T ur Issue
2014
Ronnie sandoval
david stenstrom
raney beres
dlamini DLAMini
shaun witherup
alan marola
grant taylor
Felipe Bartolome
Remy Taveira
evan binge
yann horowitz
kanya spani issue 61 | AUG/SEPT 2014 | RSA R34.95 / OTHER R30.04
NYJAH HUSTON \ F/S NOSEGRIND \ CHINA \ DARWIN PHOTO
DCSHOES.CO.ZA
Introducing
NYJAH VULC
T O TA L IM PA C T P R O T E C T I O N & E N H A N C E D B O A R D - F E E L . T W O F E AT U R E S N O T U S U A L LY F O U N D IN T H E S A M E S H O E – U N T IL N O W
#61 CON TENTS
08 rEDIAL
48 CONVERSE CONS TOUR
10 pODIUM: PIT PARTY
58 PODIUM: BUCK TOUR
14 tHRASHER TOUR
60 cLOSET ENVY
26 FAMILIA TOUR
64 BIZNESS
36 KDC TOUR
66 BLACKBOARD
COVER: Ronnie Sandoval is calm, composed and somewhat reserved when he’s off the board, which is in stark contrast to the impression you get when you watch him shred everything in his path. Backside Boneless over the doorway at the De Aar park in the Northern Cape. PH: Clark
page 14
Thrashin’ Africa
page 48
cons super charge tour
page 36
kdc packing the heat
page 26
familia territory
NICK GARCIA
@NICK_GARCIA @ELEMENTSA @ELEMENTAFRICA ELEMENT SOUTH AFRICA
GARCIA SMOKE SIGNALS 7.8 7.875 X 32 PHOTO BY: DAVID BROACH
SL A P P Y 50 –50 SEELEY PRO DONNELLY. GONZ CAMO WOVEN. © 2014 adidas AG. adidas, the trefoil logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group.
ADIDAS.COM/SKATEBOARDING
REDIAL
Brendan Body
VDSCHYF
Been There, Ripped That.
Bloem Blowout 2006
Touring is nothing new to skaters. The unknown, the homies and the adventure that is encompassed in any skate trip is a huge part of our culture. After all, new spots aren’t exactly built in your neighbourhood every day.
Brendan Body
Editor in Chief / advertising brendan@sessionmag.co.za
Adrian Henderson
Sub Editor / DESIGNER ad@sessionmag.co.za
Luke Jackson
Web & COPY Editor / Finance info@sessionmag.co.za
Clint van der Schyf photo Editor
SUBS!
We have seen a ton of tours in SA over the years. However, this year things seemed to have levelled up with a whole new breed of rippers exchanging their Euros and Dollars for many more Mandelas and then flying, driving and busing it around SA.
talking about the World Cup, Olympics, Street League, or Cash-Money-Driven-Rock-Stardom... we’re talking REAL skateboarding. The kind that messes with the geriatrics and law-abiders, and craps on anyone trying to stop those 4 urethane wheels from getting put down.
With the Thrasher dudes killing everything Sam Clark took them to and likewise with Evan, Alan and Dlamini showing Colin Clark (Ride Channel) what’s up in SA skating, it’s quite apparent that there is a unified outlook permeating throughout skateboarding internationally. We’re not
So keep cruising, keep searching, keep learning new tricks of both life and skating because none of us are getting any younger. South Africa, you got spots... They’re not great, they’re not easy, but they are there.
Photographers:
Sam Clark, Jansen van Staden, Grant Mclachlan, Jonathan Pinkhard, Andre Visser, Tyrone Bradley, Grant Payne, Neil Chester, Remy Taveira, Gavin Morgan, Loucas Polydorou.
Physical Address Session Magazine, 2nd Floor, Earlgo Building, cnr. Kloof & Park Rd, Gardens, Cape Town, 8000. PRINTERS Typo Colour Printing Specialists www.typo.co.za WEBSITE Above The Fold - www.above-the-fold.co.za DISTRIBUTION / SUBSCRIPTIONS RNA Distribution - www.rnad.co.za
CONTRIBUTORS:
Brett Shaw - Words; Alessandro Burzacchi - Illustrations;
R150 for 6 Issues Email subs@sessionmag.co.za with your name, address and contact number and get your Session delivered to your door.
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- Bod
For subsciption enquiries contact sessionssubs@rnad.co.za / subs@sessionmag.co.za
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* Support Independent Skate Media Session Skateboarding Magazine is published independently 6 times a year. Session will welcome all letters, e-mails and photos. We will review the contribution and assess whether or not it can be used as print or online content. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the magazine, its owners or its management. Session Skateboarding Magazine is the copyright of Session Magazine cc. Any duplication of this magazine, for any media or sale activity, will result in legal action and an expressively degrading letter about your skateboarding being sent to skateline nbd.
