For 2008 we have a host of events lined up for the Transition faithful including 'Battle of the Bands and Tunnels Showcase Gig'; Tunnels 'Record Fayre'; local 'horror punks' Karloff live the skatepark; UK skateboard company Blueprint Demo; Volcom photo shoot; Razors Inline contest; Osiris Team demo and signing; Bouldering league; Activity Mix Decathlon climbing comp; skate/snow event in cahoots with Aberdeen Snowsports Centre; BRYCS climbing comp; major snowboard 'rail jam' and the return of 'War of the Thistles' in April to mark the first anniversary.

We're constantly working on bringing new events to the table and 2008 will see a continuation of the high standard set by Transition in the first year open. Keep your eyes peeled. We have more good news on the funding front and Transition is pleased to announce that two local companies have confirmed their support for the cause:

• Stuart Spence, owner of the Marcliffe Hotel and Spa, kindly sponsored Transition with a wonderful £1,000 cheque.
• Odfjell Drilling (UK) Ltd, a leading international drilling contractor provided a fantastic £2,500m to support Transition's charitable aims.

John Rattray Profile

30 year old Professional Skateboarder John Rattray, born and raised in our very own Aberdeen was back in town this month and he dropped into Transition Extreme to get his skate on. Currently in the UK filming a skateboarding documentary for American channel Fuel TV - John kindly agreed to drop into Transition, see old friends and show the kids in a beginner's session just what a world class skateboarder can do on the iconic Transition skatepark. His appearance went down a storm with local skate rats.



John has gained respect from skateboarders worldwide as an all round "ripper". A man so versatile on a skateboard, he can literally skate anything. Now based in Encinitas, California he travels the world to ride his stunt plank and represent his sponsors Zero Skateboards, Osiris Shoes and Thunder Trucks.

John is such an established and admired skateboarder he recently became one of the digitised characters in the 2007 video game for the XBOX and SONY Playstation entitled SKATE. During his stay in Aberdeen, John hooked up with all a few of the old heads and got some sick sessions going in the skatepark. It was the first time he'd sessioned the park and he was impressed. He had this to say: "When I was growing up skateboarding, this kind of facility would have been very welcome. It's certainly a benefit to the city to have a place like this that has great facilities and great staff. I hope that it continues to be a success because it would be a shame if a place like this didn't receive the support it needs."

You can see John's amazing all-round ability on skateboard by viewing his sections in films such as 'H'Min Bam'; Blueprint's 'Waiting for the World'; Circa's 'Videoradio'; Zero's 'Dying to Live' and 'New Blood' and most recently in the new Osiris reel 'Feed the Need'.

Watch out for John in the documentary from Fuel TV. It's called 'Firsthand' and is being filmed and directed by another Aberdeen talent Alex Craig.

Transition would like to thank John for helping out at the coaching session and giving the local kids the inspiration to keep doing what they love.

Craig Mitchell

Retailer Sections

I checked in with Mark and Joe at Boarderline to see what the scoop was for Christmas product. There's plenty of stocking fillers and the like at Aberdeen's finest skate store: Check out their range of jackets, hoods and knits to warm your cockles, backed up with untold beanies and gloves. They're holding hella girls clothing on the sale rail, catering for the ladies. Inline skate rats can pick up stacks of wax for roller blade kerb attacks. New skateboard set ups from 50 sheets, ready to pop when you leave the shop.


The DVD selection is off the dial, check out new ones from Lakai (see review elsewhere here), Osiris, the Dan Wolfe classics 'Closure' and 'Eastern Exposure' from last century; new Mystery offering; new Krooked piece; a Consolidated film plus some skate history from World Industries- 'The Man who Souled the World' is the story of Steve Rocco, who shook up the big players in the industry in the late 80s early 90s. Check out their back catalogue of video offerings with the World Retrospective DVD collection. Also, now in the shop they're holding the entire Thrasher Magazine video back catalogue in a magical box set. Check it. The perfect gift for the older skater. It's all in there.

Alpine Bikes/Tiso

With Christmas fast approaching it's not too late to get geared up by doing some shopping at Tiso and Alpine Bikes down at Transition Extreme. It's the right place to do some last minute shopping for the sporting enthusiasts in your family as they both have some great offers at this time of year and in the upcoming months.




