SKATE SLATE
MIKE FITTER An Interview
RHYTHM AND FLOW Music and Skateboarding
DOWNHILL DISCO 1 [SKS] .5 EARLY SUMMER 2014 Another Jam, Another Dollar
17.5
early summer 2014
SKATE SLATE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & DIGITAL DESIGNER Justus Zimmerly
PHOTO EDITOR & CORRESPONDENT Jon Huey
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER & CORRESPONDENT Max Dubler
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER & CORRESPONDENT Ari Chamasmany
SKATE[SLATE] CREW Adam Auger, Adam Crigler, Billy Meiners, Blake Smith, Brock Newman, Dan Pape, Jordan Shepherd, Marisa Nunez, Patrick Switzer, RJ Roush PUBLISHER Tim Cutting
Letter from the editor I’m really hungry right now, and would much rather be eating than working on this letter. But I’ve told myself that I can’t eat until it’s done. Hunger is a powerful motivator. You may have noticed when you get “hangry” that you start to work a little harder to satisfy your hunger. It’s simple instinct. When you don’t have to work for it, you start to get lazy.
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What am I going on about? I don’t know, I’m having a hard time focussing when dinner is just around the corner. All I’m saying is, stay hungry. Whatever that means for you. Keep working hard and don’t get complacent. Push yourself. And grab a Snickers. – Justus Zimmerly
Contents 09 MUSIC AND SKATEBOARDING
Rythm and flow
14 GEAR REVIEW
Sector Nine Slick Shoes
19 DOWNHILL DISCO
Another Jam, Another Dollar
24 MIKE FITTER
6 [SKS] 2014 .5 EARLY AnSUMMER Interview
MUSIC AND SKATEBOARDING words and photos Ari Chamasmany
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I recently realized that I’ve been skating for just shy of a decade now. I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled far and wide, shredding hills with incredible people from all over the world. And while skateboarding represents a good portion of my life these days, there is another love of mine. An unforgiving mistress, at times just as cruel, brutal, and yet just as rewarding as skateboarding: music. It’s something we all encounter at one point or another during our lives. The attraction of the jam, the romantic idea of playing music, on a stage for a large group of people. It possesses the same kind of exhilarating thrill, that concentrated feeling of satisfaction. Just as my epiphanic realization of my decade long relationship with the skateboard dawned on me, so too did the realization that music has influenced everything I’ve done for the past twenty-some years of my life. From the crowds I’ve run with to the way I’ve dressed, music led me to the people and places that fundamentally influenced me to do what it is I do today. If skateboarding is the building in which I currently reside, music has been the ground upon which it was built. I believe that music and rhythm play a very serious role in all of our lives, one that is a lot more influential than you might think or even understand. For me, music has not only led me to skateboarding, but also influenced me in the way I ride. Music and skateboarding may be two completely different animals, but while originating from two separate worlds, they have numerous similarities. There is a rhythmic symbiosis that naturally occurs between the two. Just as rhythm and tempo are essential to music, so are these traits to skateboarding. Whether you have it or not, skateboarding demands a sense of inner rhythm. You need to be able to keep time to land a kick flip, possess some kind of innate flow to steeze out a slide. It comes from being in the groove. Sometimes this cadence comes naturally, in other situations it’s learned, but no matter how it happens, it begins to say a lot about who we are. Your style begins to represent your music, and your music ultimately represents your style.
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However, while all of this elaborate comparing and contrasting is great, it essentially leads us to a simple question: So what? Why does this relationship matter? Why should I care about the similarities between music, rhythm, and skateboarding? My answer to you is yet another question: In a sport that shares so many similarities with a practice (music) that embodies the better understanding and appreciation of the elements of rhythm and groove, why would you want to be a breadstick?
GEAR REVIEW
SECTOR NINE SLICK SHOES words Nathan Harris photos Nathan Harris and Jon Huey
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Slick Shoes, the name says it all. A 71mm diameter and a 31mm contact patch paired with an offset core position, nothing about these wheels was made so by accident. Sector 9 put its many years of experience to create yet another solid set of wheels. Fresh out of the box these wheels offer no surprises, the smooth stone ground finish and round edges paired with the 71mm height and softer 78a durometer all tell you to get ready for going fast and getting sideways. On the first run I was impressed with the perfect balance of roll speed and road absorbance. Within 100ft I was able to hold out a solid speed check, one of the easiest and smoothest breaking in periods I have ever felt. They offered a smooth, predictable slide leaving clean, light white thane lines from the first hour of riding. After a few quick runs I felt comfortable enough to take on some bigger hills. These wheels excelled in almost every sort of run I took them on. Scrubbing enough speed to slow things down if I wanted to, yet having enough give to be held out for as long a slide as I could throw. The slide threshold was also very consistent, just as the name “Shred Thane” would imply: Just enough grip to take on fast, curvy freeride runs, but smooth enough to scrub them without having to kick too hard. Over the life of these wheels, my favorite aspect was how they performed during so many different riding situations. I had them set up on a Sector 9 Daisy, original Munkae Trucks and Venom bushings. Whether I was doing light downhill or heavy freeriding these wheels held their own. But where they truly perform is as the urethanes name implies: fast, hard, and heavy shredding. These wheels felt best between 15 and 30 mph, taking on curves and blasting through corners sideways, and they performed beautifully doing just that. If I had to improve one aspect of these wheels I would be very interested in trying a center set version. With their smaller contact patch I felt like I could get more consistent wear if I had the option of flipping them. Even so, they had a very smooth life and had no major issues of uneven wear patterns. Overall, these wheels are a solid choice for anyone looking to get burly and do some fast shredding on any sort of pavement. I would recommend these to anyone. Congrats to Sector Nine with another solid set of wheels.
