This is going to be the most real "how we got started" page you're ever going to read.

Here’s why…

My name is Kyle Ayling and in 2012 I started Cloud 9 out of my parent's house. At the time, I didn’t have a business bone in my body. And other than being a skateboarder for the last 21 years of my life and still to this day... I had no idea what the heck I was doing!

Then one day I came up with this crazy idea about how to make griptape better. Not better in the sense of giving it away to a ton of skaters that may or may not get paid to say it’s better.

No. Better in the sense of getting feedback from skateboarders like YOU. And combine it with my own experiences to make it better. You know the ones who need their grip to last for more than a week. Then armed with your feedback, we tweak it to make the best skateboard griptape we can — for you.

So what was the feedback we got? Thought you'd never ask. Skaters said they want better grit, glue, and graphics. And then we added our unique guarantee. We call this our 4GS or "4 G Standard." This is the standard we use for all the grip we produce to this day.

Anyways, friends of mine laughed at the idea! They thought it was a BIG joke. They said Kyle.. you’re a dreamer. And that I lacked "common sense." One guy said I was a “loser skateboarder” and that my idea was so silly he felt sorry for me.

Oh yeah? Well, I didn’t care. I still thought that I had a cool idea. So I went to work learning everything I could about skateboard griptape and started getting samples made up. The samples of what I believed would be better skateboard griptape made with our "4 G Standard."

Kyle Ayling standing next to a pile of skateboard griptape.

And guess what? Skaters did like it. They did think it was better. We sold out of the first run very fast. So we made even more and it sold out again...

And so on.

So what’s the bottom line? Simply this: to this day, our crazy idea is skated by... More than 22,701 skateboarders.

Think about it... more than twenty-two thousand skateboarders around the world believe in this crazy idea.

Well, that's it for now. I don't want to bore you to tears. But, I hope I have given you enough information about Cloud 9 to make you decide to get a sheet and skate it right away.

We want you to experience the same magic other skateboarders are experiencing, daily.

Here's how to order. All you have to do is choose a grip you love, order your grip, and skate it. That's all there is to it.

As soon as we get your order, we will send it out immediately... via USPS First Class Package with tracking.

You'll get your grip right away and you'll have plenty of time to skate it. Then, if you're not 100% satisfied, ask for a refund and we'll send you back your money with no questions asked.


Choose your grip
Jean-Marc Johanne setting up rose grip tape on a new skateboard.

Our mission.

Help you — express yourself, stick your tricks, and push your limits of what's possible on and off your skateboard. At the end of the day... it's about you.