The ‘Goose Country’ deck from the Canadian freestyle brand MLM Skates is a new take on the traditional freestyle board with some modern-comfort features.
Specs
The ‘Goose Country’ deck comes with a 7.375” width, 28.125” length, and a 12.75” wheelbase. These dimensions complement each other by presenting a standard freestyle recipe while also creating a deck that doesn’t feel too small under the feet. The deck features a mellow concave with a nose and tail, both being different in shape, with the nose being less squared off than the tail.
Quality
The quality of the deck is absolutely A1 with both the wood and graphic being of exceptional quality. This means the deck feels extremely strong when doing a range of different tricks, rarely flexing even when my full body weight (approx. 65kg) is pushed against it.
Skate-ability
After three sessions skating the deck, I can honestly say that it is amazing and very easy to get the hang of. My entire ‘career’ skating freestyle, I have struggled to like and use double kicks. However, this deck has changed my mind. I was able to comfortably perform rail-to-rail combos due to the roundness of the nose and still be able to perform truck stands and pogo Saran wraps because of the blocky tail. Casper variations also felt great, with toeside caspers from rail being extremely easy to ‘pop’ as well as catch. The deck naturally wanted to spin.
Gripes
I do have one gripe with the board. Because of the transition from board rail to nose/tail, I found it difficult to work out where I needed to hook my foot for underflips and M80s. However, this is more of a user issue than anything.
Final thoughts
After skating, testing and thinking about this deck, I truly think that this is a contender for one of the best modern freestyle decks you can get at the moment, even comparing to the greats like Waltz (still love you Daddy Mike). If you get the chance to grab a MLM deck, do it!
Ways to get this deck currently include online through Decomposed or the MLM Skates website.