a brief glance skateboardmag 17

issue / 17

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COVER:

Alvin Francescato, fs nosegrind.

Photo Davide Biondani.

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GRIFFIN

MORE INFO AT LAKAI.COM

LA KA I LIMITE D FO O T W E A R TH E S HO E S WE S K AT E BIEBEL / JOHNSON / MARIANO / CARROLL / HOWARD / ALVAREZ / GILLET / BRADY / JENSEN / SILVAS FERNANDEZ / TERSHY / ESPINOZA / HAWK / WALKER / PEREZ / photo by biemer / lakai.com + crailtap.com

ISSUE / 17

CONTENTS FRAGMENTS

Dusted off_ ale martoriati_ roma 2003

Like a charming woman_

Laughs with a friend _ Kris Vile interview

Places_Sri Lanka ART NOW!_ Simon VĂŚth

A citizen of the world_Juan Saavedra a brief glance

_winter in Venezia

The balance of things_Mirko Obkircher

In Search Of_rought nights in the north with the Polar team a brief glance

EDITOR and CONCEPT Davide Biondani.

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

ASSISTANT EDITOR Andrew Zolin.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Leo Sharp, Kévin Mètallier, Nils Svensson, Davy Van Leare, Friedjof Feye, Garric Ray, Fabio Montagner, Marcello Guardigli,

Eric Antoine, Alan Maag, Davide Biondani, Bertrand Trichet, Fede Romanello.

CONTRIBUTORS

Jonathan Levin, Jeroen Smeets, Francesco Paolo Chielli, Mauro Caruso, Jerome Campbell, Cris “Viga” Mantovani, Yari Copt, Phil Zwijsen, Ale Martoriati, Holger von Krosigk, Simone Bertozzi,Niall Neeson.

DESIGN

Fake Donkey Lab. www.abriefglance.com

GET ALL THE INFOS at: info@abriefglance.com

abrief glance skateboard mag is a bulletin published by fake donkey skateboard asd.

No part of this pubblication may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher.

All right reserved.

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Ê-" / ,Ê Ê ," /- Ê 1 /ÊUÊ* "/"\Ê Ê-*

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www.abriefglance.com art / simon_vĂŚth

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EDITORIAL / 17

Skateboarding! A natural generator of drugs that already exist in your body…

Adrenalin, the ecstasy to challenge limits and improve skills.

A love that can hurt, but that cannot scare us.

A way of life, the greatest attitude, a discipline that teaches you that satisfaction is earned.

I don’t envy those who don’t know this feeling.

I’ll have great memories one day.

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Cris “Viga” Mantovani.

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FRAGMENTS

Andrew Zolin, Bs kickflip.

Photo: Davide Biondani.

Venezia.

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FRAG MENTS Pascal Leninston, Bs 50-50 grind Photo: Marcello Guardigli.

Melbourne.

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Ale Bonacci, Bs nosegrind pop out.

Photo: Davide Biondani.

Civitanova.

FRAGMENTS

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FRAGMENTS

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Horsey, Wallie to crooks.

Photo: Kèvin Mètallier.

London.

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TONY CERVANTES / MONTANA

A DOCUMENTARY FILM BY FALLEN FOOTWEAR

Dusted_Off ale martoriati _Roma2003

May is one of the best months of the year to visit Rome, it’s generally sunny and the temperature is perfect. It was May 2003 and I drove to Rome with Gianni Zattoni and Thrasher’s filmer P-Stone Maigetter. Preston is a great character, we spent 3 days laughing, skating, and of course drinking beers and eating a lot of good food.

We met our local buddies Ale Martoriati and Gaspare Gentile who showed us some spots including this steep bank located under the SIP building, the former Italian national telephone company.

Ale and Gianni Zatt were the only ones able to skate this wall and after a quick warm up Ale started popping some bs ollies. When he was ready, he popped one and right after smacking the tail he lost part of his back truck finding himself in the air in the middle of a perfectly executed bs ollie with only the kingpin of his back truck coming out of his board.

The craziest thing is that he landed the trick “grinding” down the whole bank and riding on the flat too.

Nobody could believe he did it!

After reassembling his back truck Ale blasted one of his trademark kickflips on the wall.

At the time Ale was flow rider for ZooYork and he has always been one of my favorite skateboarders. I kept these color slides for about 10 years without using them, lost one of them for a while and finally found it a few months ago, deciding to publish them in the mag.

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Photography and words_Davide Biondani.

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bs ollie_losing truck

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ale martoriati _Roma2003

Dusted_O

bs kickflip_

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SWITCH FS OLLIE - PHOTO DAVIDE BIONDANI

CONGRATS

#LIKEBAULI #BLASTSKATEBOARING a brief glance

MARCO LAMBERTUCCI BROTHERHOOD SERIES 8.1” x 31.8 x 14.13” 8.0” x 32.1 x 14.25”

S MARCO!

