In the skateboarding world there are many rad skaters, but there are only a handful that leave an immediate impression on you. Out of that handful there is only one with the power and ramp rocking skills to carve his impression deep into your brain tissue. That skater is “MONTY NOLDER”. Below are some of the lasting impressions from those lucky enough to have experienced his skateboarding skill up close and personal back in the day. Coping Block SK8 MAG is proud to have the opportunity to share these moments with you.
Here's what other notables have said about Monty Nolder.
Bill Procko - Saw him first at the Basin, Variflex days, Pogo on the Snake’s roll-out deck. I thought who would do such a thing in such a hostile location?
Todd Morrow - First Skated with Monty at the Doll-House ramp circa 1986. It felt like he was going to break the ramp, and it was a solid beast.
Wayne Hildreth - We had been told of a We had been told of a a half pipe some kids built down in Homestead, Florida. Monty blasted a frontside air out over the top and when he landed he went right through the ramp..
Rob Weir - The first time I saw Monty he was riding the big half pipe at the Runway and going up on the brick wall above it. Crazy!
Carlo Galvis - Solid Surf Peanut Solid Surf Peanut Bowl! Loudest grinds and board Bowl! Loudest grinds and board slides. Also the Cambodia Ramp, it would shake when he skated!
Walter Lewellen - I was standing next to Fausto as Nolder blew away all the visiting PRO’s. Fausto was beside himself wondering who this guy was and how to sponsor him asap!
Tim Hubbard - He showed up out of nowhere at a contest in Tampa’s Rainbow Wave circa 1979. He was throwing these crazy footplants in the U shaped half pipe!
Bruce Whiteside - he removed the steel coping from my ramp with a Monty Grind. Everyone screaming “LOOK OUT”as it rolled down the tranny behind him!
Richie Clark -Back in 88 he was doing over head high airs, just all around busting out and going big!
Bruno Peters - 1985 Del Mar..backside Smith Grind along half the pool. (Didn't know it was a Monty Grind!)
Chuck Dinkins- The first time I saw Monty was at the Little Rock contest. Monty was a monster on that ramp! I doubt he remembers the skinny black skater from Memphis, but I was stoked to meet him there!
George McClelland - Frontside Rocks in Rainbow Wave’s half pipe in the “Turning Point” days. Along with legit “disasters” that really were!
Steve Marinak - First time I saw Monty skate, was probably at the Basin around 1981 for a Pepsi Challenge contest. We stayed with Chris Baucom and went to the went to the UF Gator Growl concert and saw Wendy O with the Plasmatics blow up a Cadillac on stage. I believe he rode for G&S at that time. Frontside hand plants were great I recall. Nice guy was what I thought, and still to this day, he always greets with a smile ready for a laugh..and of course he just CRUSHES EVERYTHING!
Howard Montaque - No one skated louder than Monty..Vertquake!
Martin Ramos - He taught me backside ollie’s and backside disasters. Super fun to skate with and always smiling. Love that guy.
Monty, your classic signature decks are constantly hot and in demand on Ebay, did you save any from back in the day?
I have all the Nolder Schmitt Stix models and the foam versions too. I’ve also got a Hosoi and a BBC board as well.
Between the Sensation Basin in Gainsville and the Miami skate parks that you localizied, which do you think advanced your skating the most and why?
All of them and also KONA in Jacksonville. I skated the Runway Skate Park in Miami where I learned a lot fromt the Runway crew. When the Sensation Basin was bulldozed I went to skate the Cambodia Ramp in Miami every weekend and then Kona.
Are you skating much these days?
On and off, I’m not giving up I’m working on a vert ramp at my house now so I don’t have to drive so far. I’m stuck in out in the desert skating with rattle snakes.
What was it like back in the day skating and touring with Christian Hosoi?
I loved skating with him, it was a blast! We had lots of fun, he’s a great person. We were a machine. Can’t wait to skate doubles with him again.
You spent sometime in Europe skating, what was it like and would you go back?
Killer, it was great! I’d love to go back. Lots of pools and ramps to skate and cool people. We had a blast with the BBC team.
Where are you living these days?
Some where in the “Wild West”.
Monty, what contest did you first skate PRO and how did you do?
It was the Pepsi Challenge at the Sensation Basin. I was still an AM and beat Mike McGill who was already a PRO skater, but I chose to stay AM. Then I turned later at KONA.
