Words: Oleynik
Photos: Cronan
How long did you have to film for TRUE EAST?
I think it was about nine months.

Are you happy how it turned out?
Yeah, I'm stoked on how it turned out. I think everyone came through with a solid part.

Your part was filmed entirely on the east coast. What do you like about filming in cities on the east?
The spots are just sick. I like that I'm close to home after each day, too. I could pretty much go home and sleep in my own bed.

Is there a section in the video that really stands out to you?
I think Travis' part really stuck out because he has a really smooth style. Also, Chaz because everything he does is top notch.



What about a trick? Do you have a favorite in the video?
Travis's switch front shove over the rail the hard way. He just does it real proper.

Were you hyped to skate to hip hop?
Yeah, I was stoked to skate to hip hop. It's Zoo’s style and it was nice to change it up. It was my first time.

Let’s talk about a few tricks in your part? The bump to bar in ATL is massive. Was it the highest one you’ve ever done and what was the process of getting it?
The first one is always scary. It wasn't the biggest, it just had a hard angle to hit the bump, but the bump was perfect. Once I figured how to hit the bump, it was mellow.

What about the bank to smith on that super high bar. What was the process?
The hard thing about that is you start in the road which is rough and you have to wait for traffic. Also, you get kicked out pretty quick. We got kicked out after I made it. CCS used it for an ad so that’s rad, too.



How did you find the ollie over the rail into the thin bank in ATL? Has anyone ever skated that before?
We just ended up driving by it. I got stoked and asked to pull over. I don’t know if anyone has skated it. With that spot it was just hard to aim and commit to the skinny bank.

Tell me about lines at night in Boston. The half cab flip was insane!
Haha, thanks. I filmed that stuff with Elliot V. We just cruised downtown skating around. It was super fun, no driving, just pushing around. I don't skate Boston as much as I'd like. I would prefer skating during the day. I feel like it's hard to see at night and the camera light is distracting at night. Those spots are less of a bust at night, though.

Take us through the process of getting the last trick?
We got kicked out the first time we went there. Went back on the weekend and I slammed a bunch. One time I fell forward on my stomach almost tore my nipple off and ripped my hand open.

What’s next?
I'm working on an Emerica part, should be out mid summer, and a bunch of stuff for Zoo’s 20 year anniversary this year.

Words: Oleynik
First off, congrats on another epic part, Waded. I’ve been watching that shit everyday.
Thanks, Ben! Wouldn't say it's epic by any means, but I really appreciate that my man. Means a lot.

How long did you guys film for this video?
We filmed for about 5 years total, but there were a lot of things that happened during those years that kept pushing the video back.

What was the first thing you filmed that made it in the part? What is the last thing you filmed?
The first clip I filmed that is actually in my part is probably the switch back bigspin down that double set in SD. The most recent clip is either the kick backsmith down some rail or the switch inward heel over the table.

Overall, are you happy how the video turned out?
Dude, I'm so psyched on the finished product. It was kind of risky with all the skits and the money Kayo invested in it, but when I finally saw it I was blown away. Definitely a blessing to be apart of and will have the memories of filming it forever. So proud of my teammates.

No doubt. Who has your favorite part in the video? Is there a trick that stands out as your favorite?
Marcus. For sure. I've always loved the way he skates and to see him come through with a banger of a part with that OG style I grew up watching is something else. I don't think there's just one stand out trick for me in the vid, and most of them wouldn't even be considered hammers or anything like that. Just the way someone skates and did a trick is more important to me then what he did. I'd be here forever if I had to list them. Watch Marcus or Keelan's part and you should understand.


Hardflip, Photo: Dan Z
How about in your part, which trick were you the most hyped to get?
The switch inward heel off the bump. I can't do that trick. Came out of nowhere.

Shit was amazing. What Jordan’s are you wearing in the line with the front crook front 180?
Jordan 3 Retros. Best skate shoe on the market (laughs).

Let’s talk about a couple tricks in particular. Where’s the hardflip over the rail? Take us through the process of getting it.
That's at a school somewhere in SF. Marquise and I were on a trip up there with our TM/Filmer Brad Rosado. We just wanted a spot we could both skate and heard you could skate it after school hours. We called Dan Z, got directions and met up with him at the school where there was a graduation going on. Luckily, they didn't mind us being there so Quise and I started skating it. The tricks themselves didn't take that long, but the hardest part was that the run up is super narrow and you can't get much angle to go over the rail. Quise got an ill switch front shuv over it, which turned into a double page Diamond ad and I got the hardflip which went in my part. Photo turned up somewhere, I think?

