up: Shane Coburn and the Xsjado prototype.

Some might argue that this word is pronounced as X-eS-jay-dough. To the Blader’s that know, this word is a progressive way to pronounce Shadow. Like this brand’s name, it represents in many ways the culture that this company is all about.

Shane Coburn, an inline skating guru, enjoyed snowboarding during the winters. After accidentally picking up a snowboard binding that got mixed into a box of inline skates while looking for a pair of cuffs, the idea of marrying a cuff to the boot was burned into his brain. He added an inline frame and the product was generations in advance.

Coburn, working for Senate wheels at the time, went off to do his own wheel project called Medium. From here he met Dustin Latimer, arguably one of the best Professional Blader’s that ever existed, and they began to develop a revolutionary wheel company called, Mindgame. Meanwhile, Coburn continued to try and find the right place and timing for this new skate product he had in mind and soon connected with another outdoor sports manufacturer, Salomon.

With Dustin Latimer’s Blading being generations ahead of its time, he was very helpful in engineering a new inline skating product that provided an all new experience. The design was to have the skater attached to the soul, providing better mobility. Along with another Professional Blader that was ahead of his time, Chris Farmer, they were able to demonstrate the ninja capabilities with these new skates that attached to your shoes, we call Footwraps.

Salomon later moved out of the Inline outdoor activities, with Coburn and Latimer retiring soon after, and handed the technology to Powerslide whom continues to make Xsjado Skates today. Mike Obedoza now overlooks the brand for Powerslide and with Chris Farmer, continues to support the offspring from these pioneers that are the most progressive Street Blader’s in Blading today.

Source: Xsjado.com

Up: Brian Shima and Mark Korte, back in the days. Below: quoting a mail from Mark Korte:

Hello Everyone!

I would like to inform you of some changes in my own personal life.

After getting back into the game, I have seen that I am basically too old for this stuff lol!

Having a family and a commitment to the US Military as well as my private life has shown me that I am going to have to go into a different direction than I have been, and Powerslide and myself will part ways, but as always with a good feeling, and good times.

I want to thank all of you for dealing with me, and I want to thank all of you for helping me put alot of programs together, and doing your best to make things better.

This will be my last week at Powerslide and I will be moving on and fulfilling a commitment I have to the US Army, and moving into a different lifecycle.

I would like to thank both Matthias Knoll and Stefan Gohl as well as everyone here at Powerslide who believed in me and thought it would be good for me to get back in the thick of it, even if it was for a short time… I will remember it well. - Mark Korte.