Sidewalk Skateboarding

Mark Baines was another of the top British riders at Blueprint Skateboards until the company’s demise in 2012. After first featuring in Anthems (1998), his skating appeared in Waiting for the World (2000), in the Belong Tour video from 2002, as the penultimate section in the seminal, full-length Lost and Found (2005), and as the final part in Make Friends With The Colour Blue (2010).

The prolific Mark is currently a team rider at Fabric Skateboards, and is also sponsored by Bliss Wheels, Royal Trucks, WeSC, Etnies and Liverpool’s Lost Art skateshop. Other videos in which he has appeared include a number for DVS, and he also knocked out a full section in the Rockers video This Was Sketchy Man! in 2010.

Mark hails from Sheffield in the north of England, and was inspired to begin skating by the New Deal video 1281 and riders such as John Montesi. Over recent years, he has travelled the world in search of skate spots, including spells living in Berlin and Huntington Beach, California, but he is now based once again in his hometown, where he has built legit DIY spots, offering locals an alternative to the city’s parks.

Mark’s big bag of tricks and smooth style has been an inspiration to a whole generation of skaters, and he took his involvement with coaching to the next level in 2011, when he helped bring the Swedish Camp WeSC to the UK. Based at the plaza in Truro, he runs the camp, including dealing with parents, sponsors, accommodation and food suppliers.