It was a spread in SBC. I don’t remember seeing a kickflip front 5-0 back 180 before. What’s the thought process for you with tricks like that? I mean, a lot of the tricks you do are very rare. How do you come up with them?
I don't know man to be honest with you. I like doing tricks that are kind of awkward, but could look tight if done right. I don't really sleep at night, which basically leaves me thinking about ledge or rail tricks that I've never seen that could be dope. Honestly, I used to have pages of tricks I had written down that I've never seen people do and still haven't. Now I don't know if I'm the one that should be doing them, but if ever the opportunity presents itself that a spot could work for one of these tricks, I'm definitely gonna sit there and give it a solid go. The kick front 5-0 revert is just one of those tricks I've never seen anyone do, which I'm sure a million people have done, but I thought could look cool in a line and the opportunity was there. Looking at it now, it looks kind of whatever, but I hope someone liked it.


Switch Inward Heel, Photo: Seu Trinh
I did. What about the switch inward heel over the picnic table? How did you end up trying that?
That day was gnarly. Once again, I was there with Quise, Brad and Seu Trinh was shooting photos. It was so crazy. All the baker/deathwish boys were there, which was dope. Garrett and Gantry Hill were there. It was just a super fun session. We were originally skating the bump to table so you could slide or grind it. Quise almost got the banger of life, which I won't say cuz he's gonna go back and get it for sure. But after about two hours of everyone skating it I had a little stress session and was pretty much over it. We were all sitting there, I was pissed just thinking how I've always loved the way the bump to table looked ever since I saw Lucas Puig's switch front heel over it. So, I forced myself to turn the table, ollied it and started brainstorming tricks. I don't know where I came up with the switch inward heel, but I threw a couple out and it seemed like it could work. Told the boys I wanted to try it and as they were setting up Koston rolls up with his filmer and started warming up. He started trying the gnarliest trick on this other table as I started trying mine. In between tries, we would be in the same starting area pumping each other up and somehow within 30 minutes or so I had landed it 3 times. I'm still surprised I did it.

When did you film the switch smith kickflip. What was the process for that one?
I couldn't even tell you when that was. Feels like forever ago, at least two years ago I'd say. That was one of those things I knew I wanted to do before I even got there. Around that time, maybe a couple months before hand, I was in Toronto a lot staying at Koty's house. He lived a few blocks away from this indoor park called the Loft, which is a private park that a bunch of homeys rent out and have keys for. Kodes had a key and we would go there every night around midnight and skate till 4-5 in the morning. Just one of those times where I had the perfect ledge and perfect atmosphere to learn one of those tricks I've always thought of. A couple months later I was in Cali staying at Brad’s, called Daughters to go shoot and we missioned out there to skate it. Not even gonna lie, that shit was lucky as fuck. I battled it for probably an hour, maybe more and the one I rode away from I don't remember a thing about it. (Laughs) Just was stoked it was usable.



You have a few things in your part from Montreal, including a Peace Park line. What brought you to MTL. What do you like about skating in MTL?
Montreal is so tight. I would watch my footy and it seemed super bland cause it was mostly all Cali footy. Being from the east coast and traveling to MTL a bunch when I was younger, I have a lot of friends out there and always loved the way the city looked on film. It has such a good texture on camera, everything looks gritty and rugged. So the opportunity came up where I could travel there in the summer time, stay at the good homeys house and have one of Canada's best filmers Eric Lebeau actually take time off work to film. Thanks Lebeau! It was a blast and one of the best times of this year for sure. Everybody in the MTL skate community knows each other and is super cool. It's almost on that New York level where you put on your backpack, leave the house and cruise around the city skating and not come back until midnight. MTL has one of the best vibes in the Canadian skateboard scene hands down. Shootout to the Parc Laf boys!

You also have a bunch of Barcelona footage from team trips there. What do you like about skating there? What’s it like to travel with the team?
Well, I was only there twice over the course of filming for the vid. Both times I was out there with Stevie and Brad, and the other time Marcus was also there. Barcelona is a trip if you've never been there. The skate scene out there is huge and everyone is super friendly and helpful. On top of that, the spots are second to none and you don't get kicked out really. Basically the best place for a skater to be. I always have the best time out there and hopefully I can get back there sometime soon.