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winter in_Venezia.

Like a charming woman Words Andrew Zolin _ photography Davide Biondani.

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Venice is the city where opposites meet each other, a space between the true and the false, between the beautiful and the ugly, between water and land, and between love and hate.

I grew up idolizing this city. Its historical importance, architectural and cultural uniqueness, and the mystery that always surrounds it, have always made it one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you ask any human being the five cities he would like to visit, Venice is almost certainly one of them. But the beauty of Venice is not inherent, it is unique, and therefore even more intriguing.

The fake art blends perfectly with the real one, but most people cannot tell the difference simply by admiring it.

Myth and reality merge in this city made of islands, canals, bridges, narrow streets, boats, costumed characters, gondoliers and pigeons.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live there, and the locals have always asked me how I perceive Venice from the outside. How do I perceive it? It’s fascinating, very fascinating.

In Venice you feel constantly lost, but at the same time you seem to be in an already seen place. Venice disorients you, stuns you, and creates an illusion… it’s like a charming woman.

You can go to Venice for the most different rea-

of something skateable. The best thing was that

the carnival, take a gondola ride, see an art exhibit,

group’s main pastime, bringing together peo-

sons: study at university, spend a holiday, celebrate admire the historical and architectural beauties,

bring your girlfriend for a romantic night, make a movie, take photos, work, paint, sightseeing, visit

the flooded city, or skate. Skate? In Venice? Surely it was not an easy task to get something done.

On every mission, we left early in the morning and returned late at night, walking all day, and

exploring every hidden corner of the city in search

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during the endless walks, conversations were the ple who perhaps had met for the first time, and

forming a relaxed team spirit, united, peaceful and fun. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed a

skate mission with this state of mind! Our expec-

tations clashed with the lack of skateable surfaces, but hunting is part of the fun, and skateboarding

is a machine for creating ideas, so little by little we found what we were looking for.

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Fabio Montagner_ollie up to fs bluntslide.

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Fabio Colombo_kinked drop in.

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Alvin Francescato_bs smith grind. a brief glance

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Fabio Colombo_ollie. a brief glance

Fabio Montagner_crooks up.

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Cris “Viga� Mantovani_ ollie through the window.

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winter in_Venezia.

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Alvin Francescato_fs crooks.

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Samir_ollie nosebonk. a brief glance

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Like a charming woman winter in_Venezia.

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KRIS VILE

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Portrait Davy Van Leare.

Words Davide Biondani.

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People who smile live better and make life better for those close to them.

I met Kris a few years ago and since then every time I met him I’ve always seen him smile, even in the worst situations he has always ended the speech with a funny line... dissolving the tension and making everyone laugh. This aspect of his personality reflects in the way he skates: this means that going skating or taking photos with him is always fun. A few years ago I was standing under the white stairs at Lincoln Square in Melbourne shooting photos with him and Ross McGouran; after 10 tricks landed first try, Kris looked at me and asked, “Hey Dave, what the hell can I try?” My answer was, “Airwalk to fakie,” ironically of course… He took a run-up and landed bs airwalk to fakie first try and right after did a bs airwalk 360. Talking loudly and saying funny things, of course.

Kris Vile rules.

Safe!

Proper bs ollie _LE / Photo Davy Van Leare. a brief glance

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Bs ollie backward nosegrind_BCN / Photo Davide Biondani. a brief glance

G’day Kris, all good mate? Where are you?

Hey Davide mate, I’m very well thank you, just got back to my hometown Birmingham, I’ve been away for the first trip of the year in the north of Spain.. me and a crew from England are working on a clip to put out by summer, so keep your eyes peeled..

I’ve heard you were on tour in Spain last week, how was it? What tour was this?

Haha news travels fast!! Yeah me and an all star crew mostly from London and the Midlands just popped out to Bilbao for a week.. we’ve been working on a slightly underground project with some 3 filmers, 1 from up north and 2 from the south. so look forward to seeing it when it drops late spring/early summer!!!!

What’s “Get Lesta”? I have seen “Get Lesta What’s Cookin’?” video came out a few weeks ago…. Could you tell something more about this project?

One of my friends from around Birmingham had met the crew on recent ventures; one day out skating they came along and i was introduced. They’re a super sound bunch with a highly motivational front man, Mr Callun Loomes, who alongside skating himself picked up a camera and started filming his mates.. we ended up filming some stuff over a couple of times and he asked me if i wanted to be involved in the project!! After a sick year skating and filming with the guys the video was done and premiered in Leicester in September and we were all stoked with the end results. Although it sold out, it can still be found for sale from a few places in the UK!!!

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“The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Kris is the best nollie inward heels I have ever seen! Its true! I really like Kris, he’s a super cool guy, he is always been like this since the first time I met him. Every trip we have been on he destroyed it, he’s is super talented.” Phil Zwijsen.