Tiso has a wide range of outdoor clothing and equipment that are suitable to ensure that climbing beginners and experts will have the most appropriate gear during the winter months. Customers shopping at Tiso are given the best possible advice for every level of climbing in the area of Aberdeen or even for holidaying in the Alps. The sale in Tiso starts on Boxing Day with a range of new offers on equipment necessary for climbing, camping, walking and various snow sports.

In the New Year there will a series of lectures taking place in Tiso stores across Scotland. On Wednesday 16th January at 7.30pm Transition Extreme will host the presentation on what it's like to venture in the winter mountain environment. Tickets are on sale at £6 and further details on the evening can be found at Tiso in Transition Extreme.

There are great festive deals available at Alpine Bikes this winter. Customers can save 25% on all 2007 bikes and also buy helmets from around £35. In addition BMX followers and upcoming riders can reserve the bike they desire by simply paying a 10% deposit before Christmas. It can then be stored in the shop until nearer the big day. Customers are then able to collect their bike at their own convenience and pay the remaining balance.

So whatever your needs, if there is something you desire this Christmas or wish to buy someone special, Tiso and Alpine Bikes are always pleased to be of assistance.

Andrew Frame

Crimestoppers 'Don't Wreck it'

On the 30th November Crimestoppers Scotland and Transition Extreme joined forces to stage a major youth event that had adrenalin-packed activities and live music.

The "Don't Wreck It, Respect It" event ran from 4pm until 10pm and had an anti-vandalism and anti-fire raising theme. A number of officers within the Police force and Fire Brigade were invited to the event in order to raise awareness of Crimestoppers Scotland. In light of this there were a number of information stands set up throughout the building so that young people could get an insight into the work of Crimestoppers.

The event aimed to draw the attention of young people to Crimestoppers Scotland's anonymous reporting service and getting them to take personal responsibility for reporting levels of crime in their community.

Publicity for the event went to schools, community groups and youth community workers and as a result there was a large attendance on the night that were able to enjoy live music and take part in the various activities and competitions ran by Transition Extreme. Activities included a free skate session from 4-6pm and also a free climbing sampler session throughout the night. As there were a large number of families and community groups as well as our regular climbing and skating enthusiasts, Transition Extreme also provided a two-on-two basketball competition and pool competition that were free to enter and were available to everyone. In addition there were a series of prizes on offer for those who won the competition but it more importantly it was enjoyed by those who took part.

The evening was enhanced by the free food and chilled drinks that were provided in the café area for climbers and skaters in order for them to revive themselves after their session.

Throughout the evening kids and adults were treated to a variety of live music from a number of diverse bands. Performances in the skatepark came from Captain Face, Crashed Down and Short Notice. Audiences in Transition's visitor centre were able to experience Kashmir Red who provided an acoustic set in a more relaxed environment. In addition the event also featured the Dezibel street drumming group who were able to capture the St Andrew's day theme also associated with the evening.

As the evening came to a close there were a number of prizes to be won at the raffle that took place in the skatepark. This included two tickets to the Arctic Monkey's, 2 free cinema tickets and a number of goodie bags provided by Northsound Radio, Grampian Police and Crimestoppers.

On the night, Transition Extreme was able to profile the valuable service that Crimestoppers provide as well as offering kids that live in the most vulnerable parts of Aberdeen the opportunity to experience the extreme sporting activities that the park has to offer. The event was well received throughout the community and as this was one of the biggest events that Transition has staged we hope that we can work with Crimestoppers again in the near future.

Andrew Frame

Lakai 'Fully Flared' Review

Lakai Limited Footwear presents 'Fully Flared' A Girl Film production
Running Time 1:20
Directed by Ty Evans, Spike Jonze and Cory Weincheque

The skateboard world has been waiting on this one for a long, long time and I'm glad to report that the Girl crew do not disappoint. This is one hell of motion picture.
With Ty Evans and Spike Jonze at the helm, you know you're in for a cinematic treat and the surreal opening 'exploding skate spot' section sets it up nicely.

We get straight down to action with new dude Mike Mo Capaldi. This kid has smooth lines on all obstacles and lands his trickery solid as teak. He's laying down 'shove- its' to get out of all types of situations. Good selection of spots that we see again later in the film. China looks amazing. Arcade Fire on the soundtrack sits well with this kid's style. Next up is Anthony Pappalardo rocking out on the East Coast. Good stuff thrown down including 'pole jam' floater at Brooklyn Banks.