Back 180 Nosegrind To Straight, Photo: Karpinski
What’s next?
Man, I'm taking this time off over the holidays to rest my body. Once the New Year hits I'm flying somewhere and gonna start working on a new part. I'm gonna drop a new part in 2013. That's one thing this video gave me that I am so thankful for. It made me so motivated to skate. I just want to keep making video parts as long as I can, as good as I can. Hopefully along the way I can get an interview or two and maybe work on something at the Berrics. Who knows really, but at the end of the day I'll be skating and having fun with my friends.

Word. Thanks, Wade.
Thank you, Ben! You're the fuckin man. Gonna come visit you in NYC, too!

Vans Canada has one of the most diverse and respected teams in the country. I sat down with marketing coordinator/TM, Alex Forbes to learn more about the squad and see what they have going on this year. Read what he had to say below.

How long have you been with Vans and how did you get involved?
I’ve been working for Vans for the last 2 years and a half. I got involved by Bobby Gascon who is the marketing manager for Vans Canada, who told me about the job. We’ve known each other for a long time. I was stoked to have the opportunity to be part of a historical company such as Vans.

Most of the Canadian industry is based out of Toronto and/or Vancouver. What are some of the benefits of being based in Quebec?
Montreal being the second largest city in Canada makes a really good spot to establish your head office. Since the last couple years, a few distributors also decided to choose Montreal to base their offices: Raj with Mehrathon and Jesse with Tiger. Montreal is also really close to many east coast cities like Boston, New York, Philly and T.O. This results in a lot of people visiting Montreal to see what the city has to offer to skate or just to come chill and party.



The Vans Canada team is sick and really well rounded. I know it's broken up into three sections; Nation Team, Canadian Legends and the Flow team. Tell us who's on the National team and a bit about them.
The National Team consists of Antoine Asselin, Riley Boland, Jesse Landen, Adam Green and Wade Fyfe. Antoine and Riley are both 2 well established Canadian skaters with unique styles. Antoine is really versatile and constant, whether he’s hitting the street, tranny or a contest, he always land his stuff with grace and style at full speed. Jesse, Adam and Wade are Canadian iconic street skaters that kill spots everyday. Watch Wade’s newest part in the new Studio movie, Mood Lighting if you haven’t check it yet.



Antoine was hurt there for a while. How's he doing
Last year was a tough year for him, but he got back at the end of winter, went on an SF trip and a Real trip as well. In late May we did the King Shit Escape To L.A. road trip and he killed it. Now he’s been working for his upcoming part in the new Dimestore video.

Who's on the Legends and tell us about the guys?
Barry Walsh, Marc Tison and Richard Sarrazin. Those dudes are truly Canadian legends, there’s no other word to describe them. They’ve been skating for over 20 years and they still do it with the same passion as when they started. Check out the Vans ad with Marc Tison, it’s next level. It’s really motivating to see dudes like them killing it and he’s a great addition to have them on the team.



I saw Barry in Thrasher shredding the Big O. Have you gotten a chance to skate with him there?
To tell you the truth, it’s been almost 5 years that I haven’t skated the Olympic stadium. I mostly spend afternoons skating flat ground and the bench at Parc Lafontaine or some other places downtown.

Lastly, tell me about the Flow guys.
Kyle Macdonald, Joey Larock , Drew Merriman, Leon Chapdelaine, Dane Pryds, Jorden Murray, Ethan Kilgour, Adam Hopkins, Luc Baslanti, Geoff Strelow, Gab De Lery and Jesse Jean Bart. All those guys are the next generation, as you can see we have one of the biggest teams in Canada, but everybody who is on team fits perfectly. They’re all great individuals and sick skaters.



I always see you on trips to New York and know you took a trip to S.F. to skate recently. Are these trips for work team managing or just to get out of the office and skate?
I did 2/3 trips as a TM like when I saw you last September to go film for Jeremy with Kyle, Bob and Joey who got stuck at the boarder. I also went to Toronto with Adam, Kyle, and two of our Quebec flow team riders, but I mostly just go to New York to skate new stuff and take some time off. New York is so close to Montreal and for me it’s one of the best cities to go skate so I try to go there every time I can. I feel the same about SF, but it’s a bit further so I can't go as often, but it’s a great place to go for escaping the east coast Canadian harsh winter and skate outside.

