Issue 71 APRIL | MAY 2016
THE
EVAN SMITH
S E A M L E S S LY F U S I N G B O A R D - F E E L + I M P A C T P R O T E C T I O N +
WITH
+
featuring
I M PAC T- I ™
TECHNOLOGY
constructed compression
of on
a
lower
features durometer
landing.
inverted rubber
I M PAC T- I ™
to
protects
cones allow from
harsh impacts while maintaining board-feel.
EVAN SMITH \ WALLIE STALEFISH \ BLABAC PHOTO
FIND OUT WHAT’S IN EVAN’S SOLE AT DCSHOES.COM /EVANSMITH
ISSUE 71
contents 08
on the roaD AGAIN...
12
you were always on my mind
16
Suburbia - Brandon Valjalo
20
30 YEARS OF ETNIES
22
JOSHUA CHISHOLM - WHERE IS MY MIND?
34
GALLERIA - PHOTO FEATURE
54
50 YEARS OF VANS
56
CLOSET ENVY
60
JUMPSTART
62
I AM - Lloyd thangwane
Cover: Dlamini Dlamini nollie frontside 180 heelflips into a rough bank in downtown Johannesburg, then makes the drop and rolls into traffic, going fakie! - Photo Jansen van Staden Contents: Brendan Dyamond backsmiths in Parktown, JHB. Right on the edge of Hillbrow, where he’s apparently no stranger to a good time. Veg Squad represent! Photo - Jansen van Staden
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ADIDAS SKATEBOARDING PRESENTS “AWAY DAYS” MATT IRVING CO-CREATOR JASCHA MULLER STARRING MARK GONZALES DENNIS BUSENITZ SILAS BAXTER-NEAL LUCAS PUIG NESTOR JUDKINS BENNY FAIRFAX RODRIGO TX MARK SUCIU MILES SILVAS JACK FARDELL PETE ELDRIDGE JAKE DONNELLY TYSHAWN JONES NA-KEL SMITH LEM VILLEMIN ALEC MAJERUS CHEWY CANNON KLAUS BOHMS RAUL NAVARRO GÜNES ÖZDOGAN DENNIS DURRANT KEVIN LOWRY GUSTAV TØNNESEN FILM TORSTEN FRANK CHRIS MULHERN JUSTIN ALBERT PHOTO SEM RUBIO ZANDER TAKETOMO DIRECTOR
ADIDAS.COM/SKATEBOARDING #AWAYDAYS
Photography: Sem Rubio Š 2016 adidas AG. adidas, the trefoil logo and the 3-Stripes mark are registered trademarks of the adidas Group.
Rachel kelly
on the Road again...
Thaynan costa from Portugal frontside 180s in cape Town for Patrick Wallner’s lens (visualtraveling.com) Photo - Werner Lamprecht
The SA tours just keep on coming. In December a Red Bull funded trip hit cape Town for a week. The crew consisted of Walker Ryan, Sebo Walker, Jamie Tancowny and Thaynan costa. They were on a Southern African tour, and then headed to Lesotho and namibia. So much content is being produced nowadays that the full coverage is not expected to drop until about halfway through this year. I also just spent another 10 days on the road with the converse conS international team. Jake Johnson, Mike Anderson, Al Davis, Aaron Herrington and Bobby
De keyzer spent 10 days in the country shooting for The Skateboard Mag, 6 days in JHB/PTA and 4 days in cape Town. More info about that tour will undoubtedly follow in the coming months. check out the insta coverage - #southafriconS Also, be sure to check out the Skate Rock South Africa Tour edits on the Thrasher site, 3 parts were released over 3 consecutive days, there is also a feature in the print mag, if you manage to track one down. Sam clark shot a tour feature that has been in Transworld Skateboarding Mag-
EDITOR
PHOTOGRAPHERS 71
PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
Luke Jackson
Session Magazine, 2nd Floor, Earlgo Building, cnr. Kloof & Park Rd, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001.
info@sessionmag.co.za
Sam Clark, Jansen van Staden, Andre Visser, Werner Lamprecht, Gavin Scott, Tyrone Bradley, Tim Moolman, Grant Payne
PHOTO EDITOR
PRINTERS:
info@sessionmag.co.za ADVERTISING
Ockie Fourie
Clint van der Schyf FOUNDER / CREATIVE
Brendan Body
brendan@sessionmag.co.za
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Paarl Media - Paarl
azine. Tom Remillard, Brian Delatorre, JT Aultz and Willis kimbel headed down the Garden Route from kDc to the cape. check that out too, if you can find a copy. Finally, as I write this, a group of German skateboarders and photographers have just left SA after spending about 10 days visiting cape Town and the Garden Route as well. South Africa is a hotspot right now! - Jackson
SKATEBOARDER OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 2002.