Zered Bassett. The city is his weapon. More at CONVERSECONS.COM
THE CONVERSE CONS WEAPON SKATE
PODIUM
Vans Pit Party 2014
The Pit (behind Clarke’s) on Bree Street is a favourite hangout for both the locals and the constant flow of visiting skateboarders in the city of Cape Town. A bar that houses a DIY bowl and a mini ramp is a damn fine concept. Session was on hand to handle the judging of the 3rd annual invitational bowl riders contest, along with Riaan from NSA.
Bowl Riders
1st Joubert van Staden 2nd Alan Marola 3rd Justus Kotze Red Bull ‘Best Wallride’ Contest
Alan Marola
ABOVE: Joubert knows how to cruise that bowl and made full use of it while repeatedly hammering the tight coping. There’s a chunk out of that pillar from his long boardslide wall smash fakies.
Thanks to: Warren Talbot and everyone at Vans. Melissa Williams, Lyndall Maunder & crew at ‘The Pit’.
COLOUR PHOTOS: Grant Payne BW PHOTO: TYRONE BRADLEY 10 | sessionmag.co.za
Seth Phitides at Red Bull.
T THHE E BBAAL LAANNCCE E OOF F OOPPPPOOSSI IT TE ESS KK EV I NI N“ S“ PA NN KK YY ” ”L O NN GG EV S PA LO I NI N DD UU SS TR YY TR FO RR E IEGI G NN FO CC OO NN CC RR E ET ET E
YA NN NNH H OO RRO WW I TI ZT Z YA RO NN AA TU RR EE TU DD OO MM ES T ITCI C ES WW OO O DD
Z ZA A. R. R VV CC A A. C. C OO MM
STRONG MADE STRONGER
l e v i . c o . z a / s k at e b o a r d i n g
6141/1
s k at e b o a r d i n g c o l l e c t i o n
We all find it annoying when an unknown number is ringing our phone late at night. Well, last November I was glad that I took that call! It was the unmistakable, whiskey-battered voice of Jake Phelps on the other end, explaining how he saw some photos of the ditch near Kimberley and wanted to bring a crew out to hit it the rest of South Africa - Hellroad style. That was all I knew until about two weeks before the trip in March actually happened, it made me rather nervous to be honest.
R HI N O
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GRANT TAYLOR
It wasn’t until Grant Taylor, Raven Tershy, Ronnie Sandoval, Cory Kennedy, Pat McLain, Raney Beres, Pstone and Rhino were standing in front of me that shit got real! We picked up the van, went straight to the bottle store and it was basically a beer and weed fueled festival for the next 13 days on the road. This was a Thrasher trip and the dudes knew it - No time for bullshit, let’s skate. - Sam Clark (Photos and Words)
c ory k e nn e d y
ra v e n t e r s h y
ran e y b e r e s
p at m c la i n
THRASHER TOUR
N o t i m e f or b u ll s h i t l e t . s s k at e
P-STONE
R O N N i e s an d o v al
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Shitty weather in JHB forced us to hit the road south toward better weather and the newly built skatepark in De Aar. It was a long drive but nothing these dudes were not used to. A quick clean up session and it was on! In no time, the session was on fire. And so was my soul... Seeing shit like this first hand was quite an experience. LEFT: Grant Taylor Tailgrabs for P-Stone’s Death lens.
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THRASHER TOUR
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At a time when most people would not e v e n b e at w or k y e t . . . a c ra z y s e s s i on w a s go i ng d o w n at a d i t c h i n t h e m i d d l e o f no w h e r e
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THRASHER TOUR
We had problems with our accommodation in Kimberley so we decided to skate the vert ramp at night and sleep there. It seemed like a great idea at the time because everyone was drunk. The temperature dropped and we all woke up with an outline of ourselves on the ramp, from the dew. Less than ideal.
even be at work yet, a crazy session was going down at a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Fuck the wood for the canal! These dudes literally destroyed this thing for breakfast.
Seing that we were up at 6am and a more comfortable place to rest couldn’t be found, we headed on. At a time when most people wouldn’t
LEFT: Canal pop to Fastplant. Raney Beres.
TOP: GT Floating Frontside. ABOVE: Raney Frontside Spiderman Boneless before the stomach tornado hit. Kuruman Skatepark.
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The perfect spot for a van full of transition rippers 20 | sessionmag.co.za
THRASHER TOUR
From the first talk of this trip, Indigo (in the valley of a thousand hills, outside Durban) was on my mind. The perfect spot for a van full of transition rippers. Unfortunately, the weather was being a bitch for most of this trip but decided to play along for our stay at Indigo. More beer, ramps, a P-Stone BBQ and a river to swim in. Everyone agreed, it was the best stop on the trip. Taylor goes Backside on the vert, Pat goes frontside in the deep end and Raney rolls out a chunky Smith.
