ath ds of fact that thousan