Lyndsay McLaren

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Happy Fridayyy!!! Super stoked with this rad @stancesocks swag pack 😍😍 Thank you @benjamin_bttn, you rock my socks!! #howwekickit #theuncommonthread #stancesocks

Home from an amazing weekend in Aviemore at the Cairngorm Mountain. 45mph winds by the end of today and super icy at parts but stoked be home shredding Scotland, so beautiful. Photo: @yeahjackie 🗻🏂❄️#bernsnow @bernunlimited @outdoortech @burtongirls

Such a rad day on the mountain yesterday...day 2 let's goooo :) @bernunlimited @outdoortech ❄️⛄️🏂 (at Cairngorm Mountain)

Cross-steppin' at Duthie Park, Aberdeen, Scotland. 📷 @piratephotography88 Check out his work! @abec11wheels @bernunlimited @surfrodz @lightbohrd @holesom #scotland #skatescotland #bernskate (at Duthie Park)

Fresh kicks! Custom @nikesb Janoskis 😍 @stancesocks @stancesocks_uk #theuncommonthread #mynikeids

The High Line, NYC. Photo: @jorgeq one of my favorite photographers to shoot with. @stance_muse @stancesocks #howwekickit #theuncommonthread #NYC

The ultimate free ride video of 2013. James Kelly, so breathtaking. Get stoked. 

I'm stoked on the latest Wheelbase Magazine article from the main man himself Marcus Bandy. Speaking wise words, Bandy reminds us all to do it right and spread good vibes. 

Thanks so much chick! Stay skatin' and keep smiling :)

My good friend and very talented photographer Khaleeq Alfred took these shots back in June for the 2013 Bern Unlimited catalogue. I'm wearing the Brighton EPS helmet in hot pink with the new Bern logo. I'm delighted with how the photographs came out and delighted to be a part of the Bern family. Thanks for helping to keep me safe Bern! :)

OK, I won't lie. I watched the show, I crushed on the guys and I laughed at the drama. MTV's Laguna Beach admittedly was one of my favorites back in the day. Everyone and everything looked beautiful. When you are 15 and growing up in a small village in the North East of Scotland filled with old people and farmland, watching these over privileged pretty people prance around like there was no tomorrow was entertaining to an extent. But after a while, watching Barbie and Ken sunning themselves and driving around got boring and I was more interested in living rather than watching other people live.   Up until my recent visit to SoCal, all I knew of Laguna Beach was the LBDR videos and the MTV reality show but believe it or not, shock horror, there is actually so much more to that beautiful California enclave than the TV show gave it credit for. Yes the multimillion dollar homes are just as beautiful in real life, the beaches really are pristine and stunning and the place does reek of money (in a pleasant fashion) but the TV show left me none the wiser as to how GNARLY the hills are.  I mean maybe I should have guessed considering the videos I've seen and that the sequel to 'Laguna Beach' was called 'The Hills' but my mouth still dropped when I discovered for myself what there was to offer.  Thanks to one of my sponsors, LightBohrd, I was sent out to Cali for the SVF Slide Jam near Malibu and got to spend a few days before and after the jam exploring and of course skating around SoCal. My friend Diana and I were staying with friends near Hollywood but invested in a nice little rental car so we could see as much of the area as possible. As NYC skaters we are used to pushing everywhere so it felt kind of lame dropping cash for a rental car but we soon realized it was absolutely necessary. We still got our fair share of pushing done skating along Venice Beach checking out all the 'tweakers' and cross-stepping our way towards the Santa Monica Pier. Venice was one of my favorite places to visit. If you make a trip out there be sure to stop by both or either of the Arbor stores on the beach and say hello to the friendly ladies and gents in there. Noah, Kimberley and Elisa treated us like gold and made sure we hit up all the good spots while we were in Venice. The Venice skate park is rad and there are some nice mellow hills in the area which eased us into the Laguna hills quite nicely.  The day we spent in Laguna was one of my favorites. Epic views, rad people and skating hard all day long. We did take a little mid day break however to stop by the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter with David from Holesom and spent some time loving on the cute little pups and kitties who have found themselves there. The animals in the shelter are either abandoned, strayed, sick or injured and are waiting for their new owner to take them home and love them forever. I'm pretty sure that if I wasn't on skate-cation and if I didn't live in a stuffy little apartment in Brooklyn, I would have ended up taking home one of those pups that day! So stoked on Holesom and the awesome work they do to help out these fur balls.  We were warned about the banned hills in Laguna and helmet enforcement laws but we played it safe and found some nice spots. The hill on 3rd street - wow! A local skater Ryan, took us to the top of the world. The view was amazing. Unfortunately it was getting dark so we couldn't skate for long but we got a little free riding in and then called it a night. Ryan lives on the same street as Nyjah Huston...you know, the famous street skater who said 'Skateboarding is not for girls'...but let's not go there ;)  The SFV Slide Jam in Malibu was a great success. Despite the mid afternoon sunshine leaving everyone on the hill feeling a tad bit sweltered, some awesome skating went down and it was great to see some friends and familiar faces from the skate community. Thanks to Rachel Bruskoff and the SFV longboarders for organizing the event and to all the event sponsors for helping to make it a great success. I'm glad we were able to bring in some NYC love and be a part of your first official slide jam.  My week in SoCal was truly awesome. It was nice to breath some fresh air, feel the sunshine and skate some rad hills, parks and dance along the beach promenades. My wheels (Abec 11 Blue Flashbacks - HOLLA) came to California brand new and left with some excellent wear and tear. It was also truly refreshing to experience the warm smiles and friendly faces that the Cali folks had to offer...we often see too little of that friendliness on the busy streets of New York.  Thanks Cali. I'll be seeing ya!

As I skate into my last two months on this particular visa, still unsure of how and if I will be able to stay in the USA, I look back and think of the amazing year I have had in this concrete jungle, New York City. I have the support of some wonderful people and awesome companies, all of whom I am thankful to. Lightbohrd, Surf Rodz, Brooklyn Workshop, Polaroid Action Cams, Holesom, Bern Unlimited, Steven - thank you for all of the support, skate candy and love. Let's see where the future will take us <3

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC