July 2009 redpenmag.com info@redpenmag.com FREE
streetboard magazine #3
GOTTHARD PILSNER Large Handrail Collider
Brinton Gundersen Lamenting Lamont Peto:Chile Reel Life
photo: Florian Hopfensberger
Berlin Pro
DImensio
on ad
Pillow Talk #3 Any pen you like
Welcome to issue 3. If you are reading this at Relentless Nass, bring me a beer. If not, then I accept “Post a Pint”. First up, the King of Pop is no longer with us. That’s right; Brinton “Pop ‘em High” Gunderson, is retiring. Check page 20 for his exit interview. The Snakeboard brand is due to grace the sport with it’s name again, who, along with Click streetboards, will be offering budget entry level boards for all you curious cats. Finally, we have launched a new website, for all the stuff that we can’t afford to print. www.redpenmag.com. Next issue we will be having a bit of a switch up in format, all we can say is that its sure to have some pictures, words and be printed on paper. If you are new to the sport, welcome, here’s where to get your first board: UK www.streetboardshack.co.uk Germany www.ositos.eu Spain www.onlystreet.com USA www.streetboarding.com
Editor///Distribution///Advertising///Layout: Jay Nowman Chief Photographer///Layout: Stef Tribelnig Sub Editor///Staff Writer: Sam Cooke Gotthard Contributing Writers: Colin Horan///Jay Nowman Contributing Photographers: Florian Hopfensberger///Tilo Grupp/// Miguel Quiroga Web Design: Pete Dunsby Contact: info@redpenmag.com
Cover Shot: Pilsner Switch Back Lip Photo: Florian Hopfensberger
o r P n i l Ber rds Jay Nowman December 08 - wo Photos Tilo Grupp
rushed past. I knew there was no point making contact with any fellow streetboarders, for they sleep hard and long. I navigated the underground system with a Londoner’s sixth sense, popping out at Ostkreuz, right next to our youth hostel. I enquired as to which room the boys were in, stupidly mentioning that they owe me money and couldn’t pay for my room until I got to see them. The clerk, fearing I was about to unleash some kind of massacre said I had to call them to come down...A few moments later I was greeted by Sergi Nicolas, Thomas Kienle and Tilo. They led me up to their dorm, where I set about waking the rest of the crew - Chris Kamm and Victor Murstig. Greetings exchanged, we all started chattering. It was then I realised once again how amazing this scene is.
Gotthard Pilsner
Indy to fakie
I damn did it again. You know everyone does it, and we never learn. It was 3 am and I’d been fighting off sleep for the last few hours with a mixture of caffeine and Scrubs re-runs. Why oh why when booking my flights do I always opt for saving a measly £10 but condemning myself to the realms of a zombie for the first two days. One day I will be catching a flight at a decent hour. On top of that I was carting around 500 copies of Red Pen, hot off the press, but breaking my back. I had no space for clothes and was forced to donate my cross-bar to Luton’s local rubbish tip. I just kept reminding myself “it’s an adventure jay, it’s an adventure”. You may now call me Mule-ing Jim. After 1 hour in-flight Easykip, Berlin’s runway
Everybody around the table had something they were bringing to the scene, pushing it forward. We aren’t a bunch of well paid executives in a five star hotel discussing ways to maximise profit over a bottle of Dom Perignon. We are all riders, squashed in a five person dorm discussing not profit but the growth of our passion, over a half finished carton of orange juice - and from concentrate at that. Berlin is fast becoming a hot street spot destination. There is a host of perfect ledges and rails dotted around this history ridden city. Couple that with the city’s deep set electronic music culture and you have a recipe for the perfect streetboard trip. However, being the first days of December, the odds were always stacked against us. Biting cold and soggy concrete meant that a summer expedition was already being planned. Grabbing Gabi Muñoz on the way, we headed for the indoor park. This was going to be a pretty special moment. It was the first outing of the new Dimension signature Campaign boards.
