A shoeless Samoan with hamburger feet, Chris Yandall was one of the top pro slalom racers of the mid-1970s. Right after graduating from high school in Michigan, Chris started skateboarding and moved to Pacific Beach, San Diego, California, where he became the manager of PB Surf Shop. By 1974, Chris could lay claim to two firsts: bombing the famous Tourmaline Hill before anyone else, and becoming the first skateboarder to be sponsored by Tracker, starring in the brand’s debut ad! Also sponsored by G&S, Chris went on to place first in slalom at both the 1974 San Diego City Championships, and the 1975 World Championships, which were also held in San Diego, beating out competitors from all over the world and being featured on CBS television. Always into computers, Chris left California in the late ’70s for a programming job in Germany. He invented skogging, or skateboard jogging, which is free riding on the flats for exercise. He even marketed a line of decks suited to pushing using both feet, which was the perfect activity for Mr. Perpetual Motion. Chris continued to skate slalom and free ride until he passed away on April 20, 2014 at age 59.
Loved that guy! First met him at PB surf shop. Skating secret pools with him and Russ Gosnell.