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f or h i m to s ay t h at w a s t h e gnarl i e s. t s e s s i on h e s w i tn e s s e d . . .
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THRASHER TOUR
With one day left to skate in Durban before hitting the road to Cape Town, we decided to drain the Dlaminis’ pool. Rhino has been on a lot of pool sessions and for him to say that was the gnarliest session he’s witnessed, was quite something to hear. That pool got shut the fuck down!
ABOVE: Ronnie Madonna LEFT TOP: GT Tight and high BOTTOM LEFT: Ronnie again with a Frontside Hurricane... somehow.
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It basically rained the entire way to Cape Town, so the last two days of the trip were spent soaking up the sun and mellow street skating. Not for Cory though. Watch the SA Tour ‘Bru-Ray’ edits online. All of those rail hammers were in just two days.
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A huge thank you goes out to Mark Waters and KDC for making this trip happen. Check out Thrasher Magazine’s June 2014 Issue and all of the edits at www. thrashermagazine.com.
ABOVE: Raney flying around after numerous beverages on the way to the Kimberley Plaza. Backside tweaker before bedding down. RIGHT: Ronnie’s board was driven over while trying this in Cape Town. Ain’t nothing but a thang! Crail with a broken board.
THRASHER TOUR
a i nt not h i ng b u t a t h ang
SHAUN witherup - ollie in DURBAN 26 | sessionmag.co.za
familia TOUR
F
a
m
T e r
i
r
l i
i t
a
o r y
Familia’s UK crew met up with the SA crew in Durban. The following pages document their road trip to Cape Town, down the east coast. Shaun Witherup Yann Horowitz Steph Morgan Loucas Polydorou Gavin Morgan Jonathan Pinkhard Andy Morgan Jay Besaans
A l l Pho t os j. pi n k h a r d un l e s s s tat e d
sessionmag.co.za | 27
g.morgan
After years of talk, cheaper flight prices and the exchange rate in our favour, the stars aligned and we were able to get everyone together for an SA trip. My brothers hadn’t been back in over a decade!
Big up to everyone on the trip and to all the friends who helped us along the way. Shaun Witherup, Steph Morgan, Andy Morgan, Yann Horowitz, Loucas Polydorou, Wandile Msomi, Jay Besaans and family, Casey and Clinton Theron, Pieter Retief, Adrian Day, Jonothan Pinkhard, Ryder Nel, Luke Jackson and more. Witherup took a slam early on in the trip that looked like he got spat out of a wave that he caught in a washing machine. He could push his finger into the swelling around his knee and the dent would stay there until it oozed back to its swollen shape. I would have been out for the trip but a couple days later, with the help of anti-inflammatories, he was back on it. - Gav
“This must be the place” by Talking Heads. That really sums up the trip for me. We played it a number of times in the van and every time I hear it fond memories come back to me of cruising the SA streets with the best dudes.
g.morgan
- Andy
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familia TOUR
yann horowitz bluntslide in durban
My favourite part of the trip, besides having all the dudes I used to skate with in London back home for two weeks, was the long drive through the Transkei. There’s something about those beautiful rolling hills that ignited a sense of urgency to celebrate and explore. The van was filled with cold Black Label quartz at all times and we managed to stop off at 4 different rivers, to chance it with the crocodiles and have a swim. It was just one of those perfect days that’ll never leave the library. - Yann
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To me, one of the best parts of this trip was road-tripping from place to place. The first drive was from Durban down to PE and it turned out to be a memorable experience. Shaun was still in ‘Party mode’ from the night before so we ended up getting a shitload of beer and weed for the drive. I felt bad for the sober drivers Andy and Jay because they had to endure our needs of constantly stopping to piss, wanting to swim in every river we saw and our thirst for more booze. We stopped off in this town where we were the only white people and Yann decided to go take a piss in the Shopping Centre toilets. I think he felt what it would be like to be a celebrity because every person he passed stopped and looked at him like an alien from outer space! - Steph
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familia TOUR
ABOVE: shaun witherup nosegrind in pe. LEFT: Steph Morgan FS Board to hill bomb in PE
g.morgan
One of my highlights was watching Yann charge some downhill spots in Durban. We ended up calling him ‘Maverick’, a pleasure to watch. - Shaun
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HERE: yann horowitz wallride boardslide in cape town. RIGHT: loucas polydorou gap tailslide in the hills above Durban’s Moses Mabhida
polydorou
g.morgan
Stadium
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familia TOUR
We kept stopping at different bridges on the way through the Transkei. I almost saw Witherup throw himself off the last one that we stopped at, by accident. Hilarious but frightening once you realise what could have happened. - Loucas
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shaun witherup. 360 flip at durban beachfront. Ph: gav morgan.