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© SECOND
USTRIES GARY WEARS THE “SLATE” CHINOS, “DOPE X PLANKIE” POCKET TEE AND “LEAF” BUCKET HAT. SEE THE ENTIRE RANGE AT DOPEIND.COM
Cons One Star Pro
Made by Aaron Herrington
You were always on my mind Words - Luke JAckson Photos - Jansen van staden
S
kateboarding has so many facets, varying opinions and different perspectives. On one hand some people say the culture has been diluted and on the other hand many kids are growing up with access to skateboarding and skate-related content 24 hours a day. In reality, there is more of everything. More content and more choice. If you like one aspect of skateboarding, there is more of it readily available to you today, than ever before. So yes there is more of the things you hate, but there is also more of the things you love. You just need to filter through all of it to really find what matters to you. When you are creating a magazine to represent a skate scene, you have to take every aspect into consideration. That means including skateboarders from opposite sides of skateboarding culture, and often setting personal views aside. Nobody is going to like everything, but diversity is important. You also have to walk the fine line between trying to
include as many people as possible, but at the same time ensure that there is a certain quality to the skateboarding that is showcased. At Session we get plenty of raw submissions via email or on social networks, whether it be mobile phone pics or photos from some random park or event. While we’d love to include everybody, would we be doing skateboarding justice by lowering the quality of what we put out? I see a lot of people having random arguments about skateboarding on Facebook, on a daily basis. I personally try to stay out of them, even when I see wild and unknowledgeable comments from people who have no idea about the internal workings of a brand or industry, or the challenges they face for example. I feel like you should put your energy into promoting the things you like, rather than all that energy into that which you don’t. You often end up being the biggest promoter of negativity. However, I do think it’s important that people question things and analyze the current state of things. Don’t be a mindless bystander, be a conscious participant in engaging with the things you love.
On one end we have more ‘core’ street or pool/bowl skating, a DIY culture and a certain style aesthetic. On the other side we have ‘industry’, branding, park sharks and mass appeal. Unfortunately, the reality is that to a certain extent these two polarizing aspects of skateboarding need each other in order to thrive. Skateboarding needs money, to provide equipment, facilities, tours and opportunities, and that income comes from brands and essentially mass appeal. At the same time, the ‘core’ side of the skate culture is what makes skateboarding ‘cool’ or influential, and without it complete dilution will follow. It would pass away as another brief trend or phase, and yes this has happened in the past. Skateboarding can’t really survive in scale from skateboarders alone, it’s the influence on a mass market that generates income that is reinvested back into skateboarding. There are not a lot of opportunities in local skateboarding, and I don’t see that as one specific individual or entity’s fault. Resources are limited, they always have been. However, in general there are more resources now than ever before, and more going on now. But that doesn’t
“Skateboarding needs money, to provide equipment, facilities, tours and opportunities, and that income comes from brands and essentially mass appeal”
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An Indigo local charging the pool in The Vallley of a Thousand Hills - Photo Jansen van Staden sessionmag.co.za | 13
mean everybody has access to these resources or that every brand is making millions. There’s no denying that you have to work pretty hard to get access, but the people that do put in the most work, and in the right way, do tend to get noticed. The situation might not be ideal, but it does tend to improve, albeit not for everybody. On a personal note, I can’t say that I know how to improve things for everybody. I’m not sure I can even guarantee my own place within skateboarding, whatever that may be. All I know is that each individual can put in the time to try and make more things happen, and for every person that does that, the more potential there is for everybody. Here are some questions that come to mind when I reflect on the current state of skateboarding: How can more people get opportunity? What does it mean to be sponsored? If more people at a moderate level are sponsored, does that lower the standard of what sponsorship represents, or its overall impact? How does one weigh up the quality of one’s skateboarding with the value of their influence? How can more people get exposure of the right quality? Is there a realistic future working in skateboarding? How does one ensure skateboarding gains mass appeal, but without losing its essence? Can the industry sustain itself? The economic climate is really challenging at the moment, is the Rand/ Dollar price going to rise so high that imports and pricing becomes unmanageable? Are things in the current climate
actually credible, and what is credibility in skateboarding today? Do contests really matter and why is competition necessary, why do people feel the need to compete with one another? Does everybody need to have altruistic intentions; is business not also a legitimate aspect of skateboarding? Are businesses or NGOs who get involved in local skateboarding initiatives actually doing things sustainably? How can we do more to get support for good local initiatives? I don’t have a clear answer to these questions, I guess we all just try and figure it out as we go along… What I do know for certain is that there is a lot of potential out there. And if we can collectively unlock that potential then this will lead to exponential growth. As much as there are things that bum me out about skateboarding, there are other things that completely inspire me. Think about the idea of giving a skateboard to a child in a rural village in KwaZulu-Natal, and then they start shredding a gnarly concrete pool. It’s two worlds apart, but they collide and result in something pretty amazing. Skateboarding is a universal language that breaks down boundaries and overlooks so many of the barriers dividing people in society. Think about how you can include or encourage people, rather than exclude or dismiss them. If we can all work together to sustainably grow skateboarding in our local communities, then we have a collective influence and ultimately we have a future.
