Patrik Wallner and friend picked a tough country to visit on their latest worldwide mission in Kazakhstan. It’s a young country which only became independent in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR but has many magic spots as you will see in his latest edit featuring Gabriel Summers, Rob Wootton, Nestor Judkins and Vladik Scholz. Enjoy The Kazakhstan Triangle.
Ph: Jeremy Leabres pushes an impossible shot by John Bradford.
Get some of this new footage of RVCA reps Curren Caples, Greyson Fletcher, Jeremy Leabres, Julian Davidson and Nestor Judkins shredding Japanese demo’s, parks and street spots.
Enjoi Skateboards have released their colourful Carnival Series decks this week designed by the talented London based illustrator Rob Mathieson who smashes it once again on the art front. Pro models from Jose Rojo, Zack Wallin, Louie Barletta, Cairo Foster, Wieger Van Wageningen, Nestor Judkins, Jimmy Carlin and Ben Raemers were formed from an amazing circus montage inspired by Barletta’s vision and nailed by Mathieson’s hard work in the studio.
This is also one of the best video adverts of the year. Look out for them in your local skate shop.
The RVCA Germany Tour video has been released online today with footage of Julian Davidson, Kevin “Spanky” Long, Nestor Judkins, Josh Harmony, Didrik Galasso, Tom Kleinschmidt, Ilja Judizki and Charles Collet who is pictured above crailsliding in Berlin. Ph: Matthew Price.
RVCA | GERMANY TOUR from RVCA on Vimeo.
Rich ‘Badger’ Holland introduces his latest design work at the Paris leg of The Obstacle as rolled out last year by Adidas in London.
Watch Lucas Puig, Silas Baxter-Neal, Mark Gonzales, Benny Fairfax, Nestor Judkins, Lem Villemin, Seb Daurel, Vivien Feil and more skate the warehouse that also hosted an art exhibition here.
Not Another Transworld Video
A film by Jon Holland and Chris Ray
“Oh no! Not another Transworld video?!?!?” I hear you say. Jon Holland and Chris Ray are well aware that the skateboard publication has served us more than it’s fair share of audiovisual documentation, so when tackling the task of adding another video to the pile, the creators had some fun with the title at least. The cast is a who’s who of who’s hot right now and I have to admit that this selection is pretty damn good: Theotis Beasley, Nestor Judkins, Shane O’Neill, Mike Anderson and Wes Kremer.
Let me begin by saying that NATV watches like you were reading an issue of TWS magazine. By that I mean that each section is like an individual article that you will either like or dislike, skim or study, and peppered throughout is obvious and less obvious adverting from those who helped fund the project. Personally I could do without some of the blatant logo placement, but let me send a message to Go Pro and Shake Junt who might be mistaken for an atheletes foot remedies thanks to the filthy foot on display during their skit.
Anyway, back to the skating. Transworld took a bold step many moons ago to not include the names of skaters during the opening and middle montage sections. The result means you focus on the amazing skateboarding on display and not the name of each hungry amateur getting sweaty for the camera. Sidetracking slightly, how funny would it be if they used name credits in porn movies? I reckon it would be distracting to say the least. However, please can I propose that TWS include an option to add the names for old out of touch critics like myself who find it incredibly hard to keep up to date with all the new pixelated faces that I watch on the computer each day.
Theotis Beasley opens the show with a Waka Flocka anthem ‘Hard in the Paint’. I don’t know if Theotis is going ‘hard in the paint’ himself because he seems to be a genuinely easy going guy, but his suave skills on the skateboard have definitely propelled him to the ranks of professional for Baker since this video part dropped. With backing from The Boss, Andrew Reynolds, the future looks bright for Theotis. My favourite trick: The backside double heelflip over a gap.
Next in line is Nestor Judkins, another newly crowned professional for Enjoi. Nestor is obviously in touch with his board as well as the spots he skates. May I take the opportunity to say that Nestor’s section was like modern days take on one of the early Stereo videos. There’s quality over quantity even though his section runs for a healthy few minutes. My favourite trick: The frontside nosebluntslide pop over to backside nosebluntslide pop over line.
A brief funny-if-you-were-there skit by skipping extraordinaire Jimmy Carlin offers us a toilet / cigarette break before Shane O’Neill steps up to bat. I know that Shane has turned most of the industry on it’s head and has kids destroying the rewind and slo-mo options on their computers, but his flip trick wizardry doesn’t really do it for me. The analogy has probably been said before but Shane O’Neill skates like a robot that has returned from the future in a bid to destroy any and all tech skaters’ dreams. So far he has accomplished his mission without breaking a single smile that is until his ender. My favourite trick: The super long perfectly poised frontside boardslide.
Another nameless montage and we get to my favourite section: Mike Anderson. Manderson (as the industry has so creatively dubbed him) skates fast. Very fast. So fast in fact that I advise you to watch this section at least three times in a row to try and comprehend just how gnarly some of his tricks are. The other great thing about Mike is that he smiles (Take note kids!) when he skates. Why? Well maybe he has understood that when you boil this entire HD, pro, globetrotting skateboard bonanza down to the core all you’re left with is a toy that’s great fun to play with. My favourite trick: The massive alleyoop frontside 180 out of a bumpy bump to switch crooks a tall wall.
