Steve Alba gained recognition as a vertical skateboarder in the 1970s, when the southern California backyard swimming pool was the best place to skate. When skateboarding entered the mainstream and skate parks were built, “Salba” and other older skaters went underground. Steve Alba would rent a helicopter for aerial search and identification of concrete not meant to be skated on, taking detailed notes including the time it took a standard pool pump to drain the water from a backyard pool. Specializing in finding pools, secret fullpipes, and concrete wonderlands, “Salba” writes and takes pictures of his adventures for skate magazines like Thrasher, Heckler, and Concussion.