a brief glance issue_29 by a brief glance skateboardmag

issue _29

a brief glance

NYJAH HUSTON \ GAP TO F\S NOSBLUNT \ BLABAC PHOTO

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THE

UNRIVALED PERFORMANCE S U P E R - R U B B E R ™ O U TS O L E \ E XO - C AG E U P P E R \ I M PAC T G C U S H I O N I N G

photo // Davide Biondani_

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ÂŠ2015 Vans, Inc.

EDITORIAL_29 Apps, new apps, last-minute rushes, throwbacks, new algorithms, posts, insta, reposts, social, more social, not social enough.

Yeah, it all sounds good, but where do all the gems we all enjoy every day come from? Respect for all those who go out skating, shooting, filming skateboarding, and eat shit to bring home the goodies. Real life is outside.

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(db)_

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BRAM DE CLEEN - BACKSIDE 180 INTO THE BANK • PHOTO: MAXIME VERRRET

CONTENTS // 29

ISSUE _29

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FRAGMENTS

we love good news

Life is Good _Albert Nyberg_

Reflexes at _Macba_

Why not? _FRANK YOU_ tour

PLACES _detroit_

Serenity & Dedication _Niki Waltl_

Dusted Off _Isle of Man_ 2003

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PHOTO: DOMINICK

EDITOR and CONCEPT_ Davide Biondani.

(davide@abriefglance.com) ASSOCIATE EDITOR_ Guido Bendotti.

ASSISTANT EDITOR_ Andrew Zolin. TRANSLATIONS_ Jonathan Levin. PHOTOGRAPHERS_

Leo Sharp, Kévin Mètallier, DVL, Nicolò Novali, Friedjof Fèye, Fred Mortagne, Fabio Montagner,

Brian Gaberman, Marcello Guardigli, Davide Biondani, Bertrand Trichet, Valentin Prossiliner, Craig Dodds. CONTRIBUTORS_

Oli Buergin, Mario Torre, Francesco Paolo Chielli,

Jerome Campbell, Mark Baines, Willow, Barney Page, Ale Martoriati, Niall Neeson, Fred Mortagne. DESIGN_

Fake Donkey Lab.

GET ALL THE INFOS at: info@abriefglance.com

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photo: kristijan smok

Inspired by our Past, Built for the Future.

ALBERT NYBERG

bluedistribution.com

contact@bluedistribution.com

@etniesskateboarding

COVER // Albert Nyberg _ Bank to bank kickflip over the rail. Photo_Davide Biondani_

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FRAGMENTS

Daniel Pannemann, Ollie. Photo_KĂŠvin MĂ¨tallier. San Francisco, California.

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FRAGMENTS

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FRAGMENTS Oliver Kofler, Bs lipslide. Photo_ Valentin Prossliner. Bozen, Italy.

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Marc Beggan, Fs smith grind up. Photo_Craig Dodds. Belfast, Northern Ireland.

FRAGMENTS a brief glance

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FRAGMENTS Kristjan Rowell, Danger drop. Photo_Marcello Guardigli. Melbourne, Australia.

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Life is good

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albert nyberg

Photography // Davide Biondani. Interview_Guido Bendotti // Davide Biondani. Intro_Oli Buergin.

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Did you know that Albert Nyberg is actually Italian? His real name is Alberto Enrico Nuovomonte and his grandfather was a salame maker in a small village in the Matera province in Southern Italy. Axel and I discovered this on a recent trip to Albertos homeland with the mission to shoot photos for the interview you are about to read. How did we find out about this? By eating pizza of course! To our surprise Albert (as he was still called at that moment) was cutting his pizza with the knife upside down, which was more of a ripping apart of the pizza than actually cutting it. I first thought that this was the “T-Rex way” of eating a pizza (Alberto is a big fan of Jurassic Park and even has a dinosaur tattoo on his chest). But it turned out that when he was a kid, his mom had told him that Italians cut their pizzas upside down. This inside knowledge about pizza and the fact that he likes to stay in bed in the morning (like the stereotypical lazy Italian) led us to to the speculation that Albert is in fact a native of the Stivale. Now if you actually believe this, you are as credulous as Albert was when his mom taught him how to cut pizza. He has grown up quite a bit since then and nowadays doesn’t fall for jokes as easily anymore but he is still one of the most open minded persons I know. This open mind combined with a great deal of talent is the fertile soil on which Albert grows his own breed of skateboard madness. (Oli Buergin).

