Rich Smith‘s edit of this weekend’s VANS Downtown Showdown event is live. Watch the view from Fifty Fifty’s perspective here.
Author: Zac
Photo by Matthew Bromley: Samual Partaixwallrides.
This weekend’s Downtown Showdown organised by VANS went off in fine style. The Spitalfields crowds were spoilt for choice with guest pro’s Alva, Rowley, Dollin, AVE and Pfanner teaming up with Vans legend, Steve Van Doren himself to bring the capital a top day out.
Despite the classic British weather that brough sunshine and showers, the skateboarding impressed with sponsored riders from Alis, Death, Palace, Blueprint, Antiz, Cliche, Enjoi, Element (Europe), Superdead and Yama getting amongst the obstacles on show built by the teams themselves. Our favourite being Death Skateboards’ Ripper Alley, that had whippy transitions, concrete coping, a bank to wall, a hip and a rails within its design.
Overall, this was the biggest skateboard event to grace London in a while. The highlight of the day being Steve Van Doren, walking around with a smile on his face serving people pizza! Look out for an interview with Dustin Dollin from the event on here soon.
FULL RESULTS:
Death Skateboards Obstacle
1st: Phil Zwijsen – EUR 1,500
2nd: Ben Raemers – EUR 800
3rd: Danny Brady – EUR 500
Cliche Obstacle
1st: Danny Brady – EUR 1,500
2nd: Chris Oliver – EUR 800
3rd: Dallas Rockvam – EUR 500
Superdead Obstacle
1st: Nassim Guammaz – EUR 1,500
2nd: Chris Pfanner – EUR 800
3rd: Rob Smith – EUR 500
Best Pro: Danny Brady – EUR 1,500
Best Am: Nassim Guammaz – EUR 1,000
MONSTER RIPPER award:
Flo Mirtain EUR 1,000
Team of the Day:
1st Antiz – EUR 14,000
2nd Element Europe – EUR 10,000
3rd Enjoi – EUR 8,000
4th Superdead – EUR 6,000
Visit the Vans site for more photos and videos here.
More Skateboarding Videos
Tony Alva and Steve Van Doren will be sat in the VANS store in London’s famous Carnaby Street until 2pm today. Head on down to meet a couple of living legends and get you hands on some FREE Vans goodies ahead of tomorrow’s Downtown Showdown in Spitalfields. Don’t miss this, all info here.
The video edit of the highlights from this year’s vert comp at the Relentless Boardmasters 2011 event have dropped online today. Watch the action here.
Have you noticed how the quality of Etnies clothing has been upped over the last 2 years? This Bakersfield shirt is just one recent example of this Summer’s range, this time designed as part of the Devine Calloway signature label package that has been released in your local skate shop.
This long sleeve shirt feels super comfy when worn thanks to a mix of 55% cotton 45% polyester. It comes with 2 breast pockets, an inner tab so you can peel back your cuffs and comes in the wonderful colourway that you see on this page. Smart, comfortable, well stitched and worth looking into. Out now.
The Essex skate scene is gearing up for the launch of the annual Lords of the Swords road trip and video competition. The event was started in Chelmsford by AJ Martin and Luke MacDuke to create a scene video and has morphed into a much bigger get together inpired by Thrasher’s King of the Road series.
Competitions aside though, Lords of the Swords is most importantly having a laugh with your mates. Last year’s winners managed feats of bravery, that included catching a sizeable snake under an Essex flyover and (failed) attempts to ride sheep!
All videos will be premiered at Park DX in Colchester on the 16th of September and the top 5 posted online here at Crossfire for the public to choose who should win. The Lords will then be knighted on the 18th September in Hooga Bar in Chelmsford alongside a mini ramp session and copious amounts of liquor. Look out for the videos next month and get voting!
When the first premiere of Emerica’s Stay Gold opened in Los Angeles this day last year, the lights went out to reveal a section by Heath Kirchart that brought the house down. This footage is now available to watch over the next 48 hours so click here to stream it. Click here for Heath’s interview if you missed it at the time.
The news of Black Sabbath reforming yesterday was unfortunately bullshit. A statement from guitarist Tony Iommi was released last night to put the fire out from the flames that drifted around the web yesterday due to a whistle blowing journalist from Birmingham.
“I’m saddened that a Birmingham journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a Black Sabbath reunion. At the time I was supporting the Home of Metal exhibition and was merely speculating, shooting the breeze, on something all of us get asked constantly, “Are you getting back together? Thanks to the internet it’s gone round the world as some sort of official statement on my part, absolute nonsense. I hope he’s enjoyed his moment of glory, he won’t have another at my expense. To my old pals, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, sorry about this, I should have known better.” – All the best, Tony
The new Sidewalk Mag just arrived at our doorstep and it comes with a cool, limited edition ‘Where’s Chin’ poster inside that looks like this, but obviously better when not shot on a phone. Benson is on the cover ripping a pool frontside, an honest NASS festival article from CJ, Caradog, Supra and Emerica tour articles and much more. Out now.
Look out for giveaways on our facebook page in RANDOM SWAG as we have a few here.
There’s nothing like watching a pool session in the burning hot sun. This one features Tony Hawk. Lance Mountain, Ozzie Ausband, Brian Fick, Mancha and Jordan Richter.
Look out for our Tony Hawk video interview next week on this site. Watch the teaser here.