Everybody gathered as Sergi strapped up into crisp white Neobrains and mounted his green and gold splashed pro model. W i t h i n seconds Gabi Muñoz spotting a rodeo landing the white Demon trucks were blessed with smooth switch krooks on the flat rail. Hidden in a back room of the park was a gem of a bowl. Gabi stomped rodeos across the hip, whilst Sergi destroyed every line, taking to some huge airs and clean backside spins. Thomas Kienle and Chris Kamm upped the ante by hitting up the extension with blunts and krooks. All the while myself and Victor Murstig spent our time trying to work out why, every 10 minutes, a member of staff would pop out and staple a blank sheet of paper to the wall. I still didn’t work it out, any answers on a postcard to the usual RedPen address. In typical Euro style we ate dinner at 1am and then headed on to boogie the night away to some tingle-down-your-spine inducing Minimal. In a true “isn’t it a small world “ moment, I bumped into a guy who used to go to school with Alex Morton, all the way back in California. The mind boggles. Day two brought more rain and more riders. The legendary Kai Hammen rocked up with Georg Mayerhauser and Sergi’s Pro Model comrade Gotthard Pilsner. We headed back to the park where Sergi stole the trick of the weekend with a perfectly executed 900 on vert. How he masters every type of riding it still mystifies me. Gotthard christened his black and luminous
green signature board with the all out gnarly tricks that the World Champ is known for. Switch back-lip, switch krooks, switch 5.0- need I go on? Both boards look even better when ridden, but to me this moment was not just about seeing new boards, it was about a turning point in the sport. Yeah, if you want to be pedantic, there have been pro models before. The Ashley Pro, the Seb Hoffman Earthquake etc. However those were made by a different generation of companies, in a completely different landscape. This year’s offerings are the first true pro models. They are the first step towards having real pro-streetboarders. In turn, and more importantly, they give the rest of us something to aspire to. So now I ask, when’s YOUR pro model coming out?
Sergi Nicolas and his 8ft backside
Tough Die
Too to
Peto caught our attention way back
t with popping up on the ne style an unapologetic punk nk rails. on some gruesome ki media glare Tucked away from the this here Earth, in the far south west of time to catch up Red Pen thought it was with him.
countries is my plan. It would be hectic if you could make it over to this side of the world. Do you ride with any other Streetboarders over there? Chris Rieche is here in Argentina right now. I hope to skate with him in Mendoza this month. Traveling to Europe I’ll finally be able to get to know more Streetboarders who I see only in videos. How would you describe your riding style? Easy Peto. What are your stats? My name is Valentino Barbuzza, I’m 20 years old, and I’ve been Streetboarding for 6 years. I live in Mendoza, Argentina and am sponsored by Grosso Streetboards, at the moment, but I don’t know for how long. My set up is Grosso “Pho” footplates , G3 trucks and my pro model bar “Peto 56’’. It’s the best monster bar in the entire world!
I ride only street. I love technical street stuff, big hard tricks and combinations. I designed my board thinking of tech and hard street skating, ledges, rails and gaps. I’d describe myself as technical rider.
You say you don’t know for how long Grosso will be your sponsor. Why’s that? I‘m thinking about moving to Berlin this year and I need more sponsors, more active sponsors. Now it’s just Grosso though.
Clearly you also like to hit big rails too. Have you hit that famous kink rail with any new tricks recently? Do you mean the dead kink rail? Ha ha. It’s 22 stairs or something. I was thinking of trying lipslide or boardslide, but it’s too difficult, the floor is destroyed and the kink is too close. You can’t see that in the photo.
Sweet. Why Berlin? Have you ever been to Europe?
noseblunt slide 8 stair
I’ve never been to Europe. I hope to progress my riding, which is my biggest passion and what I love the most. My girlfriend is going to study out there, so I might as well follow her. Skating, work, study and to enjoy other
f/s salad
I’m a Grosso boards dealer. I’m the creator of Streetboard in Mendoza. It’s growing here without skateparks dude, we don’t need anything, just the board, passion and energy. Pure passion. Any last words?
switch boardslide
It looks proper danger.