Ollie up to bs noseblunt_

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Fs 5-0 grind_

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;What can you really say about Albert other skateboard! You can be anywhere with him have a penny in his pocket I guess â&#x20AC;&#x153;life finds

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Hi Albert you’re originally from a town in Sweden, how did you get to this level of skating, considering your long cold winters and lack of spots? I grew up skating in Linköping with my older brother Victor aka Lego. Skating with the “older” skaters was fun because they always seemed to push me to jump down stuff or try some random trick. My brother Martin also skates, so you can imagine three brothers skating together can be very fun, thus skating more and developing. And of course during the winters we are forced to skate indoors for months which helps keep the board-feel until the sun peeks out and gets rid of the overdue snow. Did the fact that you had so “little” to skate help you develop such an original approach to skateboarding and tricks? I guess if you go to a spot a hundred times you start seeing different possibilities of what you can do or think is possible. It´s good to be adaptable as a skater. And I do think that the lack of spots probably helped me think a bit outside the box. But now I have these crazy tricks in my mind and the spots that I need for the tricks probably don’t exist. You were invited to the Battle Of The Berrics a few years back, how did you get there and how did you feel about it? It was shortly after the “You Got Soul” part. I guess it´s the part that made people open their eyes for me. Then Steve Berra wanted me on the thing and I was very much down to go to the States for a golden oldie fashion game of skate. It was against PJ Ladd, hahaha. The whole thing was fun.

How’s it like to skate in a situation like that in person? I was very nervous. I wasn’t used to seeing all these great skaters in person. Pros that I´ve only seen amazing videos of growing up. So you can imagine the noodle legs I had, ha ha ha. Yours is a very tech and consistent kind of skating, made up of lines with tech tricks done with style. What percentage is natural talent and what percentage is hard work? It really depends on the day. Sometimes the tech stuff comes really easily. And of course some days are a struggle. Tech tricks usually take quite some time. But it´s the best feeling when you finally nail the trick that was just an idea in your head a few minutes earlier. You always do original tricks, such as 360 hardflips, fs 360 flips, or flips out of ledge tricks. Do you think there is a

boundary between “strange but cool tricks” and “dorky” tricks... and is this boundary the style with which they are done? (I don’t like double heelflips though ha ha ha). It´s a tough question. Nowadays I realize when I watch skate videos that sometimes less is more. I love seeing strange new tricks done well. I personally enjoy a nice mix of all kinds of tricks (Yes, even benihanas). I think that everyone should do whatever tricks they want. And if it looks good, great! And if you look like a dork, fuck it, you´re having fun. We can´t all be Rieders or Gillettes.

than that he is brilliant on and off a and he’ll be happy. Even if he doesn’t a way, ” ha ha ha. Smash it wizard foot!” Barney Page_

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Hardflip over the gap_ a brief glance

Last year the AB&A Etnies video came out featuring you, Barney and Axel. How long did it take to film your part? The video was really awesome and heavy, but don’t you feel it deserved more attention than it got? At least for the fact that it was a video featuring only European skaters? It took about a year to film for that video. We did a bunch of fun trips to different places during that time which ultimately made for a really fun project. I felt like people gave all of us a lot of positive feedback after it dropped and I was, most importantly, very happy with the end result. I never really got the impression that it didn’t get all the attention that it deserved. I give Etnies and Oli much thanks for making that video possible. During that time I really got to know Barney and Axel a lot more. And now I consider them some of my best friends together with Oli of course. You travel a lot to film and get footage. Is it essential for

you in order to progress and learn new tricks? Traveling is essential to my skating. I meet new people and learn different stuff all the time. Filming and traveling is the most fun part of my life. And you develop more when hanging out with people that skate other things that you usually don’t skate. Axel can get me hyped to skate bigger stuff and Barney can pretty much skate anything with such pop! Oh, by the way, you’re now spending ten days in Cali and then you’ll go on a tour to South Africa... a lot of hopping on and off planes ahead of you... what’s it all about? And how happy is your girlfriend about you going on all these trips one after the other? Ha ha ha. It´s a bunch of trips with Etnies. Really looking forward to these trips. Got a lot of footage last year on trips and it´s starting to add up to a full part. So hopefully after South Africa the part will be done. Just need some enders, hahaha. In the States it´s been a “United Nations” thing with Etnies, so Oli figured “why not stay a few more days and get some street footage?” My girlfriend is super supportive of me traveling and skating. She understands that it is something I have to do. Which makes the trips a lot easier to enjoy. Do you ever think, “I have this trick in mind, but I can’t find the right spot” ? I have so many random tricks in my mind and it´s really hard to find the right spot for it. Example: Gonz flip fs boardslide down a rail. That´s something you won’t find in Linköping. Maybe I need to build that spot for myself. Pontus

