The following is Legit Boardshop team rider: Rob Green’s coverage of Ithaca Skate Jam.

Comet Skateboards has outdone themselves yet again with the third year of one of the most popular east coast freeride events; the Ithaca Skate Jam. Comet’s 2014 event included a pool party (the kind for skating not swimming) at the comet warehouse and a slide jam on one of the many beautiful roads of Ithaca New York.

Unfortunately, I missed out on the pool party as a result of the 8 hour drive to upstate New York from my hometown in Ohio, and I’m bummed to have missed it. Apparently everyone was killing it, especially Bruno of Bustin Boards with a gnarly wall plant out of the bowl (the banger for the evening from what I have heard).

Day two of the jam is when it got real gnarly. After the pool session, nature hikes through the beautiful scenery of Ithaca, and loads of partying, everyone was stoked to get locked in on the hill. The “course” for the event was a fairly steep and somewhat turny hill. It started with a nice straight away with loads of obstacles, such as; a huge pole jam with ramps on each side, a few kicker to banks, a big kicker with a table top next to a euro gap, and a camel hump. After the first straight and obstacle section it went into a nice 90 degree lefty that led into yet another straight away with several pavement changes for some sketchy fun. Further down the hill there was a nice right hand sweeper that claimed a lot of skin and clothing throughout the span of the event. Lastly a long steep straight away ended the run and led into a nice pile of hay bales.

The event was intense; everybody’s favorite pros were there as well as some lesser known skaters and groms. The beauty of the event is that it was a “nontest” (non contest) meaning that the kids could shred with the pros and vice versa without worrying about who was shredding the hardest. The event felt more like a session among a huge group of friends rather than a contest, and that was the beauty of it. A true representation of what a skate scene and community could be like when formal competition wasn’t a factor. I’d love to extend a huge thank you to Comet for an amazing time and a unique event that got me more stoked on skating than ever (and the dope event tee and water bottle).

The weekend closed out with a few parties (some of which got pretty rowdy) and some more skating around Ithaca. Overall if you want to have good time skateboarding and not worry about much else, hit up the Ithaca Skate Jam next year.

The article was written by Legit Boardshop Team rider: Rob Green | Photos by Rob Green