Fs ollie switch nosegrind over crooks to kickflip out_BCN / Photo Davide Biondani.

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What’s “Get Lesta”? I have seen “Get Lesta What’s Cookin’?”video came out a few weeks ago…. Could you tell something more about this project?

One of my friends from around Birmingham had met the crew on recent ventures; one day out skating they came along and i was introduced. They’re a super sound bunch with a highly motivational front man, Mr Callun Loomes, who alongside skating himself picked up a camera and started filming his mates.. we ended up filming some stuff over a couple of times and he asked me if i wanted to be involved in the project!! After a sick year skating and filming with the guys the video was done and premiered in Leicester in September and we were all stoked with the end results. Although it sold out, it can still be found for sale from a few places in the UK! The first time we met in 2007 you were riding for Blind Europe,then you rode for Santa Cruz for almost 1 1/2 years then you switched to this board co. called Clan 010, under the Jart Skateboard wings.. and now?

Well i just had an interview in Sidewalk magazine where i spoke of my board sponsor history and explained that i haven’t been that lucky over the years.. current day situation is some what of the same, I’ve had no board sponsor for a while now and I’m just about to finally run out of boards. I’ve been searching for a team that i can be involved in, be part of a tight crew, go on trips, film a video but its not as easy as it sounds. I’m just going to be patient, wait it out and see if the right offer comes along!

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Last time we met in BCN you were on a mission, filming every day all day. Are you working on a video part or on an interview now?

Well i used to live in Barca, so I’ve done my time there over the years. I think that anyone that has lived there will agree that when you’re just visiting you get way more skating done!

So when we met there I was just on a different schedule to many other Barca dwellers.. taking advantage of the vast amount of spots while I had the chance. The footage from the trip can be found in the part in “Whats Cookin’” mentioned earlier. Currently I’m working on a UK based project so there should be another part coming soon, and hopefully another interview for Kingpin.

We met for the first time in Melbourne a few years ago, when we rented an house together with Ross, Flobo and master Nello. What a great time we had! I know you went back many time’s to Oz since then, what do you like the most about Australia? Have you ever thought about moving to live there?

Yeah I remember that trip so well, meeting you all for the first time and going to Oz. I had an amazing trip and fell in love with the place whilst i was there. The weather is great, the skates spots are mind blowing, the people are so easy-going and the sheer beauty of it is enough to make you want to live there; but the fact that it’s far away, so isolated from the rest of the world is, as well as part of its charm, the reason why i wouldn’t live there permanently. So I’ll just carry on visiting when I can to steer clear of the harsh English winter!

You have traveled a lot, can you tell me your 5 favorite places you have been and why?

I’ve been lucky enough to travel from a young age, so i have had chance to see a lot of this beautiful world we live in. It’s hard to say my top 5!! I’ve never been that good with questions like this but here we go, (these aren’t in any order)...

Melbourne, Australia; Wellington, New Zealand; New York, USA; the whole of Spain (to hard to distinguish where but we all know why); Midlands, UK..roots baby, roots! All of these place have been chosen due to the skate spots, the scenery, the people and the great times I’ve spent there!

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I know Ross McGouran is one of your best friends, I know you have many crazy stories about your adventures together, could you tell at least one? Please!!! ( The one of the credit card insert in the wrong hole of an atm machine in Melb was a good one…ha ha ha).

There’s so many to choose from it’s hard to say.

I’ve know and skated with Ross since I was a wee nipper and we saw a lot of the world together through traveling with the same sponsors etc. it’s a shame because we don’t get to see each other as much as we used to which is something I need to fix this year. The story you’ve mentioned here is just a classic worst case scenario.

When you’re a traveler in a foreign place and the only way you can access your money is with your bank card, trying to insert it into the space between the card slot and the casing around it... then the realization that it’s now going to be part of the machine and for the next 2 weeks your going to be totally broke until the replacement card turns up! Great time’s!

Do you still live in Birmingham? How is Birmingham as a place to live?

Well I lived outside of Birmingham for a good few years traveling about sofa surfing and renting for little periods! But because of an injury I sustained and a want to spend some time nearer my family, I moved back to Brum for a while. I’ve been based back for here for just over 2 years now. Although I still travel a fair bit I do miss the open road a little. Birmingham isn’t amazing to skate as the local council seem to build everything with skater haters on it and everything is a bust, but all surrounding the city in the midlands are loads of gems. Everywhere can be easily accessed from this central point of the country. As a result I’ve shot my best interview for Sidewalk and filmed my fist ever full video part, so although its been different vibes, I wouldn’t change anything. All i need to do now

How is the UK skateboard scene now? It seems to be very lively lately…

Yeah for sure there’s been a good energy lately, with loads of new companies coming out the wood works. Along side some new little rippers on the scene. it’s good to see some hype coming from our shores with companies like Palace, pushing the image further afield. So i think we’ve got some really rad things to look forward to coming out of the UK over the up and coming years!