alan marola
p ack i n g
theHeat
dlamini dlamini Kanya Spani wesley schroeder evan Binge
on the road with kdc
WORDS: MARK WATERS PHOTOS: SAM CLARK / KDC
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PACKING THE HEAT TOUR
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It’s safe to say that on the whole, skateboarders are searchers. We search for banks, ledges, pools, rails, stair sets, gaps and odd combinations of these things. We search at schools and businesses, in alleys, on hills, behind fences and in places that most never venture. The quest itself is the destination for some, for others the search is only worthwhile if their end result is achieved. I am always searching for sources of inspiration. For me there is nothing more inspiring than sharing the excitement of skateboarding, music, or even just ideas — that is what keeps me motivated. This isn’t unique, but it is a trait that seems more prevalent in skateboarders than in most ‘regular’ people. For skaters, the search is always on, and in most cases, it means piling into a van with other skaters and hitting the road. This is exactly what the folks from Kimberley Diamond Cup did in June. We gathered a crew, got in the van, and made it happen. Evan Binge dubbed this go-for-it attitude ‘Packing The Heat’ and it was on for nine days.
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PACKING THE HEAT TOUR
PREVIOUS: EVAN binge. taildrop grab and go in george. yup, yup! ABOVE: DSquared swapping sides for a Brazilian Smith crunch back into the Willowbridge bank. LEFT: Manrola gets this Back Tail in cape town while the grumps discuss the legality of using such extreme temperatures in public spaces. sessionmag.co.za | 39
Knysna became laughably absurd after we were kicked out of the fourth spot by the same security guards within an hour
LEFT: despite meeting the tarmac good and proper on at least one attempt, kanya sails through with an ollie to take the win. garage - 0. kanya - 1. TOP: the binge gets serenaded whilst mucking about on some highway barriers. layback frontside feeble stall on the garden route. 40 | sessionmag.co.za
PACKING THE HEAT TOUR
When Colin Clark and I landed in Johannesburg on Youth Day, we drove straight to Soweto and into Kliptown for the ‘Skateboarding For Hope’ tour stop. I didn’t have to go far to see group protests, silent statements and art dedicated to remembrance of the Soweto Uprisings. This was an instant education about Youth Day for us, and a great welcome back to South Africa. We also didn’t have to search to find Chinner, Evan, and Kanya Spani as
they all showed up to Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown. After a hectic event day, we hit the road for a quick stop and session at Kumba Skate Plaza in Kimberley, and then we were on the long road to Cape Town — extra long because we wanted to check out a couple of Northern Cape skateparks on the way. Upington and Springbok have both had skateparks built in the last couple years, since KDC came to the Northern
Cape, but not a lot of people have skated them, and there were no photos on the internet, which is very weird. So we were pleasantly surprised when the parks turned out to be pretty decent. Upington is very low impact with banks, edges and some misplaced flatbars. Springbok has more elevation, a cool China gap and a couple good rails. Both are worth checking out if you ever find yourself in those towns.
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ABOVE: Frontside noseslide in mosselbaai central. RIGHT: This set was the same set marola wrecked his ankle on in spf. now rebuilt as a near-perfect doubleset, dlamini gets some revenge. 360 flip in plett.
Cape Town finally showed itself in our late night windshield and we were happy to be in one place for a few days. We rallied the rest of the crew: Alan Marola, Dlamini Dlamini, Wesley ‘Tooth’ Schroeder and our guide and photographer Sam Clark. During the daytime we looked for skate spots and at night it was time for drinks and good companionship, by all accounts we found both. After a fun Go Skateboarding Day organized by Africa Skate, we hit the road heading east. The towns rolled by: Heidelberg (no stop), Mossel Bay (Dlamini’s Smith stop atop the bank, among other tricks), George (late night bowling and comedic relief as well as an alarming session at the park) and then we hit Knysna. Our search for spots in Knysna became laughably absurd after we were kicked out of the fourth spot by the same security guards within an hour. We decided that the search just wasn’t worth it and split, instead finding a late evening double-set and a great meal in Plett.
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It’s What We Do...
When we set out to do a KDC tour in South Africa this winter, there were some questions about why contest organizers wanted to promote a tour. To me, it was pretty simple: our interests are in promoting skateboarding in every country where we work. If we can help grow skateboarding, we assure ourselves success at the contests and events we host, year after year. Our partners in the Northern Cape Provincial Government, including the tourism
department, and Kumba Iron Ore, understand that promoting skateboarding throughout the country creates positive energy among kids, and we all believe that skateboarding can be an attainable alternative to far more destructive life choices. Also, we’ve been doing tours with American pros for a couple years and it makes just as much sense that we would take some of South Africa’s best skaters out for a jaunt. But maybe the real reason? We’re skaters. It’s what we do.
