Photo By: El Pogo Loco
Adding a stair set increases the difficulty level of any trick.

By Tim Romero
and Ryan Meyer

Location. It’s a term defined by the extreme as somewhere that has obstacles or terrain that they can grind shred or thrash by any means necessary. This generally involves stairs, rails, gaps, ledges, loading docks, hills, roofs… the list is pretty much endless. As the world of Xpogo develops into more of a legitimate sport and we keep pushing the limits, the hunt for prime location follows pretty much the same guidelines as most other extreme sports. With the big air sticks like the Flybars and Vurtego, pogoers everywhere have been using these locations to really go for some insane tricks. And to keep right up with the pace of bigger sticks, the more technical riders out there are starting to grind some good-sized handrails, risking life and limb for the sake of the sport, and a good time. Whatever you are doing, you need a place to do it.

For everyone that is not fortunate enough to live out here in California, you’re really missing out on some killer spots. Now, this whole article might sound a little biased towards the West Coast but keep in mind that this article comes from that region so please don’t take offense. One place that is yet to be outdone as a pogo spot is UCSB (the University of California, Santa Barbara). It has endless possibilities for pogoers of all sorts. There is so many stair set of all different sizes that our scouts still haven’t found all of them. There’s a few choice handrails that could make your jaw drop, and just the sheer size and diversity of the whole campus will make your session quite enjoyable.

Photo By: El Pogo Loco
Loading docks offer a variety of challanges for both technical and big air jumpers.

Just looking at the school, you’ll see massive array of stairs and gaps. Most notable is an area with 3 different 9 stairs that Gandhi would have led his people to, had he pogoed, all of which perfect size for a really fun set. Not to mention the 13 ft wall right next to them, which could be used for some of the craziest hoopskies (or hoohas) you’ll ever see. There’s also a fun little six stair in front of a performing arts building with a perfect sized handrail. It’s a perfect sized stair for someone who is just learning how to jump bigger gaps. One more set well worth the mention is the back-to-back 8-stair set. There is the first 8-stair, then about a 10 foot gap, followed directly by the second set. The first set looks pretty difficult in itself, and if you were to jump the second set on the rebound bounce of the first set, well let’s just say you would be higher than anyone has ever been on a pogo stick (that is if you could keep the bounce controlled enough to not bottom out). No rider has yet attempted the double 8; it may be in the near future of the campus. Taking the GG for a spin around the campus, we found some really interesting stuff. Loading docks, pillars and lunch tables topped my list for a good time. We found a loading dock that had a flat-faced pallet lying right by it. We propped the pallet up against the loading dock at about a 45-degree angle, and it made for a really fun little obstacle to try and conquer. After messing around on that for too long, we took a walk and for these odd little round pillars about 10-12 inches in diameter, varying in height from 1-3 feet. They were all about a foot or two apart, and they were a blast to try and jump across the top of them all. It’s a real challenge for even the most balanced rider. We found so many things at this school; it’s really a location worth the visit for Xpogoers of all skill levels, and all different styles.

UCSB is just one of thousands of awesome spots for bouncing out here in the West Coast. You could stop in any town along the coast, (especially one with a college campus) and you’d be surprised to find how many awesome locations are hidden around every corner. This is how it goes on the Pacific side of things; location hunting is pretty easy. There is just so much to choose from, no matter what style you are into. That is pretty much it from the west coast, if your ever here, don’t pass up the sensational pogo spots.