What kind of music do you prefer? what songs you are listening to lately?

I grew up listening old school metal like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, due to my brother’s influences. I really like soul music too and I’m a massive fan of reggae and a bit of a rave! So like many people these days my musical palette is wide and it samples many genres.

3 movies must see?

I watched “The Grey” recently, really liked it “Usual Suspects” all time classic.. I’m a sucker for a good animation,but couldn’t pick just one.

What interests you outside of skateboarding?

I’ve got massively into cooking recently as well but I think things that I enjoy doing besides skating are like many others, it evolves around good company, good food and a good setting!

What are your plans for the coming months?

Well apart from finishing up this video part and working on a couple of bit with Sidewalk, I have a open calendar. I’m planning on going out to California in a month or so, go say “What’s up” to some friends and skate some good spots! I suppose a priority is sorting out a board sponsor so I can do what I love, without boards that could be a little difficult.

is get my butt back out in the rest of Europe and make some noise...

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Bs big spin _BCN / Photo Davide Biondani.

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“I have always been amazed by the number of talents that UK has produced in its history: gems like The Beatles, William Shakespeare, Monty Pythons, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton ... Kris Vile is one of the gems of UK and European skateboarding… a load of board control and style, always with a smile on his face. “ Yari Copt.

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Half cab kickflip_BCN / Photo Davide Biondani.

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PLACES / 17 SRI LANKA

Photography_Federico Romanello.

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PLACES / 17

SRI LANKA

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the balance of things MIRKO OBKIRCHER

Photography and words_Davide Biondani.

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WE SPENT YEARS SKATING, SHOOTING

PHOTOS, AND HAVING FUN TOGETHER TRAVELLING AROUND EUROPE. THEN ONE DAY HE KIND OF DISAPPEARED. I

THINK HE WAS OVER CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE SKATEBOARDING BIZ SYSTEM

OR SIMPLY HE MADE DIFFERENT CHOICES FOR HIS LIFE. MIRKO IS A CLEVER

PERSON AND EVEN IF I MISS THE GOOD

DAYS SPENT TOGETHER A LOT, I’M SURE

HE CHOSE THE BEST FOR HIMSELF AND HIS FUTURE.

HEY BUDDY GIVE ME A CALL AND LET’S PLAN A TRIP FOR THE SUMMER. YEEEE!

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ART NOW!

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G’day Mirko, how are you? Where are you at the moment?

Hi Dave, I’m fine. Thank you. I’m in Copenhagen at the moment. Came in nearly 3 days ago. I was nominated for the exchange program of spring 2013 at CBS. Basically that means that I’m going to remain and spend my time here for about 5 months. Looking forward to it..

Copenhagen? Wow, not bad! Is it cold over there?

Well, currently it’s pretty cold unfortunately but people told me that the weather will get better in about a month so hopefully temperatures are going to rise soon. Despite temperatures the weather has been mainly cloudy and foggy so far. Hopefully this will change soon as well. But it’s wintertime so it´s actually similar to Vienna.

You are Italian, you were born in Alto Adige, the bilingual Italian-German region, you spent the last few years in Vienna and now you have just moved to Denmark. A good mix I would say… do you feel more Italian, South Tyrolean, Viennese or Danish? Ha ha ha Well, hmm.. good question. Being abroad, for me it basically means meeting new people and making new friends. So that’s actually the main reason why I’m just moving around as much as I can. It’s not really a question of feeling Italian, German or whatever. Living in a place for a certain period means to become part of it. Nevertheless I think that you can’t and will never be able to forget your roots and that’s good. Even though I’ve been living in Vienna for a couple years now, I definitely feel Italian and I´m sure that won’t change in the future. So to sum it up: I’m super proud to be Italian, even after spending a couple years abroad.

For a few years you were very active in the skateboard scene with interviews in mags, tours, contests... then you suddenly disappeared completely. What happened? Did you get tired of it all or was it some jealous girlfriend? Ha ha ha.

Ha ha, well I met my girlfriend but she actually wasn’t the reason why I had to prioritize other things in my life.

Unfortunately life isn’t just about having fun and traveling the world. I didn’t earn money with skateboarding and as I got older I was at a point where I had to decide what to do. Money doesn’t just appear from thin air. Doing nothing therefore wasn’t a choice for me.

Life is not only about waiting for better times. You basically have to work for the things you want to get.

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Even if I failed to become a professional skateboarder, I’m happy to have been part of the scene for a couple years. In order to start a new chapter in your life, the old one has to finish. And that`s actually what happened. I started a new chapter and I don’t regret anything so far.

How has your point of view changed over the years?

Compared to when you were younger, when we used to travel 300kms just to get the photo of a trick on a rail, what’s your outlook on skateboarding nowadays?