PACKING THE HEAT TOUR
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Next was Port Elizabeth, where there’s a Catholic school with a handrail we wanted to skate and although we figured it was a long shot, we asked the kids if we could talk to their teacher. We ended up explaining to the headmaster that we wanted to skate the rail in his schoolyard and for some strange reason I still don’t comprehend, he actually allowed our crew to come in, film, shoot photos and give skate lessons to the ten kids who were still hanging out after school. Seek
and ye shall find. It also never hurts to ask nicely. After more PE, including a double-set, handrail nearmisses, and a skatepark session, we found some spots in Craddock and Bloemfontein to blaze, and then headed north to Johannesburg, where we ended up at KDC’s Grand Slam at Cresta Shopping Centre. It was a nice way to wrap up our week, with the crew taking home individual cash and the Packing The Heat team taking the top spot in the Rider Cup.
It also never hurts to ask nicely.
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TOP: alan takes a wallie to this cape town trainyard. RIGHT: tooth pulls a frontshuv nosegrind out of his hat in PE... then drops both the ledge and the hat.
PACKING THE HEAT TOUR
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Unspoken Lessons... Skateboarding culture is pretty universal. I’ve been lucky to be immersed in a portion of the South African skateboarding culture over the last three years, but during that time I’ve recognised a couple of things that South African skaters could stand to learn. After talking to some of the elder statesmen of South Africa skateboarding, I realised that I’m not the only one who has noticed, so I figured I’d share a couple of ideas: 1. Show respect for your friends who are trying to get tricks. When skaters are at a spot, or more importantly, when a skater is working on a trick at a spot, there are enough things to think about in order to make everything come together and distractions from the outside world only make it more frustrating and harder to concentrate. If you’re not skating the rail, stairs, gap or whatever it is, at least try to avoid skating flatground in the landing or takeoff area, or in the skater’s line of sight. Go far enough away so that you’re not a distraction to your fellow skater. Most skaters won’t call out their bros about this and just deal with it, so make it easier on them and consider what they’re working on, and don’t do anything that will hinder that.
If not you, then who? 2. Avoid attracting attention. On a related note, when you’re at a spot, it doesn’t make sense to call attention to yourselves. It’s always hard when you’re rolling deep to keep your footprint small, but keep in mind that the more noise you make, the more people are spread out all over the place, the more likely it is you’ll get kicked out before your buddy gets his trick. 3. The older skaters in South Africa need to teach the etiquette to the younger skaters. Whether it’s simple stuff like keep your board back from the lip during a ramp or bowl session, or don’t sit on a ledge where people are trying to film. The kids don’t know and it’s not always their fault. Some people can figure some things out on their own, but everyone needs to be taught the important unspoken lessons of skateboarding. Whether it’s done harshly or politely is up to you, but if you know how things work then pass it on to the younger generation. If not you, then who?
We had a great time searching for great times, and we’ve got the photos, videos, and memories to prove it. I love being able to share this stuff with you… but it is very important to remember that the tour you go on will always be better than the one anyone else goes on. Today is always better than yesterday because you can continue the search today. Now go plan your own tour.
the security guard keeps his distance from the flames as dlam frontside flips a notorious pe doubleset. 46 | sessionmag.co.za
PACKING THE HEAT TOUR
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CONS Project Joburg went down from 29 May – 1 June in an abandoned department store in Braamfontein. A series of obstacles were set up in the space and were open to the public. Converse sent European ambassadors Remy Taveira (France), David Stenstrom (Sweden) and Felipe Bartolome (Spain) to be a part of the project. Led by European Skate Marketing Manager Neil Chester (UK) and accompanied by filmer Niki Waltl (Austria), the euro crew came to charge. WORDS: Luke Jackson PHOTOS: Jonathan Pinkhard, Neil Chester, Remy Taveira
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CONS TOUR JHB
The CONS crew headed to this crusty bank-to-wall just before sunset on Sunday evening. It’s in a back alley next to Ponte tower on the edge of Hillbrow. Anyone who knows JHB knows that connotations of this area are synonymous with some fear-inducing crime stories. Taking unaware foreigners to use expensive camera equipment on the open street (in the dark) is probably not the smartest choice, but that’s skateboarding. Remy Taveira charged several frontside wallrides before we had an encounter with a knife-wielding passer-by but that turned out to be just a misunderstanding. PH: PINKHARD
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CONS TOUR JHB
D
avid Stenstrom is a young tranny destroyer from Stockholm. He is part of the Polar Skate Co crew, the influential brand belonging to CONS ambassador Pontus Alv. This was David’s first trip outside of Europe and he came ready to shred. His high energy set the tone for the trip right out of the gate. David is all energy…except in the morning. He never stops talking and can blast an air out of anything. Everything is about ‘charging’, ‘charge’ this, ‘charge’ that… CHAAAARGE! He discovered these random energy tablets at a petrol station stop, called “Super Charge”. From that point on everything became “SUPER CHARGE!”
