Mike Weed was one of the pioneers of modern pool riding and one of the best all-round skaters of the 1970s. Riding vert, freestyle, slalom, and downhill, he had deep surfing roots and was even a pro surfer for a short time. Mike and his friends had the luck to find the Brea Spillway many months before it was destroyed, and also skated the Escondido Reservoir in the early days. At the 1975 Del Mar Nationals, Mike was exposed to the world’s most advanced skating, and he began practicing freestyle, slalom and downhill for hours every day.
Soon after, Hobie re-launched their skateboard team and made Mike captain. Money was not a consideration at first, but then things took off. The newly-reincarnated Skateboarder magazine ran photos of him performing some of the first kickturns on vertical at his second-ever pool riding session. Mike was so prominent at the time, he was featured on two Skateboarder covers in a row, and in a Who’s Hot profile. He also appeared in the films Freewheelin’ and Spinning Wheels. At this point, Hobie offered Mike a good salary and turned him pro.
Mike was an integral part of the 1975-’76 skateboarding explosion; in a short period of time, he became one of the top riders in the world. Images of Mike taken during the first photo session at the Mt. Baldy pipe graced the second of his aforementioned two Skateboarder magazine covers, as well as numerous articles. And who can forget the photo of him ripping the Fruit Bowl in a mint green tuxedo? In 1979, Mike designed and marketed his very own conicals called Weed Wheels. He traveled the world, skateboarding and having fun until 1980, when it was time to pass the professional torch to the next generation. Mike was a surfer and skateboarder until the end, passing away in 2014–leaving behind his wife, Leslie, and son, Richie.
Mike Weed
No doubt about it-everything they say about Mike Weed is true. He’s an amazing. exciting performer. Mike is famous for his radical approach to radical terrain-from the reservoir to the Mt. Baldy Pipeline to the toughest of pools and he does all right for himself generating his own steam on the flat. As he turns his attention to the freestyle competitions, he gets better and better, tying together one difficult maneuver after another into a spellbinding performance. Mike is affiliated with the Hobie Skateboard Team; his style has made him a natural for all the skateboard films.
Source: Laura Torbet, The Complete Book of Skateboarding (Funk and Wagnalls, 1976), p. 103