“Skateboarding is a universal language that breaks down boundaries and overlooks so many of the barriers dividing people in society”
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Evan Binge frontside bluntslides on the east side of JHB - Photo Jans
sen van Staden
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Suburbia with BRANDON VALJALO photos - Tim Moolman interview - luke jackson
Brandon Valjalo is a name we’re seeing more and more of in local skateboarding. He claimed first place at the KDC South African Championships for the past 2 years in a row, taking out a lot of established individuals. He also just so happens to have his own personal ‘training facility’ in his yard. We hit up Brandon to find out more.
How old are you? I’m 17 years old. Where do you live? Right now I’m living in Johannesburg, but next year I’m moving out to LA where I’ll be going back and forth for the next few years. List 5 of your biggest influences in skateboarding? Firstly I’ve got to give it to my brother Sheldon and his friends for getting me into skateboarding. Then I’ve got to say Trevor Colden, Micky Papa, Ryan Sheckler, Wandile Msomi, Khule Ngubane and my old time homie Thumbi Nkosi all play a pretty big role towards the way I see skateboarding today. Tell us about your training facility, where is it? My training facility is honestly a dream come true. I’m pretty sure every skater dreams of having their own private skatepark in their backyard and lucky enough for me it’s actually a reality, and I’m forever grateful. Who designed and built it for you? Well I told Jamie O’Brien that I was thinking of building a park and basically what I wanted, then he hooked me up with the blueprint and from there my mom did Frontside Bluntslide in Fourways
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everything from editing the blueprints to organizing for the people that built our new house to also build the skatepark, and even supervising them while I was at school, to make sure that they were building everything right. I guess she did a very good job because everything came out perfect, so I can’t thank her enough! How long did the whole process take? Building the park took about 4 months from the moment they broke the ground until the first time I skated it. Who is allowed to skate it? We haven’t got a disclaimer board up yet so we don’t want let anyone just come in, just in case something happens. Other than that my close homies as well as some of SA top skaters are all invited to come past when they are in Johannesburg.
“I don’t take it too seriously but rather just go out and have a good time doing the thing I love with all the homies”
Do you skate there everyday, or where and with whom do you usually roll? Yeah, I try skate it as much as possible because it’s got everything I need, from a solid big section to some nice technical obstacles and some tranny too. It’s basically got everything the streets have to offer and that’s why I’m so hyped on it. I also skate YBF pretty often and then a couple of super fun street spots around my area. You can often catch me skating with Bryan Banwell, Ashton Banwell and Jeremy Stone out here in Johannesburg, whether we are at a skatepark or even cruising the streets. Are we able to see footage from your training facility anywhere? Right now you can see a couple of clips by checking my profile and the skatepark’s profile on instagram: @brands_valjalo and @valjalo_tf. Other than that I’m going to get a YouTube channel started for all the stuff that goes down at the park. What is the vibe with that Steyn City bowl, is it open to the public or do you sweet talk security? Well basically it’s a pretty fun bowl that’s inside a closed estate that’s pretty tight with security. So it isn’t open to the public, I
Frontside 5-0 way up North.
guess the main idea is that it’s for the people that stay in that estate. Haha I don’t need to sweet talk the security, it’s super easy for me to get in cause my cousins live in there, so we just phone as if we are going to visit them and then we just cruise to the skatepark and a few street spots in the estate before we leave. How did you get hooked-up by Etnies? I’m not too sure. I think you’re going to have to ask Jamie and Ross that question haha. But from my side all I did was skate hard and use social media as a marketing platform to promote my skateboarding. Who else hooks you up? Right now I’m skating for Skullcandy, Neff Headwear, Volcom, Etnies, Redbull, Technique Skateboards and Jungle Rush. Who is your favourite international Etnies rider from the past 30 years? Since I was young I grew up watching the new generation of skaters, so my favourite one would have to be Ryan Sheckler, but Axel Cruysberghs is a close second.
