Half Dead Skateboards

Who would be interested in a limited new release of Half Dead boards and apparel?

Half Dead closing at Midnight 12/31/16!

Half Dead Skateboards will close permanently at 11:59 on 12/31/16. Thank you for everyone who supported us in the few years we fought to support older skaters with community, product and personal support.

We still have some decks left, so if anyone is looking for a woodenhead, we have some liquidation deals. PM me for details.

See you in the bowl!

Lee Bryan

CLOSING DOWN SALE!

Woodenhead boards $35, Retrofish boards $35 US sales only. Shipping at cost. Get yourself something nice for the weekend. Or Christmas. Or Hannukah, Kwanza or just because you like fresh wood. www.halfdeadskateboards.com Select the Shop menu.

Welcome - Half Dead Skateboards

I started Half Dead three years ago in response to a need I saw in the skate community for a company that focused entirely on the older generations of skaters. It was never about getting rich (Ha!), but about trying to give back something to the community that had always been there for me, rescued me on several occasions and is still there now. I wanted to make great product in the USA, sell a few boards and establish a brand that I could stand behind and know in some small way make a contribution.

We started with a bang, a flurry of activity and sales in a dozen shops in the USA, followed by eight in the UK and the online store building business steadily. The back end infrastructure was developed for scale, but the sales horsepower was never able to take advantage of the capabilities we'd built. The website was built and made functional with my colleague Katy, who took on mid west sales duties for us. We have an international team of great riders - Neil Danns in the UK, Patrick Backlund, Hans "Puttis" Jacobson and Tony Jansson in Sweden, and the incredible Josh Bridgewater in California. We even had a guest rider - Justin Lynch - ride our Chart Attack to a solid eighth place in the Vans Pool Party! For a small brand we made a big impact.

Fast forward three years, and so much has changed. The community side of Half Dead (at community.halfdeadskateboards.com) started as a safe haven where older skaters could share stories based around the 9 themes of older skating. Facebook didn't even have older skate groups at that point. Now the skaters over 50 group has over 10000 members, and that's just one of them. Safe to say - old skaters are well served with options for social interaction and I'm really happy about that.

Life changes as well, and those three years were rough for me, personally and professionally. Half Dead was only the skating side of my professional life, and the other consulting side was slim pickings. Of course, as life goes up and down, so opportunities present themselves and now I am in a stable job, with extra consulting work happening also. I have to make hay while the sun shines unless I want to be 60 and homeless soon enough.

It's with that in mind and more than a hint of sadness that I would like to announce I am entertaining offers to buy the Half Dead Skateboard Company. I've put too much into this to just close it, and if anyone out there feels they would like to give it a go, please get a hold of me on [email protected] where I can give you more details.

It's late March, which means the vertical freak show known as Vert Attack is back for it's tenth anniversary (hence VAX). Our Swedish army of brilliant old men is throwing down, so come watch on the webcast. Patric Backlund, Hans "Puttis" Jacobson and Tony Jansson have been practicing and skating up a storm.Come cheer them on as they give it the beans in the petite Brygerriet ramp.

Here is the schedule:

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE (UTC +2)
11:30 - 14:00 Pro/Am semifinals
14:00 - 16:30 Master semifinals
16:30 - 17:30 Juniors final
17:30 - 18:30 Girls final
18:30 - 19:30 Masters final
19:30 - 20:30 Pro/Am final
20:30 - 21:00 Prizegiving

Don't forget this is UTC +2 hrs, which means this whole thing starts up at 4:30am EST, and ends at 2pm EST (1:30am PST and 11am PST).

We'll be here in the world wide web's greatest collection of armchair skaters watching and waxing lyrical on the amazing cunning stunts of the Swedish freak show. Come join us!


http://skatemalmo.se/events/vert-attack/live-webcast/

Live Webcast | Skate Malmö

https://www.facebook.com/patrick.lozano.353/posts/10153808301900520

Half Dead riders Hans "Puttis" Jacobson and Neil Danns mixing it up with Europes elite way back in 1988 in Madrid. (Thanks to Patric Lozano for the footage)

Pool competition in Madrid, 1988 The video was filmed by Charles from Spain and given to Hans "Puttis" Jacobsson at Vert Attack in Malmö. The skaters featured are (in alphabetical…

Half Dead team rider Tony Jansson showing his patented backside ollie skills at 52 years old yesterday in Sweden. Tony's board of the choice is the amazing Chart Attack - available from your fine skater owned shops or direct from www.halfdeadskateboards.com now.

So as 2015 draws to a close, I wanted to send out thanks and good wishes for 2016 to everyone who supports Half Dead in the thousands of ways you do.

Our team riders, Patric Backlund, Josh Bridgewater, Neil Danns, Hans Puttis Jacobson, Tony Jannson.

Our brand ambassadors Andy Lomas and Aaron Desroschers in the USA.

Half Dead UK Brian Shaw and Stewart Savage who worked so hard this year to establish our brand over there. It's probably no coincidence also that our graphics have all been created by UK artists Pete Marks and Rose Bourne!

Our fantastic family of dealers in the USA and UK for believing in us, sticking with us and continuing to sell boards.

My local crew in VT who never fail to support what Half Dead is all about, and more to the point tell me right away when I'm way off base (Dave and Hannah, Big John, The woodbine ramp crew, Richie Bowen and Joey Handy, Steve Stengal and the Ludlow crew, The Newport Skatepark crew and the many many others around here.

My extended family of old guys from around the world who have helped with encouragement and advice when it's been sorely needed. Living through the dark ages really did forge a brotherhood that lasts a lifetime.

Our manufacturers South Central Skateboard MFG for putting out the most kick ass decks.

And finally but definitely not least - my amazing partner Jodie Lynne for being there in the dark times and never wavering in your total support.

Thank you all! We have big plans developing in 2016 and can't wait to get the Half Dead message to many more older skaters and spread the stoke of skating into your adult years. Skate 'til you die!

Lee Bryan December 31st 2015

A great big Scandinavian Happy Birthday to our very own Tony Jansson! Ripping as hard as he does at this age, we're not entirely sure he's human.

Our own Josh Bridgewater was one of the stars of this Transworld video shot over a series of weeks as the adaptive skate team did their "No Arms, No Hope" summer series 2015. It's wicked inspirational. Check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F63mTXRzR4k

No Legs, No Arms, No Hope - Summer Series 2015 The skate crew had a 4 stop contest series with stops in Texas and California with points accumulating and an overall winner based off points earned. Follow ...

Shout out to our friends down at Bamboozle Skateshop http://www.bamboozleskate.com who restocked with all three boards at the weekend. Go get 'em!

www.bamboozleskate.com

Half Dead was well represented at the Vans / Lynch Family Skatepark opening day in Cambridge MA yesterday. Here are some pics of the arctic opening ceremonies, and a little warmer edit of the fun that followed. https://vimeo.com/145781486