LADERA ART MUSIC & LIFESTYLE

HISTORYLadera Longboards began as an experiment- a rusty jigsaw, a sheet of plywood and a passion for skating sprouted into the community of proggresive board riders that Ladera is today.2001 marked the foundation of the company by a 16 year-old determined to produce a long skateboard superior to the over-priced, poor-performing boards available at the local skate shop. With roots in a woodshop class project, Ladera boards quickly became a local favorite among students and skaters in the San Francisco Bay Area.“Ladera” means slope or hillside in Spanish. It is also the name of a small Northern California town with legendary hills. The first stages of research and development began in Ladera, and the team continues to session there today.When the technical hills of Ladera, Oakland, and the Santa Cruz mountains demanded high performance set-ups, premium components such as Abec 11 wheels and Randal speed trucks became essential. Optimizing control, feel and performance for all ability levels, Ladera Longboards stood apart from the low-end boards available at local skate shops. All boards were, and continue to be, rider tested and approved to this high standard.Decks were originally handmade in a Ladera, California basement. When college was added to the equation, the company moved into a couple dorm rooms in San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz. These unlikely locations were the birthplace of the homegrown Ladera downhill movement.Now operating out of the Bay Area, with a distribution hub in Southern California, Ladera Longboards remains passionate about redifining the capabilities of each and every rider.MISSIONHigh end manufacturing and a growing relationship with up-and-coming artists of all mediums defines where Ladera Longboards is in 2007. Ladera now ships boards to over 28 US states, and is represented in Europe. The Rooted Artist Designs (RAD) program creates unique opportunities for up-and-coming talent. With a downhill team made up of elite Bay Area riders and a progressiveI edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)