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could help me. Although building a DIY spot just for one trick sounds a bit off… You have a very low-profile attitude. You don’t concentrate on your look or on dramatizing tricks too much. Is it part of your personality to take things so simply? Although you’re European and live in Sweden, you went to the Berrics, filmed for Street League (Real Street), and are on the team with some of the most famous names in skateboarding. What I like about you is that you don’t seem to take things so seriously... is it because in the end it’s just skateboarding? How serious is skateboarding to you? Well, I try to keep a positive attitude toward things. Taking things with a pinch of salt. Moving forward. I am not the most serious person but I`m motivated about skating. I always want to skate more and find different ways to express myself. Does it feel strange to be on the same team as Sheckler and Cairo Foster? Not really, no. They´re just regular people like you and me. And furthermore they’re really great guys. Do you ever think about moving to the U.S. to try and live at the center of skateboarding with all its possibilities? I used to think about it but after being there a bunch of times I feel that Europe is the place for me. But I do enjoy going there every once in a while. I feel like it´s too serious over there. I´m happy where I am and always feel like I skate best when I´m happy.

“Albert is an awesome human! Jurassic Park just like I do! He shocking what he can do with to watch him skate! He’s just Albert you are bangin! Keep

He is super friendly and helps in every situation. He is a smart person and loves respects everybody and everything. Albert is a circus artist on a skateboard, it’s that thing. Every time I go skate with him he has new tricks, it’s amazing. It’s crazy so far ahead, his skating is from another planet! on pushing!!!” Willow_

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Fakie wallride to half cab flip out_

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I know you’re a video-game fanatic... what excites you more, a new video-game you were anxiously waiting for to come out or a new skate video? A new video-game. Without a doubt. How were the latest Etnies tours? I heard you slept in tents, and that it wasn’t the usual tour organized with hotels, drivers, autograph-signing, etc. It´s fully gypsy trips. And it´s super fun. It´s more like an adventure with your best friends in some foreign country. Oli has been the one making those trips happen and there have been much good times. I´m always hoping for more of those kinds of trips. Is Oli Buergin the best TM? Oli is the best dude ever. Always goes the extra miles for the riders. Hands down the best TM ever.

Does it ever happen that you do not really feel like skating a spot and he’s there skating it better than you in that moment? I feel like it happens every time we go to a transition spot ha ha ha. And you should see him skate vert. He´s the world champ for Christ’s sake! Are you filming a new Etnies videopart? When is it going to come out, and what for exactly? Well, like I said I got a bunch of footage during last year’s trips with Etnies. After the AB&A part I was so motivated to skate more and film. So Oli and I went on a lot of trips last year. And now it´s adding up to a full part. No real deadline yet so maybe sometime after April? Wild guess. Keep your eyes peeled. You came to Italy a few times lately, what do you and don’t you like about it?

I love: the pizza, the spots, the beer, the people, the architecture. I dislike: The fact that you can´t buy snus there. But that pretty much goes for every country outside of Sweden. You have a part time job in Sweden. Will Europe ever have an industry that will allow its pros to live (almost) like the American pros? Yeah, I work part-time in a warehouse sometimes when I´m home. I`m pretty sure a lot of the euro pros don´t need a job. I think that Europe has the potential to have an industry that allows that. But it´s not like anyone ever started skating because they wanted to get rich. But I do enjoy working when I´m home. Otherwise I would just have too much downtime. I would drive my girlfriend crazy! It is a magical feeling to take the bike to the skatepark after a hard day’s work during the summer. The second to last time I saw you, you were skating an Almost board, the other day you had a different board. What happened over the last few months? It´s hard to skate for an American brand if you live in Europe. I never really skated much with any of the Almost dudes except Willow. So I didn’t really feel like part of the team. But everyone was super nice, they helped me out a great deal with boards and I´ve always been a big fan of those guys. So I decided to jump to Sweet because I´ve always enjoyed skating with all of those guys whom I´ve known for so long. Then some shit happened with the company. It got bought by some other company and they were gonna kick people off the team or stop paying them or something. I´m not sure about the details. So I spoke with Bjorn (the former Sweet TM) and they had all already been talking about making something new with all of the team riders. So now I´m proudly joining my mates on Sour. I feel like it´s gonna be a really fun new chapter of my life and I´m really motivated to skate with all my friends on the team.

