Mike Munzenrider Archives

They Say Nobody’s Ever Beaten The Van Wyck

Daily News May 11th, 2026 · 12:00 am

New QS merch available in our webstore + skateshops worldwide ❤️ Photo via Embark.

“Figured since I had just started skating again, that I would film my ender in London…he was passing a message from Lev [Tanju] saying I’ve got to get my ender in Philly, you can’t come over here to do it. I was like, damn, alright, I guess I gotta skate this handrail.” Slam City Skates has a #longform “First & Last” interview with Jahmir Brown.

“How far back does Dylan Jaeb’s skate brain go? There’s another clue in the credits, where videographer Jacob Palumbo can briefly be seen dribbling soda out of a cup and onto a volcanic stone manual pad, which earlier in the vid is the site of a frontside 180 fakie manual kickflip out.” Boil the Ocean wrote about Dylan Jaeb’s new part and pouring soda on spots.

Brand Narratives: Or How Skateboard Companies Rise & Fall & Rise Again

Features & Interviews April 28th, 2026 · 12:00 am · 10

📝 Words by Mike Munzenrider
🎨 Art by Francesco Pini

Stereo Skateboards emerged in the early 90s as a jazzy, loose-trucked alternative to what had come before. Its first video, A Visual Sound, is a classic, but by the end of the decade the brand was showing its age. “All anybody wanted was stairs and cartoons,” says Stereo co-founder Chris “Dune” Pastras, speaking on the phone. His partner at Stereo, Jason Lee, had already departed to pursue an acting career, and the brand’s distributor, Deluxe Distribution, Pastras says, had other companies that were blowing up. “Maybe it was a sign of the times.”

The Best Skate Videos & Parts of 2025 — QS Readers Poll Results

Features & Interviews December 24th, 2025 · 12:00 am · 13

🎨 Graphic by Francesco Pini
📊 Ballot Count by 4PLY

The results are in and we now have a snapshot of skateboarding in 2025, as voted on by QS readers. Unlike past years, when there was sometimes only a few vote split between first and second place, ties, etc., for the most part, everything cleanly landed where it landed this year.

And it should be said that this listing was voted on between 10:30 A.M. on Monday, December 8th until 5:30 P.M. on Friday, December 12th. Chris Joslin’s “G-Ma” part, which would earn him Thrasher‘s S.O.T.Y. trophy, was released around noon on Wednesday the 10th. Zion Wright’s part was released the morning of Thursday, the 11th. A similar thing happened the year that Miles Silvas won S.O.T.Y. But one hill we will gladly die on is that nobody wants to talk about year-end recap stuff in the following year. We will extend eligibility to any parts that came out starting December 8th into next year’s ranking.

To anyone just joining us: This is NOT a selection curated by QS staff. Editors and contributors can vote, but this was tallied across hundreds of publicly submitted ballots. If you’re interested in the methodology, 4PLY broke down how we tally the votes ✨

Should We Do A Mission Today?

Daily News September 29th, 2025 · 12:00 am

The first Back To The Banks contest since the big banks reopened, and the first in ~seventeen~ years, is going down this Saturday at 1 P.M. until 5:30. $10k in prizes, five obstacle zones. Presented by Wip Energy, Labor, Tenant, Spitfire & Grand. Flyer here.

It is actually crazy how contemporary Jason Byoun’s skating from ten-ish years ago looks in 2025. Nick Von Werssowetz A.K.A. Lurk NYC uploaded a seven-minute A-roll remix of all the clips he filmed of Jason from 2013 to 2018. Not sure whose S.O.T.Y. from 2013 – 2018 we’re handing to Jason, but it’s gotta be someone’s. (For further viewing from the era: Jason’s Life Is Goodie part is blessed too …except he doesn’t say that anymore because it means “b less.”)

Max Palmer + Wasser + Homies Network? Yes, chef.

The QS Anonymous Brand Survey Asks: What’s the ‘Matter’ With Skateboarding? — Part 2

Features & Interviews August 13th, 2025 · 12:00 am · 19

📝 Intro by Mike Munzenrider
🎨 Art by Francesco Pini

For its first 40 years of existence, skateboarding’s popularity would rise and fall in regular cycles. But then, right around 1999, skating enjoyed two decades of enduring prosperity.

Come 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, skateboarding went nova – with pockets full of stimulus cash, folks sought activities to do outdoors, and skate sales exploded, albeit unsustainably.

And now, the cycle returned, so much that people point to an alleged crash in popularity. This past spring, we surveyed skateshop owners and managers to ask, “What’s the ‘Matter’ With Skateboarding?” The shops pointed to a number of factors, including higher prices for products, a lack of demos and in-person events, and changes in the way younger people interact with skating.

Some of the shops we spoke to also wondered: “Why are you only asking us? Ask the brands.” So we’re back, this time with the QS Anonymous Brand Survey.