Ditch Slap draws dozens of longboarders from around the world, who are drawn to Albuquerque's glass-smooth drainage ditches Photo: Jakob Schiller Although the event is, strictly speaking, illegal, safety is paramount. Adam Auger, 28, of Vancouver, British Columbia, was among those wearing a full-face helmet during the banked ditch bordercross competition. Photo: Jakob Schiller The city has more than 83 miles of concrete drainage ditches, which are perfectly suited to longboarding. Photo: Jakob Schiller William Brunson, 34, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, contends with a little blood after he faceplanted during the banked ditch bordercross competition. Photo: Jakob Schiller Although safety is stressed and many riders wear pads, injuries are perhaps inevitable. Local skater Kyler Willoughby, 23, shows off some war wounds. Photo: Jakob Schiller Aaron Grulich, 19, of Redwood City, California, shows off after the banked bordercross competition. Photo: Jakob Schiller The riding doesn't end when the sun goes down, as Dave Tannaci, 27, of San Francisco, shows. Photo: Jakob Schiller The party's only starting as skaters prepare to shotgun beers outside their hotel after a long day of skating the city's drainage ditches. Photo: Jakob Schiller

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — This city is best known for a couple of things: Green chilies and the balloon fiesta. To a certain crowd, however, it is the crown jewel of skateable concrete ditches.

“It’s like a wonder of the world, or a Mecca,” says Robin McGuirk, 35, who came all the way from Portland, Oregon, to join 70 or so other longboarders from across North America for an annual competition colloquially known as Ditch Slap.

For a full week earlier this month, skaters aged 14 to 50-plus tore through the city’s concrete drainage ditches, participating in events such as a banked ditch bordercross, a giant banked ditch slalom and a series of school-bus-ferried freeride runs, which are the skating equivalent of helicopter skiing.

“There is really no place like Albuquerque,” says McGuirk.

Ditch Slap is the brainchild of Joe Lehm and started in 2007. Lehm, who owns a skate shop and skate school in Santa Fe, once organized nationally known downhill events but grew tired of that. Looking for something new, he decided to throw his efforts behind an event that would capitalize on Albuquerque’s unique ditches.

Lehm, 50, grew up outside Albuquerque and says local skaters have been riding the concrete channels since the late 1970s. Today they’re favored among longboarders worldwide who enjoy carving perfectly transitioned banks that run for miles.

“Unbeknownst to Albuquerque, they created ditches that are super smooth and incredible to skate,” he says.

The city has 83 miles of flood control ditches. During late summer, known as New Mexico’s monsoon season, rainstorms dump enormous amounts of water. The ditches funnel the water toward the Rio Grande, which runs through the middle of town. When the ditches fill, the rushing water inevitably catches someone. Dramatic water rescues are broadcast on TV and as a result it’s illegal to walk, play or skate in the ditches – even when they’re bone-dry. But that didn’t stop skaters back in the ’70s, and it doesn’t stop skaters today. The terrain is just too good.

“The famous skater Stacy Peralta once said that skateboarding will happen where it is not intended to,” says Lehm. “Skating is just a byproduct of our paved world.”

Lehm says he has approached the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority, which is charge of the area’s flood-control infrastructure, but has never been issued a permit. There have been some run-ins with the cops, and back in 2009 the local media made a big brouhaha over the event, following the skaters with helicopters as they rode down the ditches.

For the most part, however, the event is allowed to fly under the radar. In return, Lehm says, every precaution is taken to ensure safety. It’s held in May, well before the rainy season. Everyone must wear a helmet, and skaters in faster events like the slalom often wear pads. To promote safety, and take a swipe at media Lehm says misrepresented the event, he changed the name from Ditch Slap to “SLAP” — Safe Longboarding Awareness Program.

“We are always trying to be longboard lifeguards,” says Lehm. “Safety is super important.”

Still, injuries and accidents do happen when you’re hurling down concrete byways. But anyone who has ever skated knows it’s par for course, and it doesn’t deter participants who say they spend all year looking forward to the event.

As her son Zion Miller, 14, skated in the bordercross race, Crystal Miller of Santa Fe handed out snacks and drinks. She understands the risks, but says her son loves skating and she feels Lehm and the rest of the skaters do everything possible to create a welcoming and responsible environment.

“This is a good group of people and I’m the team mom,” Miller says. “The people who come have really become like a family.”