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THE BREAKDOWN QUALITY PERFORMANCE STYLE VALUE 16 [SKS] .5 EARLY SUMMER 2014
8 9 9 8
word s Ari C and pho t ham asm os any
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Double rainbow… all the way.
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It’s become a sort of “notch in the belt” for a lot of us in the incline-oriented skate world. Similar to Maryhill, except with a lot more lurking and drinking, and a lot less seriousness. This was the 5th Muirskate Downhill Disco, my 4th, and while it may not have been as rowdy as some years prior, it wasn’t any less anticipated. Groms and pros alike flocked to the out-of-the-way pump station access road, situated along side a brush covered freeway on-ramp, just as they’ve done ritualistically for the past five years. It’s one of those events where you get time to reconnect with everyone from the scene; dish out a couple hundred high-fives, get in a few awkward handshakes, share stories, update everyone on the status of your sponsors, your employment, your health. For the big kids it’s a sort of a “skate ten runs then find someone who brought a case of beer” kind of event, but for anyone looking to prove something, exposure at the Downhill Disco will get you a long way. For the up and coming, this event is a pretty good place to go big or go home. While maybe not making this your hill to die on, steezing out a grab off the big air ramp or debuting something you’ve been working on are tactically advantageous moves if you’re looking for a bit of recognition. The disco this year was particularly interesting in regards to the attendance. With a lot more new faces beginning to throw their hats into the ring we’re starting to see the introduction of yet another generation of young skaters, all new, and all vying for a chance to cement themselves in an ever growing, ever changing skate scene. While the attendance at this years Downhill Disco was just as big as ever, it feels as though we’re experiencing a bit of a transition phase. A recognition of a new troop beginning to make its way into the sport. Each year, the Downhill Disco gets bigger and more elaborate, and each year its importance as a litmus test for the well-being of our Southern California skate sphere grows more important. This year’s Downhill Disco stands to teach us a lot more than just how to properly shotgun a beer. It stands to represent the coming of a new tribe of bright eyed and bushy tailed young dare devils, all with fresh elbows, knees, and ankles, and all looking to attain a few new scars, both physically, and mentally.
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Tweakin’
Chance Gaul
So much Disco 21  [SKS] .5 EARLY SUMMER 2014
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Andrew Mercado slaying the parking block thing Landyachtz brought.
ISCO
PH: MICAH COOK
MIKE FITTER
interview Dan Pape photos Michael Alfuso and Rory Russell
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Mike, where are you from? I was born and raised in Kamloops, BC. A smaller city, about four hours more interior of Vancouver. What kind of outdoor activities did you get into? I did a lot of mountain biking when I was younger. My backyard was a giant gully filled with dirt jumps. I spent a lot of my years there. I also got into some dirt biking, there are a ton of trails in Kamloops. You can go five minutes any direction and be in the bush. Kamloops is also right on the river so there is a lot of time spent cooling off in the summer. Where do you live? I moved to Vancouver, actually New Westminster if you want to be a little more specific, when I was 18 and have been living here for the past three years-ish. That’s pretty young. Why the hurry to get out of Kamloops? I thought 18 years was a long time to be in one place. I was happy to move out of there and change it up. I actually moved away with my mom. She met someone here in Van. I still live at home with them.
Oh yeah, you do other types of skating too? The videos I’ve seen are mostly DH stuff. I mainly ride downhill now. Though I went from being an all out skate park lurker to wanting to bomb hills and learn how to go faster and do bigger slides. I still love skating transition and I’m always trying to pop some flip tricks, it’s what I’ve done from the beginning. I currently ride a Rayne Darkside, the tail still gives me the option to pop over stuff and do the odd flip trick. Have you asked the guys at Rayne to tweak a set up for you or are you happy with everything they have in their quiver. I haven’t had the opportunity to get my board tweaked but I’m really happy with what they already have to offer. The dark side is pretty much perfect for the way I ride. I can use it for everything. I also have a Home Wrecker set up, that thing is the best all-around board.
