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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com
EDITOR joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR mark paul deren : madsteez madsteez@madsteez.com
ASSISTANT EDITOR delon isaacs delon@blisssmag.com
EDITOR AT LARGE liz rice mcCray liz@blisssmag.com
SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@blisssmag.com
MUSIC EDITOR max ritter max@blisssmag.com
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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb, Peter Morning, Bryce Kanights, Arto Sarri, Anthony Acosta, Cameron Strand, Brian Fick, Deville Nunns, Gage Thompson, Derek Bahn, Tom Cozad, Robbie Crawford, Ryan Donahue, Joe Foster, Sean Sullivan, Delon Isaacs
CONTRIBUTORS Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Nathan Spoor, Tom Carey, Travis Millard, David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland, Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey, Raul Montoya, Ian Dodge, Richie Olivares, Eric Meyers, Kelly Shannon, JP Olson BL!SSS Magazine
DECEMBER 2015
413 31st Street Newport Beach, CA 92663 www.blisssmag.com TIM WILLIS
(SNAKEBIT DRIFTERS)
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Disclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/ advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss’ right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine reflect the opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reflect negatively on the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.
100 ISSUES If your favorite shop isn’t receiving BL!SSS Magazine please contact info@blisssmag.com
JOHN JOHN FLORENCE CAPSULE COLLECTION Essential for the journey. Working hand-in-hand with John John Florence, this curated collection features a thoughtfully designed camera bag meant for life on the road, a microfiber towel and the world’s thinnest full feature digital watch, the Comp. JJF Camera Bag - The Comp - JJF Towel
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PREFACE If you’re reading this then it’s official: we just made it through our 100th deadline, you’re holding the 100th issue of BL!SSS, and we’re psyched to have you as a reader. I survived a hundred monthly deadlines at another publication before we started BL!SSS, and I’ve held out hope that the process would mellow over time and become less stressful. It hasn’t. Print deadlines still breed more chaos and drama than the first southern hemi of the season in Newport. I’m on blood pressure medicine from this damn magazine, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And while it’s been a crazy ride so far, I’m super grateful for all of you out there that help us create this mag every month. We owe our survival to the amazing brands that continue to support us and make it possible for us to pay our printer. And of course we have to thank our faithful readers, for without your interest we would have no motive or passion for excellence. Things have changed a lot since we started in 2007, and to be honest I wish I was more grateful at the time for those first couple years of BL!SSS when our industry was still firing on all cylinders. We really didn’t realize how good we had it back then, and we definitely weren’t alone. Today’s economy is far more challenging, but somehow we’ve managed to stay relevant, and brands know that the kids are still picking up our magazine every month. Young people may not be buying a lot of magazines these days, but they sure like free shit. So for our 100th issue we decided to dig deep into the BL!SSS archives and pull what we thought was the best of our last 99 issues. What you’ll see here is our favorite content, the cream of the crop. Keep in mind many of these photos are old, and some of the stickers on the boards may be different these days, but they’re so good we had to share them again. One of the crazy things we noticed while flipping through all the old mags was how many ads we ran from brands that aren’t around anymore. I guess we were lucky to get their business at the time, and we wish them well. We wish other stuff for the ones that still owe us money. If you’re looking for a long read, you’ll have to wait until the January issue, because what we created here is basically a photo book. We’ve been blessed to feature some pretty crazy art over the years, as well as amazing images of some of the