Frontside lipslide at his TF 18 | sessionmag.co.za
Are high school girls down for skateboarders nowadays, and do you have a girlfriend? I don’t know if they are specifically down for skateboarders, but I know that it leaves a lasting impression on them because they don’t always come across skateboarders. It adds that little bit of mystery to us if you know what I’m saying haha. Nope, right now I don’t have a girlfriend. So at KDC 2014 it seemed like you got pretty close with Alana Smith, did you guys ever go on a date? Haha yeah man, Alana is super cool and is always down for a laugh. Nope we didn’t go on a date, unless a session at the Kumba Skate Plaza counts haha. So you won the local KDC SA comp 2 years in a row. Do you take contests pretty seriously and plan it out or do you just go in and wing it? To be honest, I don’t take it too seriously but rather just go out and have a good time doing the thing I love with all the homies. The money is just an added bonus. When it comes down to my contest runs, I practice a couple of tricks during the practice sessions and I see what is working for me at the time, then I end up just throwing it together, but when it comes to the big section I just wing it and hopefully it works out haha.
Tell us about shooting with Tim, what was the process behind shooting for this feature? Shooting with Tim is always a blast!! The process behind shooting with him starts with a simple phone call, all I do is just tell him what spot and what trick and then we head out there and shoot it, and hopefully leave before we get bust. It’s always fun and I love how he always makes jokes in-between tries, especially when I have to do the trick again so we can get the footage too, for my video part. Shooting for this feature was pretty rushed cause Tim was heading on vacation and I was at school, so we couldn’t really find enough time to get the best possible content. Other than that it was all about the fun. Any shout-outs? Firstly, I want start with my mom (Dina), dad (Clint), brother (Sheldon) and sister (Savanna). Thank you guys for all of the love and support that you guys have given me throughout my skateboarding career. Secondly, thanks to the rest of my family and friends for all of your support. I also want to thank all of my sponsors for everything that you guys do for me. S/o to my dudes that I’m always cruising and hanging out with: Bryan, Ashton, Jeremy, Dallan, Jimmy, Jed, Byron, Fadzai, Gavin, Micky, Khule, Tim and all the homies at SAC for all the good times. Thank you Skateboarding!
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International team rider Barney Page wall jams out of the quarter and back into the bank during the ‘Big Five Tour’ to SA - Photo Jansen van Staden
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30 years of Etnies Etnies Footwear just celebrated their 30th Birthday, a long history of developing innovative and performance-driven skate shoes. Etnies was the brand behind the world’s very first Pro model skate shoe for example, for Natas Kaupas. Video parts like Tom Penny’s in ‘High 5’ catapulted careers. While the brand has grown to encompass so much more than just skateboarding, its roots are firmly embedded in skateboarding, as much now as ever before. Watch Etnies’ ‘Built by Skateboarding’ feature at the berrics.com
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“SPICE” JOSHUA CHISHOLM WHERE IS MY MIND? Interview - Luke Jackson Photos - Jansen van Staden
Joshua Chisholm is a force of nature. You can hear him coming from 3 blocks away. His insane energy levels make him the ultimate hype man. If you’ve seen him skate in person then you have no doubt in your mind that his ability is raw and powerful. He will charge just about anything you put in front of him. He’s one of those guys that could have easily put out several interviews over the past few years but somehow it never came together. We’re stoked it finally happened. Here is the long overdue ‘Hype man Spice’ interview.
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Tell us about growing up in JHB, where about are you from? I’m from the northern suburbs, like from around Randburg and that sort of area. JHB guys get wild! But you were adopted right? Yeah I’m adopted. My bro was adopted first, we’re not blood brothers. I was from a Children’s Home in KZN. I never lived there though, my dad lives in Jozi and mom now lives here in the Cape. I’m not going to go searching for my biological parents, if it happens then it happens, but I see my mom as my only real mom. I don’t speak any African languages either, only English. Guys give me shit at garages and places like that, but I just don’t. English is my language. People tell me I must learn but that’s another mission. Dennis Collins is my new adopted bro too haha. Did you discover skateboarding at Brightwater, or is that just where you got noticed? Yeah Brightwater is where I started. I was on a bike and I met Mitchell Rice. I tried skating and flipped his board. He told me not to ride a bike anymore. I skated Brightwater a lot and around JHB. I met Bod and Clint there too, they hooked me up with Dane from Quiksilver and then Quik started hooking me up a bit. Why does everyone call you Spice, where does that name come from? It actually came from Omphile, RIP to the homie! Oh, and the Raw brothers too. Kanya Spani, Mitchell Rice and I grew up skating together in Randburg. The guys all said my steeze was kind of like a mix of Kanya and Mitchell. So the name is a combo of ‘Spani’ and ‘Rice’. Spice! Your crew stood out for your hype in those BWC days, who made up the crew? We had the Poes crew – Michael Bervoets, Mitchell, Mirry, Gary Nicolau and more. Mad goons!
