Alexis Sablone self-filmed, scored and edited her new part, which includes a switch varial heelflip that should be played on loop in the flip trick museum.
Not only is Skate Jawnone of the best longstanding American skate ‘zines, but they are also the principal torch-holders for the “video magazine” format that people of a certain age grew up with. Their 10yerr video feels like a spiritual sequel to Fiddy, though more specified in its episodes, with sections in Japan, Prague, extras from the Rust Belt Trap squad, etc.
Fall QS gear available at Supreme (New York + Los Angeles), Labor, 35th North, 510, Alumni, Atlas, Black Sheep, Civil, Commissary, Exit, Homebase, Homegrown, Humidity, In4mation, NJ (Hoboken + New Brunswick), Orchard, Palace 5ive, Pitcrew, Seasons, Select Skates and Uprise. Hitting Japan this week, Europe next well. QS webstore launches [next] Monday, November 2nd at midnight.
“Dare I say that the Dime Crew is possibly even better than Rick Howard?” Chris Nieratko spent Canadian Thanksgiving with the Dime squad. (Full Disclosure: They don’t celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving in French Canada.) Skateboard Story also interviewed Phil Lavoie about the inner-workings of Canada’s greatest fashion house.
For a group that considers itself so creative, skateboarders sure suck at naming tricks. The sex change, benihana and even salad grind have all fallen out of fashion, and so have fun trick names altogether. Skaters have grown into stringent conservatives about trick names; QS is routinely lambasted for use of the term “nollie half cab” for nollie frontside 180s, as if 90% of the T.F. doesn’t call it that already. Even seemingly clever names e.g. “the fishhook” for the nollie frontside 180 switch nosegrind revert point to mechanical similarities rather than any hint of playful nomenclature.
But one name has stood strong over the past decade. Maybe it’s not an official name, but the “white rapper” B.K.A. the switch varial heelflip is still keeping the fun in trick names up and down the eastern seaboard, and evidently abroad as well. (Some corners will contend that it also refers to regular stance varial heelflips…more on that in a bit.) What genius came up with this name? Who did it refer to and where did it originate from? We decided to find out.
The most common origin story comes from Philadelphia, some ten-plus years ago. That is where we will begin our journey…
Happy fall fashion week. We hope that you are fashion-forward during these next several days, and wish you the best of luck in sparking a brief romance with a lonely stylist’s assistant before the week is out.
In honor of this most festive of weeks, we have compiled a somewhat comprehensive guide to the best gear from the past twenty years’ worth of skate videos. Skateboarding didn’t just begin “embracing fashion,” as some misinformed outfits have recently reported. Fashion has been stealing shit from skaters for years. (Luckily, they left Javier Nunez’s City Stars jeans alone.) Here’s the proof: All the jerseys, sweats, camo, braids, insane patches, sweater vests and swooshy pants that you could ever hope for. Yes, there are omissions. No, it isn’t in order. Thanks to Roctakon, Boss Bauer, Sweet Waste, Jack Sabback and Jason from Frozen in Carbonite for their contributions to this post.