Skate Update: Perfection, Power and Pace

It's no secret that one of the biggest booms in skateboarding in recent years has been the rise of women in the sport. From the athletic feats on display at the Olympics to pensioners learning to carve, the female side of the scene grows stronger by the day, and the content being produced is every bit as vital and inspiring as that of their male counterparts.

Take this brand-new section from Ruby Lilley, repping Bronson Speed Co, which arrives mere days after Foundation's Today, Tomorrow, Forever dropped. While she may have made her name on the competitive circuit, the full-bore concrete assault we witness in Full Throttle is reminiscent of a young Peter Hewitt and is rightly drawing comparisons from across the skateboarding spectrum.

Given that the year is barely halfway through and she's already onto part number two, the fact that Ruby has recently turned pro means she has to be in with a shout for SOTY. Yeah, it's far too early for talk like that, but the lass is on an absolute tear. If she keeps this up and lands herself a cover, we might just be looking at the very first female Thrasher Skater of the Year!

What is it with Bones and sponsoring the absolute gnarliest huckers? Liam Pace is an absolute beast, pushing downhill at speeds that would make Biker Sherlock wince, and here he is repping the longest-running wheel company in the business. It's like they're the spiritual home of burly bastards!

Coming in hot straight outta Tucson, Arizona, this son of the Sonoran Desert does not mess about. Taking a page out of the Joe Hinson handrail handbook, Liam uses whatever wood, metal, or probably even plasterboard he can get his hands on to transform the gnarliest, most untouchable cylindrical bannisters into skateable obstacles.

But it's not like he's stuck in a 1997 Zero tribute act. His ditch and backyard pool skating is every bit as impressive as his commitment to rail stunts, and he's even capable of holding it down on the old mega. So we'll ask the question again: what is it with Bones and sponsoring the gnarliest huckers? Have they forgotten manuals and kerb tickling exist?!?