You have a brother that used to skate BWC too, does he still skate, or what is he up to? Yeah Caleb used to skate there too. Actually, I just got a call that he was in a car accident last night, broken leg and dislocated hip. He lives in Gordon’s bay now, but skates Somerset West. Hopefully he’s ok, I’m going to go and see him. How did you end up living in Cape Town, you were initially living out in Gordon’s Bay right? I was living in Rustenburg for 4-5 months, a complete shithole. My mom wanted to move to CT, I was down, but we ended up in Gordon’s Bay. I met a girl and then stayed with her in town, and then I ended up moving to the city. I hardly visit Gordon’s Bay now, maybe every few months. You’ve been rooming with the van Staden brothers, any funny stories from the towers that you’d like to share? Rooming with the van Stadens is straight up G! They keep me on my toes, I’m only 21 and they are like 30. Once I had a girl over in the room, but there is this open space above the door. I guess Jansen took a pic of the girl and I both naked, through the space. I didn’t know, then he just showed me one day recently. He’s got sneaky moves. Jansen knows about my morning moods, I need my space. Come at me at like 12, but not earlier. So you’ve been working at a Gay Bar for some time, was it an awkward environment for a heterosexual male to be in, I mean you guys had to be topless at times didn’t you? I worked there for like a year and a half. When I first saw an older guy kiss a young guy I was like WTF. Then it becomes normal. My manager asked us to take our shirts off sometimes, but at times it’s mad hot and you want to anyway. Guys were often talking about sex at tables. The first or second shift I ever had, this homie said if I go home with him then I could have his dank Mercedes. True story, but not a fuck was I doing that.
“ I was on a bike and I met Mitchell Rice. I tried skating and flipped his board. He told me not to ride a bike anymore”
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Feeble grind
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What are you up to now, on the work front? Now I work at Yours Truly on Kloof Street 3 days a week. I also do assisting jobs on shoots. I need to make money, you can’t get cash just chilling and skating. Skating doesn’t pay bills, working a job does. You go on a date with a girl as a skateboarder and all your gear is fresh, but you ain’t paying that bill, you need a job to sort the bills out. So you’ve been in the slammer a couple times recently, most infamously at KDC. Can you tell us about being behind bars, is it gnarly being in there? Ahhhhh I don’t know dude. At KDC I walk down from my room and see Jake Phelps, and he says let’s go get beer man, obviously we do. We are drinking beer in the morning already, but Phelps is pushing me to go skate in the comp. Then I get there and I see Figgy and The Nuge. I got buck! I was too hyped and we were partying all day. Then at the Protea hotel that night it continued, I was escorted back to the Sun 1 where I was staying and then caused chaos back there. The cops were called to take me away. I woke up in jail with the sun on my face, super raw. I had no shoes and had to walk from the station all the way through town on the tar road, in blazing heat. Rayne or someone picked me up half way. It wasn’t too sketchy in there because I was the only homie in the cell. I was in jail once before that, in Cape Town, that was more sketchy. There were some gangsters in there with me, guys are like, “I’m a 26” or “I’m a 28.” Telling homies to get the fuck off of the bed and then there is this Nigerian saying, “fuck that, fuck that” and I’m just there puking everywhere. I’m thinking this homie is going to come tell me to bounce, but I’ll just puke on him if he comes over.
I’ve been sober now for a month and 2 weeks, but that wasn’t the turning point for me really. My behaviour as a whole was out of hand and I realised that I need to cut back on drinking. I’ve smoked weed every now and then but not as chronically as everyone knows I usually do. I also arrived at work fucked the one day, everyone said what up and then I start puking everywhere. My manger told me to get the fuck out of there. I don’t plan on having a drink anytime soon. You’re the hype man for sure, but sober Josh and party Josh seem like two very different characters. Can you tell us about the differences? Sober Josh you can converse with, this guy is pretty straight up G! I get along with people and I remember shit. Drunk Josh gets out of control. If I see visiting JHB homies for example, that gets me crazy excited. Piet and I get too buck, I ended up with cuts in my head from just going to a braai at his place, not even a house party. I’m too hyper man and I get out of control. Can you tell us about colouring in your fingernails, what is that all about? Sober thumbs. I colour in my thumbnails as a reminder to myself. If I have a shot of tequila, roll a joint or start calling someone to buy dank, I see my thumb and it reminds me of what the fuck I am actually doing. Some people think it’s dumb, but it helps me. I must repaint them actually. You were meant to go with Jansen on one of his meditation retreats, are you still going to do it? I want to but I need to make money and work, when I get space I’m going to do the meditation thing. I believe it helps you to become one with yourself.
