Pantheon Trip Drop-through Longboard

Jeff at Pantheon Longboards has been the mastermind behind many a successful distance longboarding deck and the Trip could be seen as the culmination of all his experience riding, racing and designing. A versatile and easy-to-ride longboard for distance, fitness, and freeride skating, the Trip is perfect for high-level athletes and casual riders alike.

The shape: The outline of the Trip has been thought-out to the nth degree. The slight taper to the centre of the board works together with the slight camber to create a comfortable dampening/suspension effect. Stiff enough that you don't lose speed or control pushing along, but flexy enough to soak up all the little cracks and bumps along the road that you'd really rather not be experiencing. Awesome.

The mould: Starting with the biggest, most noticeable feature - the drops! Pantheon developed the crescent drop, which instead of being a straight line across the board is bordering on a semi-circle. In the centre of the board the drop is closer to your foot, and it recedes back towards the shoulders of the deck. This shape makes it stiffer and stronger, as well as offering your foot a more precise marker for exactly where it is on the board. All regular advantages of drop-down decks still apply - a lower centre of gravity for stability, easier pushing and braking and super forgiving initiation of slides.

Concave-wise, it's a gentle radial concave. It's not trying to be something it isn't - for a board designed for distance you don't want too many features under foot. However when paired with the "moustache rocker" (rocker at the front and back of the board, and a light camber in the centre) you'll really feel locked in for pushing regular and mongo as well as always being right in the pocket for deep carves and slides.

The construction: A step up from your regular maple board, the Trip features 6 plies of maple sandwiched between fibreglass, with thin veneer topsheets. This one has applewood on the bottom which looks as juicy as it sounds. It's a lightweight board that's surprisingly stiff, a pushing machine that will eat up all the miles you can throw at it.

The graphics: What can we say, they're pretty Pantheon. Designed by Eddie Kihm alongside Jeff Vyain of Pantheon. Apparently it's to remind us that although from our vantage point we may see the stems and stalks, our higher consciousness can see the flowers and our connection to everyone around us. If you push this thing for enough miles, I reckon you'll start to believe it, too.

The complete: We build these up with 180mm Sabre trucks and Cult Wheels. Years of skating different combinations of decks, trucks and rock n roll wheels has led us to this setup, and we believe it offers the best quality and usability for the best value out there. 

For those with some more spending money and looking to keep it on the Pantheon vibe: Pantheon Karma 92mm wheels keep you rolling over pretty much anything, with ease, and the added help from Lush Easy Rider bearings - built-in, rubber shielded, easy to clean, there's little more you could ask from a bearing thats going to be doing miles.

As for the trucks - thats up to you! Jeff recommends both the Paris 150mm and the Bear 155mm split angle setups.

The Paris is a 50°/43° split and the Bear is 50°/40°. The Bear will therefore put slightly more turning bias under the front truck, whilst also sticking out 2.5mm extra on each side... Honestly, its negligible. If those differences are make-or-break for you, then you probably aren't reading what I've got to say on the matter!

Paris go well with the Orangatang bushings or the Seismic Defcons, whilst Bear take the Seismics or the Venom HPF Plug bushings (with a little sanding down) so you'll be able to customise it to your weight and riding style either way.

If you skate one of these from John O'Groats to Land's End (or vice versa, with the favourable prevailing winds) in less than 3 weeks, please let us know and Matt will buy you a beer.