“Yeah, you said it. I don’t have fear, bones cure themselves. Don’t think about the future. Get tricks or die trying”
Sure. I want to say thanks to my family for all the support, Grosso board factory for the same thing especially tuna and Pipo. Linda, my girlfriend Christa I love you! Thanks to my photographer and guitar player from my band Miguel C. My homies here, Dee Dee Ramone ,for inspirate me always (RIP) and thanks to Pinheads family and thanks to you bro for all this. Germany coming soon! Un abrazo a todos! interview Jay Nowman photo’s Miguel Quiroga
Haha. What do you do when you’re not riding? I play bass in a Punk Rock band called Pinheads. Who are you favourite riders? Today is Gotthard Pilsner, no doubt. Also Ismael Calvo and Alex Morton too. They are really technical. The other inspiration is myself Ha ha. Tell us about Argentina. Argentina is something unique. Life is difficult here, but you’ll come and you’ll love it. Buenos Aires has some skateparks. Mendoza has rails and gaps everywhere. You’ll come and you’ll love the girls too! How big is Streetboarding there now? krooks 12 stair
Gotthard Pilsner His brutal approach to riding first bludgeoned it’s way into the planetary Streetboard consciousness at the 2001 Worlds in Argentina and over the following decade he has not let up for a minute deservedly winning 2 world street titles. He’s also collected the scalps of more real street firsts than anyone in the game; 360 crooks on a rail and his massive double kink 5oh just for a taste… check out HTP’s Geeks on wheels to confirm the kil s. Gotthard leads our few against many from the front pursuing the riddle of steel from park to street and back again with an all conquering dedication to destroying everything in his path and pushing Streetboarding forward. Photos: Alex Intro: Sam Cooke Interview: Jay Nowman How did you start ? Dude, like a million years ago, when it was still Snakeboard. I saw it, I liked it, I tried it, I couldn’t move, so I stashed it away somewhere. Then I tried again and got it. My first board was the one with the green sticker, The Comp Where are you living at the minute? As usual, in Passau, in Bavaria. Sponsors? Dimension for sure, HPT, but no one knows if its still exists, NeoBrain bindings, Addicted Clothing, Rockstar Bearings and Roxy board shop.
You came so close to winning worlds on so many occasions, but just couldn’t do it. Then you come and bang it out and win it two years in a row. How did it feel for you to finally win it? The first time, I was so happy about it. I knew my run was almost perfect, and to finally get it after coming so close was amazing. Last year, I don’t know, I wasn’t that happy with my run at all. I was more lucky to win, because not everyone landed everything in their runs. The first year (2007) was for sure the best. How do you fancy your chances this year? Pfffff, that’s a hard question, I’m getting old you know? I think I have my chances. Max Anderson is a good candidate along with Brinton and Sergi
Backside 5.0 18 Stairs
How important is Worlds for you? It’s not important for me in streetboarding because for me skating is not about money or being famous, that’s not important. What’s important is to meet all my friends, the homies. We all have jobs and just meet once a year. That’s what’s important. Out of anyone in the modern era of Streetboarding, you’ve put out the most video parts; Left for Dead, Geeks on Wheels and Take it Easy. Which are you most proud of? That’s a hard question, all of them really. Every part is like a different part of my skating. Left for Dead is more hardcore big rails, Geeks on Wheels is more tech and Take it Easy is a total mix. It’s more that there are a few shots or tricks that I’m proud of. It doesn’t look too hard, but the 360 Crooks is something no one else has done
Huge Mute and I don’t think will be done in the next little while. It’s a really weird trick. Also in Geeks the line with the nosegrind, then another gap and then the 360. For sure though in Left for Dead the switch back smith on Hollywood High, damn I’ll never do that again. What about the 5.0 on the kink in Geeks? That’s ok, but 5.0 is not such a hard trick. I think I could do that anytime. It’s scary because it’s a kink, but I think a lot of people could land it easily. Yourself and Sergi Nicolas are the first of this generation to get real Pro model boards. What does it mean to you to have a Pro model?
Misty 7
For my Streetboard heart it’s really important, because it makes you a sort of a legend in the sport, your name will be there forever. Maybe when I have kids I can show them and and say “Look your dad was so cool back in the day.”
Fence to fakie. What about the money you make from the sales? That’s cool, like I said before, money isn’t important. I don’t think we’ll ever get rich from this sport, but it’s cool, it helps you with your skate trips so it’s nice. You’re quite a tall rider, why is your pro model a 54cm stance? Well, like everybody knows I’m more into street, rails and gaps, and it’s the same as in snowboarding, you can spin faster when the board is smaller. When you spin onto rails, it makes it easier because there is less chance of hanging up. What’s kept you riding all these years? It’s my life man. Without Streetboarding I wouldn’t know what to do. When I go riding I can relax and think about my life. Also of course, I’ve got to travel around the world and meet so many people. My best trip was for sure to the States with you guys when we went to Vegas. America isn’t my favourite country but it was about the people we were rolling with. Thank You’s? All my friends, everyone who supported me, especially to Georg and Gust and my family. to you guys, to you Jay because we have known each other for years now, to Sergi, to all my sponsors, to all who know me and everyone I have forgotten.