I definitely miss the trips and the moments we spent together to shoot photos, partying and having fun. But life moves along. Things change. Some of them are good, others are not. Altogether I’m happy with my choices so far. You shouldn’t live in the past and therefore I’m always happy to make new experiences.

But I think that even if changes do occur, a bunch of things don’t. Best example: we are still in touch.

Of course the way I think about skateboarding today has changed a bit. As you mentioned above I stopped traveling around for contests and such events but that doesn’t mean that I stopped skating. Basically skateboarding isn’t just about participating in contests and stuff like that. It’s definitely more like a lifestyle or way of living, or rather thinking. Skateboarding means being creative, having fun and making friends. That’s actually the way I’m thinking about it now.

You are one of the few skateboarders from Alto Adige who gained visibility not just in the Italian scene, even though there have always been good skateboarders there.

Why do you think they don’t participate much in the Italian scene?

Well, that’s basically a good question but I don’t really know the answer. Even though as I observed, there are some people traveling. I think for the most part they don’t really want to go out. They prefer to have fun in their local spots with their friends.

I would appreciate it if more of the young guns would just put their asses on a train to join events around Italy or somewhere else but I can’t force them.

Why did you choose Vienna to go to university? What are you studying?

The choice was actually spontaneous. I wanted to leave my little hometown for a while and live in a bigger city. Vienna was the first place that came to mind. I’m currently studying Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, but I should be finished by the end of this semester. Then we’ll see what I’ll do.

What’s it like living in Vienna? What’s the city like? Coming from another place you probably have a privileged point of view to observe it: what are the three things you prefer about Vienna and life there? What do you like the least?

Vienna is definitely one of the most beautiful cities in Europe or even on planet Earth. I like the architecture the most, the fact of remaining anonymous because so many people live here, and also I love the people I’ve met here so far. The worst thing about Vienna is the winter for sure.

Not really skater-friendly to be honest but you have to live with it.

I found out you have become an expert at repairing Iphones. What do you do, scrape together broken phones, then fix and sell them? Where did you learn to repair them?

Hahah who the fuck told you that? Damn!

Well, it´s true. It just started consuming me some months ago. I started to open the devices and study them. Current state: when it’s raining or even snowing outside and I can’t go out to cruise around with my board I just take or buy a broken I-phone and try to repair it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. So I’m not a “boss” actually as you called me. I just spend time assembling and disassembling these devices. That’s it.

Can you tell me the 3 songs you’ve been listening to the most lately?

HVOB – Jack; HVOB – Last song ever written; 8 Hours Manatee – We carry.

You have just moved to Copenhagen! Why did you make this choice? What are your first impressions of this city?

I just came in last Saturday so I didn’t have the chance to visit much yet but I’m definitely going to visit it in the next few days. Well Copenhagen basically is a very innovative city. As a student of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the university here is definitely one of the best in the world.

Despite that, Denmark is an international country where you meet people from all over the world. I live with a bunch of Canadians for example. That´s mainly the reason why I decided to come spend a couple months here. I’ll be sure to enjoy it.

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In search for... rough nights in the north with the Polar team

Photography and words Nils Svensson.

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Sometimes it is nice to break old habits and routines. To say “Fuck it�, get out of your comfort zone and cramp yourself into a tiny Golf and get out on the road without any plans or directions or even a place to stay.

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Hjalte Halberg / crooked bonk _ Billeberga.

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A few months ago when it was still supposed to be summer according

to the calendar we challenged the rain forecasts and packed up our cars with Oskar Rozenberg Hallberg, Peter Stege, Hjalte Halberg, David

Stenström, Balder Lehman, Pontus Alv and myself Nils Svensson, three popup tents, a hand pump and three blow up mattresses.

Pontus has got a real talent to find the most rugged spots in the most

remote little villages around Skåne (Scania, the south part of Sweden).

It doesn’t matter if the village is called Tågarp, Billeberga, Marieholm

or Bjuv, if they have 50 or 5000 citizens, if there is something skateable then he will steer his Golf with a steady hand straight to the target.

But a trip needs a start and after some debating and speculating we en-

ded up in Oregon of Sweden, in J-mags home turf Stehag. This is where Oskar and David took the opportunity to blast some high backside airs, do some lovely looking frontside blunts and inspire us all that would last until the early hours.

Our journey took us through the middle of Skåne, through Teckoma-

torp, Tågarp and Billeberga. Tågarp offered us a classic gas station bank, Teckomatorp didn’t offer us anything but Billeberga turned out to be a real gem. Mini motorbikes, banks, rails and rocks. Billeberga rules!

While hunting for tricks and spots we completely forgot about our sleeping situation. The darkness had arrived and we were cruising around

determined to find the perfect camping spot. We certainly had a knack for finding good skate spots but would this intuition lead us to a good one for camping?

The odds were against us, the darkness had emerged around our thirsty

In search for...

vehicles and we were lost on the road to nowhere.