most accomplished athletes in the world taken by the best photographers we know. It was a brutal editing process, and to be honest this issue would’ve been 500 pages if we could afford it, because there’s been so much amazing content to choose from. We made it as big as we could, and we hope you enjoy it. On a side note, I wanted to say thanks to all the people who reached out to me this past spring and summer after I was nearly killed in a surfing accident. It meant a lot, and I couldn’t have gotten through it with out the support of all of my friends. It’s been a long haul, but I’m back in the water again, and I’m lucky to even have a blood pressure that needs lowering. Thanks again for picking up our magazine. We think you’ll like this one. Long live print! -Nick Kalionzes
hurricane marie | photo • tom cozad Issue 86 | Oct 2014
david choe Issue 1 | Sept 2007
john florence | photo • peter king Issue 77 | Jan 2014
emily ratajkowski | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 23 | July 2009
“How should the glass be shattering if force is being applied this way? How should these shadows be falling on this object? What type of brush marks will best describe this form? It is these minor challenges that keep a painting dynamic to work on and interesting to come back to day after day. I love solving these issues, I love becoming lost in the dimensional qualities of the work and feeling my brain slowly resolve issues I previously thought were unfixable.�
jeremy geddes | a perfect vacuum Issue 83 | July 2014
geoff rowley | photo • ryan allen Issue 55 | March 2012
keegan valaika | photo • bob plumb Issue 30 | Feb 2010
ed templeton Issue 18 | Feb 2009
TH E
B A LA NC E
OF
OPPOS ITES
RV C A .C OM
chippa wilson | photo • tom carey Issue 36 | Aug 2010
erin haas | dalek | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 23 | July 2009
jamie lynn | photo • chris brunkhart Issue 37 | Sep 2010
wes laine, chappy jennings, rabbit bartholomew, gary elkerton, willy morris | photo • brian bielman Issue 24 | Aug 2009
alejandra guilmant | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 48 | Aug 2011
andrew reynolds | photo • atiba jefferson Issue 19 | March 2009
justin bower | enframement Issue 78 | Feb 2014
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chris bradshaw | photo • paul amyot Issue 2 | Oct 2007
ford archbold | photo • delon Issue 85 | Sept 2014
anthony walsh | photo • troyer Issue 12 | Aug 2008
ALWAYS CRUISIN’…
OZZIE WRIGHT | DAVE RASTOVICH | SANUK.COM
GUIDE TX
CARGO DELUXE CHILL
SKYLINE
Forest LS Woven
This was the only time we have ever had a different BL!SSS logo on our cover. When C.R. Stecyk III offers draw your cover logo you don’t say no. stacy peralta | c.r. stecyk III Issue 53 | Jan 2012
c.r. stecyk III | photo • derek bahn Issue 53 | Jan 2012
bruce irons | photo • tom carey Issue 1 | Jan 2007
dylan rieder | photo • ryan allen Issue 55 | March 2012
os gemeos Issue 56 | April 2012
barry mcgee Issue 58 | June 2012
dane reynolds | hominids & pinnipeds (zine) Issue 55 | March 2012
emily ratajkowski | revok | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 36 | Aug 2010
chelsea | retna | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 36 | Aug 2010
chris couter | photo • andrew miller Issue 50 | Oct 2011
mikkel bang | photo • dean blotto Issue 47 | July 2011
curren caples | photo • john bradford Issue 99 | November 2015
jeff grosso | photo • emag Issue 17 | Jan 2009
tony farmer | photo • arto Issue 56 | April 2012
lance mountain | photo • brian fick Issue 65 I Jan 2013
mark ryden | the creatrix Issue 13 | Sept 2008
sid vicious | photo • dean morris Issue 85 | Sept 2014
alex gray | photo • chris burkard Issue 83 | July 2014
nicolas mßller | photo • zach hooper issue 14 | Oct 2008
shane dorian | photo • bielman Issue 24 | Aug 2009
rampage & kolohe | photo • kenworthy Issue 5 | Jan 2008
alyssa acre supertaste | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 87 | Nov 2014
clark little Issue 65 | Jan 2013
greyson & christian fletcher | photo • bryce kanights Issue 60 | Aug 2012
