Old School Boards: Stronger Than Ever Before

Whether it’s about skating it or just collecting it, the old school shaped skateboard has made its way back to the skate scene.

While young riders grew up with the popsicle-style board as their only choice, the skaters of the 80’s skated the old school shaped board. These kinds of boards were not only a piece of skating equipment but also a work of art expressing the whole skate culture of the 80’s.

Many of the skaters from back in the days have started to collect these old school boards either because of pure nostalgia or for cruising or skating. But the younger skaters have also started to shred the streets, bowls, and verts with these old school boards.

Photo: Ryan Guettler - Rider: Shane Allison

While the skateboard decks of the 70’s had almost no art on them, the boards of the 80’s embraced the possibility of using the deck as a canvas. This resulted in the wild designs and color graphics that to this day are a piece of art in themselves.

A Blast from the Past:

One of the leading brands from that period is Madrid Boards which to this day still makes boards the old school way. Their latest collection is a collaboration with the people behind Stranger Things and is an homage to 80’s pop and skate culture.

These boards are not only true to the 80’s in shape and concave, but the awesome graphic designs also lead our thoughts back to illustrators like the legendary Jimbo Phillips, whose work still to this day is seen as art.

If you’re more into a realistic art style, the range from Madrid also features some of the Stranger Things more dark imagery such as sheriff Hopper out on the infected pumpkin field or when the kids face the shadow monster.

Check out the whole Madrid and Stranger Things skateboard series here.