I suddenly remembered a little summer paradise with a white sandy

beach called Vejbystrand where I used to spend some time as a child so without hesitation we set off in hope to find the perfect camping spot.

This turned out to be a genius idea and we soon were settled on the beach by an old bunker.

Light the barbecue, get the burgers on and pump up those mattresses.

Nobody said it would be easy to camp. After a rough night we woke

up on the lovely beach with all the dog owners of Vejbystrand staring

at us while walking past on their daily morning stroll. Did anyone say something rude to us? I bet they did.

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Fuck Vejbystrand (no offence, I love the place), we set

off north towards Båstad and their yearly Tennis tournament. My lovely Alfa Romeo fitted in nicely with all the

Ferraris and Meseratis. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Leather seats and sports steering wheel. It was worse for Pontus old knackered Golf. Båstad has got a brand

spanking new skatepark and Oskar and David enjoyed its smooth concrete and steep hip.

Together with the skate locals of Båstad we set off

through the villas and grand houses and entered a fancy garden with Swedens only real backyard pool. The pool was positioned on a well groomed lawn beneath a nice

country style house that was somewhat deserted. David

and Balder were beyond stoked. It is very rare on our la-

titude to find and be able to shred a real backyard beauty and even if this wasn’t a pool by American standards it

was pretty fun and a unique experience anyway. This pool was more like a round bank to wall and to be able to hit the lip you had to make your way up a meter of vert on the bumpy and rough surface.

After the session was over we set off in search of a good

spot for our pop up tents and once again we set off for a beach close by. We had heard lots of good things about Skrea beach where you were allowed to drive your car

straight down to the water. We found this very fascina-

ting as this is not allowed anywhere around Skåne, so we parked our vehicles straight on the beach and set up our

camp and enjoyed some warm hotdogs and cold weather.

Then the wind came....

David Stenström / fs rock_Båstad.

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When we woke up (or did we really sleep?) next morning our beach had transformed into a kiting paradise and our base camp was spread out in all directions. Just as you

would expect a grumpy dog owner walked by and let us know his disappointment in our waste disposal. We are no animals so of course we picked up our garbage and

left the beach as good as new. Happy now mr Grumpy?

The search for the miraculous continued. We were

determined to find something out of the ordinary and

we drove up and down all possible roads scanning off the terrain. We didn’t find much but you never know until you’ve tried it.

We ended up in the old 70’s snakerun that is a few kilo-

meters outside Falkenberg. This is a fun place, a bit rough but quite original and it’s position is pretty cool out in

the middle of nowhere by an old deserted go cart track.

A few quick frontside blunts and then we were off to the new concrete park in the center of town instead.

Contemplating if it was time to head home to Malmö

we decided to slum it one more night at Skrea Strand in hope to find something awesome to skate the day after.

One more evening with hot dogs, tents, blow up mattresses, high winds and toilet visits in the woods.

Next morning the rain clouds arrived. We did our best to outrun them but as we arrived to the spots we wanted to skate, so did the rain. We got chased all the way back to

Malmö and suddenly this epic camping trip had come to an end. Just like the end scene in The Search for Animal Chin we all agreed that we had had a great time even if we didn’t really find that truly miraculous shit we were looking for. But there is always the next time...

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rough nights in the north

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Balder Lehman / newer deal pop_TĂĽgarp.

David StenstrĂśm / fs nosebluntslide_Falkenberg. a brief glance

David Stenstrรถm / fs blunt_Stehag. a brief glance

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Hjalte Halberg / bs kickflip_Billeberga.

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In search for...

Pontus Alv / fs boardslide_Billeberga.

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ART NOW!

simon_vĂŚth words and interview_Jeroen Smeets

Simon Vaeth (1984) is an illustrator from Copenhagen, Denmark, who works in the rich tradition of old folk art and myths. His illustrations are rich in story telling, and traces back to the historic day that the Danish vikings once ruled the world. Those days are long gone, but Simon Vaeth is here to stay. Meet the artist and catch a glimpse of his work right here.

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Check out more work from Simon at www.simonvaeth.dk

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For the readers, how would you like to introduce yourself to them?

I’m a Danish illustrator and graphic artist based in Copenhagen. I work as a freelance illustrator and have been in touch with a wide range of media, like live visuals, magazine illustration, cover art, flyers, book illustrations and not least my own main interest, lino cut printmaking.

My own work is graphic and often like old folk art direct and naive. My inspiration is a mixture of many different sources. But I often dig down in the old European folk art. I love the naive and honest language.

How would you imagine your life as an illustrator in southern Italy, as opposed to the nordic Denmark?

Pretty much the same, I guess. The biggest change from nordic Denmark would be the number of Italian-speaking people being significantly higher and I would probably start drinking wine on a more daily basis.

Can you tell us about your work process? What does a regular day look like for you?