Next section showcases the European crew on the roster, The Royal Family and The French Connection (aka Jensen, Brady, Rousseau, Gillet, Fernandez, Puig). The Londoners fare pretty well considering the paucity of good spots they have to play with. The guys on the mainland, however, know where it's at and the section plays out very impressively. Lucas Puig is damn fine and he kills it on the 'marble waves' in China.

A Jeff Lenoce section comes and goes with nothing new then we see Alex Olson burst onto the screen with unbelievable pop and silky skills. This kid is incredible and he lays down a 360 FS olllie over a park bench with consummate ease. Banging section.

I'm starting to feel numb watching this by now. The standard of skating is dizzying. Next up appears Cairo Foster, a firm favourite and he slays European spots left, right and centre. The two elder statesmen of the team: Rick Howard and Mike Carroll extend themselves yet further to deliver an astounding couple of sections. Howard has an amazing array of skills for a big man. Carroll, in particular, has so much style it's frightening. Next, Brandon Biebel gulps some energy boost drink and proceeds to get super tech on all kinds of manuals, ledges and rails. This guy is a joker. Fun section from a funny dude.

The nitty gritty is still to come and Eric Koston puts down a section that plays out like a four wheeled magic show. I can't figure out what he's doing half the time, but it's beautiful.

Guy Mariano provides a real treat for someone who's not seen that much footage of him since Blind's 1991 classic Video Days. His section is a banger powered by two songs from 'Band of Horses'. Great choice. Demonstrating flow and style on everything out there, this boy has a mercurial talent.

The final part goes to Marc Johnson and he dominates this film with a three song section. I watched this part two times over just to get a handle on what he was doing. The man is the best there is on a stunt plank, the Diego Maradona of skateboarding. He dumfounds the viewer with his technique and style. Nothing is beyond him. Unbelievable.

Suffice to say that you need to pick up this film for the collection. Available at all good skate shops now.

Cheers

Craig Mitchell

Osiris 'Feed the Need'/Lakai 'Fully Flared' Premieres/Bam City Jam

The skatepark has been a hive of activity over the last month with three skate events going down.

Ban City Jam was a fun skateboard contest. Slow to start due to no shows, the team event format proved too convoluted to really work within the set time frame. We binned the idea and got on with a slimmed down version.

Duane ollied the length of the famous Wallenberg Four in SF. Very sick. Others stepped up but failed to hit the mark. The usual suspects got their shralp on and took home the product.

Soon after this, the Osiris film 'Feed the Need' was on show for the first time on the wall in the skatepark. This film rocks, so pick it up or ask Santa. The second part of the double header was the Lakai 'Fully Flared' premiere night. The sessions that followed these films were bangers. Callum Barrack is killing it right now. Check the photos. Honourable mentions go to Kev Bell, Hayden Morgan and Gav Stewart for tight skills. Thanks to all the skaters that showed up and supported the events.

Transition would like to thank Lakai and Osiris for flowing over some product for prizes. We really appreciate the help. Cheers.

Craig Mitchell

Transition Extreme Bouldering League

The story so far...

With three rounds under our belt now and an average of 50 people attending each competition the excitement is rising! And that's just the staffs that are running it. Competitors and spectators alike have seen some real good climbing and some spectacular moves amongst the few even more spectacular falls. It's all to play for in each category so the next two rounds will see even more amazing routes and problems to overcome!

Duncan Paterson

Local Club aids in development of the Climbing Centre:

The Etchachan Mountaineering Club have donated £750 towards, kids holds, features, holds for the main walls and bouldering as well as a Campus board. Transition will be matching those funds as a kick off for continual development of the Climbing Centre. Look out in the next couple of months for the new exciting features and holds going up!

Razors Premiere

After days of waiting for the arrival of the Razors UK 2007 Tour DVD, around 30 rollerbladers from around Aberdeen gathered to watch the highly anticipated movie that arrived only hours before the premiere. The DVD featured riders like Chaz Sands, Frazer Watson, Quinny, Chris Doughty and Vinny Minton on the Kingdomination tour through the UK; we were also glad to see featured rider, Zak Buys turn up with Keir from Kingdom magazine. The film was shown for an hour at 7pm, followed by a rollerblade only session from 8-10pm! A great turnout for a highly anticipated event that shows rollerblading is still popular in the North East. Hopefully this level of interest will be reflected through the turnout to the Rollerblade only Jam session on the 19th of January from 3pm onwards! We've already got prizes from Razors, M1 and Kingdom Magazine so look out for updates when the posters arrive!

Andrew Mathieson

Estonia Spot Check