The Damien Wilson Xsjado Pro Skate

Tags: damien wilson, kevin yee, powerslide, proskate, review, xsjado

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The Damien Wilson Xsjado pro-model is the first pro-skate to come out of my favorite crew—or perhaps ‘family’ is the better term—in rollerblading. So cheers to Santee, and Damien in particular. I’ve known Damien for a long time now and watched his blading progress year after year. In his own words, he has ‘shifted into his own’—that is, he has carved out a niche of unique blade possibility, mastered it, and stylized it to his own taste and conception. Fuck eloquence: Damien rules. So congratulations my friend, you deserve what you have received.

What about the skate? I am obsessed with Xsjados, I have been skating them continuously since Salomon was making them, I bought and bartered for used Xsjados in the dark times after Salomon stopped making them and before Powerslide started making them. After getting used to Xsjados, full hard-boot skates feel like a prison cell without a single call to the outside world. That is, I have become addicted to the responsiveness of the skate, how my pinky toe wiggling sends a pulse through the skate in order to subtly interact with the ground, a rail, a ledge, etc… Of course this sounds like an advertisement, but these are my true feelings—and to each foot its own feeling!

I do have some criticisms of the first round of Powerslide produced Xsjados. First, the Velcro straps—especially the ones around the upper ankle—wore out quickly and I found my ankle frighteningly at risk. Further, the plastic seemed to ‘shit-out’ much too soon leaving the skate after a few months feeling floppy. Luckily, with the new Damien model, Powerslide has made immense progress on correcting these problems. The new Velcro lasts at least twice as long and is made of sturdier materials. Although I do think that the straps could still be stronger! Second, I am not sure if the plastic is actually stronger but the floppiness issue has been corrected by the stiffer padding around the ankle and instep. In particular, the piece of white material that covers the laces or instep of the skate is very stiff and thus provides much more support and ‘in-a-boot’ feeling, without losing the intrinsic fluidity and responsiveness of a Xsjado.

Everyone’s feet are shaped differently and that is the largest determining factor as to which skates will be comfortable and which skates will be uncomfortable. I find Xsjado’s to be a perfect fit, although, for others the mold of the skate creates pressure points in their feet. This is the reason why every crew has members skating different skates. It is important that boot companies stay different in order to accommodate populations of specific needs that stem from specific physiologies and personal styles. So try out the new Damien Wilson pro model for yourself! And if you happen to see him, buy him a drink for me and kick him in the balls.

- Kevin Yee

Photo: Powerslide