Transworld Skateboarding‘s always insightful ‘Origins‘ series sees the mag hit up Guy Mariano and the Gonz to delve into the minutae of the humble noseslide. A trick that is easy to make look all too wrong – I personally proved this at Mwadlands last week where I slid a backside one with, I’m pretty sure, the tail of my board nearly sliding across the floor, like a crippled appendage which should be removed quickly before the gangrene takes hold – when done with style and power it’s the perfect reminder that, sometimes in skateboarding, simplicity is key. Think Stevie Williams going switch and frontside or Dom Henry popping high enough to tickle a melon grab on his way out.

Transworld writer Mackenzie Eisenhour was sent a photo of an early noseslide (circa 1988) from Mark Gonzales and decided to pursue Guy Mariano, who in those days was pretty much being mentored by the Gonz, for some words on how the noseslide originally came in to being.

Hit the image below or the quote itself and educate yourself on one of skateboard history’s major jigsaw pieces!

“Mark was not only an innovative skateboarder but he was changing the product. At that time he was drilling noses back on his board to be able to noseslide longer, and have more area to do noseblunts, noseslides, even just switch tricks off the nose and nollies. He wanted to utilize the nose the way people hit the tail. It may sound obvious today but it took someone like Mark Gonzales, who doesn’t just watch what other people do but has a vision outside of what is known and says, “Why not?” ”

For more TWS Origins, check out the history of the nosebluntslide and the frontside shove it.