I'm 52 and an Upland local. Skated the OG Pipeline and others when I was younger. Steve and Mickey were our local legends though and I've actually skated with Steve a few times in my older years at the "new" Upland skatepark. Of course, I've skated Baldy and many other unnamed spots in our area. I started skating when I was 12 yrs old. One of my first "pro" boards was the first Roskopp. I had a couple Gemco boards before then, graduated to a Veriflex, then got my first board with Tracker trucks, Bones wheels and thought I hit the lottery on Xmas. That day changed my life and I switched from a BMX kid to a skater. Some of my friends hated me, but I didn't care, I created a whole new group of friends that created memories for life.
Salba makes me smile man. Same age. Same memories. Only he actually did it all and I mostly dreamed of it all. It is what it is, but I love hearing his stories. You can tell he's a genuine dude and as real as they come.
Me too. I was never very good but was a local at Boulders Hi Roller and used to get a chance to see the pro’s every year during the Hester series or Gold cup.
I found it very enlightening that Salba talked about how Stan Hoffman instilled in them a good work ethic of cleaning the park before they could skate for free. I remember meeting Salba at a Warp tour in St. Louis during the the 90's. While the younger skater from the demo would go off and watch the bands Salba would stay behind and work, keeping the area clean. That left a good impression on me that day. He also signed the tattered Upland Pipeline shirt that day too.
It's 2 in the morning, I glanced at RU-vid, saw this, clicked IMMEDIATELY, and right now my wife sounds like a Charlie Brown teacher. Salba... what could I possibly say? I'll say this: listen to @Hunter Davis and get a weekly Salba show going like now! Did anyone see that zoom thing he did with his OGs? the guys who found Baldy and taught him to skate Pipeline. Sick. But, also, I wanna see Salba with young guys too: whoever he thinks is rad; him tripping off them, them tripping off him. Yo, Indy, people are starving out here. The Salba Show, like, yesterday!
Goddamn forty years later I still look up to these boyz.. and I agree I can listen to Steve for hours, AND he still has chops on that guitfiddle.. let's start a new band Steve, I'll drum! 🤣
Salba needs his own show. I was at that Gold Cup Final, took 2 hours on the bus to get there, I wanted Duane to win so bad. Micke Alba ruled The Pipeline. I remember skating the combi by myself and Salba walked up with a tape player and started playing the Circle Jerks and making the tile scream. I will never forget that.
Just recently watched Albas nine club stop and chat. Such an interesting dude with amazing stories. Could listen to him talk for hours, he’s so passionate and it makes you wanna hear more.
I sincerely hope you feel and realize how important and historical this interview with Steve Alba is... This interview should be in The Smithsonian archives it's that relevant...Ironically I rode as a amateur on Kryptonics West/ D. Moran and later I rode for SC in 1980 and I had the same Team SC shirt its so awesome that he still has his...GOD BLESS and THANK YOU STEVE you have always been a CLASS ACT. 🙏🏿🤙🏿
Brings back so many memories! I was a Sophomore on that last day. Hitched a ride to Pipeline with an older kid and watched Salba and the Boyz take those final runs. The Hoffman's we're amazing people and that park was special 🤙!
That park & that Combi bowl was Special as Hell…. No other place at that time EVER showcased that kind of talent that skated. I remember going up in early ‘78 and riding with some friends and thinking “ Man , this place is HEAVY”… Being a San Diego native we only had The 3 parks , Skateboard Heaven in Spring Valley, Moving on Skatepark by The 805 & 94 Freeways and the Park under the Bridge Where 805 dropped down onto I-8 …. None had the sheer size and amount of vert that Pipeline had …. It’s a special memory in my life …. Thanks for the Perspective Steve…. From one old Steve to the other… I’ll be 62 in just a few more weeks , and still skateboard occasionally, but not as crazy as I did 40 plus years ago. Enjoyed this one… 👍
So lucky I moved to Upland in 98. When the new pipe opened in 2002 I was there everyday got to hang around Salba and all those O.G. Badlanders. So cool he took me, my brother and buddies under his wing and showed us how to drain pools and not get caught. It was pretty epic looking back on it and when I skate Upland to this day I get nostalgic walking in the place. Steve is a legend and the real deal!
thanks independent trux, cool vid,i was lucky enough to skate, some good parks in the late 70s', one next disney land, good snake run,, a big one in buena park', and found a fun one in tijuana!. my home park was skate odysee. indoor park! very fun and long half pipe. uplands big pipe looked fun.
I was lucky to have been able to skate Upland since the day that it opened up. The 15 footer broke me off pretty bad one day. Sad to say it was the end for me.....took many years to come back. And here we are today 40 years later still skating.
Recall the Alba decks were so dark but they way they skated plus there positive energy reminds me of the old cores from up here in Seattle. Such good stoke
Jim Grey has home movies of the final days/sessions at Upland on his RU-vid channel. Since you spent years there you'd probably get a kick out of it. Cheers
I left half of my chin in the bottom of the square, just after my buddy broke his ankle in the shallow back in '86. Had the blessing to skate with Salba, and the rest of the Santa Cruz Team that same year. They all came to our ramp, Christmas Tree, celebrating Livmo Joe's birthday. That's the same ramp that Phelper, RIP, got his first photo in Thrasher. Riding his Madrid longboard, back when he was just a shop rat working at FTS.
Whoa Eric Johnson is my friend, I guess I forgot about him breaking his leg in the Combi. We grew up surfing together after the Pipeline era. I never got that high level in skating, but the culture the Pipeline brought to the community changed so many lives including mine. Anyone who wasn’t there reading this… skaters made it cool before it was cool to like everything. You could hear Black Flag, New Order, and Metallica back to back on the ghetto blaster when the heavies were skating. Memories I will carry with me to the end. A really really happy and special time.
I remember back in the day, like 87, I was the biggest Salba hater. I'd only ever seen him in videos and back then pool skating wasn't cool, and I remember the first time I went to pipeline. I instantly went from hater to fanboy, I just remember walking into pipeline for the very first time and seen Steve and Mickey doing a doubles line and it just blew my mind 🤯. After that nothing but respect for Salba.
Stevey Alba is just Pure Class!!! Only thing missing is Grosso disagreeing with everything he says lol. I love watching old skateboard clips from the early to mid 80s. I street skated in the 90s
a true King of skating....really awesome interview and information here. In 1993 I made a really bad mistake....I moved and several months later realized I hadn't brought my box of skate magazines from around 1986 to 1993. I'm sure whoever moved in chunked them in the trash. :(.
Man, this was fucking sick. Let’s get some vintage looking Indy products out on the market. Let’s get Salba some pro models. And let’s make him the new host of the Love Letters!
im getting older for me i wear 70s style hockey helmet so sick man SALBA and Grossos love letters got me back and i skate the best i ever ave and i enjoy it the most i ever have you guys are true heros of mine and a true insperation to my future manifestations of starting a deck company peace and keep fucking shit up now is the time for true anarchy we skaters would rule this world better and the vibratin of this plane s changing i feel like a damn kid again yesssssssss