NB# Tom Knox 600 at Pitt Street Skatepark

Last week we boarded a coach from London to Portsmouth with 20+ skaters from across the world. It seemed like a regular old school trip and it was the healthiest bus we’ve been on; water and fruit were handed by some of the biggest heads in skateboarding whilst others played the pro skater game. A difficult task when you can’t name pros who were also on the bus. Names like Andrew Reynolds, Jordan Taylor, Justin Henry and Tyler Surrey as well as Tom Knox were out of the question and if you’ve played the game Tom Knox (both ways) is a good use of the K then the second go-to Tom Karangelov is sat at the back asell!

The Numeric 600 features a FuelCell midsole for an almost bouncy feel, the toe has been reinforced with their FantomFit technology for durability and fit. The moulded Ortholite insole adds to its comfortability while the NDurance rubber outsole allows for grip and flex. For us the NM600 feels on your feet like a slimmed down Tiago NM1010, the heel doesn't have quite the same impact which can feel heavier but doesn't take much time to get used to. Most of the comfort can be found in the arch of your foot from the NM600 and you'll begin to find better board feel on the toes overtime. With most New Balance Numeric offerings the shoes feel great straight out of the box which is helpful when winter is on the way, you just want to skate and not spend four hours at an indoor park getting used to new shoes.

We headed to Pitt Street Skatepark where only a few years ago the space was a disused shopping centre, which to many people in the 00s thought invulnerable to downturns, the ‘Undercover Skatepark Project’ took over the former Sainsburys and opened December 2022. In the hands of local skateboarders the indoor park boasts a layout that has been dreamt of for a longtime. The usual suspects are there but done in just the right way, a long as fuck mini ramp with the same level of transition throughout, 90s style banks to wall, DIY style concrete banks and quarters and the piesta de resistance smooth flat ground away from the main park obstacles.

The aforementioned closed down supermarket chain had left the perfect floor that you would had only dared of riding on whilst picking up the usual late night shop. One big question was how, which is what I asked Chirs Skinner half of the couple who started the USP, "The Portsmouth community showed up! We had plumbers, sparkys and local businesses helping out completely for free. One electrician re-wired the building for free taking a few skate lessons for his kid as payment! A lot of people saw how important it was for the city and did whatever they could."