LEFT: Day 1 of the trip, the guys had been on a plane all night and surely needed time to find their feet. However, David got a glimpse from the parking lot and was hyped up and ready to go, he charged a low-to-high transfer up to backside nosegrind… in a line. Germiston bowl is a classic spot that has been around a long time but seeing David’s seemingly effortless end-to-end assault was certainly a first.
ABOVE: This is NOT a skate park. The Volcano (as it’s known) is an old spot within a green space in Fourways. Apparently, the central concrete blob was originally a waterslide (for kids) that fell into disrepair. JHB local Daniel Miltiadou and friends are doing ongoing DIY, they have fixed the cracks and added new obstacles like a pole Jam, a ledge and various quarters. David blasted some insane backside airs out of the large quarter. DIY or die!
PH: CHESTER
PH: TaVEIRA
TOP: Visiting tourists are always stoked on a trip to the Lion Park. David bonded with the giraffe and named it ‘Arnie’. Their friendship lasted as long as the feed. PH: TaVEIRA
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CONS TOUR JHB
R
TAVEIRA
emy Taveira from Paris has no specific specialisation, he can skate everything, bowls, rails, ledges, ditches…everything! He is one of those rare individuals that can adapt to a spot in seconds, finding a way to make it work. His ability comes to the fore in a place like South Africa, where everything is a bit crusty. He was also really friendly, so those connotations about the French don’t always hold up in reality. I’ve been involved with or tagged along on a lot of SA skate tours, a lot of the time visiting pros complain about every spot you take them to. In contrast, the CONS crew (and Remy in particular) were hyped on the spots and tried to figure everything out.
LEFT: Street spots in downtown Johannesburg can be difficult to hit during the week because of the crowds, traffic chaos and security. Weekends are quieter and you have more options. Angle Banks is one of the city’s most iconic spots and you generally get a decent amount of time there on Sundays. A few have tried this ridiculously narrow ‘wallie transfer to ollie back in’ but all have fallen short. Remy made it look effortless…multiple times. PH: pinkhard
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ABOVE: We headed north of Johannesburg for an all-day ditch mission, thanks to Joubert and Skippy for showing us some gems. The first stop (where we all met up) was this classic spot along an empty stretch of road near Centurion. Felipe is the first individual I’ve ever seen who has managed to frontside wallride through the kinks and over the tunnel. PH: CHESTER RIGHT: A secret ditch spot near Pretoria, Hartmut Martin is a DIY master and made this wall possible. Our all-day ditch mission was coming to an end with the sun about to set. Bearing in mind that we had to skate through a dark tunnel that runs underneath the Gautrain tracks and then a second one underneath the highway in order to get back to our van that was parked in the veld, I decided it wouldn’t be too smart to hang around after dark. David had about ten minutes of light to get this frontside blunt on the wall and he banged it quick! PH: CHESTER BOTTOM LefT: Saturday morning at the home of skateboarding in Johannesburg – Library Gardens or ‘LBGs’. It’s always so good to see all the people who skate there on an average day. Johannesburg has an amazing skate community and cruising the downtown area always starts and ends at the Library. PH: JACKSON
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CONS TOUR JHB
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F
TAVEIRA
elipe Bartolome is a young Spaniard from Madrid. I’d actually never heard of him until a few weeks before the trip when a clip of a CONS wallride contest at Paral-lel in Barcelona popped up online. Neil then sent me a clip of his video part from a production called ‘Weird Dimension’ and I was blown away. Although already an existing representative of CONS Spain, this was Felipe’s first trip for CONS Europe. In fact, even Neil only met him in JHB for the first time. Right off the plane on his first day, we went straight to the project space and he did a plethora of insane wallrides. He charged the whole trip and I have no doubt that we will be seeing a lot more of him in the near future.
A special CONS video edit from the trip (filmed and edited by Niki Waltl) is being released on the Converse Youtube Channel. Thanks to Justine, Claire, Sharon and Daniela at Skye Distribution, JHB CONS ambassadors Brendan Dyamond and TK Modise, Jon Pinkhard for assisting with photos and to Jamie O’Brien from Woodies ramps for creating the skate obstacles and assisting with filming. A special thanks to Neil Chester and the euro crew for making it happen.