Usually I’m coming into my studio between 12.00 and 14.00, but in exchange I work until late at night. I don’t believe in the inspiration from above talk, the best ideas comes when you dive in and work and sculpt with the illustration. I guess my work progress is very intuitive, I rarely do sketches, and when I do I like the sketches more than the final illustration.

How do you make your money? Are you full time illustrator, or do you have a job on the side?

I’m a full time illustrator now, but I can’t rule out that a part time job on the side will be necessary at some point but hopefully it won’t. It’s just that I never know what the next month will bring. Right now I have had some good months with a lot of work, but I never know. I guess that is the thing when you work as an freelancer, there’s a lot of freedom, but also a lot of uncertainty, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. a brief glance

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What kind of job do you always hope for to land in your email inbox?

I’m not hoping for an exact kind of job, I like it when the jobs are varied. But I do hope for some more international jobs, and that can be anything from posters, book or magazine illustrations, or wherever there is a need for an illustrator.

You are continuously on the road looking for new projects and new people to work together with? What is your motivation behind this?

Oh yes indeed, to do new projects and to meet new people is almost the motivation in itself, just sitting on my ass doing my own small illustrations would be boring in the long run.

You’ve been traveling to Lebanon as well. What did you get up to there?

I’ve been to Lebanon twice. The first time was in 2011, my girlfriend was filming a small documentary in Beirut and was staying there for four months. While I was there I met up with some Lebanese illustrators to hear and talk about what it was like working as an illustrator in Lebanon, besides having a great talk we also agreed that some sort of exchange project would be fun to make, and that is what I’m working on now.

Can you tell us more about this exchange project your setting up there?

In brief the project is to bring five Danish illustrators to Lebanon for a week to meet and work with five Lebanese illustrators and to make the project full circle the five Lebanese illustrators will also be invited back to Denmark for a week. The main motive of the project is create a forum where illustrators can learn from each other, both in terms of how it work as an illustrator, but also of each others countries. Hopefully the project will also help to increase understanding between the two countries and help to break down prejudices and myths.

What was it like to travel to Lebanon? What is the situation there right now?

The situation in Lebanon? There is no actual situation in Lebanon right now, but Lebanon is obviously effected by the situation in Syria in many ways. One of the more direct impacts on Lebanon actually happened when I was in Beirut last October. A very powerful car bomb exploded a few blocks from where I lived, killing an intelligence official and a lot of civilians.

I was in another part of Beirut at the time of the incident and without knowing what had happened I accidentally came by the street where the car bomb had gone off an hour earlier. I remember wondering why all the buildings had their windows and facades shattered and then a second later I saw medics and military all over the place and realized what had happened. Not an experience I had hoped for. But that does not discourage me, if all goes as planned, the Danish-Lebanese illustration collaboration will take place in May this year.

Other then the Lebanon project, what kind of projects are you working on right now for the next few months?

I’ll be finishing the last illustrations for a British publisher, and working on the final details of my Danish-Lebanese illustration collaboration. I also mean to start on small book project on children’s folklore and Besides that I’ll be checking my inbox for new job proposals every five minutes.

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Juan Esteban Saavedra

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a citizen of the world Juan Esteban Saavedra is Colombian. He now lives in Paris but was born on the other side of the planet, at the foot of the Andes in Colombia. Child he came to grow in France then teenager he continued his studies in Florida. In other words, without really having chosen, Juan Esteban is a citizen of the world who has not really belonging to a country, a region or district. Its own territory is more akin to a small maple board with wheels below, on which, from the top of his 20 years, he has spent more than two-thirds of his life.

If the skateboard can be regarded in many respects as a passport to freedom and travel, no doubt that Juan is not gonna get stuck at any boarder post...

Photography and words KÊvin Mètallier.

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“The skate scene in Paris is stagnant....

It’s also very divided but there’s a lot of talent and potential.“

Backside kickflip.

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Yep Juan what’s up mate ? Where are you at the moment ?

Chilling in my girlfriend’s bed.

How many hours did you sleep last night ?

11 or 12, basic...

I know you’re quite passionate by sleeping, how many hours do you sleep on average per a day ?

I go to bed pretty late most of the time. Everyone’s sleeping, no one bothers you and its quiet. I like it, but I end up waking up mid afternoon though.

So Let’s talk a bit about your story, you were born in Colombia right ?

Yeah I was born in Colombia in 92’, moved all over it because of my parents’ jobs, then in 98’ we moved to Paris.

For which reasons did you decide to leave Colombia ?

And why did you land in Paris ?

I was 5 or 6 at the time, so I didn’t really cared much for it, but later my parents explained to me it was because Colombia was becoming too dangerous for us. My mom would tell me I would go to private schools with armed guards out front, that there would be shootings pretty much every night outside our complex and that coworkers of my parents’ were getting kidnapped and most of them killed, so we had to go. My mom always admired the French culture and way of life so she didn’t think twice before we were on our way to Paris.

