ISSUE 130
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When I got the last-minute invite to join Stacy Gabriel, Drew Summersides, Jamie Maley, Nick Moore, Brian Caissie and Rich Odam in Hawaii, I didn’t even hesitate. The winter cold had settled in back home, so this was a perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy some sun. Heading towards Honolulu on the island of Oahu, I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as skateboarding goes. But I knew the lifestyle stuff would be amazing, which is an understatement. As Jamie puts it: “It’s ironic going on a skate trip and being surrounded by so many crushing activities, to the point where skating almost becomes second in things to do. Kind of like how girlfriends are second in line to skateboarding.” Usually things are considered to be going well if you’re out the door skating before noon on a trip. This tropical excursion was no different, except instead of sleeping all morning we spent our time surfing, snorkeling and exploring. We really took advantage of our time on Oahu. Once we climbed into the van each morning, there was a good chance we wouldn’t be back until after sundown. With maybe a spot or two in mind, we would head in that direction making mandatory stops at scenic lookout points, mountains and beaches with waves. With a diverse crew like this, we really just went with the flow on this trip, and our assumption that there wasn’t an abundance of spots made for a stress-free vibe. We eventually discovered that there are actually a lot of spots—more than we could even hit during our stay. Sometimes trips are too focused on skating and you don’t fully get to enjoy the exotic places that skateboarding brings you to. We struck a perfect balance, and once again Jamie sums it up best: “Whatever your vice may be, nothing can amount to the withdrawals of coming home from Hawaii.” #concretefiveoh
Stacy Gabriel ollie
brian caissie
Stacy Gabriel Bluntslide fakie
Tinder claims to be “like real life, only better.” Thanks to the app that’s sweeping the nation, experienced user Stacy became friends with some local Honolulu girls. I’ve always thought Tinder was for desperate people trying to get laid, but he proved me wrong. We all benefitted from Stacy’s Tinder friendships, which resulted in us getting free Acai bowls for breakfast one morning, fresh baked goods being delivered to our hotel room, and we even got invited to a giant homemade Hawaiian feast on our last night. So a big thanks goes out to Stacy for hooking this up. I don’t know if he ever got down to business with any of the girls he met on Tinder, but he sure handled business on his board—skating every spot and walking away with a clip or a photo every time.
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In an old Concrete interview, I remember reading that during a previous trip to Hawaii Nick was fed Xanax by a new friend, missed his flight home, had no money and had to sleep on beaches for a while. That definitely wasn’t the case this time around. The last trip I went on with Nick was to China last year; unfortunately he ended up getting kidney stones, which didn’t allow him to skate very much. This time around I was pumped to see him healthy and killing it on and off the board. He’s a very powerful skater that can adapt to any terrain, and he always has fun with it—cracking jokes in between tries and never taking things too seriously. Nick and I were skating a ditch one day and we’d both been trying our tricks for a little while, so we made a friendly $5 bet on whoever landed first. It’s a great way to make you forget about whatever nonsense is stopping you from landing your trick. And if your homie lands it first your next try is 100% commitment no matter what. Come to think of it, I still might owe Nick five bucks...
Nick Moore Ollie
brian caissie
frontside 180
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brian caissie
Josh Clark
Frontside noseslide
Planning trips takes a lot of effort and patience. Making sure you have the perfect crew that can work together for two weeks is very important. I figured we’d be vacationing in Hawaii more than skating, which makes for a memorable and stress free trip. But doing a little of both is key, and for this reason I knew Josh would be nice to have on this trip. Up early and out the door fast was our standard, and Josh would be waking us up or waiting at the beach by 8:30 each morning with a surf board in hand. This wasn’t his first rodeo, so he knew the benefits of bringing some extra cash to enjoy the touristy experiences on the island. One of the first things we did was go to the massive Diamond Head crater near the edge of Waikiki’s coastline. It’s a solid 40-minute hike to a lookout point where you can see the ocean and Honolulu at the same time. We all ran up the trail, then Josh pushed it to the next level by jumping the railing and running over to a high cement foundation where an army cannon used to be. There he stood, on top of the old rusty metal, with the crater hundreds of feet below. I knew right away we’d be pushing the boundaries for the rest of the trip. —Brian Caissie 47
brian caissie
Jamie Maley
Backside Smith Grind
One of our epic tourism stops brought us to the Halona Blowhole, just off of Hanauma Bay. Of course, staying behind the safety railings like every other tourist wasn’t good enough for us. With #extremecaissie leading the way, we climbed down and ended up standing within a few feet of this amazing natural rock formation. The ocean breeze sends waves rolling onto the shore then sea spray shoots into the air through the cave below. We took some good pictures and got to feel the spray of the blowhole up close before Jamie felt the need to give back to it by taking a piss into the deep, dark cave before it spewed again. We all had a good laugh and didn’t think it bothered the tourists that were 100 feet up the hill. Little did we know a super citizen decided to inform a police officer passing by, and when we made it back to the top Jamie explained to the officer that he would never do such a thing. I noticed his fly was down, but this incriminating detail was missed by the officer, who let us continue on with our day. It didn’t surprise me that Jamie got himself out of this situation; he’s a super kind and easy going person. But don’t let his kindness fool you. He rips the shit out of spots with full-force aggressiveness.
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brian caissie
Drew Summersides Crook Fakie
I’ve never really had the pleasure of skating with Drew before this trip, but I definitely knew what he was capable of after watching his BROTHERS part and his tricks in On The Reel [vimeo.com/83521688]. While in Hawaii, I could quickly tell that he always rips. He’s not the type of guy who’s satisfied with just a couple good tricks on a trip; he got bangers at every spot we went to. Sitting back and watching Drew cruise around a few times, I noticed he looked very natural in the Hawaiian environment. He has that surfer look happening on his board—blond hair flying around, just ripping every spot and making it look easy as if he was out there on the big waves of Oahu’s famous North Shore. As Rich Odam explains: “I love having Drew on trips. His skating is really consistent, his attitude always positive, and he’s so easy going in general. On this trip,” he continues, “Drew got down with surfing and body surfing; it took him less time to stand on a surfboard than to learn how to cut through a wave while body surfing. But he eventually picked it up and found himself getting pitted on the crazy shore breaks we threw ourselves into.”
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