Skateboarding

K-Pop & Kimchi Tour: Episode 4 — Street Missions in Seoul

Josh Zickert — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 19:16:22 GMT

The sun was shining and the crew was ready for action!

The Doklipmun Castle was a few blocks from our hostel so we locked down a team flick before heading to Dongdaemun Design Plaza to film & say hi to our favorite lady with a beautiful voice singing & rejoicing “Hallelujah” to every pedestrian walking by.

This was our last full day in Seoul and we will miss this morning ritual.

Brandon Bonner, 360 flip

Blair Alley

Yiyo locked into countless front crooks at the out ledge at Mukjeong Park, but pinched too hard on one attempt and paid the price. Yiyo took a breather and than hammered out the bs crook and noseslide 270 out. Bonestalone slayed a back 5-0 front 180 out to end the sesh. The park was crowded with exciting passerbys of all ages.

Lots of stickers and high fives were shared before leaving for the Gangnam District.

The foot traffic was insane, the narrow bank was even grittier than in the photos we had seen, but the sqaud was in full Gangnam Style! It was clear we would be lucky to get 10 minutes at this spot. Leo locked in and rode away from a nollie backside flip, Caroline nailed a front rock over the edge, Yiyo got the fs flip and kickflip to fakie. JJ got body slammed & Bonestalone launched off the corner with a lofty Ollie to the street.

Caroline Duerr, side rock.

Blair Alley

We arrived in Hongdae, which is the art / nightlife district of Seoul and ate a proper dinner. Paul at Labros arranged a gallery show featuring the artwork of Dalt One & photography of Olman Torres & Blair Alley. DJ Bonestalone handled the 1’s and 2’s. Salmon, Cho, M.A.R. & a ton of the Labros Fam were in attendance. It was such a treat to walk down memory lane from prior tours in Spain, France, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Mexico & other trips throughout the states. A proper coffee table photo book is in order from the past 10 years of AZ tours.

JJ Colon, backside disaster.

Blair Alley

Just when we thought the night was coming to an end Paul gave us the pin to a silver quarterpipe next to the nightclubs just 15 blocks away. Everyone charged the spot & copp’d tricks until the police arrived. Naturally, the police were so cool they even gave us one more try!

Korea rules!

Brandon Bonner, huge melon blast.

Blair Alley

"otro lugar" México Skateboarding

TWS — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:05:31 GMT

Check out this video Emilio Ramirez filmed in Mexico City and Guadalajara: “Otro lugar is a montage filmed across Mexico City and Guadalajara, filmed by Emilio Ramirez with the help of Chano TV, features Mexican skaters and some friends from abroad, with appearances from Osmar Cárdenas, Felipe Bartolomé, Gabriel Vázquez, Christian Núñez, Francisco Cervantes and many more.”

Harold Hunter Foundation x SHUT x Charlie Samuels Twin Towers Collection

TWS — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 01:43:58 GMT

In 1989, photographer Charlie Samuels captured one of the most iconic New York City skate photos of all-time—Harold Hunter skitching a yellow cab in downtown Manhattan as the majestic Twin Towers looked on.

As we mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, we reflect on a day that forever changed NYC and the world. Charlie’s powerful photo holds particular meaning, capturing two enduring symbols of New York—beloved skateboarder Harold Hunter, who passed away in 2006, and the World Trade Center—together in a moment preserved in time. Today, the image carries a significance and poignancy that could never have been anticipated when it was snapped all those years ago.

In partnership with New York’s original skateboard company, SHUT, and designer Seth Neary of Driven Studio, the Harold Hunter Foundation is honored to release a limited-edition, co-branded collector’s deck, t-shirt, and tote bag adorned with this historically significant photo.

100% of net proceeds will support the non-profit Harold Hunter Foundation, which provides mentorship, mental health support, skill-building, and career development opportunities for NYC youth through skateboarding-based programming.

Only 100 decks, t-shirts, and canvas totes are available. The pre-order window runs from September 10-18, or until items are sold out. All items will ship to customers by mid-October.

This charitable initiative is made possible through support from The Skatepark Project.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.haroldhunter.org/twin-towers-capsule

September 12, 2001: Mike O’Meally Photographs New York City After 9/11

Blair Alley — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 16:41:23 GMT

Former TWS Senior Photographer Mike O’Meally has a book coming out with his incredible photos shot while skateboarding around Manhattan on September 12, 2001. We wanted to interview Mike to hear his take on the experience, 25 years later.

Please check out the book from Superlabo and consider donating to the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation.

Overtime: 15 Years of Home Crew in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

TWS — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:58:40 GMT

My name is Alexey Kulagin. I was born and still live in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, and I’m the founder and filmer of Home Crew. This year marks 15 years of our crew, and to celebrate, we’re releasing our new skate video, Overtime.
The video was filmed throughout the summer of 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow and Cheboksary, as well as during skate trip to Tbilisi, Georgia, and Yerevan, Armenia.
It features Vladimir Mindrin, Yakov Kan, Grisha Garanin, Zahar Belolugov, Evgeniy Maksimov, Alexander Bizyukov, Stepan Rogozhin, Danil Dubrovsky, Petya Shel, Sasha Naumik, Matvey Milutin, Gleb Streltsov, Ivan Mikhin and Nikita Shvarnukov.

Matvey Mulutin, Boardslide in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo: Yakov Kan

Matvey Milutin, nosegrind, Tbilisi and boardslide to feeble, Dilijan, Armenia.

How Home Crew started
I started skating in 2010 when I was 14. A guy I knew from school told me he had a skateboard. I had never even stood on one before, but the next day I was already asking my parents to buy me one.

By 2011, my friends and I had started trying to film our “tricks” on a little point-and-shoot digital camera that belonged to my friend Vanya’s mother. There were a lot of skaters in Nizhny Novgorod at the time. We were constantly meeting new people in the streets and at skateparks, and some of them had their own crews.
At some point we realized we should have our own, so we called it Home Crew. I don’t really remember what attracted us to that name back then, but after all these years I think it actually describes what we’ve always been trying to build. Home Crew has never had a strict roster of who is in and who isn’t. It’s always been more about the people who hang out together, skate together, go to hardcore shows, travel and generally share the same space and culture.

The same goes for our videos. I’ve never really made traditional “parts” where one skater gets their own section and is separated from everyone else. In my videos, everyone is mixed together. There’s no hierarchy — it’s about the crew as a whole.
Back then, local skaters were constantly making their own parts and skate videos. There was a healthy competition between everyone to make something better than the last video, and I think that pushed both the quality and the amount of skateboarding coming out of the scene.

From Skating to Filming
I actually stopped skating pretty quickly after breaking my leg in 2012. I spent the whole summer filming tricks while walking around on crutches, and eventually I realized that I was more interested in filming other people than skating myself. That’s basically how I became a filmer.
Over the years I went through a bunch of different cameras, until I decided to try a VX1000 in 2018. I’ve been shooting on one ever since, and I don’t really want to switch to anything else. There’s just nothing that looks like it.

Evgeniy Maksimov, switch nose manual fakie heel out, Moscow, Russia.

What I love most about skateboarding is its cultural side. I’m especially interested in street skating and in making videos that capture the atmosphere around it. To me, an independent skate video should show more than just tricks. The falls, the weird situations, the people around you, the arguments with people who don’t want you skating a spot — all of those things are part of what street skating actually feels like.

Skateboarding and Hardcore
From the very beginning punk/hardcore/metal have been closely connected to our local skate crew. When we started skating, we were also discovering a lot of new music, partly through watching skate videos. Around that time, the LVO punk crew from Saint Petersburg was still very active and at its peak. I was looking at what they were doing and thinking: Why don’t we have something like that around skateboarding here?
In 2013, some guys from a local thrash metal band called Exaloud, who were already our friends from the neighborhood, agreed to play at our first skate video premiere. We booked a late-night rehearsal slot at their rehearsal space. The owner had no idea we were planning to turn it into a show — he thought it was just a regular rehearsal, and he definitely wouldn’t have let us do a concert there. Once he left, all our friends and everyone from the local scene showed up, we screened our skate video, and Exaloud played after it. It was basically a DIY show that we weren’t supposed to be having there.

After that, I started inviting local bands to all of our offline premieres. I also brought bands from other cities that I thought people in Nizhny Novgorod should hear — bands like Solntse i Stal’, Rats Eyes, Enslave and Ugroza Primerom.
The Overtime premiere continued that tradition. Enslave came from Kazan to play, our hometown band Uprising played their last show, and local hardcore bands Slumdogs and Deck also performed.

Over the years, bringing all these different things together — skateboarding, music, videos and events — has created a very recognizable community and identity around us. I really like seeing skaters getting closer to live music and discovering bands through the scene around them, rather than just following whatever is popular at the moment. It feels important to me that skateboarding still has a place in the hardcore community here, and that the connection between skating and live music is still alive. We’ve even held several skate contests as part of our events, building custom spots specifically for each one.