What can people expect to see when they visit the Vans Canada website?
The Vans website is up and running right now. You are able to know about products, national events, global events, find a Vans dealer, information about Warped Tour, web episodes on offthewall.tv and of course our team section.



What do you guys have planned for the rest of 2012?
Right now we have the Empire Backyard party presented by Vans, The King Shit Escape to L.A. with Kyle Macdonald, Antoine Asselin, Riley Boland and Geoff Strelow, a Spitfire DIY contest with Flat Spot, The Vans Roadblock in Van, for it’s 3rd edition. On top of that, all kinds of grassroots events at local skateparks across Canada. And and we are launching a Canadian exclusive collaboration shoe with Projet 45 in Montreal and Leeside in Vancouver for September. All proceeds from sales will be donated to both organizations. We’re pretty hyped on that collab, we will do a launch for both shoes. I want to say thanks to all the mags that agreed to advertise the ad for free: Kingshit, Exposé, SBC and Color. Visit Vans.ca for upcoming details.

Ian killed it in his Welcome to the Team video for ZOO YORK. Read what he had to say about the part below.

When did you find out you were turning pro?
I heard the boards were getting made last month. There had been some talk for a while, but that seemed significant.

What does it mean to have your name on the board?
That someone had faith in me.

Are you hyped the first two decks are Flames inspired, or should they have been Canucks?
Definitely not Canucks, I’m hyped to be repping Calgary.



Your Welcome to the Team part was sick. Are you happy with how it turned out?
Yeah, I was stoked. I got some input on the song, which was nice. RB knows what's up.

How’d you come up with the song?
Me, Spenny and LJ actually made a little timeline and watched it to some tracks. It's tough you know? You don't wanna pick something that people are gonna get played on too quick. You can't even skate to your favorite track anymore hahaha. It might just dust your whole part. So we chose a classic that most people haven't heard.

I want to ask you about some clips in the part. Tell me about the kickflip manny at Victory Square. How did you decide to use it as a manny?
The homie Gary set it off. The nollie heel nosewheelie was a bite for sure, and the kickflip manny just came next.

There are a lot of clips in Miami. When were those filmed?
Everything from Miami is like a year and a half old. It was filmed by my homie Jacques Turner who let me stay with him for a month.



Which is your favorite clip from MIA?
Probably the kickflip back nosegrind just cause it was my last day.

There’s a bunch of Chicago clips too. Which one is your favorite?
Shit, anything in Chi looks good.

What’s up with the line with the half cab front nosegrind. Is that a new spot in Van?
Yeah, it's a new spot in North Van. Couple other things at the same school. Seems like North Vancouver isn't as quick to cap everything they build.

I really like that line. Three ill tricks. Did that one come easy, or was it hard to get?
Haha this question is fucked. I dunno, I think me and LJ filmed some other shit later that day.

There’s tons of really dope mannies in this part. On unique spots too. Have you been skating lots of mannies?
I’m definitely trying. McD always told me “you gotta get manny's. You can't really switch flip if you can't land in nose wheelie”. Haha!



You got some NYC clips in the part too. Tell me about skating in New York.
Skating in NYC is the best. You just cruise the streets all day and they got the 24 hour train line. Definitely the city that never sleeps.

Tell me about the 50/50 kickflip. You did it a couple times on different days?
I did it once for the footage, and then went back to shoot a sequence with Daver the next day.

Damn! Do you have a favorite trick in the part?
Switch back t at Hot Spot was pretty tough.

I bet. Well, congrats on everything homie. Anything else you want to say?
Thanks to the people that support me!

Words: Oleynik
Photos: Caissie, Collison, Moore
Supra Dist. TM Dane Collison put together a month long trip to China this past winter for some of the Supra team and their homies. Read the details of their epic adventures below.

When did you go to China and how long were you guys there for?
We left on February 6th and stayed until March 2nd. Almost four weeks.

Who all was on the trip?
Myself, David Ehrenreich, Benny Stoddard and Brian Cassie were the media along with AJ McCallister, Derek Swaim, Nick Moore, Corey Klim, Mike Campbell, Jason Gordon, Mike Vince and Matt Berger. Will Ciu was our extremely patient, and fucking rad tour guide.

