Photo by Amy Beth Bennett

Board expo a major hit

Approximately 6,000 skate and snowboard fans came out to see the Boardriders Expo at the Pyramid this past weekend.

The Pyramid was transformed Saturday and Sunday into a bonanza extravaganza of half pikes, booths and bands. At first glance, the Expo made the swap meet look like, well like a swapmeet.

The biggest eye-catcher at the Expo, a 40- or 50-foot wooden half pike, loomed like a life-size Godzilla over the many curtains and booths. On the pike, it seemed the many skateboard hardcores were overly eager to showoff their goods or lack thereof.

A large crowd gathered and was treated to skids, twists, flips, kicks, nicks and major wipes.

For the skate and snowboard enthusiasts in general, the Expo was some kind of haven. Industry giants present included Airwalk, K2, Vans, Killer Loop, Oxygen and Rossignol making the ten dollar cover money well spent, according to an attendee.

"There's a lot of new stuff," said Long Beach resident John Fogan. "If you like this sort of thing it was worth coming out."

There were more than 100 booths which catered to snow and skateboarding in one way or another. Many people received free gifts, ranging from stickers to snowboard trips.