The Changing Skate Scene in Nizhny Novgorod
When we started skating, there were maybe three or four skateparks in the city. They were all wooden ramps built on metal frames. There were also a few DIY projects, including some indoor spots that have since closed.
Over the last few years, a lot of concrete skateparks have appeared around the city and we’ve been directly involved in building some of them and are still involved in the local scene and its development.
At first, we thought that once we had proper concrete skateparks, more people would start skating and skateboarding as a whole would grow. And it did — there are definitely more skaters in the city now. What’s interesting is that these days around 90 percent of the people using the skateparks are scooter riders.
I think part of the reason might be that scooters have a much lower barrier to entry than skateboarding. You can get on one and start doing things pretty quickly, which fits well with the idea of getting a result right away. With skateboarding, it takes much longer just to get comfortable on the board, let alone start doing tricks.
But I feel like something else has changed too. When we started skating, a big part of the culture was getting a group of friends together, going out into the streets, filming each other and pushing each other to make better videos. Now it feels like there’s less interest in street skating and filming, and more focus on getting a trick for Instagram and seeing how many likes it gets. A lot of that social side of skateboarding — the feeling of going out together and making something as a crew — can get lost in that.
That’s one of the reasons I’m still so interested in street skating and skate videos. The streets are where I feel the cultural side of skateboarding is most alive.

Why we made Overtime
The main goal of making this video was to show that skateboarding exists outside the places that usually get the attention. There are scenes all over Russia and in other parts of the world that most people never hear about. Nizhny Novgorod is not a city that gets much international skate coverage, but people here have been skating, filming, organizing events, building skateparks and creating their own culture for many years.
I hope someone watching Overtime — especially a younger skater — gets inspired to start their own crew, make their own video and try to make something better than this one. Or maybe they’ll simply want to put their board under their feet and go skate the streets. For me, that would already be enough.

Sticker design: Gleb Streltsov

Photos by:
Alexey Kulagin
Vladimir Mindrin
Yakov Kan
Yana Sergienko
Sasha Kotov

Skater, Musician, Friend and Father, Micah Mattson Gone Too Soon

TWS — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:45:25 GMT

Words by Jake Howard/SURFER:

In life, there are people who make a mark simply by being. Their presence. Their spirit. Their smile. At the skatepark. In the lineup. Around a campfire. Backstage at a show. Micah Jan Mattson was one of those people. Sadly, Mattson has gracefully kicked out of the mortal coil far too soon. After he went missing and a frantic search earlier this month, there has been an outpouring of grieving memorials and memories shared across Southern California’s skate, surf, music, and art communities.

Born August 22, 1979, Mattson grew up in North County San Diego, coming of age when skateboarding was exploding beyond its traditional boundaries and into music, art and street culture. By the late 1990s, he was riding for Zero Skateboards, appearing in the videos and magazines that documented a particularly raw and influential era of Southern California skating. But skating was only part of the story.

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Mattson was also a guitarist for the San Diego band Kut U Up, which now features former Transworld Surfer editor and WSL commentator Chris Cote in their lineup. Mattson’s time in the band connected him to the same skate-and-music scene that would produce countless road trips, shows, and late nights. Former bandmate Brendan Raasch remembered Mattson on Instagram. “He was a dad and a fun guy who liked to camp and travel and listen to Ween while playing guitar by the fire,” Raasch wrote. “You will only get so many stories to tell, and a large percentage of my favorites will forever have Micah @micahjan in them.”

That sense of community extended into the surf and art worlds, too. Mattson’s younger twin brothers, Jared and Jonathan, make up the acclaimed musical duo Mattson 2. Thanks in part to their older brother’s influence, they’re known for their jazz-infused, surf-inspired jams, including contributing tunes to the soundtrack of Thomas Campbell’s 2009 film The Present. They are also regular collaborators with skate legends Tommy Guerrero and Ray Barbee.

Campbell, who lent his artistic vision to the cover of the newest print issue of SURFER, photographed Mattson skating during those early years, and the two developed a friendship that stretched across skateboarding, music, art, and travel. As noted above, Campbell was instrumental in introducing the Mattson brothers’ music to a wider creative circle.

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Surfing and skateboarding weren’t simply something Mattson did. It led to music, which led to art, which led to travel, which inevitably led back to the beach, the streets, and friends he made along the way. When he wasn’t riding a board or playing music, Mattson was a devoted father two his two boys, Jared and Jonathan, worked as a train conductor, and enjoyed long, off-the-grid bike rides.

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Mattson leaves behind his beautiful family and a long list of friends who shared waves, skate sessions, stages, road trips, and campfires with him. The videos will remain. The records will remain. The photographs will remain. But for those who knew Mattson, his real legacy will live in the stories, and there are plenty of them.

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K-Pop & Kimchi Tour Episode 3

Josh Zickert — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:42:15 GMT

Heavy thunderstorms broke out in the middle of the night, however it was beginning to dry up by the late morning. After breakfast at the hostel which included waffles, cereal, toast & mango juice we stretched out on the rooftop, rocked out to a few Bonestalone tracks & went over a list of spots with Labros’ B-Boy, filmer, skater & tour guide; Big Salmon. Blair Alley slayed top notch rope jumpin’ freestyle moves, which got everyone hyped.

The plan was to skate over to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park to catch the 4 train to Seoul Station & then hop on the express bus to ‘Dongtan City’ to skate the famed wooden wave.

JJ Colon, backside tailslide.

Surprisingly upon arrival there were large scale sculptures from Alice in Wonderland including the tea cup and Alice. Next we found a really cool set of trampolines next to an apartment complex. Bonestalone & Yiyo styled backflips while JJ pulled a line connecting all 3 trampolines. Just before our reaching the skate spot Leo & Dalt One spotted a pin-ball game outside of a candy store. These treasures lines up and assured us that everything was in sync.

Sure enough we got to the spot, it was surrounded by cherry blossoms and we skated this amazing wooden gem without any worries for the next 3 hours. A slew of tricks were pulled off including a lengthy back tail to fakie, front tail, front blunt, back blunt, layback 5-0 sizzle, pop-shuv noseslide & low to high nose blunt. Richie battled to the end and nearly walked away from the frontside kickflip to the top ropes.

Jefferson ‘Yiyo’ Obando, frontside bluntslide

Blair Alley

Next up was Sunae Plaza, which was close to Salmon’s hood & just a 40-minute train ride. Salmon kicked off the sesh with a proper front nosegrinds and steezy back tails. Leo went to work & nailed the crook line ending with the tre flip tailslide, a trick that had just earned him a bunch of cash a few weeks earlier in Montreal at the Dime Challenge.

Leo Heinert crooked grinds under the watchful eye of Korea

Blair Alley

For the next 4+ hours & over 200 attempts Leo displayed his true dedication & perserverance to skateboarding. & achieving your goals. It was a dream trick & he eventually pulled off the tre flip 270 out to close out this line. It was a true tour moment we will never forget as a team!

Tourguide, filmer, RIPPER! Big Salmon nosegrinds.

The hype was so real Bonestalone & Yiyo skated across the street and began to jump down Korea’s most historic double set. Stalone rode away perfectly from the heelflip just as the fuzz arrived. After a quick chat with the officers Salmon pulled off the unthinkable and got Yiyo one more try. It was pure silence as the police, several pedestrians & the team watched Yiyo pushed along the Sunae Station’s pristine granite hallway and ride away from the biggest hardflip down the 5 flat 5. It was complete hysteria as everyone celeberated even giving the cops HIGH FIVES. The AriZona team morale on this K-Pop Kimchi Tour was peaking and was only our 3rd full day in Korea.

갑시다 !

Yiyo, hardflip on his last try.

Ben Raemers Foundation: Feeling Scene: Cornwall, UK

Blair Alley — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 19:42:42 GMT

“The next installment to the Feeling Scene series, The Ben Raemers Foundation explores the Cornish skate scene with Harry While, Barney Page, Jake Mitchell, Diggs English, Evan Johnson and Dale Starkie. As well as hosting a skate jam at Truro Skate Plaza, the Foundation talks to local skateboarders and explores what mental health support is available in the local area.”

Check out and support their mission at these links: thebenraemersfoundation.com tr7skatepark.co.uk

lovepark.co.uk

superskateposse.org

@affinityskateboarding

papyrus-uk.org

Filmed by Daniel Parker

Additonal filming by Liam ‘Shicken’ Jefferies

Archive Footage provided by Matt Hunt, Jody Smith and Leo Smith

Edited by Daniel Parker

Grant Brittain's Unseen 80s Skate Photos

Blair Alley — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 21:10:22 GMT

Story Time: This all started when my friend Derek Flood sent me a few photos via text that he had found of Mark Gonzales and Natas Kaupas skating a San Diego schoolyard hip that he knew very well. The perplexing thing was that, number one: This schoolyard was not one of the famous ones from that era, and number two: Gonz and Natas were LA skaters, so how did they find out about and end up at this school?