The Emmarentia banks are an overflow facility for the Emmarentia Dam. To get there you have to cross a river and trek through some bush. Most of the banks in the clearing you come across are obstructed with puddles and piles of trash. Nowadays, only one bank is skate-able and there is a group of homeless people who have set up a temporary residence with mattresses lined up along the bottom. The four individuals kindly shifted their beds to one side to allow us access. Felipe blasted a ridiculous boneless up to stall on the overhead bridge wall. PH. CHESTER
56 | sessionmag.co.za
CONS TOUR JHB
sessionmag.co.za | 57
PODIUM Jams, Events & Contests
Buck Touring in George
with OSP, KDC, Volcom & Monster The annual Buck Tour went down at SkateLab in George this past June and everyone skated really hard. Khule Ngubane made the trip down from Durban and clinched it ahead of Alan Marola and Jean-Marc Johannes. Anton Roux won Best Trick with a huge transfer from the 7ft quarter to the hip. Joubert van Staden won the bowling competition on Friday night. The prize was R500, a Snap Originals trophy and a place in the finals the following day. Next year we’re totally covering the bowling contest. See you in the alleys.
jean-marc johannes. flip disaster.
Photos Grant McLachlan
MJ JOHNSON. BACKSIDE FLIP.
58 | sessionmag.co.za
KDC is coming er b 2-5 Octoar! this ye KDC GrandSlam Durban 26 July ‘14
KDC GrandSlam Cape Town Clark
Clark
30 August ‘14
Day Saturday, Saturday, Friday,
Date August 2 August 16 August 29
Place Nelspruit Port Elizabeth Cape Town
Day Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday,
Date September 6 September 13 September 20 September 21 September 24
#kdcskate
Place Stoneridge Alexandra Kathu Kuruman Kimberley
for more information visit www.kimberleydiamondcup.com @KDiamondCup user/WorldSkateboardingGP /KimberleyDiamondCup
www.experiencenortherncape.com experiencenortherncape.com
Closet envy What’s on the shelves.
Session Suggests: Etnies Marana Vulc
The Marana Vulc is a slimmer version of the classic Marana, built on a vulcanised outsole. Etnies unleashed Neil Hughes onto the streets of Cape Town with a pair. Neil shredded the new Gardens Skatepark, terrorised the Clarke’s bowl and got legless at a few bars. After surviving the Neil Hughes experience, the Marana Vulc still impresses a few birds. Neil had this to say at the end of his weekend...“Even if I had no feet, I would still get these shoes”.
Retail price R699.00, so what you waiting for? Available at Baseline Skateshop and Boogaloos Stores. Distributed by Intende Action Wear www.intende.co.za www.etnies.com
ETNIES Marana Vulc
adidas Gonz Pro / Krooked
adidas Busenitz ADV
CONS CTAS Skate (Suede) 60 | sessionmag.co.za
ETNIES Marana Vulc
ETNIES Marana Vulc
ETNIES Marana Vulc
VANS Chukka Low
VANS Mirada X Independent
DC Cole Pro
DC Nyjah Vulc
DC Mikey Taylor
DC Council Mid
adidas Lucas Puig Pro
adidas ZX Vulc
CONS Star Player Skate
NIKE SB PRod 8
Nike SB Blazer
AVAILABLE NOW Exclusive to Baseline and Boogaloos
facebook.com/etnies | @etniesskateboarding nick garcia | ollie | slab city
Closet envy What’s on the shelves.
FAMILIA Roger Ballen Series
VANS x independent Pocket Tee
DIAMOND SUPPLY CO 5 Trillian Panel
INDEPENDENT Reynolds
62 | sessionmag.co.za
SKATE MENTAL Dicks of the World | John Motta Pro Model
RVCA Leaving Desert Blue
HUF Weed Leaf 5 Panel
VENTURE TRUCKS Silver
BASELINE Arch Logo
THRASHER Skate Goat Bucket Hat
DIAMOND SUPPLY CO Titanium Bearings
REAL Chima Pro | Busenitz Pro
DIMAOND SUPPLY CO Sex, Drugs & Rap
DIAMOND SUPPLY CO OG Script
DIAMOND SUPPLY CO Pudwill
LIGHTWEIGHT CUSHIONING m e e t s L o c k e d -d o w n f i t
nike sb app P r o g r e s s . C o n n e c t. R e s p e c t
s k at e e v e ry d a m n d ay
n i k e . c o m / s k at e b o a r d i n g
moses frontside flipping with proper catch. PH: Kolesky / Nikon / Red Bull Content Pool
BIZNESS & BANTER Industry News and Skateboard Banter
the build-up to the big event in October. The first Grand Slam event took place at Cresta in JHB and was won by Alan Marola, the second went down at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban and was won by Khule Ngubane.