“I woke up in jail with the sun on my face, super raw. I had no shoes and had to walk from the station all the way through town on the tar road, in blazing heat”
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Frontside boardslide, Muizenberg sessionmag.co.za | 27
Frontside bluntslide, Woodstock
You and Jansen seemed to bang out most of the photos in this feature in a really short space of time, tell us about the process? Well the backtail (not run) was from way back in Rustenburg days. But the last 3 weeks we’ve been on a mission to do this. The front board in Muizenberg was 3rd try, outside the Checkers. But some things didn’t work out. I tried this tailslide on 3 different visits but it didn’t work. I also made 3 visits for this other front blunt in Rondebosch. I’ve been working for it. The tuckknee we had to go back and shoot again, so that was 2 weeks in a row. I’ve been eating shit constantly and my hands are getting cut open. I live with Jansen so we can make it happen more easily. The van Staden bros were the first guys to film with me, I stayed with them in PTA for a bit too. The guys back me up and tell me I can do shit. We go in and out quickly. We’re working on a Plankie part too. It’s my first interview and my first part. I filmed clips for AV Exposures back in the PTA days as well, and that random Quiksilver promo. So I’m used to shooting with the van Stadens. Is anybody hooking you up right now? I’m on Plankie now and I get free boards. They are hyped! I can go through boards quick, like not even a week and it’s done.
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I just need boards, but they are my homies and they keep me in check. Piet was giving me stuff for a bit too, but I felt weird about it, I was working too much and not skating enough. Maybe after this, you never know… Fresh or Hesh? Aahhhhh dog, hesh for days - Jon Dickson! Figgy and Tancowny too! When Tancowny was here I was chilling at work and he was calling me to hang out. I had to leave that mother fucker right away and go hang with him, we got super fucked! Seeing Figgy at KDC was buck too, with Rowan and those guys. I like Kevin Bradley too, Bradley for president! You and Dennis Collins have quite a history together, how’d you guys get so tight? I went to Durban for the DVS Invitational and was meant to stay at Braxton’s house, but you know how creepy Braxton is. I don’t know where he went. Shout out to Braxton, my dog! So I ask Dennis if I can stay at his house and his mom let’s me stay with him for like three weeks. I smoked bongs in his garage when he didn’t even smoke. Then he moved to JHB with his Dad or something, he stayed by Fourways and we all became part of
Frontside noseslide sessionmag.co.za | 29
Frontside 50-50
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that Poes crew. We both randomly ended up in Rustenburg somehow. We text each other and meet up, he hooks me up with a new AV and then we were just on it. We both had bikes, or sometimes just one bike, and we both jumped on and went skating and filming with this VX camera. All the filming we did, the tapes got fucked. We filmed so much and built a DIY rail that we skated all the time. D and I go way back! I pranged his car down here in Cape Town, but I did pay for it. We homies for life, that’s my dog! Have you got any words of advice for the kids out there? Don’t try and just live the skate life. Skating is cool, it’s the coolest fucking thing on this planet, but if you have other priorities in life and you’ve got to pay bills then you can’t just think about skating the whole fucking time. You can’t chase the skate dream trying to get paid in SA, because that’s not happening right now. If you are getting paid it’s some small salary that you can’t even pay rent with anyways. Go get a job, skate on your off time and just fucking become a better human being.
“The van Staden bros were the first guys to film with me, I stayed with them in PTA for a bit too. The guys back me up and tell me I can do shit” Shout-outs? Shout out to my mom! Thanks to the Plankie crew for letting me stay on their couch. Thank you guys for everything! Shout out to my nigga Dennis. The Rice brothers and the Rice family! Veg squad in JHB and the homies in D’ville. My brother Caleb, I hope he’s good! Salik Harris and Leaf Apparel. Derive Skate Shop, Baseline Skate Shop, Session for the interview and to all the beautiful women out there. Peace!
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Joshua Chisholm - tuck-Knee. PH jansen van staden 32 | sessionmag.co.za
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Galleria
Andre Visser 1) Alistair Links - Backside flip in Strand, Gants Centre. This is one of the local spots for AD, Matt and I, for the past 10 years. Alistair is also from the Somerset West area, but he’s young. Think this was his first time at the spot. We just made him charge every new spot we took him to and this one was no different.
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2) Jansen van Staden - Boardslide in Plattekloof, Northern Suburbs (CT). This was the first mission for the New Year with the Damd crew. This is the same rail that Alan Marola slams his back onto while trying to frontside boardslide in the beginning of his Cannabeans part. AD, Matt, Antontjie and I went through on Sunday morning to meet up with Jansen and Joubert, to shoot the cover for Issue 70 and get the last banger for Anton’s Vans part. We met Jansen, Joubert, Spice and Juan at the Edgemead DIY. After we had a warm up then Juan took us to the 15-stair hubba. Anton made the 50-50 and everyone was hyped! I think Jansen was just fucking amped after seeing that shit go down behind his lens. He just wanted to do some charging of his own. The rail is quite shit, the spot where you pop goes downward and if you slip out, you will sack!