The original photo that Derek Flood found that started this whole journey.

Well, I assumed, correctly, that Grant Brittain had shot the photos. Grant was TransWorld‘s original Photo Editor from when the mag started in 1983. I sat down with Grant for a couple different interviews, because when Grant started going through his photos from that day, he discovered this crew also hit up the famed School W, Jerabek Elementary, and Grant shot a ton of classic photos. Amazing what can happen in one day, 40 years ago. Listen in below.

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Major thanks to Derek Flood and Grant for the closure. For more of Grant’s work, please visit jgrantbrittain.com

Skate Rewind? Was this from SkateTV? The other image that Derek Flood found.

Photo Blowout: Rockstar Energy Open in Portland

Blair Alley — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:52:18 GMT

Unless you were off the grid this past weekend (in which case, we’re jealous), you definitely saw the madness that descended on Portland, Oregon at Rockstar Energy’s third annual Open contest along the river in downtown Portland. We shot a ton of photos and video content, we hosted the live webcasts on our Youtube, I even hopped in the broadcast booth with Chris Roberts and Shane Heyl on Saturday.

Chloe Covell dominated all weekend and took first in Women’s Park to noone’s surprise.

Blair Alley

We rubbed shoulders with industry heavies at Sandy Hut, Union Jack’s, and on the sidewalk in front of the Moxy Hotel (which Rockstar rented out all weekend, had DJs and bands play in the lobbby, and had a free glizzy cart out front). Man, Portland is fun as hell to visit, especially when the weather is good. So here’s a mega gallery to scroll through to give you some good ol’ FOMO.

Matt Berger, bigspin frontside boardslide.

Thanks to everyone at Rockstar for an amazing weekend! We need more “contests” like this!

Mazel Paris, blasting at 12 years young!

Practice your Cirque De Soliel skills down at Interstate DIY.

Margie Arda Didal, frontside nosegrind.

Braden Hoban, kickflip frontside crooked grind.

Mei Ozeki, feeble grind.

This isn’t the BevMo we’re looking for!

Nanami Onishi, back five-O

David Reyes, five O

Dominick Walker, kickflip frontside 50-50.

While Bill Weiss was guest appearing in the broadcast booth, they ran this classic 540 shot on the jumbotron for all to see.

Paige Heyn, switch 50-50

Koston Eaton, overcrook.

Chloe Covell, kicky front blunt

Lazer Crawford, frontside bluntslide over and down.

Paige Heyn, switch front board

Malachi Gray, kickflip front crook

Yuri Ashizawa, back lip

Matt Berger, nollie frontside bluntslide

Chloe Covell, backside Smith grind

Portland’s wild! Diggler knows.

Nobacel Villalobos, and yes this heelflip frontside boardslide is a make

Asahi Kaihara, Lien to tail

Zion Wright, kickflip frontside boardslide.

Braden Hoban, kickflip frontside boardslide.

Bryce Wettstein, Judo

Lazer Crawford, hardflip.

Asahi Kaihara, now that’s a Madonna!

Asahi Kaihara, all smiles after a ripping run

Braden Hoban, kickflip frontside nosegrind.

Bryce Wettstein, lipslide.

Heili Sirvio, locked in back Smith.

Zion Wright, 360 flip.

Lilly Erickson, stalefish

Nobacel Villalobos, kickflip frontside boardslide.

Mazel Paris, kickflip indy

Mazel Paris, hyped after her run!

Minna Stess, bluntslide

Minna Stess, frontside air.

Minna Stess killed it all weekend.

Mizuho Hasegawa, 540 on her way to another win.

Mizuho Hasegawa, horns for the heathens.

Mizuho Hasegawa, salad grind.

Yurin Fujii, big boneless.

Rockstar Energy Open 2026 Final Results

Blair Alley — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:50:19 GMT

Men’s Park Champion Gavin Bottger congratulates second place finisher Keegan Palmer at the 2026 Rockstar Energy Open, Portland, Ore., August 16, 2026.
Credit: Durso / Platfrm

The third annual Rockstar Energy Open came to a spectacular close Sunday at Portland’s Waterfront Park, as perfect weather, a packed crowd and three thrilling finals capped three unforgettable days of world-class skateboarding, live music and fan-fueled festivities.

With the sun shining over the waterfront and fans lining the course, the final day delivered a fitting finale to the weekend, crowning three champions. Rockstar Energy Open rookie Chloe Covell (AUS) claimed the Women’s Street title, Toa Sasaki (JPN) took the Men’s Street crown, and Gavin Bottger (USA) secured the Men’s Park championship.

Women’s Street Podium winners Chloe Covell (AUS) in first, Yuri Ashizawa (JPN) in second, and Niko Sugimoto (JPN) in third at the 2026 Rockstar Energy Open, Portland, Ore., August 16, 2026. Credit: Amanda Loman/Getty Images

On Saturday in the Women’s Park Finals, Mizuho Hasegawa three-peated with another win.

Mizuho Hasegawa, 540 on her way to another win.

Women’s Street Final
An all-teen field of 10 athletes took center stage for the Women’s Street Final, with top qualifier Chloe Covell (AUS) once again setting the pace. Covell immediately established herself as the skater to beat, opening with an 88.00 and continuing to push the limits even after her time had expired. She repeatedly attempted a kickflip down the gap before finally sticking the trick, sending a massive roar through the Portland crowd. Yuri Ashizawa (JPN) and Niko Sugimoto (JPN) followed closely behind to round out the podium.

“This is a super fun competition. I’m skating with girls I don’t usually skate with a lot. I definitely want to come next year. I’ve been having so much fun this year and when I’m having fun, that’s when I skate my best,” said Covell.

Men’s Park Final
The Men’s Park Final delivered a thrilling rematch from qualifying, with Keegan Palmer (AUS) and Gavin Bottger (USA) trading increasingly impressive tricks and putting the pressure on one another throughout the final. With the championship hanging in the balance, Bottger saved his biggest moment for last. In his final run, he landed an around-the-world trick to leapfrog Palmer and secure the victory, sending the Waterfront Park crowd into celebration. Egoitz Bijueska (ESP), who entered the final ranked third in qualifying, held onto the final podium position in his Rockstar Energy Open debut.

“Keegan can definitely put the pressure on. I blacked out on that run,” said Bottger. “But if any of us win or get the podium, it’s just awesome. We are all friends. Skating is not supposed to be super competitive. It’s fun. This event is fun. We just skate and hang out with everyone.”

“Once I saw him alley-oop to 270, I knew it was game over,” said Palmer.

Men’s Street Finals podium winners Toa Sasaki in first, Braden Hoban in second and Lazer Crawford in third at the 2026 Rockstar Energy Open, Portland, Ore., August 16, 2026.
Credit: Platfrm

Men’s Street Final
The final competition of the weekend brought the top 10 Men’s Street athletes together for a high-energy showdown in front of a packed Waterfront Park crowd. Toa Sasaki (JPN) delivered the winning performance to claim the Men’s Street title, while Rockstar Energy athletes Braden Hoban (USA) and 2024 champion Lazer Crawford (USA) captured second and third, respectively. Sasaki also earned a prize package from Nyjah Huston’s Disorder brand. Crawford, who won the event as a rookie, once again delivered when it mattered most, saving his best for last with a standout final run that launched him into podium contention. As he celebrated with the Portland crowd, Crawford tipped his hat and shouted, “I love you, Portland!” before sharing a memorable high-five with his proud father. For Sasaki, the victory marked an impressive first appearance at the Rockstar Energy Open.

“This is the first time I’ve been here, but the people in Portland are really nice and I’ve come to like it a lot,” said Sasaki.

Podium Results Below. Full event competition results can be found HERE.


Women’s Street Final Chloe Covell (AUS), 88.00 Yuri Ashizawa (JPN) 84.33 Niko Sugimoto (JPN), 65.00	Men’s Street Final Toa Sasaki (Mie, JPN), 88.33 Braden Hoban (Encinitas, Calif.), 80.66 Lazer Crawford (Phoenix, Ariz.), 78.33
Men’s Park Final Gavin Bottger (Oceanside, Calif.), 92.00 Keegan Palmer (AUS), 90.33 Egoitz Bijueska (ESP), 85.00

Check the finals day livestream replay below:

Watch Live: Rockstar Energy Open 2026 Finals – Women’s Street, Men’s Park & Men’s Street

Blair Alley — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS! 🔥Welcome to Finals Day at the Rockstar Energy Open 2026! The best skateboarders from the whole weekend are ready to put it out all on the line here at Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon.