“He’s a very sweet boy! Nobody wants to hear that, but he is a very sweet boy. I used to babysit Greyson when he was three or four and we would play Defender for hours and hours on end. The kid’s a barbarian; he’s a skateboard barbarian. He doesn’t know anything; he just pretty much runs on instinct, cruise control and feel, sheer will and a little bit of terror as well. He just doesn’t give a fuck. He’s a fucking savage. He’s got a lot of finesse in his skating, but yet it’s very unrefined. The guy doesn’t really know tricks, doesn’t really care about the history of where things come from or any of that kind of bullshit – it’s just pure stoke. Like, “I’m doin’ this.” Kind of a throwback to some of the older skaters, kind of a Jay Adams-like vibe – running on instinct. He’s super agile, a little ugly, but kind of beautiful at the same time. He’s got that gnarly Fletcher bull-legged, wide stance going on that’s obviously in the DNA.” - Jeff Grosso
greyson fletcher | photo • bryce kanights Issue 60 | Aug 2012
dabs myla Issue 67 | March 2013
reef mcintosh | photo • asp Issue 59 | July 2012
alexandra supertaste | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 71 | July 2013
nick russell | photo • potto Issue 49 | Sept 2011
scott blum | photo • bob plumb Issue 93 | May 2015
michael tomson bustin’ down the door | photo • merkel Issue 7 | March 2008
peter townend bustin’ down the door | photo • merkel Issue 7 | March 2008
mark richards bustin’ down the door | photo • merkel Issue 7 | March 2008
rabbit bartholomew bustin’ down the door | photo • merkel Issue 7 | March 2008
josh keyes | tangled Issue 76 | Dec 2013
richard phillips Issue 59 | July 2012
duane peters & steve olsen | photo • brian fick Issue 65 | Jan 2013
chris ward | photo • tom carey Issue 47 | July 2011
dylan graves | photo • chris burkhard Issue 83 | July 2014
craig anderson Issue 60 | Aug 2012
clayton brothers Issue 8 | April 2008
jay adams | photo • derek bahn (top left), steyck Issue 85 | Sept 2014
jordy smith | photo • kenworthy Issue 41 | Jan 2011
john john florence | photo • tom carey Issue 9 | May 2008
alex knost | photo • mark choiniere Issue 71 | July 2013
kara supertaste | photo • dominic petruzzi Issue 91 | March 2015
jonas michlot | photo • aaron dodds Issue 6 | Feb 2008
space invader Issue 43 | March 2011
danny fuller | photo • zak noyle Issue 80 | April 2014
liu bolin Issue 50 | Oct 2011
chris labrooy Issue 84 | Aug 2014
shayne pospisil | photo • aaron dodds Issue 19 | March 2009
jim greco | photo • bob plumb Issue 35 | July 2010
andy irons | photo • jack english Issue 11 | July 2008
andy irons | photo • kenworthy Issue 40 | Dec 2010
rolling stones | photo • ken regan Issue 68 | April 2013
keith haring | photo • janette beckman Issue 83 | July 2014
“I invented a translucent approach to the human body, which I call “transfiguration.” This approach brings information to the surface via a level of truth that is, in fact, realism, bypassing the typical race and sometimes gender. By removing the skin, there is a transpersonalizing universality to the human figure that brings it into the realm of the sacred.” alex grey Issue 15 | Nov 2008
eric geiselman | photo • nelly Issue 75 | Nov 2013
mason ho | photo • lazerwolf Issue 90 | Feb 2015
stephen koehne | photo • ryan craig Issue 87 | Nov 2014
kolohe andino | photo • kenworthy Issue 53 | Jan 2012
cleon peterson Issue 80 | April 2014
raymond pettibon | photo • bo bushnell Issue 71 | July 2013
mark gonzales | photo • joe brooke Issue 71 | July 2013
ian mackaye | photo • pat graham Issue 89 | Jan 2015
robert williams Issue 90 | Feb 2015
raymond pettibon | photo • bo bushnell Issue 71 | July 2013
hajime sorayama Issue 89 | July 2015
pose Issue 36 | Aug 2010
madsteez | china Issue 61 | Sept 2012
dave kinsey Issue 5 | Jan 2008
SHANE BORELAND A C T I V E R I D E S H O P. C O M
gilbert crockett | photo • acosta Issue 95 | July 2015
mike coots Issue 89 | Jan 2015
titebelts.com @tite_ _ _
rone Issue 89 | Jan 2015
espo - stephen powers Issue 73 | Sept 2013
parko & slater | photo • tom carey Issue 68 | April 2013
Mindstate
Photo
series
P I N TA I L S H A P E | D R O P T H R O U G H | E R G O N O M I C P U S H
P : Matt Smith
joel rea | the precision of luck Issue 97 | Sept 2015
R O O S E V E L T
there’s no present like the tiMe HAPPY HOLIDAYS VESTALWATCH.COM
beautiful losers Issue 26 | Oct 2009
THIS HOLIDAY, DISCOVER YOUR INNER AMPER!
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Nike Skateboarding presents the third film in the SB Chronicles series.
Featuring
T revor C olden Karsten Kleppan Omar S a lazar L a nc e Mou nt a i n
Eric Koston Kev i n Bra d ley Bria n A nderson C ory Ken nedy
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#CHRONICLES 3