Tuesday, November 3, 2009 1:22pm PST

Ali Boulala A Style Master

By: MORINformed

When it comes to style in modern skateboarding there are many names that come to mind, but one in particular is Sewden's own, Ali Boulala. With a name like that how could you not be stylish? Shit, just signing his name is steezy. Ali is the complete package when it comes to creating a cool persona around professional skating ability. While he was skateboarding for a living he was simply put; different. The way in which he skated was like no other, the way in which he dressed was like no other, and the way he acted was like no other.

That brings us to what is so sad about the skate career of Ali Boulala; it was cut short. He is currently incarcerated in Australia after a motorcycle accident that killed his friend and fellow professional skateboarder, Shane Cross. Boulala had a blood alcohol level of .162 at the time of the incident and was found to be responsible for the crash and sentenced to 4 years in prison, even though the Cross family never pressed charges. Boulala was critically injured in the crash and sustained brain injuries that will have life long affects on his motor skills. It was just an all around sad thing that happened on that Australian night two-and-a-half years ago. Ali made a gigantic mistake, and is now paying for it.

His friends in the skateboard community have done a great job of making sure his contributions to the skateboard culture are never forgotten. He hasn't stepped foot on a skateboard in over two years and still managed to have a part in the biggest skate video release of 2009, his long-time board sponsor, Flip's Extremely Sorry. Out of all the brands in skateboarding, Flip was affected by that crash more than any other, by far. They lost two riders, as Cross was one of the deck manufactures best up-and-coming ams. Even though Shane and Ali haven't skated in years, if you go to www.flipskateboards.com, you'll see that both still are listed as team members (with profiles on each), and Boulala still has pro-model decks, and Cross has a limited edition Extremely Sorry deck. Never Forget Shane Cross.

To keep the memory of Boulala alive the guys over at Shake Junt have even released a limited edition Ali Boulala tee shirt that features the one and only Swedish ripper in mid Michael Jackson tip-toe pose. That's the thing with Boulala, he was such a unique character that he will never be forgotten, and this shirt parallels his persona to that of the King of Pop on a skateboard.

Just like Jackson, Boulala combined great talent with a unique sense of style that set him apart from the rest. His get-up could best be described as a modern day gypsy, meets pirate, meets jester. He would combine some of the most outrageous pieces of clothing together perfectly, and that combined with the way he just chose to skate made his video sections some of the most anticipated. Whether it was old Baker videos, or Flip's Sorry trilogy, he would always find some sketchy thing to ollie off of, onto something even sketchier. He would find some ledge that went down an insane amount of stairs, and do the most stylish nose slide down it perfectly, and in some crazy gear to boot. One of his most famous displays of sketchiness, came in Flip's first video Sorry, when he attempted two 25 stair ollies. Not one but two, and the compression his body experiences in the second sends shivers down anyone's spine.

Style in skateboarding is such a subjective thing, but at the same time one of the most important. If you don't have style no one wants to watch you skate. From the way you just push, to how you skate, to the clothes you wear. It all comes into play. One Ali's impacts on skateboarding can be seen in the pants a lot of skateboarders wear now. During his infamous Piss Drunx days he was one of the first to start wearing the super tight pants. He combined them with leather jackets, and punk rock accessories. Then 10 years later you have a guy like Corey Duffel, but Ali did it first. Then, he moved onto his gypsy/pirate/guitar face and that's about the time we lost him.

Ali Boulala was a style master on a skateboard, who threw caution into the wind with every crazy thing he attempted. It was that ultimate risk taking behavior that ended Shane's life, and his own skateboarding career. Everyone makes mistakes, some worse then others, but with this one it's hard not to be mad at Ali. Let's just hope that something positive can come out of this, like someone thinking twice about driving drunk. I would be a lier if I said I've never driven after some drinks, but with events like this on my mind I don't anymore. I hope there more out there like me. Skateboarding lost two very good skateboarders, and two of it's most stylish. NEVER FORGET SHANE CROSS and FREE ALI BOULALA.

Here's Ali's two 25 stair ollies:

Channels: Skate, Style

Tags: Ali Boulala, Shane Cross, Flip Skateboards