We’re kicking off the day with the Women’s Street Final, followed by the Men’s Park Final and Men’s Street Final.

Live from Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon 📍
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Women’s Street Final
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm Men’s Park Final
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Men’s Street Final

April Skateboards x Spitfire Wheels Collab Video

Blair Alley — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 17:14:00 GMT

We had to see what this all-star team put down for their cross-brand collab. Sure enough, this heavy squad didn’t disappoint. GAMO and Shane O’Neill going clip for clip at classic SF spots? Yup. That and a whole lot more. Click in, peep the vid, and check the product.

“A week in San Francisco with the April Team. Featuring Guy Mariano, Dashawn Jordan, Shane O’neill, Yuto Horigome, Ronnie Kessner, Noah Nayef, Matheus Mendes, Yosef Ratleff & Frank Gerwer”

💻🛹 Don’t miss another headline from TransWorld SKATEboarding! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more quality skate content. 🛹💻

Watch Live: Rockstar Energy Open 2026 Day 2 – Women’s Park Final, Men’s Street Semi-Final, Dickies Best Trick Cash Jam

Blair Alley — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

DAY 2 of the Rockstar Energy Open is here! The livestream rolls on from Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon, with the Women’s Park Final kicking off the competition. Then, the action moves to the street course for the Men’s Street Semi-final, where the top 10 riders will earn their spot in Sunday’s final.

Women’s Park Final and Men’s Street Semi-Final Livestream

Live from Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon 📍
12:00 pm – 1:20 pm Women’s Park Final
1:30 pm – 4:15 pm Men’s Street Semi-Final

Dickies Park and Street Trick Cash Jam Livestream

Closing out Day 2 of the 2026 Rockstar Energy Open is the Dickies Park and Street Best Trick Cash Jam! Skateboarders will have 45-minutes to put down their best tricks in an open jam session for their chance at walking away with cash in hand.

Live from Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon 📍
5:30 pm – 6:15 pm Dickies Park Best Trick Cash Jam
6:15 pm – 7:00 pm Dickies Street Best Trick Cash Jam

Watch Live: Rockstar Energy Open 2026 Day 1 – Men’s VQS Street, Women’s Semi-Finals, Men's Park Qualifier

Blair Alley — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:00:00 GMT

Friday, August 14th marks Day 1 of the Rockstar Energy Open 2026 at Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon! 🛹⚡We’re kicking off competition with a stacked lineup of qualifiers and semi-finals as some of the world’s best skateboarders battle to secure a spot in the finals.

First up: Men’s Street Rockstar Energy VQS Qualifier — only the top four riders will advance to the semi-finals. Then it’s time to hit the park for the Women’s Park Qualifier, where the top 10 will earn a spot in Saturday’s final. Next, we’re heading back to the street course for the Women’s Street Semi-final, with eight riders advancing to the final. Closing out the day is the Men’s Park Qualifier, where the top 10 riders will punch their tickets to Sunday’s final.

The Men’s Park Qualifier will be featured in a separate livestream, so be sure to tune in and catch all the action!

Men’s VQS Street + Women’s Park and Street Semi-Final Livestream

Closing out the day is the Men’s Park Qualifier, where the top 10 riders will punch their tickets to Sunday’s final. The Men’s Park Qualifier will be featured in a separate livestream, so be sure to tune in and catch all the action!

Men’s Park Qualifier Livestream

Be sure to watch all the action over at ThePlatfrm.com for live scoring and the latest updates.

Live from Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon 📍
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm | Men’s Street Rockstar Energy VQS Qualifier
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Women’s Park Qualifier
2:15 pm – 3:30 pm | Women’s Street Semi-Final
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm | Men’s Park Qualifier

Spanish Skater Danny Leon Nails The Perfect Eclipse Trick

Blair Alley — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:53:55 GMT

As you’ve likely seen plastered around Instagram, Spanish skater Danny Leon, with help from filmer Gochi Estrella and photographer @jaicano, nailed the perfect opportunity to get a clip and a photo during the eclipse in Spain this week.

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“EL TRUCO DE MI VIDA: ECLIPSE MODE! ☀️ 🌑
No hay 2 sin 3 ❤️‍🔥 Primero el sol, después la Luna y hoy hacemos historia con este eclipse 😍 GRACIAS A TODO EL EQUIPO POR HACER ESTO POSIBLE 🙏🏼”

The crew obviously had the sun location dialed days in advance, built a quarterpipe on a hillside, then set up their photo and video gear several hundred meters away. Timing is everything. The results speak for themselves.

Sidenote, Gochi was our filmer years back in Barcelona and Madrid on our Cee-lo and Sangria tour!

Venice OG Park Renovation - Grand Opening this Weekend

Blair Alley — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 22:24:46 GMT

On Saturday, Aug. 15, the Venice community will gather at the Original Venice Skatepark for a grand reopening celebration presented by The Skatepark Project and Nicolai Marciano. The free, public event will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony, open skate, live music and food, honoring Venice’s long-standing impact on skateboarding.

The Original Venice Skatepark has been renovated thanks to the generosity of Nicolai Marciano, with project management and design support from The Skatepark Project, bringing the space to contemporary standards of accessibility, durability and appeal. The project was designed with input from original Venice pro skating legend Jesse Martinez, Juice Martinez, pro skater Ishod Wair, Jim Callans, Dan Levy of Juice Magazine, West Los Angeles native and skatepark designer Alec Beck and Venice legend Richard Massie.

Since the 1970s, Venice Beach has stood as one of the most prominent skateboarding destinations in the world. For decades, it has welcomed generations of skateboarders from around the globe, serving as a place where the culture has continued to evolve while cementing its place as one of skateboarding’s most influential landmarks.

Some looks at the construction.

This Saturday at 2pm!

Gonna be fun in the sun!

Trailer! Swatch Nines Surf & Skate returns to Waco Surf Oct 8-10

Blair Alley — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 22:01:10 GMT

This annual event is one of a kind and we’re stoked to be invited back to witness the madness. Who wouldn’t want to skate custom ramps built on a wave pool—then surf the wave pool too?! Well, Greyson Fletcher, Andy Anderson, Clay Kreiner, Tristan Rennie and many more have gone and will go again. Peep the new trailer and all the info below.

Swatch Nines Surf & Skate returns to Waco Surf from October 8–10, 2026, bringing some of the world’s most progressive surfers and skateboarders back to Texas. Become A Nine will give up-and-coming talent the chance to join the action. On October 10, the event will open its doors to the public for the first-ever Public Day, offering visitors the chance to watch the action live at Waco Surf. The official 2026 event trailer is also out today, setting the stage for this year’s edition.

Building on the three-year partnership between Swatch Nines and Waco Surf announced earlier this year, the 2026 edition continues to evolve the one-of-a-kind event where both sports come together to push progression through creativity and collaboration rather than competition.

Every year, surfers, skateboarders, BMX riders, designers and builders come together months before the event to dream up ideas that have never been built before. Those conversations become sketches, the sketches become blueprints and, ultimately, a one-of-a-kind playground designed specifically to encourage experimentation and progression.

This year’s features started as dreams during the annual Swatch Nines Creative Cabin workshop in Encinitas, California. Now months later the surfers, skaters, and BMXers’ dreams are turning into real features and artistic elements that will shape this year’s event.

This year’s playground introduces some of the most ambitious concepts in Swatch Nines history. The Krane and Flying O return with two new rails, including the longest rail ever built for Swatch Nines. A skatepark suspended above the water creates entirely new approaches and lines, while a large-scale mirror installation and a fleet of Rampmobiles challenge riders to rethink how they interact with the course. Every feature is designed to encourage exploration rather than reward a single way of riding.

Become A Nine, the event’s open wildcard initiative, returns offering four riders, two skaters and two surfers, and a man and woman for each, the opportunity to ride alongside the world’s most innovative athletes. Past Become a Nine winners include Hughie Vaughan, who went on to land the first-ever stalefish backflip at the Nines, Zoey Kaina, and Skai Suitt. New Nines are selected based on the creativity, style, and progression in the submitted footage. Learn more about how to enter starting this weekend on the Nines Instagram.

The 2026 edition will also introduce the first Swatch Nines Surf & Skate Public Day. Saturday afternoon, October 10, Waco Surf will open and the public will have the opportunity to watch Swatch Nines Surf in person. More on that in September.

Swatch Nines also confirmed the first athletes joining this year’s event, including skateboarders Andy Anderson and Kevin Peraza, along with surfers Noah Beschen, Coco Ho and Zoe McDougall. Additional athlete announcements for both surfing and skateboarding will be released in September.

Stay tuned to see all the progression, big tricks and pure joy coming together at Swatch Nines Surf & Skate this October 8–10, 2026, as the crew takes over Waco Surf, Texas on @thenines.cc on Instagram and YouTube.com/@SwatchNines on YouTube.