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3) Andrew Nero - 50-50 in Strand, Gants Centre. It was a weekday after work. AD, Andrew and I were just wanting to get a good session in, with winter creeping closer. This flat rail is much higher when you roll up to it than it looks from afar.
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4) Matt Henderson - Quick-footed ollie up to backside flip, Brackenrite Business Park, Brackenfell. The spots in this place are amazing, a huge open playground behind boom gates and security guards. After hanging in front of the gate for about 5 min while Tristan, the local from the area who took us there, spoke to the guards at the gate. Our 10-man crew walked straight through the front gate and started exploring.
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GallEria
G A V IN S C O T T 1) Tabo Löchelt - Kickflip
2) Andrew Raw - Ollie
Jarryd (Barnard) found this spot, dropped a photo of it in our whatsapp group and we made it out there on the weekend. The photo he sent was shot from the same position as mine and straight away I thought of a nice clean kickflip. You can only hit it from the one side, so when I got there I asked the goofy footers who wanted to flip it and Tabo volunteered. Tabo’s out here on a 1-year exchange program from Germany, he rides for Titus and kills it on a board. Tabo chilled while I set up and when I was ready he flipped it perfectly, first go, and this is the shot. It is normally a bit of a process getting the shot you want so it felt strange just shooting the one frame. We shot another three to be safe, but this turned out to be the best one.
Andrew has one of the best styles on a board and I think this captures it. This spot is in the industrial side of Randburg, so shooting was made simple as all the businesses were closed and there’s no through traffic. The session went down like normal with some guys skating and others playing footy in the street or chilling in the van. The odd thing about the scene were these two guys that pulled up in a bakkie, parked about 20 meters from us and then just sat there. Going through my head I was thinking that they’re here to kick us out, why are they just sitting there, they don’t look interested in skating, maybe the camera gear? Do we leave now or do we stay and get the trick? Fuuuuuck I was torn. While neither the skating (or footy) was interrupted for even a second, I was counting every one until they finally moved on. Andrew put it down, lurkers had gone and life was good!
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Galleria
werner lamprecht 1) Shaun Burger - Backtail. This shot came from a session in PTA town with Shaun, Kyle Stoffberg and Brian Hartell. This rail is basically in front of some covered drywall and each time a board shot out I’d cringe, hoping that there wasn’t any damage. The funniest thing about this shot is Shaun Burger’s hair. No more school means that he can let the ‘fro’ grow.
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2) Dlamini Dlamini - Kickflip nose manual nollie flip Werner spent a couple of weeks in the Cape during the December break. He shot this sequence during a Session in Sea Point, these new ledges just popped up on the promenade.
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3) Chris Lategan - Ollie Chris is popping off a bump on a damn crusty pathway that is pretty narrow, on the grass embankment. The bump is right next to the CSIR in Pretoria, so scientifically it makes sense in a way.
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Galleria j a n s e n va n s ta d e n 1) Louis Taubert - Sugarcane Louis shreds! The German traveller pops in and out of Cape Town on the regular. Jansen shot this awkward overturn on his most recent frolic in the fair Cape.
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sam clark 1) Khulu Dlamini - Wallie Khulu’s wallie abilities are insane! He can pretty much ride his four wheels up anything. This large wall that Sam found was no exception.
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Galleria
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50 years of vans
Dallas chow.
& The parallel premiere Photos - Grant Payne
March 16, 2016 marked 50 years of Vans! Vans South Africa erected a pop-up ‘House of Vans’ in downtown Cape Town for 4 days of celebration. There was plenty of skateboarding, music, workshops, screenings, food and drinks! One of the highlights was the premiere screening of the Vans SA documentary ‘Parallel’ on the Friday night, which features the local skate team exploring South Africa. It’ll be online soon for your viewing pleasure.
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Saturday afternoon was another highlight with skate obstacles popping up in the street out front for the Vans Pro Classics x Baseline Skate Shop ‘cash for tricks’ jam. There was even a giant Era Pro shaped obstacle. Everyone seemed to be in the money at some point, if you rolled away from something decent then you were handsomely rewarded. Cheers to the guys at Vans for hosting a dope event. The next 50 years are set to be even better!
Josh, backtail.