So this was a Supra Dist and friends style of trip? Did Supra help out with covering costs?
Yeah, it was something like that. Supra did help out with covering costs, which was amazing. It’s rad to have the guys here at Supra Dist backing a group of friends rolling to a different country to skate. Greatly appreciated.



What made you guys all decide to go on this trip?
A bunch of us went out there last year, which originally stemmed from a few guys going there the year before that. It’s just such a sick place, and such a crazy experience. Basically all of the hype from talking about it naturally lead to another trip.

What cities did you visit?
We started the trip in Hong Kong for 5 days, then went into mainland China and stayed in Shenzhen for about 2 weeks, Foshan (Will’s hometown) for a few days, then Guangzhou, the provinces capital for a week. We went back to Shenzhen for a bit before flying out of Hong Kong.



Where is all the footage and photos going?
Right now I’m currently editing and releasing mini parts from the Supra Dist guys who were on the trip. Caissie has an article in SBC lined up, along with a few other things. The other footage will be saved for projects down the road. Benny and Dave from don’t sleep have something interesting in the works as well.

Was there any one guy who really stood out and killed it on the trip?
Everyone ripped and came back with good shit, but I’d have to say that Berger with his teenage legs came out with the most stuff. That kid was skating so much shit every day, with endless amounts of energy. I swear if there were other people who would have been down to just stay up and skate all night with him, he would not have stopped.



In your own words, what is skating like in China?
It’s fucked up. Skating everywhere in the world has its good points. It’s great to have a mix, but China is just next level. The spots are incredible, the food and hotels are extremely cheap, plus you can get massages and spa treatment of all kinds for nothing. Skate the best spots all day, eat a big meal for about $2 Canadian, beer that’s cheaper than water, then get your sore legs and ankles massaged. It doesn’t get much better than that!

It seems to kind of taken over from Barcelona for the winter get away trip for Canadians. It’s just that good?
I got to pick girls on a computer who would massage me and walk on my back, while other girls got me ice cream and fresh fruit. I did banking while drinking half-liter beer in the middle of the day. Police used pylons to block off our landing area at a spot so that cars would avoid us, and they played crowd control. It’s fucked. Barcelona is still amazing, though.

Yeah, Vince was telling me that cops were telling people to get out of the skater’s way? Was that common there?
Yeah, at some spots police and security would help us out for sure. It was nuts! Matt was skating this set of stairs right in front of a major bank downtown and he needed more runway so he opened up the door and started throwing down inside the bank. We thought we were gonna get the boot, until the security came and held the door open for him and would give him pounds and high-fives between attempts. Like, literally running from the counter at the bank to throw down. That was sick to see.



What is the overall culture there like? What are some other differences that really stand out from Canada?
One of the things that stood out the most to me was how they display food. Here we just have a menu, and all of the meat and fish we order is sitting in a freezer in the back. There, all the food is displayed in cages or tanks right on the street. Sometimes it would be pretty gnarly looking at zip-tied bags of 30 or so live frogs that couldn’t move, or cages stacked to the top with live cobras, or even gutted dogs ready to be served. But, in all reality, if you're eating meat, you should be able to see what condition it’s in before you indulge.



What did you guys do there when you weren’t skating?
We did a little bit of tourist stuff. We went to this crazy Bruce Lee Paradise and saw the village he grew up in and his family’s house. This huge lot of land in the middle of China dedicated to Bruce. That guy is a legend! Other than that, just massages, walking around and seeing all of the crazy shit you come across in the streets. People with boxes of puppies for sale... Benny and I bought fully tailored three-piece cashmere suits and classic Jordan’s for super cheap.

What was the food like? What did you mainly eat?
For the most part the food is amazing! One night I ate some weird oysters at this back alley BBQ spot and it fucked me up. Food poisoning like I’ve never experienced. But, mainly just rice and noodles with pork, beef or chicken. If we needed a break, there was this Italian spot with pizza and pasta. A big ass bowl of pasta was 10 RMB, which is about $1.50 Canadian. Bring your own beers in off the street and they’ll open it for you on the spot.



How was this trip compared to the last one? Was it easier for you to get around this time?
It was a trip going back, that’s for sure. It was really cool to see the reactions of the first timers, thinking that’s what I was like last year. It was a little easier to get around, just kind of knowing how things worked, but with that said, I would probably still be lost over there if it wasn’t for Will. We all would. It’s not like Europe where people speak English everywhere.

Will you be going back?
Absolutely.