Labros Seoul "SQUEEZE" Raw Clips

Blair Alley — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:49:00 GMT

The exclusive raw cuts from Labros Seoul skateshop’s ‘SQUEEZE’ video. This one was filmed on their home turf in Seoul, South Korea along with some side missions out to Japan.

Filmed and edited by Asuha Miyamura @asu_hole, Filmed in Japan and Korea. Additional filming by Daniel Young

Featuring Sakuya Mochizuki @wasabiboyyyy Haruto Chinen @_rut00_ Souta Sakai @soutasakai__ Tomoya Ishigaki @tomoyaishigaki11 Shohey Koyanagi @______shohey Minu Kwon @_kwonminu Jun Yang @stdlsn Hojin Choi @_h0jinn Hyeonseok Hong @honghyunseok_ Hasumi Iida @nipplestarboy

Watch the original full length below

Related: “SQUEEZE” By Labros Seoul

Mark Frölich & Bülent Kurtca, 'Through Thick and Thin' Video Part

Blair Alley — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:37:27 GMT

“Life’s got its ups and downs, and skateboarding comes in waves, but some things never change. Here’s a full part by Mark Frölich, including a shared section with none other than Bülent Kurtca!

Presented by Morphium Skateboards. Filmed by Dmitry Brylev, Felipe Emarulanda, Joana Duarte Pinto, Mefilmasuna, Timo Meier, Felipe Ramirez, Marco Busato, Andi Wolf, Christian Sanchez, Thomas Pfeiffer, Fernan Origel, Rob Ingemarsson, Daniel Winkenhoff, Stürmer, Billy Richardson, Marian Isa, and Mark Frölich.”

Mark never rests! We’ve hosted a bunch of his video parts over the years. Skateboarding truly is the fountain of youth!

Keen Ramps Built This Skate Rail 8 Years Ago. It's Still Here.

Blair Alley — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:04:51 GMT

We’ve been big fans and have worked with Keen Ramps plenty of times over the years. We felt it was high time we checked in with the masonite masters to see what’s new: Turns out, a whole bunch of stuff! Signature flatbars and boxes with the likes of A-list pros like Jaime Foy and Felipe Gustavo, micro mini ramps you can have installed in a flash in your skateshop or art gallery, and as this video shows, a rail that’s lasted almost a decade at a popular SoCal skate spot. Dig in.

Filmed on location at Long Beach, California’s famed Cherry Park.

Axel Matwijiszyn Introducing Video for Placer Skateboards

Blair Alley — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:11:21 GMT

Placer Skateboards out of BA, Argentina is introducing new teamrider Axel Matwijiszyn with this ripping new video. Epic ender on a classic Argentinian spot.

If you hadn’t noticed, Argentina is cranking out the skating and video parts as of late.

Might want to plan your winter trip down to the southern hemisphere!

Related: Check Placer’s full length from two years ago.

Testing "Core" Skate Shoes

Blair Alley — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:42:22 GMT

“This week Mitch and Steve check out some “core” shoes they are going to test out, give their initial reaction to them etc…… also buy bill simpsons video “TIMEWISE” here timewise.bigcartel.com

Bizarro World. They’ve lost their minds. The Dead Air Radio duo of Steve Fletch and Mitch Hartman are here to test out what we know as “core company” skate shoes. DC? DVS? Do licensing companies own all of these brands? Are they making a push to bring these brands back?

HUF x Spitfire Collab: Skating Chicago

Blair Alley — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:56:36 GMT

Chicago is the place and this crew put a hurting on everything the Windy City has to offer. Just stop reading and watch the vid. Who else misses HUF shoes?

“huf x Spitfire featuring Nick Matthews, Daiki Hoshino, Dick Rizzo, & Salomon Cardenas Jr. skating through Chicago. Collab available online 8/6 at 9am pst on hufworldwide.com”

"HANDFUL" By Timber Skateshop

Blair Alley — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:02:48 GMT

We’ve been telling you that South Korea has one of the best skate scenes on the planet. We just visited this past April (video episodes rolling out on our YT), and we were greeted with open arms from the locals and skateshops like Timber and Labros.

Now peep this: Timber’s Handful video stocked with local rippers and spots you’ll be dreaming of.

Starring
Choi Jaeseung (@imjasonchoi )
Choi Hojin (@_h0jinn )
Choi Eugene (@eugene_choi__ )
Jeong Jihoon (@jihoondesu )
Cho Sungmin (@sungminsb17 )
Yusuke Iwata (@yusuke___iwata )

Filmed & Edited by @parkminhyuki

Additional Filming by
@bigger_salmon @cutiesexiemonkey @kirndonghe @byg.hiroki @ryutaro_hano @jakeborchenko

Related: “SQUEEZE” By Labros Seoul

Rockstar Energy Open Unveils Full Competition Roster

TWS — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:52:46 GMT


TheRockstar Energy Open returns to Portland’s iconic Waterfront Park August 14–16 for its third year and has officially unveiled the full athlete roster for 2026. The highly anticipated free event will feature three days of world-class skateboarding, two nights of high-energy live music, and an immersive festival experience celebrating skate culture in the heart of downtown. In addition to elite men’s and women’s street and park competitions, fans can enjoy live concerts featuring breakout emo favorites Hot Mulligan and punk staples PUP on Friday, followed by hardcore band Angel Du$t and alt-rock favorites Basement on Saturday after each day’s skateboarding finals. The weekend will also feature exciting brand activations and experiences that celebrate the culture, creativity and community of skateboarding. Visit RockstarEnergyOpen.com for the full event schedule.

TheRockstar Energy Open returns to Portland’s iconic Waterfront Park August 14–16 for its third year and has officially unveiled the full athlete roster for 2026. The highly anticipated free event will feature three days of world-class skateboarding, two nights of high-energy live music, and an immersive festival experience celebrating skate culture in the heart of downtown. In addition to elite men’s and women’s street and park competitions, fans can enjoy live concerts featuring breakout emo favorites Hot Mulligan and punk staples PUP on Friday, followed by hardcore band Angel Du$t and alt-rock favorites Basement on Saturday after each day’s skateboarding finals. The weekend will also feature exciting brand activations and experiences that celebrate the culture, creativity and community of skateboarding. Visit RockstarEnergyOpen.com for the full event schedule.

Chris Joslin and Bryce Wettstein.


The 2026 Rockstar Energy Open Athlete Roster The 2026 competition roster will feature more than 50 skateboarders from around the globe, including 20 finalists from the signature Video Qualifier Series (VQS). The VQS provides rising stars and undiscovered skateboarders the opportunity to earn a coveted spot to compete alongside invited pros and legends. Top featured athletes include: Men’s & Women’s Park Joey Yarborough (Vista, Calif.) – Dickies flow rider/skate brand ambassador; represented the United States in World Skate-sanctioned international competitions Keegan Palmer (Currumbin, AUS) – Two-time Olympic gold medalist in Men’s Park and Rockstar Energy athlete, fresh off X Games silver; RSEO 2024 third place Cory Juneau (San Diego) – Olympic bronze medalist, two-time X Games medalist Mizuho Hasegawa (Ibaraki, Japan) – 2026 X Games League MVP, three-time X Games gold medalist; RSEO two-time defending champion Tom Schaar (Malibu, Calif.) – Olympic silver medalist; 24-time X Games medalist, made history as the first athlete to win four medals in a single X Games event; RSEO 2025 champion Lilly Erickson(Oahu, Hawaii) – A fixture on the Exposure in the Bowl Open Pro Finals, drafted for the first ever X Games League for XC Los Angeles earlier this year Sky Brown (Miyakai, Japan) – Two-time Olympic medalist; RSEO 2025 second place Men’s & Women’s Street Art Cordova(FIllmore, Calif.) – Dickies athlete; X Games bronze medalist, Nyjah Huston’s Soldiers teammate in the Professional Skateboarding League (PSL) Braden Hoban(Encinitas, Calif.) – Rockstar Energy athlete, came in third last year in Men’s Street, fresh off X Games Silver in New Orleans Chris Joslin (Corona, Calif.) – Rockstar Energy athlete Julian Agliardi (Long Beach, Calif) – Youngest member of Nyjah Huston’s Disorder Skateboards team, RSEO 2025 second place Kristion Jordan(Altadena, Calif.) – 2026 RSEO VQS finalist, RSEO VQS 2025 on-site qualifier through Men’s Final Kylie Frank (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) – 2026 RSEO VQS finalist, 2024 & 2025 on-site qualifier through Women’s Final Lazer Crawford (Glendale, Ariz) – 2024 RSEO Champion and Rockstar Energy athlete; spent last six months working on a video part with Plan B skateboards Paige Heyn (Tempe, Ariz.) – Rockstar Energy athlete, Olympian, X Games silver medalist For the full list of athletes, visit RockstarEnergyOpen.com. The Video Qualifier Series (VQS) officially kicked off on June 8, inviting skaters to submit entries via ThePlatfrm.com. Over the course of six weeks, men’s and women’s street and park winners were selected to compete live in Portland. Weekly cash prizes were awarded for Best Video Part (Men’s/Women’s), Best Trick and Viewer’s Choice. This year’s VQS standouts include Nels Rosen, Soobeen Park, JD Sanchez, Jedd Mckenzie, Asahi Kaihara, and mentioned above, Kristion Jordan and Kylie Frank. Winners were judged by the same world-class panel evaluating the Rockstar Energy Open. Full submission details and official rules can be found at ThePlatfrm.com.