Fs heel over, at the beginning of a line_

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Fs varial heel over the rail into the bank_

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A few days ago the Etnies Rap CM Albert Nyberg colorway was released, how did a shoe with your colorway come about? Shortly after AB&A came out Oli talked about a colorway for me and Axel. So now those colorways are out and there will be clip coming out shortly with me and Axel. So it was a while back that I found out about it and now I skate with my colorway all the time and I love it. Having a shoe with your name on it is like a dream for a skateboarder… what was your first reaction when they told you they wanted to do it? I was beyond excited! It´s a really big deal for me personally. Been wearing Etnies shoes since I was eleven years old and now I´ve been given a colorway with my favorite shoe. Life is good. How is the shoe? Did you choose the model and the colors personally? How much work did you put into it? The shoe is really awesome. I can put them on and skate them immediately without a worry. It was very fitting that they wanted to give me the RAP CM shoe since it is my favorite. They asked if I wanted a high or low shoe, I said high. They gave me a bunch of color options and settled on navy blue since I often wear navy blue shirts. Nice to match the shoes with the clothes. Why a mid-size shoe? I really like the look of the mid. It fits me. And since I´ve had problems with my ankles the high shoes have given me extra support. Haven´t had any ankle problems in a long while now (touch wood). You are in Cali at the moment, you spent 2 weeks down there to film the “United Nations” with the Etnies team at The Berrics, how was it? How many days did it take you to film for the project and who else participated? The Berrics thing was about five days skating non-stop with almost the entire Etnies team. Some teammates were abroad and will work on it when they get back. I´m lucky I went on a trip before this one to get my cardio up because I would be dust otherwise. And it´s been really fun. Nothing serious

like “you gotta get shit done” type of thing but more just skating with great people and coming up with tricks while you´re having fun. There were some injuries but besides that everyone got a bunch of bangers and I believe it will turn out to be an enjoyable edit to watch. It seems like it was a challenging program… how many hours did you spend every day inside the skatepark filming? I would say an average 5-7 hours a day in the Berrics, pizza breaks included. Did you feel the pressure of working on a project like this and did you film any trick with less than a 3-trick combo in it? ha ha ha... I had a very mellow kind of feeling while filming for this project. There is always a personal feeling of pressure because you want to do well and get some good stuff. It´s up to every individual to set their own bar. People are gonna see it so it´s good to have some tricks that you´re happy about. Of course I did one or two combos ha ha ha. I also wanted to try to do some of the tricks that people haven’t seen me do before. Who killed it the most? Can’t wait to see it… when is it supposed to be out? In my eyes everyone killed it! Barney did some really cool shit. To see Chris Joslin skate was also a mind-blower. That dude goes all out all day! Mad props to everyone. Did you find the time to go street skating during the last days in Cali? We found a couple of days to go out and get some footage which is nice considering we were mostly indoors skating in sunny California. During these last days here we´re gonna try to get some more street stuff before me and Barney head back to Europe! …back to Sweden and then straight to South Africa… Ha ha ha, yeah! Four days at home. Pretty much do laundry and then jump back on a plane. South Africa is gonna be sick!

“Every day right now feels great!” Albert_ a brief glance

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Fs bluntslide to bigspin flip out_ a brief glance

In the mirror Reflexes at Macba

Photos and words // Nicolò Novali_

Macba is surely one of the most visited and appreciated skate spots in the world, with its wide open space, dark smooth tiles, and long ledges.

All it takes is a few pushes to fall in love with it. Unfortunately that day my knee

was giving me problems, and all I could do all afternoon was drink fruit juice, watch others skate, and shoot some photos… I looked around and realized that in

four years of vacations to Barcelona I never once truly visited the Macba museum. I admit, contemporary art often disappoints me. Many works, even though they inform me about the work’s concept and the artist’s background, seem like bullshit

to me. There are times though, when some works capture all my attention and

literally screw my brain. The more I look at them and the more I understand them; the more I understand them the more I get inspired... These last ones are definitely worthwhile.

