Why does a skateboard deck lose pop over time?

Every skateboarder asks this question at some time, at the latest when you realize that you have to use more and more energy with the current deck and the tricks don't pop as high as you were used to.

There are 2 main reasons for decreasing skateboard deck pop: On the one hand, a skateboard deck consists largely of an organic material, namely wood. The maple wood used for the high-quality decks available from us comes exclusively from Canada or the north-western states of the USA. The short summers and long, cold winters ensure that the wood grows very slowly, resulting in a high density of the wood, which makes the maple particularly hard and resilient. Nevertheless, wood consists of fibers, small cavities, or nanotubes. With every hit, or the stress of landing on the board, for example, these fibers are slightly damaged and the structure of the wood begins to break down. This isn't anything that's visible to the naked eye, it's microscopic damage to the structure of the wood that accumulates over time, leading to your deck not being quite as poppy as it was when it was new.

The second big reason: "Razor Tail": Razor Tail occurs when your board is already really worn down. By popping your tail (or nose) many times, the wood of your deck will eventually wear away and become more and more pointed towards the end. This increases the area that comes into contact with the ground during an ollie, which leads to more and more friction and therefore less pop.

Additionally, there are other reasons why your deck can lose pop: Obviously our deck should never get wet. It's made of wood and glue, and getting wet will damage the structure of the wood and can soften the glue. You should not subject your deck to extreme temperatures, either heat or cold, if you want to give it a long life.

October 31, 2022 — markus ostermann