The 2014 adidas x Baseline ‘Battle of the Benches’ went down at Civic Centre in Cape Town on Youth Day. Skateboarders from across the city were invited to represent team Brazil and team England. Watch the full football-styled skate match-up on the adidas feature page at www.avskateboarding.tv Dlamini Dlamini is the newest addition to Baseline Skate Shop team. Dean Marais is getting flowed shoes from DC. Giovanni Votano is now getting shoes from Vans. The Dope x Plankie video ‘Cannabeans’ is going up onto the Session website. Once a week a new section drops, head over there to watch a few.
department store in Braamfontein recently, check out a Woodies ramps edit from the space, on the Session site.
Skatecart.co.za is a new webstore catering specifically to local South African skate brands. Check out their site and support the local scene.
Red Bull ‘Unlocked’ went down recently at Library Gardens in central Johannesburg. Red Bull and DC team rider Moses Adams took first place and he won the Vans ‘Best Line’ contest. Dlamini Dlamini came 2nd and Khule Ngubane 3rd. PTA’s Shaun Burger won the Skullcandy ‘Best Trick’ contest.
Converse CONS Project JHB went down in an abandoned
KDC events have been going down all over the country in
Technique Photo Competition Win yourself a Technique deck of your choice in each of the next 3 issues of Session.
Take a photo of yourself with a Technique skateboard deck - if you don’t have one already then grab a friend’s or find one in a skateshop.
Marcel Maassen missed Cape Town so he moved back, Dennis Collins has also made the move down as well as Joshua Chisholm who has moved to Gordan’s Bay and subsequently been seen causing a riot on the streets of Stellenbosch. DPD are wrapping up their 3rd webisode, it will be featured on africaskate.com and sessionmag.co.za. It features Martin Stoffberg and Trae Rice. George van Blerk is now repping Technique in KZN and Lanie van der Walt in Pretoria. For more info contact info@ diversitydist.com or drop them a message on Facebook. Congratulations to James Lange from Kempton Park in Johannesburg for winning the adidas Skate Copa competition from Issue 59.
Photos can feature skating or be lifestyle, even something funny at a party. The most original photo wins and the winner will be mentioned in the next issue.
africaskate africaskate.com
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1478 likes africaskate griptape sprayed by @kotssaki orginally illustrated by @vrotbek available to buy on @skatecartza #R110 #africaskate #southafrica #griptapeforsale
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Submit your photo via the Technique Skateboards Facebook page or email info@diversitydist.com.
Winter 2014 | Audio Visual Skateboarding Video Magazine | Issue 23
Exposure 23.1 Fieldtrip KDC Packing The Heat Tour Spot Check YBF Plaza Field Trip RVCA Focus Levi’s DIY Skate Jam Debut Brendan Dyamond
Weekend Mike Chinner Plus Bonus Footage
www.avskateboarding.tv ‡ shop.avskateboarding.tv Advertising, Sales Information and Contributors > Email: info@avskateboarding.tv or go to www.avskateboarding.tv
Tour Living You don’t need all your bros to hold your hand. Sure it’s better to roll with them but if your brain is wondering what the hell is out there then you need to quit what you are doing, grab your board and whatever cash you have, then get out and explore the world. If that’s too far then hit the next town. If you wait for the herd you will become that ‘what if’ guy. My first big ass skate trip was on my own to the USA, 12 months, 30 states. Sleeping on the beach, working construction jobs to buy food, not eating so you can buy a Slayer ticket and rotating 3 t-shirts for a year while hitting every spot from NY to LA and back. The media has glamorized skateboard trips. Fancy hotels and champagne are for tennis players. All you need is your board, spare change and tap water. The carpet is your mattress and your hoody is your pillow.
It’s not about how far you go, you just need to ‘get some’, somewhere new. Every one wants to ride the spots that the World Wide Web and skate mags are ramming down your throat. So don’t think about it, just do it. If your bank vault is empty then go find that spot that
Giovanni backside flipped on the last SESSION cover, catch a train to Kimberley or Google Earth some drainage ditches. As skateboarders it is compulsory to search and destroy. The open road flows through our blood. If you adapt this attitude and get lucky by ending up on a skate team then good for you because it’s killer to head out with liked-minded human beings that see the world the same way you do. The bonus there is not having to worry about where you are sleeping or what you are eating. It also frees up a ton of time to hit up more spots. But you’ll need to pay your dues first and prove your worth because these days everyone rips but not everyone has a good attitude and nobody wants to spend 12 hours in a van with a knob. Not everyone gets to ride in a van so save up your cash, round up your homies and head out but don’t forget your camera otherwise nobody will believe you.
AVAILABLE NOW... HUFWORLDWIDE.COM DEALER ENQUIRIES: WWW.BASELINESTUDIO.CO.ZA | 021 422 0465
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USTRIES WILL WEARS THE “PREMIUM” POCKET TEE AND “PLANKIE X DOPE” TRUCKER CAP. SEE THE ENTIRE RANGE AT DOPEIND.COM
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