It is very poetic to think about the fact that one of the most skated spots in the world was born out of a museum; an art-form reflected on the glass windows of an arts center.

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I think the same principle can be applied to skateboarding: inspiration is at its foundation. A good skater has the capacity to activate your mind and spark your imagination for new tricks to

experiment. After all, the idea that Art and Skateboarding both gravitate in the same direction is no big news.

That day, after letting myself be kidnapped for a few hours by

the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paintings, photographs, and installations, I looked

down from the balcony on the second floor of the Macba, whe-

re I spent at least twenty minutes observing the skateboardersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; various tries, tripping on the dopeness going down on the ledge below that regularly takes place in the square.

After taking a few shots I noticed that the famous ledge reflects

in the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large glass windows, framed by this strange play of lines and colors, both internal and external.

I gave it a few tries until I was able to focus on the trick, and this is the end result.

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why not?

FRAN YOU

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NK a brief glance

FRANK Words // Mario Torre. Photography // Davide Biondani.

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I’ve been a Dallas fan ever since his first ad for Element. For a while he was the new promise Made in USA, then all of a sudden he left everything and went to Europe, where, after skating for Antiz and pulling out dope videoparts, he decided to embark on the Frank Skateboards adventure. I think Frank is one of the most original companies at the moment, and going on tour with them is a unique experience. Witnessing them skate without any pressure or “cool” attitude was the best thing. Here’s the account of 11 days of pizza, skateboarding, beer, and swimming in the sea at the end of November between Naples and Salerno! Frank you!

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Dallas Rockvam // Polejam into the bank. Perfect timing in life is all, sometimes, and this shot could definitely be an example. Dallas knows whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up and finds his own way to skate this sick spot at these abandoned sheds just outside Naples. He was actually challenging the airplane and since he was in the lead he afforded himself the luxury of a perfectly executed pole jam into the green bank. Dallas won.

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DALLAS // ROCKVAM Hi Dallas, how are you? Just fine, thanks. Let’s start with some basics for all the kids out there... I was born in Rochester, Minnesota in 1985. My full name is Dallas Lee Rockvam, and am currently living in Kirchham, Austria. Why Frank? Why not? Frank you! Do you think skateboarding needs more fun nowadays? Is this about the Powell video Fun? If so then I’m not sure, kinda a one time thing. Skateboarding is just skateboarding I guess. What’s it like for an American to have a skateboard company in Europe? Not sure, I guess it’s still kinda surreal-like, it’s still so new and young in a way, that it’s just funny to think about it. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but so far it’s nice and when the cadres that are part of it (team, high-class business partners) are happy then so am I. Do you think the European skateboard scene needs America? Pretty tough question... skateboarding is nice, like you can travel to so many places in the world and have friends to chill with, skate, stay at their home. It’s so unique, I came here to find out. It’s really amazing! So yeah, let’s all be friends, although Americans are Americans. What about this last tour? Pizza... first thing I think of... pretty nice. It was a bit long... 11 days eating pizza gets pretty tricky. The rest of the dudes smashed it. I sucked and did the good ol’ borings as usual. C’est la vie. Will Frank rule the world? Does Popeye like spinach? Fuxxx yeah... I want to thank: Davide, Mario, Sergio, Antonio, Giangi, (The Giangi Baby), Adriano, Faz, Ginger, Sebi, Tobbe, Adam, for all the good times. ________________________________________________________________

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Dallas Rockvam // No comply wallride over the ledge. No complies and wallrides are so hot right now, and Dallas shows the fashion victim side of him and brings the hype to the next level by combining the two trends while jumping over a glossy black marble ledge. Tobbeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face says it all.

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TOMMY // MAY Hi Tommy, how are you doing? Tell us something about you... I’m 24 and come from Toft Monks in England, but have been spending a lot of time in Finland over the last ten years. Why Frank? Frank is a pretty nice guy, maybe he seems a bit odd at first but after a while he’s alright. He’s always in Berlin partying anyways, so I don’t have to listen to his shit. How is the south of Italy for skateboarding? Best and worst things? Southern Italy is very nice for skateboarding. Mario, Antonio, and the locals gave us a place to stay and showed us the good pizza places! There weren’t any bad things about the place, it just takes a little while getting used to the crazy Italian friggin’ situation! ________________________________________________________________

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Tommy May // Wallie. This is the busiest street in the city of Salerno, hundreds of cars keep rushing by non-stop all day. Furthermore, the flow of pedestrians walking on the sidewalk is continuous. During another shooting mission we tried for two hours to skate it but we gave up, having lost all hope. This time we joined forces, and while Dallas and Eniz were literally in the middle of the road stopping cars, Sebi was right behind the corner stopping pedestrians, and Tommy tried to take advantage of the small kicker to wallie over this cold and raw Jersey barrier. Definitely a great team effort.

