If you're as lucky as me...
...then the exact moment a regional newspaper photographer points his camera at you, will be the moment your griptape fails you.
The wet muddy streets lately reminded me of this pain, and we decided straight away that we needed to upgrade our griptape offering.
Our aim: that as few of you as possible end up as sore as I did.
Obviously, we can't stop anyone falling off and - for better or worse - it happens to everyone at some point.
But falling off because of grubby, worn out griptape after winter? Not necessary!
And so here, roughly in order of most fancy to least fancy, are our options to keep you sticking to your stick.
If anyone knows what they want out of a board, Daniel and Domi from Rocket are right among them. Dark Matter is unique for it's fabric backing - more flexible, better gripping and longer lasting than anything else we've come across.
Overkill on a cruiser? Perhaps - and if you want to ollie, this will kill your shoes fast.
But if you're interested in sticking to your board - and for a long time to come - this is the gold standard.
There was a time when we had griptape, some of us even had coarse griptape... and then Seismic came along with Lokton, and everyone had that.
It's easy to see why - it was simply grippier than anything that had come before, and it lasted a whole lot longer, too!
Again, this is a bit much if you ever want to ollie your board, but if you simply want to stick to it... you can't go wrong here.
3. Vandem Extra CoarseOur very own extra coarse griptape - watch yourself whilst gripping your board because this stuff can cut you!
We always grip our premium downhill boards with this stuff and haven't had any complaints yet, it's certainly kept me on my board for many years.
It's pretty full on, so experimenting with lines or patches of extra coarse in between regular or clear can work really well for your grip levels - and how your board looks.
Aaand breathe out. Your digits are no longer in danger.
This is what we use on all longboards, cruisers and surfskates - your regular griptape that sticks great to your board and great to your feet.
If you ollie - this is the one for you. It's enough to hold your feet in place but it won't have them stuck completely there. The all rounder.
A measly 5th place for many peoples favourite... I did say it was only roughly in order.
Clear grip is great in theory - see that lovely wood veneer through it for a more natural, surfy look.
In practise however, it does get grubby very fast! For most applications we do recommend the regular grip.
However, clear has a place in our heart and whether you want to do your whole board, or use strips of it over your nice finish or your favourite stickers, it will keep you stuck to your board and that's what really matters.
As for sticking it down, we've got a step-by-step guide for anyone uncertain on the process.
If I had to offer only one tip, it's to use a sharp blade when trimming the edges.
It's loads of fun to do your own griptape - cut lines, shapes or swirls, leave gaps, tear lightning bolts, get stickers involved!
Your skateboard is your oyster.
But I couldn't eat a plate of them.
Stay tuned for a new Carver surfskate delivery and more bad puns,
Matt @ Vandem
