Ditch Slap 2024

            We love sponsoring Ditch Slap for the last few years now.  It is an all around skating event over 4 days in May that's all about riding and racing in downhill ditches of Albuquerque, NM.  Many riders come to get as many shuttled runs down the ditches as possible and others also come to race the banked slalom courses setup by host Skate School Santa Fe.

          There is nothing quite like riding here.  It's almost like another planet as far as skateboarding goes because there are so many features to skate.   And so many things to watch out for in the ditches, which is part of what makes it so fun.  Local riders and many from afar have joined together for this skate reunion since 2007 to share the stoke of this skateboarding wonderland.   It's one of the longest running downhill and skating events in the US that includes some of the world's most famous skate spots.

A pack of riders going down the most famous ditch called Indian School

               The reason they call the event Ditch Slap is because that's the local term for when you fall off your board in the ditch.  It's not like just going down on flat ground.  Most of the time when someone falls, they hit the opposing wall which is way more brutal than just hitting the ground.  It's like hitting a brick wall at speed thus the term “Ditch Slap” aha!  Seasoned riders know that helmets and pads are what allows them to keep riding all week long.  And know that if they fall they will likely get back up and keep on going.  Helmets are required for this event.  Boards with kick-tails are usually the best as riders can pivot quicker and use them to get over and around obstacles like gratings, gaps, sharp transitions, and whatever else the ditch has waiting for them.

Robin McGuirk riding the biggest ditch called the Bear. 40 foot walls!

              This year it was the site of the Banked Slalom World Championships which featured 2 different courses. Each racer had 3 timed runs with their fastest run counting for each race. Then their best times from each race were combined for the overall winner results. 

Men -

1 - Hans Frank

2 - James Tracey

3 - Robin McGuirk

Women -

1 - Jennifer Coppa

2 - Nathalia Larios

3 - Lynn Kramer

              Some of the prize pool with decks and wheels we donated.  Everyone gets something cool at Ditch Slap!  This guy here won a set of our wheels called he Dano's Downhills and put them on this board immediately to skate the ditches!

This is a bucket list event for all downhill skaters!  More info at - http://www.ditchslap.com