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ENIZ // FAZLIOV What’s up Eniz? I’m all good, pretty tired from the trip... and just about to have a last dinner with the crew. Give us some info about yourself. My name is Eniz Fazilov, I’m 27 years old and was born in Macedonia, but I moved to Finland when I was 5 years old. I started skating when I was 12 years old and I ride for Frank, Emerica, Volcom, Destructo trucks, and Lamina skateshop. Why Frank? Why not? Because I always wanted to ride for a company owned by skaters, and when Dallas asked me to ride for this company I said, “why not?” Also, the riders all pretty much knew each other before the whole team even existed. What do you think of this skate-trip? It’s fucking sick! I really like to go on skate trips... because I come from a place where it’s really cold and you can’t skate outside. But yeah, the trip was awesome! Good spots, good food, nice locals... Thanks to: Mario, Davide, Antonio, Sergio, Giangi, and Playwood. Frank you! ________________________________________________________________

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Eniz Fazliov // Bs 50 50 grind. Wet run up. 4 tries. Nothing else to add.

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SEBI // DORFER Hi Seby, how are you doing? Tell us something about you! I’m fine... enjoying Italy very much! I’m from Austria, I’m 28 years old and work with disabled people. When I’m not working I’m playing with my toy and trying to enjoy life to the fullest. Why Frank? Aaaah yeah... why not? Traveling is the best part of skateboarding, what about this trip? Awesome! Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea at the end of November is really nice for an Austrian. ________________________________________________________________

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Sebi Dorfer // Drop in. This trick is a joy for your knees, but since Sebi suffered from an injury to his right foot, he thought it was fine to do it. First try, of course.Sebi has undoubtedly overcome the fear factor.

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ADRIANO // LA GRECA

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Adriano La Greca // Bum to bump switch fs varial heel. Adriano is a perfectionist, I think he made this trick ten times in a row and he was never fully satisfiedâ&#x20AC;ŚLuckily, local hero Giangy was there to reassure him. Ha ha ha.

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Eniz Fazliov // Ollie over to 5-0 to fs out.

Eniz is a machine, he skates everything and he lands every trick in no more than five tries. He found the hardest way to skate this spot! In the next life I want to skate like him!

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Dallas has style! He tries to act raw and dirty but when he skates, the grace and the magic touch he has always come out! We caught you Dallas! By the way Tobbe, the filmer, spent the whole week filming and screaming, “Hey, wait wait, I’m seeing all green through the VX!!! Wait a second!” Ha ha ha, a few hits and the VX was back on track.

Dallas Rockvam // Fs bluntslide.

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Every morning Tommy watched Quim Cardonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part from Static IV and then went out to pop some fs kickflips like this one.

Tommy May // Fs kickflip.

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Sebi Dorfer // Wallie layback.

Same spot, same traffic, same story, different trick. Wallie layback while the happy family tries to fathom what it is witnessing. Sick one Sebi.

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Skateboarding keeps you in shape and is hella fun, basketball instead is boring and makes you fat, ha ha ha! Eniz made the right choice.

Eniz Fazliov // Fs ollie to fakie 5-0 grind.

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PLACES_

detroit Photography // Kévin Mètallier.

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PLACES_

detroit a brief glance

SERENITY &

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dedication_

a conversation with //

Niki Waltl

Interview // Guido Bendotti // Davide Biondani_ Opening photo // DVL_

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Niki is living proof that in life it is not important where

you come from, and it is not important whether or not you

were born in a large metropolis where things happen… if

you have a great passion and a goal you really want to reach, you will reach it.

Niki grew up in a small town in the heart of the Austrian

Alps, not really at the center of the skateboard world, and

after just a few years of hard work and putting himself on

the line 100%, moving his ass and investing time and energy, he has become one of the top videographers in the skate

scene, taking care of some of the biggest projects carried out not only in Europe.