Reel Life
24hours/8teams/3riders/1video/london Words: Colin Horan & Sam Cooke We didn’t really have a plan, but having been filming in London for the Day One video in the weeks leading up this event and knowing how much the city has to offer, we had the luxury of avoiding a few areas in an attempt not to ‘spoil’ our future release.
12:00
We spent the majority of the day heading along the Thames to London Bridge in search of a familiar manual spot, taking advantage of the abundance of skate spots the south bank has to offer along the way. However, Bank holiday saw the streets paved with tourists and getting your run-in to each spot was like a game of frogger.
13:00
Eventually our arrival at London Bridge saw the manual spot taken over by local drunks, a broken bar on the 10 stair and the end of our battery life. So lunch with the True Skool gave us chance to recharge before we wrapped up the days filming at Elephant & Castle. To follow was our biggest problem, we based ourselves 40 miles west of London at my home in Reading in order to take advantage of a decent machine to edit with. Getting in and out of London ate up a lot of our time.
15:00
VianneyMerinville:nosep ickSimonJohns:5.0Hadri enRafaelli:Boardslide
17:00
After hours of editing and less than 2 hours sleep I was woken by Simon who insisted on having breakfast outdoors. When I say outdoors I mean standing out in the cold in the moments after sunrise filming him skate the ridiculously steep handrail outside Reading train station. Cutting it fine, we had just enough time to slip this final clip into the edit before heading back to London for the deadline. I created Reel Life to bring together and show what real Streetboarding is all about…the constant and addictive search for skate spots in whatever environment you find yourself up against. 24 hours was tough, but seeing the faces of everyone who took part, knowing we had all been through the same experience and seeing how much effort each team put in to create their 2 minute version of events made it all worth while. See you all next year. Colin Horan
C.S.I o b t e e St r
g n i a rd
Chaz Martin - Back Smith
Coming Soon! www.csi-streetboarding.com
Reel Life I tell you I am some kind of moody rat bastard when I’ve had no sleep and my temper was more than frayed that we’d been a wire down the night before forcing us to do all our editing in two hours on the Southbank, it didn’t help that I’d played a metal edged twelve stair like a xylophone with my middle finger some hours previous and the thing was starting to look like a crooked blood soaked milk bottle. But then skate trips/ events with the True Skool have never been holidays, they are ordeals, if at the end of which I don’t feel like I’m escaping something beautiful yet heinous then life is seriously amiss.
20:00
The thing we coughed up in the last minute before noon on Sunday is a raw, spontaneous, generally offensive, desperate helicopter evacuation from the roof with good clips falling from the skids account of 24 more hours of those chaotic and elegantly debauched moments that I love and hate so much. I suppose any other way just wouldn’t have been us. Sam Cooke
0:00
03:00 06:00
12:00
SamCooke:b/snosegrindChrisBellet:smithPaulNash:switchsmithJayNowman:switchback3stale MaxAnderson:f/sfeebleHadrienRafaelli:LipColinHoran:f/snosegrind
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Brinton Gunderson Interview: Jay Nowman
Brinton you’re retiring from the scene, what has brought on this decision? I have a family now and want to stay close to home. I’m looking for a more stable lifestyle, taking a different path. Unfortunately Streetboarding and being the best dad I can, just don’t mix right now. It’s mainly the travel and time away that makes it hard, but also second to that is the money. You still going to ride though? Yeah always dude, I’m still going to cruise, roll a mini, and downhill is the best. I’m not going to train anymore, not skate to win. I’m done with contests and the traveling. You’ll still see me on the forums, I’m kinda addicted to them. You’ve been the most successful contest rider in the sport’s history. How many worlds did you win? Well, including the Snakeboard days, like 15 or 16. I was World champ in one discipline or another, that’s including stuff like high jump, best trick, overall, big air, and of course my favorite street. What drew you to the sport? I loved the feeling that you can become a pioneer you know? There aren’t that many sports out there that you can truely be the first person to ever do that. That feeling is amazing, always being able to find something new, doing a trick in a different way or something. Being innovative. What are your best memories from your years in the sport? The best thing has always been that on whatever trip, where ever in the world it is, you can rely on all the honors being there. Everyone really cares about each other, everyone does all they can to be there. Streetboard Worlds is so special, it’s a guaranteed annual family get together, and that’s what it’s like, a family. That’s what I’m gonna miss most. Best trip? Damn dude, alot of them. My favorite city would have to be Barcelona, I love it there. How the streets are shaped, and the laid back style. You know Jay, the fun times that we had there. Also
"Mainly we kick back and fight dragons together." Swerve
E a a ra r a r raa a
the time where I ran into Sam at the bakery at 5am. Also I loved going to hang out with Pipo Grosso in Argentina. I’d go for a contest that may only be a few days, but I’d stay for like 3 weeks. Just to kick back, skate party, chill and learn Spanish. I also loved my times with the Ositos guys, filming for Shadow Monkeys. Driving all over the place, and we had one mini ramp session that was wicked. It’s going to be hard to adjust. It’s been a tough decision. Streetboarding is all I have known for the last 15 years. It’s going to be strange. Are we going to see you back in years time managing the second coming, Gavin Gundersen? Ha ha maybe, he’s getting big now, he can almost ride now but mainly we kick back and fight dragons together. Any advice for someone on the polar opposite, just starting out in Streetboarding?