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CLOSET ENVY Threads for shred
VANS / JONESPORT MOUNTAIN EDITION JACKET
ELEMENT / FOUNTAIN JACKET
VANS / CAJON 2
ELEMENT / NASSAN ZIP
VANS / PORT PATCH TEE
ELEMENT / LANGLEY CREW
Etnies / lo-cut
Etnies / marana SC
Etnies / scout
Es / aCCEL SLIM
EMERICA / ROMERO LACED RED
EMERICA / ROMERO LACED WHITE
VANS PRO CLASSICS / old skool mid
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VANS PRO CLASSICS / Authentic navy
VANS PRO CLASSICS / Classic Slip On
Need more info on this product email info@sessionmag.co.za
EmErIca / MoBILL JAckeT
ElEmEnt / MADRonA LonG sLeeVe
vanS Pro claSSIcS / AuthentIC ReD FLoRAL
EmErIca / Pubb PoLo
ElEmEnt / MoHAVe BAckPAck
EmErIca & IndY / ss tee
dc / MoLFBReD 2 BAckPAck
vanS Pro claSSIcS / eRA PRo
adIdaS / MAtChCouRt
adIdaS / ADI eAse PReMIeRe
ADI eAse PReMIeRe
adIdaS / MAtChCouRt LuCAs PuIG
convErSE / one stAR PRo
convErSE / one stAR PRo
convErSE / one stAR PRo
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CLOSET ENVY Threads for shred
DC / matt miller
DC / kalis lite
DC / kalis lite
DC / evan smith
DC / trase
DC / mikey taylor vulc
DC / campy 5 panel
DC / stapler Cap
DC / kalis adjustable
Local DC team rider Moses Adams is off to The States again, frontside tailslide in Bloem. Photo - Tyrone Bradley (Red Bull Content Pool) @redbullza @dcshoesafrica @dcshoes @oakleyskateboarding @harleyafrica @ammousa @the_shred_skatepark @mannyslaysall @ kelvinhoefler @onefelix @spanishmiketv @arnaldizzy @ultimatex
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JumPstaRt Youth Development one love x bun & bunee – drill Hall (JHb) Based in the inner city of Johannesburg is the one Love Skate expo academy project in which a new wave off young black skaters residing in the surrounding flats attend workshops held at the Drill hall. Bun & Bunee have donated complete setups to be used on site. on Saturday 27th of February the oLSe inner city team took on an exercise for the first Skateboard assembling clinic and Ramp assembling clinic, to teach the kids the basics. Youth development projects like this are an important part of nurturing young individuals in the local skate community. For more info on this initiative at the Drill Hall contact Quincy: quincy@olse.co.za For more info on Bun & Bunee contact louise: louise@luma.co.za
LegionSessionAd 16-11-24.indd 2
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2015/11/18 8:17 AM
Skateistan An empty space between two buildings in the Maboneng area of Johannesburg is still a construction site, as builders start laying the foundations for Skateistan South Africa’s first Skate School! It’s been almost 2 years since they began activities in South Africa, partnering with local organizations and running Outreach sessions, with the aim of providing safe spaces for kids to learn and play through programs such as Skate and Create. Their new Skate School in Johannesburg will consist of shipping container classrooms and study areas, as well as a 500 square meter skatepark and outdoor educational space.
Indigo Indigo Youth Movement in Cape Town has expanded their development program to Valhalla Park, in addition to existing projects in Kleinvlei, Scottsdene and Nyanga. Project co-ordinator Charl Jensel also has his eyes set on the goal of going into even more communities, such as Manenberg and Hanover Park. In partnership with the Western Cape Gov. Sports and Recreation department, Indigo has been able to take on new skate instructors: Kyle Trusky, Kieran Noah, Matthew Johnson and Tyrone Meintjies. Local skateboarders working with Government to develop sustainable skate and education programs.
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I AM
Lloyd thangwane
Words & Pics : Werner Lamprecht
Fullcab backtail fakie
Lloyd Thangwane is that kid that’s normally skating by himself, but whose focus on what he wants to do resonates in the tricks you’ll see him land. He’s 18 years old and he’s been skating for 7 years. The man currently has dual citizenship to both South Africa and Botswana. He normally skates with Kyle, Kai, Brian, Chris, Brendon and Etienne. He’s been amped on
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Shane O’Neill’s skating over the last while and if you look at his switch game, you’ll notice the influence. His favourite spot is a place called “Heaven” and it’s in a public park filled with benches. He’s currently jamming “Running” by Baby Huey on his headphones, and he also plays the keyboard. In his words, “music is the shit!” – Werner
BS 180 NOSEGRIND | PHOTO: SAM MCGUIRE
BUILT BY SKATEBOARDING JULIAN DAVIDSON JAMESON E-LITE
etnies.com
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@etniesskateboarding
VANS. COM/ PROC LASS ICS
D E A L E R E N Q UI R I E S : 0 21 709 0084 - Av ailable at st ock ist s n a t io n w id e
PHOTO CLARK
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