Tell us a bit about your life in Paris when you were a kid… Big changes with your previous life in Colombia i guess…

Well I was just a little kid at the time, when you’re that young you just adapt to any situation. My parents told me I learned French pretty fast, took me like 3 or 4 months, so fitting into my new environment wasn’t so difficult.

How many years did you spend in Paris ?

I spent around 2 years in Paris but then my parents decided to move out in the country, to a little town called Fontenay-le-Fleury not far from Versailles. It was a great place to be a kid, you had all the benefits of a city, while having plenty of open spaces; forests, fields, rivers, it was rad.

You start skateboarding in France, how did you manage to get your soles on a skateboard for the first time ?

My friends at the time always had skateboards lying around and we would often sit on them and race down hills. It was so much fun, we would be like 10 kids racing

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down a huge hill pushing each other, sometimes two at a time on the same board so you’d go faster. We would spent entire afternoons doing that. Then one day I played Tony Hawk pro skater, beat the game and watched the 411 clip of Kareem Campbell they show you at the end. Then I put a cheat code and watched all the other videos. I couldn’t believe it. It was the coolest, sickest, most unbelievable thing. I was like “What? You can actually stand on this thing?” And from the moment I did until now I’ve just fucking loved it.

A few years later, new big turn in your life when you’re 13…

Yeah, when I was 13 I went on vacation to Miami. It was dope. The beach, the sun, the girls, the skating all that was rad. Then after being there for 2 months, my mom calls me and goes like “Hey do you like it over there, how about we move out there?” I was like hell yeah, for sure, in my 13 year old head I thought it was just going to be like a permanent vacation. Couldn’t have been more wrong though.

Do you know why your parents decide to get relocated in Florida ?

Not really.

How was the life there and how long time did you spend there ?

Miami is a strange place man, it’s a mix between the U.S and South America, I don’t think there’s any other place like it. It was quite a radical change for me, in France I lived in a small town out in the country and then I got thrown into this big ass city where you could find anything and anyone and as a skater, you get to see and experience all aspects of life in Miami. The ghettos with the crackheads and gang dudes and what not; downtown, where a bunch of good spots are at, with the suit and tie type of douchebag; South Beach, with fake tits, juice heads and wannabe Tony Montanas everywhere. It’s a weird place for sure.

So you’ve been living in Colombia, France and United States, which one would be your favorite place, if there is one ?

I don’t know dude, probably Paris I guess. I love this city.

And for skateboarding ?

It depends. I would say Europe because in America, spots get boring after a while. Everything is right angles and straight lines, public construction is pretty much the same all around the country so most of the spots look the same, except for New York and San Fransisco.

Since how long time are you back in Paris ? Your parents are still living in Miami ?

It’s been close to 3 years now that I’m back in Paris. My parents still live in Miami.

What’s the best part of living in Europe in comparison with the life on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean ?

Culture man, there’s so much stuff to see, so many places to travel to so different the ones from the others, so many diverse people and perspectives so close in proximity compared to the immensity of the U.S where most of the states and cities are quite similar. However, I feel there’s an energy in the U.S you cant find anywhere else, I don’t know how to accurately describe it to you but its an energy that drives you, pushes you, maybe not always in the right direction, but is ever present and intense, at least that’s how i felt about it.

Beside skateboarding, what are you doing in Paris ?

I study languages at La Sorbonne. Used to study cinema but way too much work, fuck that.

How is the skate scene in Paris at the moment ?

The skate scene in Paris is stagnant. Nothing much going on, not too many people motivated to create something dope and the ones who are don’t have the time. It’s also very divided but there’s a lot of talent and potential. I think it’s a beautiful city that has the capacity to maybe bring something new to skateboarding, just no one’s figured out how yet.

Where have you been in Europe till now? Best place where you seen and why?

I’ve been to lots of places in Europe, too many to list, but hands down my favorite place other than Paris is Berlin.

That place is too sick, it’s so free, so different, you can be who you are and no one judges you, the life has a slower pace than in most big cities and the skate scene is just rad man. Those guys have created something cool, and they’re all pretty much one big unified skate scene, I envy that. I try to go there as much as possible.

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Juan Esteban Saavedra

If someone wants to go for a skateboard trip in Colombia, where should you recommend to go?

Medellin I guess or Bogota, they’re the biggest cities. If not my hometown Cali has some cool spots but its pretty ghetto.

In which city should i come if i wanna visit you in 5 years?

Paris or New York.

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“I would go to private schools with armed guards out front, that there would be shootings pretty much every night outside our complex and that coworkers of my parents’ were getting kidnapped and most of them killed, so we had to go.” a brief glance

Tucknee off the bump to the street.

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fs smith grind up to fs out.

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What’s your plans for the next few months?

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