A few weeks ago he received the well-deserved “Skateboarding Videographer Of The Year” award in Berlin.

I had the pleasure of going on tour with him some time

ago and the thing that struck me the most was his calmness when dealing with others, while talking, and in the way he

films. At the same time I noticed a great deal of profes-

sionalism and precision in the way he works; always with his video-camera in hand and constantly busy filming some

small detail or interview for “a side-project I’ve been wor-

king on for the past 2 years” ...or shooting some photos with his Polaroid... “Apart from being nice memories, photographs are always useful for video montages.” Niki knows no idle time when he works.

Who knows how much of his character was influenced by

the place where he grew up, the serenity instilled by the mountains that at the same time forces you to work hard in order to survive.

Oh, I almost forgot, he’s also a great party boy… but that’s another story… ha ha ha. Yeah Niki! (db)_

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Karsten // Niki // Nassim // Mauro // Gautier // Photo Davide Biondani_

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Hi Niki, how are you? Can you tell us something about you? Hey, what’s up Davide! So I’m 31 and from Oberndorf, a small village in the Austrian alps. I spent a couple years abroad living in Spain and have recently returned back to my hometown. I saw you in Berlin a few days ago on the stage holding the award trophy in your hands! How did you feel about it? Surprised, stoked, and awkward at the same time. Was cool though for sure. Did you party hard at the event? Not hella crazy but we had a few for sure, Moscow Mule was the drink that night. Thanks for those tokens Vans! He he he. You come from a small village in the Austrian Alps, how did you start filming skateboarding, and how did you end up filming for some of the most important European video projects? It started at around age 15 when I got my first Hi-8 camera, I always liked to film and edit. Later I really got into making my own full length videos here in Austria. The last one was Framed (2009) together with Alessandro Anzalone. Then I think what really opened doors for me was moving to

Barcelona in 2009. There I had known Luy-Pa Sin and photographer Antton Miettinen during an earlier trip and they introduced me to many people, including JB Gillet and Jesús Fernandez. Now this whole crew needed to film for projects and there weren’t many filmers in town. So I decided to go all in, sold my VX and bought the fisheye for the Panasonic, and with that setup I was out filming every day for the coming years. It was hard to get by in the beginning but I got to meet so many people, and eventually started to get jobs at Vans Europe, got to work on Pretty Sweet, and filmed for the Cliché commercials. Then around 2011 I met the people at Element Europe, who offered me a job as their in-house filmer/video producer. Was the Element video your first big, big video project? Did you feel the pressure of the responsibility of such a large project? How was it? Yes, Hold It Down was the first big European video I worked on. There was some pressure because they wanted to put out the video pretty fast, but I enjoyed working on that project a lot. That crew had a special energy at the time. Also, the people behind the company, like Alex Deron (EU team manager & co-director) and Julian Duval did an amazing job to make things enjoyable for all of us. We had a blast for sure and some really amazing trips.

Jesus Fernandez // JB // Nassim // Flo Marfaign and Jani Laitiala // Photo Niki_

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Ross and Niki // Photo DVL_

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Danny Brady // Fs noseblunt slide // Photo Niki Waltl_

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Jesus Fernandez // Barcelona // Photo Niki Waltl_

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Which video projects did you work on in 2014? And which one was the most exciting or interesting to you? 2014 was a trip for sure. First Karsten Kleppan ‘s welcome part, then many travels with Converse, Vans, and then Nike. I highly appreciated all of those trips and it’s still so good to be on the road. If I had to pick one trip over the rest, then I’d go with the Cons trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. That was insane. Also, I got to shoot a lot of Super-8 with them this year, which is always a plus. What is your all-time fave skateboard video, and who influenced you the most in your work over the years? Nowadays, what and who inspires you under a professional point of view? All-time fave video is probably Mouse. I still remember

watching that for the first time in 95’ and it was a little lifechanger for all the creativity in there, the skits, the skating, and the styles of the riders, the graphics, and the music also influenced me a lot. Nowadays I like different things and that can be anything really, like the way a music video is shot or edited, a documentary, a movie, a commercial on TV, or whatever. But of course I also enjoy the work of many skate videographers. Greg Hunt, French Fred, Federico Vitetta, Yves Marchon, Dan Magee, and others come to mind. Are you very much into technology and new equipment for filming? A lot of sick skate videos are still filmed on VX, and then some amazing skateboard video projects are filmed on super expensive HD video cams, what’s your view on the matter? I think of a camera as more of a tool. Everything can be used well or badly. VX and the 4:3 aspect ratio fits skating really well for sure. Personally I like to mix formats. Like having really crisp HD and then cutting it up with grainy black and white Super-8. All formats have their strength and should be chosen depending on the project. I like anything if it’s done well.

