While they waited for gear to arrive from Canada for a longboard clinics they have been bombing Kuala Lumpur (KL) for late night sessions. These steep and narrow runs meandering through residential KL can only be hit late at night as traffic subsides. Inevitably, their sleep schedule has taken shape to accommodate such a lifestyle where they sleep all day and skate hard all night.
After a week of vampire embodiment without seeing a day of sunlight, they flipped their schedule to head up to the jungle to skate one of the world's oldest rain forests, Taman Negara. It is plastered with long winding runs resembling those in California with the added feature of a canopy that can swallow you completely if the wrong line is taken.
After hitting some 3-10km long runs, they scouted out a potential track for a major race to bring the elite to this seemingly small peninsula for a race that would challenge the peak and pinnacle of the DH world. On the way up scouting this 10km road, Tim was on the floor crying in joy and anticipation to soon hit the run, as the one-way downhill spilled switchbacks and off camber hairpins one after another.
The exact location of this incredible run has not been exposed however, it might surface so stay with us for more.
A mind blowing 10Km run recorded on the Speedmeter app
Having a vibrant longboard scene and industry is something some of us may take for granted however, in many parts of the world it is still in early states. With over 6 years of savings, Jez M Izman, the host of the Street Bombers, brought down a crew of riders from all over the world to join him for 6 months, traveling Malaysia and the surrounding countries to host longboard clinics, teach board building, host sessions, scout venues for international races, and to spread the positive message about an inclusive longboard community.
Concrete Wave and Longboard for Peace jumped on board to support this tour as it coincides with everything they have believed in and worked towards since day one. They were traveling along side this group of motivated individuals for one month of this tour to help with organizing the clinics as well as document what was going on.
They weren't the only ones that saw serious merit in this tour, Landyachtz, a longboard manufacturer donated 20 completes to make this a reality. These completes were used in the clinics as a give-away to local kids who can't afford, or simply get their hands on a board as they are extremely hard to get in Malaysia.
Roarockit skateboards, a company supplying the technology, tools and materials to build custom skate boards was also supporting this tour in a huge way by donating 8 thin air press kits to teach and encourage board building. Boards are so expensive and hard to get because they are shipped from overseas. By encouraging and teaching board building, they hope to spark the inspiration in some locals to start their own local brands to kick-start a micro industry.
Thanks to the initiative of Malaya Street Bombers, Longboarding for Peace, Landyachtz and Roarockit is the World a better place.
Source: www.concretewavemagazine.com; text and photo credit: Joey Bidner