The 2026 Rockstar Energy Open Athlete Roster
The 2026 competition roster will feature more than 50 skateboarders from around the globe, including 20 finalists from the signature Video Qualifier Series (VQS). The VQS provides rising stars and undiscovered skateboarders the opportunity to earn a coveted spot to compete alongside invited pros and legends. Top featured athletes include: Men’s & Women’s Park Joey Yarborough (Vista, Calif.) – Dickies flow rider/skate brand ambassador; represented the United States in World Skate-sanctioned international competitions Keegan Palmer (Currumbin, AUS) – Two-time Olympic gold medalist in Men’s Park and Rockstar Energy athlete, fresh off X Games silver; RSEO 2024 third place
Cory Juneau (San Diego) – Olympic bronze medalist, two-time X Games medalist
Mizuho Hasegawa (Ibaraki, Japan) – 2026 X Games League MVP, three-time X Games gold medalist; RSEO two-time defending champion
Tom Schaar (Malibu, Calif.) – Olympic silver medalist; 24-time X Games medalist, made history as the first athlete to win four medals in a single X Games event; RSEO 2025 champion
Lilly Erickson(Oahu, Hawaii) – A fixture on the Exposure in the Bowl Open Pro Finals, drafted for the first ever X Games League for XC Los Angeles earlier this year
Sky Brown (Miyakai, Japan) – Two-time Olympic medalist; RSEO 2025 second place
Men’s & Women’s Street
Art Cordova(FIllmore, Calif.) – Dickies athlete; X Games bronze medalist, Nyjah Huston’s Soldiers teammate in the Professional Skateboarding League (PSL)
Braden Hoban(Encinitas, Calif.) – Rockstar Energy athlete, came in third last year in Men’s Street, fresh off X Games Silver in New Orleans
Chris Joslin (Corona, Calif.) – Rockstar Energy athlete
Julian Agliardi (Long Beach, Calif) – Youngest member of Nyjah Huston’s Disorder Skateboards team, RSEO 2025 second place
Kristion Jordan(Altadena, Calif.) – 2026 RSEO VQS finalist, RSEO VQS 2025 on-site qualifier through Men’s Final
Kylie Frank (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) – 2026 RSEO VQS finalist, 2024 & 2025 on-site qualifier through Women’s Final
Lazer Crawford (Glendale, Ariz) – 2024 RSEO Champion and Rockstar Energy athlete; spent last six months working on a video part with Plan B skateboards
Paige Heyn (Tempe, Ariz.) – Rockstar Energy athlete, Olympian, X Games silver medalist
For the full list of athletes, visit RockstarEnergyOpen.com.
The Video Qualifier Series (VQS) officially kicked off on June 8, inviting skaters to submit entries via ThePlatfrm.com. Over the course of six weeks, men’s and women’s street and park winners were selected to compete live in Portland. Weekly cash prizes were awarded for Best Video Part (Men’s/Women’s), Best Trick and Viewer’s Choice. This year’s VQS standouts include Nels Rosen, Soobeen Park, JD Sanchez, Jedd Mckenzie, Asahi Kaihara, and mentioned above, Kristion Jordan and Kylie Frank. Winners were judged by the same world-class panel evaluating the Rockstar Energy Open. Full submission details and official rules can be found at ThePlatfrm.com.

John Worthington "Best" of Video Part

Blair Alley — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:26:52 GMT

Filmer Josh Peacock continues to bless us with these gnarly Best Of parts. The latest is John Worthington, who if you’re not familiar, rips any and all terrain. Check him in here flying around backyard pools like a bat outta hell, not missing any corners.

Other edits recently from Peacock and his crew of backyard bargers:

And for more Backyard Barging, look no further:

Chris Chemaly's "For What It's Worth" Part for Slappy's Garage

Blair Alley — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 09:38:19 GMT

Chris is from Sacramento, he grew up skating under the heavy influences of Miles Silvas and Miika Adamov (peep their shared part from duets). He’s now applying his brand of gnarly skating all over San Diego. He linked up with some of the best filmers in SD and just put the finishing touches on this rad part for Slappy’s Garage skateshop. If you missed the premiere at Fall Brewing over the weekend, settle in here and buckle up. Chris is the future.

“Put a few years into this one. San Diego born, Sacramento raised. Chris Chemaly bridges the gap, and grinds a few rails while he’s at it, too.” This also serves as Chris’ welcome to the Slappy’s Garage team vid. Congrats to all.

Video by Eduardo Sanchez

Rockstar Energy Open Free Waterfront Concert Series Lineup Announced

TWS — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:54:36 GMT

Heading to Portland, Oregon for the Rockstar Energy Open next month? Here’s the music lineup and info:

Friday evening’s concert lineup kicks off with Toronto punk favorites PUP, before one of emo’s fastest-rising bands Hot Mulligan, takes over the stage. On Saturday, Baltimore’s hardcore standout Angel Du$t sets the tone before acclaimed UK rock and grunge band Basement closes out the weekend series.

Tristan Rennie "Best of" Part

Blair Alley — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 23:16:25 GMT

Josh Peacock‘s been uploading banger after banger on his Youtube of years’ worth of gnarly skating. In his latest, check out the backyard pool bangers that Tristan Rennie has put down over the years. That roof ride toward the end is straight up bonkers. A 540 in the nude (not what you might think)!

Check out more carnage from Peacock and his crew in our Backyard Barging video series.

"sucks huh" by Neema Joorabchi

Blair Alley — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:25:00 GMT

Neema’s blessed us with another one with the usual crew of rippers. So settle into this short and sweet banger—Neema’s edits always leave us wanting to go out and skate with our friends. The best thing in the world.

“left ny… for now…🤨

here’s some old and some new

finis africae – managua

tyler sueda jasper stieve jesse newman zain ladha jack friedman stephen williams tyler chew asante morris tristen rowean

please donate any funds to links in bio if you enjoy my friends or me, thanks

love 43v3r💞”

Shouts to you Neema, wherever you’re headed next. You’re one righteous, epic dude and filmmakers. Run back all of Neema’s vids—pure inspiration:

Nike SB X Beyond Store Dunk Hi

TWS — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:44:51 GMT

YOU KNOW WE DID AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS POOL IN A 2016 ISSUE

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Nike SB tees up its latest QS Dunk drop with this informative video. Drop info in the IG post.

Seoul Sessions: South Korea Skateboarding | Ep 2 Photo Gallery

Blair Alley — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:23:30 GMT

ICYMI, episode 2 of our K-Pop & Kimchi tour of South Korea is on Youtube with a full story here. Below are the photos from the sessions we had in episode 2. Thanks for watching and more to come! Get out there and see the world!

The day started at Ttukseum Hangang Skate Park. Brandon bomb drops a slob.

Bone goin’ frontside.

Our fearless captain, Josh Zickert with a backside Ollie.

Caroline Duerr, layin’ it back.

JZ gettin’ over coping. If your TM can’t do this and is just some fat industry goon, beware!

Early April, the cherry blossoms were still in bloom.

Bone goin’ fishing.

Everybody wanted a photo with the sakuras.

Another sad Instagram boyfriend.

JJ Colon and our filmer/tourguide Salmon.

Olman Torres from Costa Rica, publisher of the great Stand By Project magazine.

Bone, with arms wide open. The spots out here were incredible.

Brandon Bonner, fakie heelflip. Maybe the hardest trick you could do here.

Jefferson “Yiyo” Obando, fakie 360 flip.

When he’s not TMing or filming, Josh Zickert gets clips! Bluntslide.

JJ Colon, frontside bluntslide. He also shoved out of these.

Leo Heinert, frontside bluntslide.

JJ, half Cab bluntslide.

Brandon, fakie Ollie melon grab. Wild and unusual.

Brandon, half Cab heelflip with pop for days.

Brandon, half Cab kickflip.

Bigger Salmon, on the hunt for angles.

JZ gettin’ after a sketchy, full-print drop in!

Whole crew was hyped on JZ’s drop in.

