30 ThrasherL
ike the Rock of Gibraltar, the infamous O’Side Hubba
looms monolithic between the bosom of the Pacific and
the free-living, raw-dog denizens of Oceanside, California’s
main drag. A stone’s throw from the Bandshell, site of several
‘80s streetstyle events (think, Gonz’ boneless off brightly-colored
table), it may just be the lingering aura of Natas’ first documented
handrail boardslide (attempt) that infects the air with a dash of “get
some” in addition to salt, cocoa butter and a persistent pee smell. A
slapped-together wooden skatepark popped up nearby in the early
aughts, and it didn’t take the kids long to put two and two together.
Coulda been local boy Jermaine Wright who first mounted her icy
back, while others point to JT Aultz or even Australian phenom
Cale Nuske, but soon the floodgates were as open as a container
beneath the overpass—tricks stacked like shanks in a hobo’s bundle.
J-Lay caught the nosegrind, front blunt and noseblunt, while Duffel
snagged the cover of the Bible with a back lip before earning twobroken arms on a follow-up back tail for the other guys. Slash’s
kickflip front board holds the gold standard for many, while others
applaud Nick Dompierre’s first-try kickflip crooks as top maneuver.
Rowan Z fronted once again with a Barley and Alec Majerus got
the locals fired up with a perfect kicky back tail. Glick cashed the
check on Dompierre’s back noseblunt transworld cover bail and
through subsequent cappings and jailbreaks this shiny chunk of gnar
endures—every success ending with that fabulous downhill glory
ride, past the train tracks, straight to Bub’s. Typically, the greatest
challenge facing would-be conquerers of the O’Side Hubba is not
the cracks, cops or even the neck-high ledge itself. Instead, it’s
something as mundane as seaside real estate. Luxury apartments are
sprouting up on all sides as this mag goes to press. New. Glittering.
Boring. Could the days of ledge-side parties, lady-hobo mosh pits
and the occasional public dook be numbered? Is this the end? Can
O’Side truly be Kept Cutty? Ask the waves. —Valerie JerqueEPIC SPOTS
O’SIDE HUBBA
Vincent Milou came all the
way from France to get a Bub’s
Michelada. Oh, and a switch 5-0