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CRUISING ON A
Tahoe Longboard
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BY K AY L A A N D E R S O N
I
Courtesy Truckee Trails Foundation
t’s a great feeling gliding down Tahoe’s paved bike paths on a skateboard, especially on one that’s quality made and full of sentimental value like a Tahoe Longboard. A lot has changed since Chuck Vogt Buckley founded Tahoe Longboards in 1997, but in many ways, much has stayed the same. Vogt Buckley is still bombing down hills and making his signature skate decks. His solid team consisting of his wife Bella and 5-year-old son Leland are helping take Tahoe Longboards to the next level.
New trails for Sawtooth Ridge The Truckee Trails Foundation and U.S. Forest Service, Truckee Ranger District teamed up to create new trail options in the Sawtooth Ridge area over the summer, according to the foundation’s website.
I love my fast, easyto-carve Tahoma 42 board to glide down Tahoe’s bike paths from one beach or restaurant
TOP: Riding along the Tahoe East Shore Trail.
to another, as well
| Luke Spodobalski LEFT: Bella, Chuck and Leland Buckley.
as my Talmont 52 for
| Courtesy Chuck Vogt Buckley
long-distance cruising. Like many businesses, Vogt Buckley says that Tahoe Longboards got crushed when COVID-19 came but fortunately their online sales kept his family going. As the Tahoe economy slowly started recovering, Vogt Buckley was excited to return to Truckee Thursdays and other local events. However, the Caldor Fire and poor air quality threw another wrench in operations. Lately, Vogt Buckley is focusing on expanding the Tahoe Longboards brand outside of the Tahoe Basin, attending music festivals and trying to maintain a presence wherever he can. When we spoke, he had just returned from Dry Diggings Festival in Grass Valley and was getting ready to go down and set up a booth at BeachLife Festival in Southern California where bands such as Jane’s Addiction, Ben Harper, G. Love and Ziggy Marley were headlining.
Find local paved paths and skate parks at TheTahoeWeekly.com The last time The Tahoe Weekly checked in on Tahoe Longboards five years ago, the Vogt Buckleys had their son Leland, who is quickly turning into a ripper just like his dad. 6
“It means a lot to us to have that California-made, local pride,” he says. He is a supporter of breast cancer awareness events such as B4BC (Boarding for Breast Cancer). Go to a Skate the Lake event in Tahoe, and you’ll quickly see that the most prominent skate deck is a Tahoe Longboard. During the uncertainty of everything going on, taking a Tahoe Longboard out on Tahoe’s paved trails any day is a great way to relieve stress. While Vogt Buckley continues to make longboards, he has also improved his signature ones and introduced new models. For instance, he just added a clear, waterproof perma grip to the top of the Tahoma board that can withstand the Tahoe elements. “The double clear coat has a nice glossy look and super bomber protection,” he says. There are also now two different versions of the clear grip on the Tallac board, one that has a very coarse surface — he calls it the grizzly grip for Tahoe riding — and a smoother one for barefoot beach riding. I love my fast, easy-to-carve Tahoma 42 board to glide down Tahoe’s bike paths from one beach or restaurant to another, as well as my Talmont 52 for long-distance cruising. Vogt Buckley is also adamant about making Tahoe Longboards within the U.S., in a garage in Huntington Beach.
Author at the Skate the Lake start on her Talmont 52. | Kayla Anderson
“Concrete is everywhere, and skateboarding will always be one of the cheapest, most free-spirited movement activities out there,” he says. “It will always rule as a recreation sport.” | tahoelongboards.com
The nonprofit overhauled the existing Happy Face trail up Bald Mountain, building a new 4-mile loop taking a more sustainable approach to the top of Bald Mountain, where users are rewarded with views of Martis Valley. Its trail crew also built a 0.6-mile, downhill (one direction), flowy jump trail that is open to intermediate and advanced mountain bikers. Officially named Wood Splitter Jump Trail, this new offering is loaded with features including berms, table top jumps, hip jumps, tree gaps and rock drops. This trail is also open to Class 1 e-bikes. As well, the new 1.4-mile accessible trail reported in the previous edition of Tahoe Weekly has been named the Ridgeline Nature Loop. This trail was designed for wheelchair, stroller and strider bike use. Work will also start this season, if weather permits, on an additional 1-mile trail that will parallel the 06 road to the west from the lower Sawtooth Trailhead to the middle Sawtooth Trailhead. This new non-motorized path to be named Gentle Jeffrey will offer pedestrians a new option that allows them to avoid the dust of vehicle traffic on the 06. In 2020, trail crews built the motorized Timber Cruise trail on the opposite side of the road. Additional work in this area is slated for 2022, including a potential mountain bike skills loop for beginners and enhanced connections to local neighborhoods. | truckeetrails.org
