Monthly Archives: August 2008


Today’s distance / ???????: 42.7 miles / 68.8km Average speed / ????: 9.2mph / 14.8km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 38m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6522mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,496km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 160m Descent / ??: 190m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N32°41′02.3″, […]

Day 770 – CHINA (HENAN): Nanyang to Tanghe


Today’s distance / ???????: 67.1 miles / 108km Average speed / ????: 9.3mph / 15km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 7h 11m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6479mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,427km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 410m Descent / ??: 495m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33°00′57.6″, […]

Day 769 – CHINA (HENAN): From Xixia to Nanyang





Today’s distance / ???????: 45.6 miles / 73.4km Average speed / ????: 9.5mph / 15.2km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 48m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6412mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,319km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 405m Descent / ??: 600m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33°18′01.3″, […]

Day 766 – CHINA (SHAANXI and HENAN): From Shangnan to ...


Today’s distance / ???????: 36.1 miles / 59.4km Average speed / ????: 9.0mph / 14.6km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 04m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6366mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,246km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 630m Descent / ??: 710m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33°31′48.1″, […]

Day 765 – CHINA (SHAANXI): From Danfeng to Shangnan



Today’s distance / ???????: 47.1 miles / 75.9km Average speed / ????: 9.2mph / 14.8km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 5h 07m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6329mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,187km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 385m Descent / ??: 895m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33°41′57.8″, […]

Day 764 – CHINA (SHAANXI): From expressway tunnel to Danfeng


Today’s distance / ???????: 50.4 miles / 81.1km Average speed / ????: 7.5mph / 12.1km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 41m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6282mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,111km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 800m Descent / ??: 85m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N33°55′26.8″, […]

Day 763 – CHINA (SHAANXI): From Xian to an expressway ...


The end of the world is nigh. Walmart is in China. If there were no Chinese in the store, I would have thought I was in the US of A. Walmart is OK. Really, it is. Creates jobs, and they have the power to make good things happen. But one […]

Day 762 – CHINA (SHAANXI): In Xian



Today’s distance / ???????: 60.3 miles / 97.1km Average speed / ????: 11mph / 17.7km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 5h 28m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6232mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,030km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 130m Descent / ??: 530m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N34°16′35.4″, […]

Day 760 – CHINA (SHAANXI): From Yongshou to Xian


Today’s distance / ???????: 70 miles / 113km Average speed / ????: 8.7mph / 14km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 7h 50m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6172mi plus 386mi (?) / 9932km plus 622km (?) Ascent / ??: 590m Descent / ??: 850m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N34°48′53.4″, […]

Day 759 – CHINA (GANSU and SHAANXI):


Today’s distance / ???????: 59.9 miles / 96.3km Average speed / ????: 9.1mph / 14.7km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 33m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6110mi plus 377mi (?) / 9834km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 405m Descent / ??: 435m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N35°17′54.7″, […]

Day 758 – CHINA (GANSU): From Pingliang to Feiyun



Long overdue, I spent a rainy day here in Xi’an inside the hostel lobby using the free internet to write up some reviews of the gear that I have used over the last few years. If there’s anything in my kit lists that you would like to hear my opinion […]

Day 755 – CHINA (SHAANXI): Gear Reviews


I can’t remember the last time I was this happy…all due to a little brown box waiting for me at the hostel reception this morning. I am using Holey Trucks, and so far I have hardly touched the original ones I began skating on over a year ago in Switzerland. […]

Day 755 – CHINA (SHAANXI): Holey Shiny Trucks Batman!


Well, I was hopeful that stories of complicated visa renewal application procedures were confined to areas near Beijing. Not so. In order to apply for my 30 day visa renewal here in Xi’an in central China, I required the following: Passport copies Copy of pages showing my signature and photo […]

Day 754 – CHINA (SHAANXI): Visa application in…




Today’s distance / ???????: 41.7 miles / 67km Average speed / ????: 9.6mph / 15.5km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 19m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6051mi plus 377mi (?) / 9738km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 515m Descent / ??: 1150m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N35°32′34.7″, […]

Day 752 – CHINA (NINGXIA and GANSU): From Londe to ...


Today’s distance / ???????: 25.6 miles / 41.2km Average speed / ????: 7.3mph / 11.7km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 3h 30m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6009mi plus 377mi (?) / 9671km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 570m Descent / ??: 170m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N35°37′18.6″, […]

Day 751 – CHINA (GANSU and NINGXIA): From Chingning to ...



Today’s distance / ???????: 49.8 miles / 80.2km Average speed / ????: 8.1mph / 13.1km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 08m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 5980mi plus 377mi (?) / 9625km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 645m Descent / ??: 705m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N35°31′21.30″, […]

Day 750 – CHINA (GANSU): From Huinishan to Chingning


Today’s distance / ???????: 59.3 miles / 95.4km Average speed / ????: 9.6mph / 15.5km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 10m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 5931mi plus 377mi (?) / 9545km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 620m Descent / ??: 745m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N35°41′26.60″, E105°03′19.70″ […]

Day 749 – CHINA (GANSU): From Gantsaodian to Huinishan


Today’s distance / ???????: 37.3 miles / 60km Average speed / ????: 8.6mph / 13.9km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 4h 19m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 5871mi plus 377mi (?) / 9449km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 700m Descent / ??: 360m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N35° […]

Day 748 – CHINA (GANSU): From Lanzhou to Gantsaodian




Today’s distance / ???????: 75.3 miles / 121km Average speed / ????: 9.5mph / 15.4km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 7h 53m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 5834mi plus 377mi (?) / 9390km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 380m Descent / ??: 605m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N36° […]

Day 746 – CHINA (QINGHAI and GANSU): From Minhe to ...


Today’s distance / ???????: 68.6 miles / 110km Average speed / ????: 10.6mph / 17km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 28m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 5759mi plus 377mi (?) / 9269km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 325m Descent / ??: 725m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N36° […]

Day 745 – CHINA (QINGHAI): From Xining to Minhe




Righto, to complement the recent batch of photos and stories, here is the action from the wee Qinghai Detour in technicolour! Watch it on Youtube here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzBujRmo1Y4), or on Vimeo below. I apologise for the dramatic start…I was watching Andromeda on the internet cafe’s internal movie server (http://www.51kkl.com/html/movie_10948.shtml) while I […]

Day 743 – CHINA (QINGHAI): Video update from the Qinghai ...


Today’s distance / ???????: 68 miles / 109km Average speed / ????: 11.7mph / 18.8km/h Time on skateboard / ????: 5h 48m Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 5690mi plus 377mi (?) / 9158km plus 606km (?) Ascent / ??: 155m Descent / ??: 895m End-of-day GPS coordinates: N36° […]

Day 741 – CHINA (QINGHAI) – QINGHAI DETOUR PART IX: ...