Hugs all around. Even the onlookers.

Leo Heinert put down this 180 nosegrind first try. Any motion blur you might notice is from the filmer’s light. Can’t win ’em all.

Hopefully this Ollie in by Brandon looks as gnarly as it was. Super steep and in the dark!

Related: “SQUEEZE” By Labros Seoul

New Balance Numeric | Southerly Tour

TWS — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:05:00 GMT

Melbourne, Australia—it’s quite lovely, especially if you can make it down in the Aussie summer. A big chunk of the New Balance Numeric team did just that and came back with the goods, as they always do. Why are you still reading this? Peep the clip!

Starring Jamie Foy, Andrew Reynolds, Aimu Yamazuki, Tom Knox, Brian Reid, Justin Henry, Patrick Praman, Cato Dobbs, Liv Lovelace, Sean Paul, and Sean Ryan Video by ‪@KyleCamarillo‬ ‪@tylrewilcox‬ ‪@ericiwakura‬

Filmer Kyle Camarillo had a nice section in our international Cinematographer Project. Run it back:

Vans AVE Classic x Hockey Skateboards with Diego Todd

TWS — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:53:53 GMT

“It’s Diego at his finest. Skating in the AVE Classic by Hockey. Now available at select VCU skate shops & Hockeyhomevideo.com”

Filmed/Edited by: Benny Maglinao

Guest: Andrew Allen Ben Kadow

Music by: Ryan Riffenburgh

Some classic Ventura spots in this one, and a switch backside flip we’ll be talking about for a while. Great edit as always by Mr. Benny Maglinao. You know he did this one too, right?

Exploring Seoul on a Skateboard: KPop & Kimchi Tour, Episode 2

Josh Zickert — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:03:34 GMT

Episode 2 features a demo at Seoul’s Ttukseum Hangang Skate Park. The blossoms were in full bloom and the locals were rippin’ around on scooters, blades, skateboards & bmx bikes. A huge shout out to Daily Grind Mag & Labros for making this event go off.

After a quick bite at 7 ELEVEN we took the the 7 train across the Hangang River to the beautiful Banpo-Dong district to skate the famed granite banks. Bonestalone, Leo, Caroline, JJ & Yiyo slayed the spot with a heavy bag of tricks.

Richie Löffler arrived at the golden hour straight from the airport after a wild journey through Abu Dhabi. Salmon knew of a spot under the bridge so the squad skated across the Han River where JZ found a sketchy drop in off a broken rail and Leo finessed a 180 nose grind down a big set.

Bonestalone capp’d the night off like a true ninja with a steezy Ollie into a steep bank at the illustrious heavily secured Dongdeamun Design Plaza. The pedestrians were going wild after seeing this stunt go down.

A truly epic day in Seoul.

Catch up with episode one below:

Aerosol Skateboards Promo Video

Blair Alley — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:16:05 GMT

This one was just lightly teased on the socials, but damn, it’s a banger. Tap in with Corey Young and Sean Thomas Ryan as they tastefully blaze all types of Aussie spots. Good on y’all!

“a promotional video for Aerosol Skateboards featuring Corey Young and Sean Thomas Ryan with Riwaz Kazi, Cameron Fraser, and Noah Fuzi

filmed and edited by Cameron Fraser

additional filming by Geoff Campbell, George Kousoulis, Myles Waughman, Karl Dorman, Tim Cobden, and Chase Collins

guest appearances from Michael Mieruszynski and Chase Collins

colour grading by Hyun Lee

IT’S ALL AROUND YOU

Nike SB, 72 Hours in Michigan for the SB Tennis Classic

Blair Alley — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:28:22 GMT

Support your local skateshop when you cop a pair of these! Find your local shop at this link.

Detroit’s been getting a lot of shine these days. Listen in as Elissa Steamer and Gus Gordon tell tales of Michigan, “corpo” van riding, witnessing the talents of Shane O’Neill in real life, and the best pizze in Rodrigo’s state. The DIYs out there look great. You could plan a worse city for your next skate trip.

Pawnshop: Built on Family and Skateboarding

Blair Alley — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:08:47 GMT

For as long as Donovon Piscopo can remember, he and his father, Anthony, have been skateboarding. Raised in Covina, California, Donovon grew up in a scene that wasn’t started by his father but has been 100-percent cultivated by him. Their family business, Pawnshop, has been around for 16 years, but it wasn’t the first skate shop in town. In fact, Anthony worked at the shop under a different name in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s, during the time Donovon was born. Anthony remembers that first shop as a sort of “housing project,” serving as a much-needed positive place for kids in the community — including himself.

Today, Pawnshop serves Covina in that same way. “My entire skate career is because of Anthony and Donovon,” says John Fitzgerald, reflecting on the efforts the Piscopos made to help him and so many others. Donovon hopes to one day take over Pawnshop from his father and eventually pass it on to his daughter. One thing is for sure: They don’t do this for the money. “It was built on my dad’s faith and love of skating.”

Support your local skateshop, always!

Mantis Skateshop Welomes Martin Vega

Blair Alley — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:54:47 GMT

“Martin Vega came to visit Germany with his friend Luca Ledebur who I met in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I was impressed with Luca’s skating and told him one day he should come to Hamburg to film a part. So he asked if his friend Martin could come along and that’s how we met. The level these two were skating at was crazy, so I broke out my old VX to film them. Later, Arne Stolt took over the filming and Martin ended up staying for six months and making a bunch of new friends in Germany. We’re happy to have him on our shop team and stoked about this part. Hope you’ll enjoy it.”—Richie Löffler, owner Mantis Skateshop

and Hamburg’s got spots! We checked ’em out for ourselves!

Oh yeah!

Super Skate Posse Giveback 34: New Brunswick, New Jersey

Blair Alley — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 22:26:40 GMT

SSP & The City Of New Brunswick‘s 5th annual giveback, CIRQUE DU SKATE, block party was another great day for the city and New Jersey! In the last five years over 500 skateboards have put on the streets in New Brunswick alone!

“Thanks to Middlesex County Culture & Arts Department, NJ Skateshop, The City Of New Brunswick, The Raye By Vermella, Timeless.co, NB City Center, The Yard RU, NBPAC, & NB Cultural Center for all your years of continued support. We’re extremely thankful for the ramps provided by Red Bull Skate, the skate lessons by Shred.co and the guest skaters Brian Anderson, Ron Diely and Piero Suarez. Thank you to all the above partners as well as Nike SB, New Brunswick Recreation, Yeti, Quantum Bearings, Spitfire Wheels and Trenton Circus School.”

Filmed & edited by RB Umali

Never not sharing these—best thing ever. So rad to see these kids get their first setups and get stoked!

"Dead Stock" with Skateboard Collector Bill Simpson

Blair Alley — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:06:20 GMT

Dead Air Radio bangs back with another “collector” episode—part of their Dead Stock series. This time we’ve got Bill Simpson. Get familiar with Bill and his boards right here, then dive into some SkateHoarders episodes we’ve produced!

Our full SkateHoarders Youtube playlist

Thames Skateboards in Sydney, Australia

Blair Alley — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:58:53 GMT

Call us biased but anything down under with Mike O’Meally (former Senior Photog here), Gabbers and Blondey and we’re bout it bout it. Fire up the barbie, this is a nice, short and sweet watch with great music. That’s really all you need, innit?

Blondey McCoy took his Thames squad down to Syndey in the wonderful month of March this year. Dig in. You’ll see some spots reminiscent of our 2008 classic And Now and its companion video The Australia/China Experience.

"SQUEEZE" By Labros Seoul

Blair Alley — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:44:41 GMT

The new video from our friends at Labros Skateshop in Seoul, South Korea. This one was filmed on their home turf along with some side missions out to Japan.

“Filmed and edited by Asuha Miyamura in Japan and Korea. Additionally filmed by Daniel Young.

Featuring Sakuya Mochizuki, Haruto Chinen, Souta Sakai, Shohey Koyanagi, Daizo Shiode, Tomoya Ishigaki, Minu Kwon, Hojin Choi, Hyeonseok Hong, Jun Yang, Hasumi Iida”

We were just out in Korea in April (first tour episode is out, here) and the hospitality from Paul and the Labros crew while we were in town, and helping host our photo show, was incredible.

And our tourguide/ripping skater/rapper Salmon deserves a special shout out as well. He’s even got his own Labros T-shirt out right now. Hopefully the scene there can save their Sunae plaza. You really ought to visit South Korea if you can—it’s one of the best places on the planet and has a rad skate scene. Keep crushing it guys!

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Checking In with Kyle Wilson

Blair Alley — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:32:26 GMT

The Ben Raemers Foundation checks in with Kyle Wilson to go skateboarding and see what routine and structure he brings to his day. Kyle and friends talk us through the Suicide First Aid Lite training they undertook with the Foundation. For more information and to sign up for the training yourself click here.