Who do you ride for? Abec 11 Wheels, Rayne Longboards, Flatspot Longboard shop, SKOA Trucks, and the Pucks Slide pucks. These companies all provide me so much support and I How long have you been skating? appreciate these guys a lot. Skating downhill or skating in general? I didn’t know about Did you approach them or was it downhill until a few years ago. love at first site? My interest for skateboarding was I think I have been very fortunate always there. I never REALLY to be introduced to some really got into it until the second year awesome people and this has of high school. allowed for a completely natural step into the welcoming hands of everyone who supports me.
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You worked with Newman Productions on the Skoa Vid! How was that? The SKOA video was thought up pretty quick. Uwe (the boss man I deal with and also the engineer behind SKOA) just wanted to get a quick video out to the public with SKOA’s name on it and just of me riding the new Vapor model they have.
Was it fun or all business? Just a day of chilling and drinking coffee. Seriously. No pressure on anyone, just enjoying the atmosphere and getting some cool shots. So Vancouver, eh? How’s that rain treating you? The rain skating is actually pretty awesome; you really have to be dialed if you want to skate the local roads. Shit still happens, no lie… during the winter months it only
snows a handful of times. Doesn’t get too cold here, the snow rarely sticks to the roads for long so it’s just like skating wet roads all the time. How do you avoid skatedepression then? Like I said, skating in the wet really is a lot of fun. The only thing I don’t look forward to is the ride home in wet gear. Always best to bring a complete change of clothes and gear along for a wet session.
Speaking of riding in the rain, what wheels do you use for that type of skating? I’ll really use the same wheels I normally would. However, if I really want to grip, some grooved Gumballs or Centrax are the way to go. You race too? I’ve attended a few races over the past two seasons like Britannia, Whistler, Skylands, Jakes Rash, Danger Bay, and also Catalina last season. I’ll be attending these races again this season plus a couple more hopefully. What is your best placing? I haven’t placed yet but I still feel like I have a lot to learn about racing. I’m hoping to attend as many races as I can and progress more. What’s your favorite place to skate? My favorite place to race is definitely going to be Britannia.This course was the first race event I attended two seasons ago. It’s also just one of the nicest roads to skate and the pavement is perfect. I won’t name any particular freeride spots, however Vancouver has many great roads to skate as well. I respect that. Can you tell us why you didn’t mention the freeride spots? I’m sure you, and anyone reading, already know why we don’t name specific spots. We don’t want new riders going to these spots, not knowing the skate flow and possibly blowing the spot out for everyone else. I am not saying that would actually happen, but it can. Everyone wants their local skate spots to remain skate able.
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Who introduced you to longboarding? A friend of mine from my home town, Aubrey Stinson. He invited me out a few years ago. I was immediately hooked. Why immediately? I think going fast downhill was the first thing I loved about longboarding. I always liked going fast no matter what it was; biking, snowboarding, skateboarding. The stand-up slides came afterwards because it was the cool thing to do. Are planning on sticking with this for a bit? I currently love what I’m doing and I also hope to progress much further. I still feel like a newbie to the downhill scene to be honest… Big plans with the Abec11 crew this summer? Are you gonna work with Mike Alfuso? That guy is rad. I’m sure Abec has some good ideas in the bag for this season. Working with Michael Alfuso is totally awesome. That man does cool shit with his camera and I always look forward to seeing his videos. Are you going to come out with a video that’s hella unique this summer? I always count on the guy behind the camera to make the video look unique. I just skate and do my thing. No plans for a new banger yet but I’m sure something will come up though. What’s your favourite set up? I’m going to have to say my current setupRayne Darkside, with some Skoa Vapors and Abec 11 wheels. I’m always changing my wheels up. Abec has so many great options.
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Actually, can you give a run down of the Top 3 types of wheel you use and why? Educate new riders that want to shred like you! My top three wheels would be blue Powerballs, Classic NoSkoolz, and some classic ZigZags. Abec 11 classic urethane is super consistent. These shapes aren’t too small so I can get multiple sessions out of them. What’s it like rolling with those Rayne dudes? I heard some stories. Yeah, you heard stories I’m sure. They’re good people. As far as skaters go, who do you look up to? The first person that comes to mind would be Mike Benda. He’s the first guy I really spent time progressing my skating with. The first two years I was riding downhill we spent many hours skating the steepest hills we could find. But I generally look up to anyone who I see progressing their skating. How can we improve as a community this year? What’s your opinion on that? More unexperienced riders need to find more secluded areas to ride with less traffic. If you’re not dialed 110% don’t be going to places like the British Properties or else you’re guaranteed to blow it out. Some people need to realize this, be the bigger person, and go somewhere else or you will ruin it for others. Shit happens though; it’s the nature of the sport. We just need to make riders more aware. Some kids just don’t realize what it’s like to be driving a vehicle and have a group of skaters come blasting through a stop sign or around a corner.
MIKE FITTER