TRAFFIC IN MEXICO — Traffic Skateboards

When I got a text from Kevin Coakley saying, "Let's do a Mexico City trip in the winter!" I immediately thought… Well, actually, I didn't think at all. I was already picturing myself under an umbrella, margarita in hand, sitting next to a tropical skate spot. "Let's do it," I texted back. Kevin was already down there on a trip and seemed pretty confident with the lay of the land. I figured, what could go wrong? After promises of pyramids, warm weather, and a cheap exchange rate, I recruited some fellow TOA affiliates: Ben Gore, Luke Malaney, and John Baragwanath. With Mike Heikkila behind the lens, and Matt Velez manning the VX, it was time to get to Mexico City and find Kevin.
Words by Pat Steiner
Photos by Mike Heikkila

Kevin Coakley, frontside boardslide shove-it over

Hanging out under an underpass when you're lost in Mexico City isn't the safest idea, but someone had to skate these humps. They were a lot harder than they looked and we all waited as Luke battled a few more tries. We could feel the vibe from the locals creeping on us and then boom Luke stomps a lofty pop shuv. Perfect timing. We all got in the van and decided to head home. After a few missed streets we found the on-ramp but there was a guy with a cone blocking it. He signaled for us to get off but we kept going not really sure what to do. We got right up to him and he ushered us into this makeshift exit lane. While sitting there trying to merge onto the highway in standstill traffic, someone noticed a pile of broken wood with yellow reflectors leaning against a fence. As we edged closer it became clearer, and then, a fit of laughter erupted. "Oh shit! That's the beam you broke!" It turned out we were at the same toll road as before and the guy standing there with the cone was the new toll beam. As we drove off in disbelief I thought to myself, "Hmm, that's not a bad gig. It's not everyday you get to stimulate job growth in a foreign city."

Read the rest of the article HERE on the Transworld site.