Watch: CJ Collins Raw Footage 2014-2020

Blair Alley — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:28:16 GMT

CJ Collins has grown into one of the rippingest all-terrain skaters on the planet. But was it always this way? Well, judging from this new compilation from 2014 to 2020 filmed by Josh Peacock—yeah, it kinda has been. Keep it going CJ!

Always loved the tricks he nailed in Venice Beach last year.

In Memoriam: Marc Johnson (1977-2026) Cupertino Spot Tributes

Mackenzie Eisenhour — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 11:00:00 GMT

It has been just over one month since Marc Johnson left this world. In the mortal sense he is no longer here. Yet I feel he is more present than he ever was. Almost like skateboarding’s Obi-Wan Kenobi—his energy feels stronger now than it did last month. “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” As if the sum total of Marc’s life’s work—his skateboarding, his art, his writing, his humor, his song choices, his style can only now come fully into scope. Only now, somewhat tragically can we see the true size of it.

And it is absolutely massive. Marc gave so much to our culture, he indirectly set the table for so many things. Each and every one of us who loved Marc, either as the living breathing person he was, or as the crazy talented hilarious superhero character he played as a pro skater have felt a void over this past month we didn’t even really know was there. We didn’t know what we had until it was gone? No, we did know, I did know—he is my favorite skateboarder from our generation. I just didn’t realize how far it went.

I know that others feel the same way. I know this personally because I received a near landslide of Marc Johnson spots and tributes for my Star Maps Instagram project. So many that I could not even hope to keep up or post them all. It was almost overwhelming. But their testament to Marc’s influence could not be missed. I had thought about writing a long article about his life and his passing. I still might. But right now it feels more appropriate to share one of the many tributes I received.

Shona Sanzgiri is an editor at Apple, a freelance writer, and grew up skating in and around San Jose. In early June I received my first guest essay for my Star Maps project from Shona as a tribute to MJ and all the spots he immortalized in Cupertino, California (famously the home of Apple). Even in such a small slice of CA—the outsized influence and impact on others lives, let alone lifting up the whole skate scene is colossal. In addition to mourning the loss of Marc, I feel many of us are simultaneously mourning the loss of our own youths, the vibrant scenes, and the skate culture that Marc was such a big catalyst of. I miss and love you Marc. Thank you for all that you gave us. Here’s Shona. —Mackenzie Eisenhour

Shona: Marc Johnson’s passing left me more emotional than I expected. I’m 41 and it’s been years since I skated with any determination, but scrolling Instagram that day I realized some of my old San Jose skate buddies were as much mourning Marc as that brief moment when San Jose’s skateboarding scene felt enormous.

Many of the spots burned in skaters’ memories worldwide aren’t actually in San Jose, but Cupertino, the suburb where I went to high school. This was pre-iPhone, so back then you’d have to explain where it was. To make things easier, I’d just say “San Jose” and promptly get scolded by a friend.

The 5-stair ledge across from Cupertino Library blessed by Marc in Seven Steps to Heaven (’96) and Mandown (’01).

In the early 2000s, Marc and some of the Tilt Mode guys had moved into a house on Tantau Avenue, down the street from friends of mine with a ramp in their front yard, and right around the corner from one of my oldest friends, who’s John Cardiel’s younger brother. One day I showed up expecting to bail front blunts for the millionth time and instead found John, Marc, Jerry Hsu, and Jesse Erickson standing on the deck of the ramp. Only one of us had the nerve to join them. A little more than two decades later, that friend, Jesse, and Marc are all gone.

I met Marc in 1998—I was 12, he was maybe 20—at one of San Jose’s many circle parks, Maywood, skating in my private school uniform and the only sneakers my school allowed: Emerica MJs. He was gracious and oddly engaged, giving detailed trick tips and helping me land my first kickflip, which excited him almost more than it did me. “Holy shit, it worked!” he laughed.

From then on I saw him regularly at local spots like the Cupertino Library, our crew’s own EMB, a submerged plaza with ledges running all along the perimeter. The library underwent a major renovation and the plaza was filled and replaced with trees, ground-level fountains, and benches where families sit to watch their kids run around, oblivious to history in a place with little of it. More than 30 years ago in the first two Maple videos, MJ ran circles in its square, doing what I think was the first nollie backside flip tailslide in a video. Across the street is a ledge going across a low five-stair that was skated by many Tilt Moders, including Marc and Louie Barletta.

De Anza Park metal ledges from Tiltmode! (’00) and Modus Operandi (’00).

A friendly looking dog walks past another portion of De Anza Park’s circular ledges.

Given its size, it’s funny how much of Cupertino was immortalized by Marc. In the first Tilt Mode video, Marc filmed a nighttime line at a Land Rover dealership with two gently sloping sand-colored banks. Driving past it, Yo La Tengo’s “Decora” plays in my mind.

A short drive from Apple’s old headquarters there’s a trifecta of noteworthy spots: The metal-edged circle park De Anza Park, back-to-back ledges at Stocklmeier Elementary School, and the white step-up ledge in a Walgreen’s parking lot, where Marc floats a slow moving nollie heelflip out of a nose manual.

Starbird Park in nearby Campbell hosted many skate jams on account of its smooth basketball court and handful of ledges. I will always remember it for the symmetrical lines Marc filmed there, ones that required the swift, balletic footwork he was known for, including a half cab noseslide and a nollie back tail on the main ledge and a switch frontside 180 followed by a backside flip over a pair of colored mounds in the playground. I watched him do such lines in person, studying how his feet seemed to fall into place for the second trick after the first, how that required thinking about skateboarding as the sum of its parts rather than obsessing about the present.

The Land Rover Dealership from Marc’s first Tiltmode! part (’00).

The car display ramps made for a perfect natural skatepark.

The gap.

Revisiting all of these places without hearing the jubilant din of skateboarding and teenage and twenty-something guys laughing and talking shit, I felt profoundly alone and acutely aware of my gray hairs. There was a time when you’d be thrilled to have any of the spots to yourself. Now the silence is sobering. The words “Tilt Mode” sound like an anachronism. Marc is dead. Once these banal liminal spaces and the anodyne suburbs in which they are still found took on an outsized importance to us and skateboarders around the world. And we owe so much of that to Marc.—Shona Sanzgiri

Maywood Park, where MJ sewed together effortless lines in his Best of 411 Vol.4 Profile (’97).

Starbird Park ledges from Tiltmode! and Modus Operandi (’00).

The Starbird Park checkerboard switch 180d and bs flipped by Marc in Mandown (’01).

The back-to-back ledges at Stocklmeier Elementary (Seven Steps to Heaven [’96]).

Closer look at the knobbed ledge at Stocklmeier.

The Wallgreen’s step-up ledge home to MJ’s nose manny nollie heel in Tiltmode! (’00).

A second angle of the knobbed Wallgreen’s spot. Now just another concrete block littering suburbia.

All spot photos by Shona Sanziri

Rest in Peace Jesse Erickson

Rest in Peace Marc Johnson

Marc Johnson Cupertino Spots Montage (2:29)

TRAP Skateboards in Argentina Video

Blair Alley — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:32:19 GMT

“TRAP Skateboards has landed in Argentina. Owner Richie Löffler was skating and filming there with Daniel Cramer when he met local rippers Luciano and Angelo while filming with Mauro Guzmán. It was an instant match, and here’s the first release from that skate encounter. Enjoy it!”—TRAP Skateboards

"Ophelia" By Theories Brand

Blair Alley — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:01:04 GMT

Theories new pro Connor Noll and Ryan Alvero join forces in this all new nine-minute opus spanning from Los Angeles to Boston and everywhere in between. It’s been a long time coming, so make sure to silence your phones and keep your snacks close by, we don’t want any distractions.

Enjoy “Ophelia” by the Theories crew….

RASSVET Presents Tolya Titaev, "DAWN"

Blair Alley — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:11:11 GMT

Rassvet’s Tennis Classic model with Nike SB was hot news last week. Following up on that, the man behind the design, Tolya Titaev, just dropped a video part to support it.

“RASSVET presents TOLYA TITAEV – DAWN. EVERY DAWN COUNTS. Not hours. Not days. Dawns. The ones where nothing works. The ones where you show up anyway. Some take a few. Some take more. Same process. Same sun. However many it takes.

STARRING Tolya Titaev

FILMED & EDITED BY Max Kushewski

FEATURING Igor Smirnov Ruslan Malygin Gabriel Ferrero Spencer

ADDITIONAL FILMING Eugeni Nikolaev Alan Ladigan Roberto Marcelli Enrique Mayor”

Rassvet translates to Dawn, and as the story of the shoe goes, each new day is a new chance to get those clips.

Related: Peep the Behind the Design