Rodeo. Your Chest.
Well, this goes for life too, not just Streetboarding. Always set yourself goals, whether it’s just to cruise or to be the best in the world, and do what it takes to make it happen. Never forget what they are and why you are doing something. Sweet homie, that’s about it. We’re going to miss you, any last words? Thank you’s to the homies. Josh for all the work and some crazy times. It all started in Winnemucca! Victor for back in the Brand-X days and showing me how to do 540’s. Sergi- Puto’s flys man. Thomas, Max, and Chris, thanks for the good times and your hard work. Spit for all that tech skating. Ingo – I like you 50% of the time! Rob Nye for showing me what it takes. Andy Cass for telling me to skate switch. Pipo and Diego for almost killing me in the party marathon
and the pasteles game. Vianney for being so damn cool. Piotr and his baldness and worlds in a tent! Neil for all the hard work. Go get em sun. Zig for getting me into this! Nice Porsche bro. Sebastian for the cool beats!!! Jay, just clean off my wrench. Sam I’m never leaving my camera with you alone again. Stef for the 24 hour parties. Rick for being a topic of discussion. Juan Valiente for the cartoon! You are awesome. Frontal’s, Streetboarding.com, streetboarder.com, and Dimension customers. My mom for being so cool over the years, letting me have the freedom I needed to travel. My brothers for teaching me how to train. My son Gavin for giving me a whole new reason to succeed in life. And of course Dan, for keeping me alive. It’s been awesome. Thanks everyone. End of an Era
Hucking it one last time.
<<Hard ware>>
<<HighlandCartel>> The Highland Cartel is back and these recent incarnations are looking finer than ever. Blessed once again by the graphical knowledge of our own Stefan Tribelnig and packing a pair of mirror finished Mercury trucks…you know that even when the Scotch mist lifts these boards will still be beauties. Taking shape from the minds of the infamous Highland team; they spin, grind and slide as smooth as they always have. They are available in 55cm and 56cm stances plus a variety of widths to suit your style including the widest footplates in the business measuring in at 27cm if you’re looking to truly kotch on tail and nose slides.
<<DimensionCampaign>> Dimension take another step in the right direction with the Campaign Sergi Nicholas and Campaign Gotthard Pilsner boards. Gotthard mounts a 54cm stance with a slightly bowed out bar and Sergi’s is 55cm with a flat edge bar because...because...well alright I don’t know why…but I’ve seen them both killing it on their respective models and the different bar shapes seem to be working a treat for them. Maybe I should of asked, perhaps got a few words for the magazine… Gotthard might say something about it in his interview...I don’t know because I haven’t read it yet...Welcome to Red Pen. The boards both just ride really good ok? Now down to the superficial; Gotthard has a sinister hooded being watching him while he rides with the new black Demon trucks, hit that off with a set off his new Black-Out signature model Neo-Brains if you feel metal enough. Sergi is busting some abstract patterns and easy on the eye colours with the new white Demon trucks, the perfect thing to get loved up with in a field this summer. So lighten up people. Only joking…Get darker!
2009 NeoBrains
<<Words: Sam Cooke>>
Streetboards/Longboards/Skateboards/Clothing Visit/Visitar: C. Septimania 34 08006 BCN Espa単a Web: www.onlystreet.com Tel: 932376967
Team: Erik Brun/Cristian Dedeu/Gabi Mu単oz/Sergi Nicolas
Gabi Mu単oz
highland-streetboards.com
Frontside 5.0
2009 CARTEL in the shops NOW