Some people had problems skating on the original Varifl ex trucks, but you were blasting out of Sensation Basin’s high vert walls while riding those trucks. What was the key in making those trucks work for you?
Just had to try and get used to them to figure them out. It was the same with G&S trucks too when I rode for them. The Variflex trucks rode backwards. I’ve ridden every truck and Thunder and Indy’s are still the best.
How can skaters purchase one of your current PRO Models?
They were for sale on American Nomad’s website, I guess they retired me. I’m looking for someone to sponsor an old man with power.
Monty, from all the ramps that you shredded from the Cambodia Ramp, St. Pete Ramp, Gainesville Ramp, Texas Metal Ramp, Leonard’s Ramp and others which were your favorites?
Williston and Jonesville in Florida, all the Texas ramps, Stone Edge and the Saint Pete Ramp back in the 1980’s.
Monty, your skating style has always been raw, powerful, aggro and fast! All over the skating world you’ve left your mark on the sport. There are skaters who still speak about the first time they saw you at a particular ramp, and how they remain in awe of how you rattled and shook their ramp and crippled their coping. Did you ever think you would leave such a large finger print on the sport of skateboarding?
Not at all, it just happened that way. I was just pushing hard with power, I didn’t realize I shook the ramp, I couldn’t hear it rattling.
When did you get your first skateboard?
It was a Christmas present when I was in elementary school. It was a Roller Derby with clay wheels. I guess I liked it.
Monty, you were an integral part of many skate crews over the years in Florida. You were a local in the Miami area, the Gainesville area, the Saint Pete area and more. Let’s set the record straight, where and who was in your original skate crew?
Runway Skate Park in Miami. My original skate crew included Rob Weir, Wayne Hildreth, Rob Rodriquez, Tracy Ramos, and Shawn Webster, I miss you guys.
Who were the skaters who influenced you the most when you first started skateboarding?
Tony Alva and Duane Peters.
When did you get heavily into ramp skating?
At the Williston and Jonesville ramps in Florida. Those were the two baddest ramps ever!
Monty, you are known for taking any trick and making it yours, but you are also known for inventing the “Monty Grind”. How did that come about?
Everybody was doing frontside Smith grinds so I got burnt out on those and did it backside and it worked for me.
Monty, back at the Saint Pete Ramp I once saw you go for a channel plant and then totally miss the hand plant, but you held on to pull off a sick inverted Indy Air! What drives you to do the seemingly impossible when you skate?
I saw Lance Mountain do it and then made it work.
Let’s get into your previous sponsors, who were they and in what order did you ride for them?
Ha, ha, ha too long to list but I’ll try. Runway Skate Park, Turning Point, Variflex, Schmitt Stix, Hosoi, Bad Boys Club, Gullwing Trucks, G&S Trucks, Thunder Trucks, Independent Trucks, Inland Surf Shop, Santa Cruz, Skate Rags, Sessions Skate Shop, Life’s a Beach, BBC, American Nomad..and more until I die. Who’s next?
Monty, back in the day how long would a deck last under your fierce skating?
It depends there were those that I just thrashed in days.
Monty, the skateboarding world misses your powerful deck delaminating POGO! Was that one of your favorite tricks?
Sometimes, it was .
There’s been some chatter of getting the Variflex Team back together for a session, are you down for that?
Absolutely! I love them! My first Cali team, thanks Variflex for the support! Real cool team, better than Powell.
Everybody misses skating with you Monty. Skaters like Cab, Hosoi, Weir, Baucom, Webb, Beauregard, Grigley and all your old skate crews dude. When and where would you like to get a sick session going so everone can ride with you?
I’d be happy to skate a session anywhere we could all get together. I’m on the west coast now, there are so many great places to skate, and don’t worry, I’m coming back better than ever.
What did your family think about your skateboarding back in the day?
My mom and sister loved it, but my Dad was too nervous to watch, he’d just sneak off and drink beer.
Monty, you pushed skateboarding harder than most, and each of your skate lines was highly anticipated by those lucky enough to skate with you and witness your energy first hand. Do you have any thanks or shout outs you want to say to those persons or skate companies that worked with you in the past?
Thanks to everybody, the whole world for pushing me to skate hard as a hardcore hearing impaired skater. There were so many people supporting me, you know who you are. And of course thanks to Paul Schmitt, always and forever!
Any last words?
Nah man, I hate interviews! I’m going to skate now, see ya soon!
