How TRH Bar Became Montreal’s Iconic Skate Bar

Blair AlleySeptember 25, 2025 4 min read

When in Montreal, Canada, as a skater, you must pay a visit to the famed TRH Bar. Surely you've seen it in videos and photos anytime a team visits up north—a rowdy session in a bowl, fenced in, inside a bar. We recently took a trip up to Montreal and, arriving late on a Thursday night, our first point of contact was with Fred Vitu at TRH Bar. As I walked up, I saw a tattooed dude out front with a bald head and a Pacific Drive shirt on. I said, "Fred?" He said, yeah, then I complimented him on his shirt. Fred said, "Yeah, you're from San Diego right? I wore this shirt for you!" That was a good sign of a great night to come!

Long story short (kind of), Fred gave me the grand tour of TRH Bar, taking me upstairs to the dormant mini ramp and office spaces. As we were having a few drinks, he casually asked me if I had a motorcycle license. I in fact do. About an hour later, Fred says, "You want to go ride motorcycles?" "Now?!" I said as it was about two in the morning (the bar's open til 3am). "Yeah! My place is ten minutes away, we can skate there. You can have the keys to my Harley," said Fred. Insane.

Born to be wild! Fred Vitu on our tour of Montreal by motorbike.
*Blair Alley*

What followed was an incredible ride all around Montreal with the streets empty. We took the bikes (me on Fred's Harley bobber, Fred on his wife's Triumph) up Mount Royal to take in the views of the city. We ended back at the bar after 3 am, parked the bikes out front and went inside for a nightcap as the bar staff shut it down. Such an insane night all thanks to the global brotherhood of skateboarding.

To shed some light on the history of this epic spot, here's a Q&A with founder Fred Vitu:

When did TRH Bar start?

Me and my partner Jo Valina had the idea to open the bar in 2012 and opened our doors in 2013, it's been a ride ever since.

When did the name change from Trash to TRH?

We've been TRH since day 1!

Leo Heinert, frontside air.
*Blair Alley*

Did it always have a bowl and was run by skaters?

Yessir, we built the bowl before we even even built the bar! It was always the number one thing we wanted when we opened TRH. I started skating at 11 years old. You and I skated together on Jackalope weekend to go get my motorcycles to show you around town.

What's the most insane party/session you've ever had there?

Man, there're too many to choose from. We try to always keep it fresh here. In 2016 we had a Pool Block which is our contest that goes on for a few weeks every year and Jamie Foy, Alex Midler, Zion Wright, Gab Proulx, Pat Tremblay, Jon Cos, Hugo Balek, Jereme Knibbs and many more showed up. We Had Omar Hassan's 50th birthday party here. So many awesome parties and people.

JJ Colon, backside Smith grind.
*Blair Alley*

Who's the craziest or most unexpected person you've had in the bar?

During one of the Dime Glory Challenges that happens here in Montreal, Wes Kremer called me and asked me if he could give my number to Danny Way. My reaction was like, "What the fuck?" I went to a skate camp he was putting on in Toulouse (France) when I was 13 years old. Of course you can give him my number! He ended up coming and spending every night of that weekend at TRH. Still can't believe it.

What is Wes Kremer's affiliation with TRH?

Wes is a true friend and co-owner of the TRH trademark, alongside T.J. Rogers and Seb Toots.

TRH Bar — Fenced in or fenced out?
*Blair Alley*

What's the plan for expanding/franchising TRH around the world?

We've always wanted to make TRH a worldwide project, we're currently talking with three different entities to open three new TRHs nationally, as far as on different continents. We're not rushing it and want to make sure we're working with the right people to keep the TRH identity as it is. If anyone is interested in a life project like opening a TRH somewhere in the world, we are always open to talk about it, just reach out!

What should skateboarders know when they come to Montreal?

Skateboarders are always VIP with no lineup or cover when they come to TRH! Bowl is open to anyone with a board, come by and we'll be open! We've had so many skate legends come through, here's just a few off the top of my head: Evan Smith, Andy Anderson, Rick Howard, Clint Walker, Dustin Dollin, T-funk, Fabiana Delfino, Pedro Barros, Kanya Sesser, Nora Vasconcellos, Leticia Bufoni, Wes Kremer, T.J. Rogers, Tiago Lemos, Tyson Peterson, Marc Johnson, Vincent Milou....and many more.