With thousands of skateboard video projects published every year what’s the “secret” to innovate, not get bored filming for “another skateboard project” and find new motivation? I guess everyone has their own way of keeping themselves going and motivated. I try to work only on projects I like and believe in, then it becomes easy to give 100%. Three songs you’re listening to lately? Betty Ford Boys - Shut Up Raekwon - Glaciers of Ice Spoon - Do You Your 3 fave movies? Apocalypse Now (F.F. Coppola)

Barton Fink (Coen Brothers) There Will be Blood (PT Anderson). What stuff do you like to film apart from skateboarding and porn? Ha ha ha! Ha ha yeah, actually it’s good to try and be around girls, get some female energy. Also, I’m interested in shooting nature, cities, people, documentaries, fiction, music videos, art & artists, snowboarding, and anything else that feels right or looks good. What are you working on at the moment, and what’s in your agenda for 2015? Just finished the Fluff & Nike Scandilous edit and next week I’m going to Barcelona to film with Element. At the moment there seems to be always something happening and I hope some special projects pop up for 2015, possibly a collaboration with a brief glance! Anytime. Thanks Niki. Thanks to you.

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Parallel Crew // Smiles_

Photos // Niki Walts_

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Fred Mortagne // Shooting_

JB Gillet // Barber_

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Triple view // Photo Niki Waltl_

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Dusted_off

Photography and words // Leo Sharp.

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Isle of Man

2003

It was December of 2003, just about the time of year the UK winter decides to take a strangle hold and get really, really cold. Street skating and in fact, any kind of outdoor 4 wheeled activity gets restricted to the random days where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not raining and just about warm enough for the floor to be dry and not damp. So, the perfect time for a skate trip abroad to somewhere warm, right? Like Barcelona or Madrid? Yeah. We chose the Isle Of Man!

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For those of you who aren’t sure of the geographical location of said island, it’s in the Irish Sea, the 60 mile or so wide strip of water separating Britain from Ireland. So just as cold and wet as the rest of the UK. You’re probably all asking yourselves, why? Why risk taking a skate trip to somewhere the weather is almost definitely going to be terrible and there’s probably nowhere to skate? Well there’s the thing. Someone had randomly taken a look at a BMX magazine which contained within it’s pages evidence of an empty and very skateable pool on the island. Oh and an egg shaped full pipe. The irresistible draw of virgin concrete was too much to bear for Pete King, Marc Churchill, Dave Allen, Dan Cates, Doug ‘The Slug’ MacLachlan, Bruce ‘The Ox’ Kelliher and Howard Cooke. Flights and ferries were booked. Generators and lights were hired. Weather reports were ignored.

finally blowing up after 20 minutes skating, Dave’s board shooting out into the reservoir, Dave going for a swim in the reservoir to try and retrieve his board, half the crew going home without getting to skate the pool due to bad weather before the other half scoring a perfect sunny day and tearing it a new one. Thanks to the lads for making the trip a really good laugh and thanks to Adam McGuire for showing us around the island. I still don’t know how Pete and Marc got round the ‘no trainers’ rule at the local night club by putting their socks on over their skate shoes.

As usual, the budget for the average cobbled together skate trip wasn’t exactly up to five star hotel accommodation. So had there been any five star hotel accommodation on the island, we definitely couldn’t have afforded to stay there. The place that we actually ended up laying our heads did turn out to be a hotel though. It was just part of a chinese restaurant. So apart from the constant aroma of Crispy Lemon Chicken and the random Prawn Cracker fragments underfoot, things were just fine. There’s not much more to say about the rest of the trip that the pictures don’t tell the story of: Night time journeys to clean out the pool, a MISSION to get the generator and 20 bags of cat litter into the full pipe involving winching everything down onto the slipway, the generator getting rained on through the glory hole and

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PETE KING // Bs kickflip_

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DOUG ‘THE SLUG’ MACLACHLAN // Fs air_

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Albert // Hardflip over the gap to back slide_

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issue _29