Helas, NATV draws to a close and new Sk8 Mafia’s pro Wes Kremer is dealt the tough card of ending it on a high note. Luckily Wes was born in a Wu Tang t-shirt, Khaki pants and with a skateboard under his feet because he takes to the task with ease. The first thing that came to my mind as I watched Wes annihilate spot after spot was ATV: All Terrain Vehicle. Concrete bowls, Rails, Ledges, Walls… The list goes on and on and Wes always has something original to offer. My favourite trick: The fast footed switch frontside 180 to backside 180 hop down a big double set followed by a perfect switch 360 flip down an even bigger set of stairs.
Honestly, Jon Holland and Chris Ray have chosen wisely for this latest offering from the Transworld camp. Yet again they have shined the light on the faces that are grabbing skateboarding by the ball-bearings and running it far into the future. I guarantee that at least one of the skateboarders on display will hype you up to go skate faster than any chemical caffeine canister could.
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
The country of Greece maybe in the news for the wrong finanical reasons right now but it didn’t stop the Adidas skate team from visiting this summer to shoot some pics and skate the many spots on offer in Athens and Mykonos.
Watch footage of Dennis Busenitz, Silas Baxter-Neal, Lucas Puig, Tim O’Connor, Pete Eldridge, Benny Fairfax, Nestor Judkins, Lem Villemin and Jake Donnelly here.
Last weekend was by far the busiest so far this year for skateboard events in the UK. The Manny Mania final was held at Bay 66 with Manchester’s UK Lloyd McLeggon taking the wedge, War of the Thistles attracted the bowl riders in Scotland, “The Heart Of Skateboarding” memorial jam for Bingo saw locals session hard at R-Kade Skatepark in Redcar and The Obstacle comp from Adidas was a highlight for many down South at the Central Foundation Boys School over in East London. Unfortunately it was also the same day as Crossfire’s Barfly curation at the Camden Crawl so David Woolley headed East to report on what went down in that schoolyard.
TradeMark Gonzales
This get together was kept pretty much on the quiet with the location announced only a week before kick off but as word spread through the web, select shop teams were planning their journeys for a memorable jam session whilst the Obstacles that were designed by Mark Gonzales, were being primed by Rodney Clarke, Dave Chesson and friends at the Pioneer park in St Albans.
Boots nails a blunt
After a warm up sesh a pro demo kicked off proceedings featuring Adidas team riders and of course, the one and only Mark Gonzales who has been spotted more times than Animal Chin skating London’s parks and street spots over the last 3 weeks. Not only will the Gonz be 43 years young exactly a month after this very event, but he’s still got the steez that he is famous for as he hucked out super smooth 5.0’s, trademark fs board slides, bonelesses and classic knee boarding tomfoolery! To have such a legendary skateboarder turn up to our country weeks before a comp to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy British culture is nothing but an honour and as usual he was the gentleman everyone has admired for so many years.
Lucas Puig tames the schoolyard
Nestor Judkins had front tail’s on lock, Pete Eldridge took a box of tricks home from the session alongside the impressive Lucas Puig whose tech skills just have to be seen live. The UK contingent was led by the gifted Chewy Cannon and Stereo’s smooth operator Benny Fairfax whose huge backside flip over the barrel backed up the hype on why he’s one of the most talked about UK skaters in the US right now. It’s funny to think that he walked away a winner at one of Crossfire’s very first skate events 8 years ago but no surprise that he’s up there with the best of them thesedays.
Death Skateboards pro Boots was also on form and on third try took a sick backside noseblunt whilst Karim Bakhtaoui‘s massive shuv’s over a thigh high barrier made palms come together from around the school yard. It was an impressive session with fun in mind and that’s exactly what came from it, thankfully there was more to come.
Benny Fairfax takes Three Stripes over the bin
After the pro demo a shop team competition kicked off featuring many team riders from independent skate shops from around the UK. 10 minute jam sessions were organised for 3 shop teams to skate together with 2 riders representing each shop. Skaters from Note, Exist, 50:50, Natterjacks, Detour and Slide impressed amongst many others before a best trick jam ended the day on a high with the soon-to-be Fresh Blood ripper Manuel Lopez taking the free trip to Barcelona as the main prize with a 5-0 Varial Flip out. Watch that in Harry Garcia’s edit and more from the day in Tidy Mike’s clip on this page. It was a great day out and unique to the London event calendar so well done to everyone involved.
WATCH HARRY GARCIA’S FOOTAGE
WATCH MIKE PEARSON’S FOOTAGE
Chris Ray uploaded the new trailer for the new Transworld video to Vimeo just now and announced the line up for this year’s production.
Expect sections from Mike Anderson, Theotis Beasley, Nestor Judkins, Wes Kremer, and Shane O’neill scheduled for release in June this year.
These videos have always delivered great skateboarding in the past with last year’s Hallelujah getting the best out of Pudwill, Eldrige, Hatchell, DeCenzo and more. Watch the trailer for their 23rd video release here.