Legends of the Spa

Four years after the Parks Department sabotaged the best obstacle at New York’s most famous still-standing skate spot, it has returned with a vengeance. Photo via Kyota.

It seems like we traded our annual office tradition of late posts on the Monday during Fashion Week for late posts on the Monday after Glory Challenge. No seasoned QS reader expected an on-time update today though, let’s be honest ;)

Before we get started, let’s talk about perseverance in the face of adversity. No matter what skate trick got away from you, what job interview didn’t call you back, what crush blocked your number…there is always hope. Even if it’s four years, and four broken boards later — maybe you too, one day, will be the recipient of a celebratory “oooohhhhh yeaaaaaahhh” from Alexis Lacroix. It is all a matter of patience and dedication.

FYI: Most remaining stuff in our webstore is on sale.

I know Vice articles about skateboarding tend to get a bad rap on the comments here, but this one is actually pretty good! Zach Harris on the “trend” of skateboarders not treating their bodies like garbage cans anymore. (Save everyone who spent the last three days in Montreal, I imagine.)

And on that note: “Will skateboarding’s notoriously rapid generational churn soon spur a backlash against sober, thoughtful life choices, and bring about a new era of ‘hammer’ tricks, illegitimate children and unpaid debt?” …probably?

Zered has an interview with Juxtapoz mag about his Paper Skaters project.

Village Psychic interrogates Nick Boserio about whether or not skating street on 60mm wheels is “cheating.” Try and read it in his voice.

Noted sweatpants engineer and our good friend Jimmy Gorecki has a nearly two-hour interview on The Nine Club.

Crazy Ass Paterson Skaters uploaded a 12-minute-long raw footy log.

It is wild how much the spot selection in even a skate heaven like Barcelona managed to change over the course of a decade. Tombo uploaded some old footage from a trip out there in 2005 with Puleo, a young Brandon Westgate, and others.

The Traffic team talks about riding a bus from Washington to New York with a pantless man who thought he was the Road Runner, and other stories from when they were filming for their last video.

New York resident Mark Suciu has a longform interview with North.

Here’s a new iPhone edit from Kyota.

Quote of the Week: “Speaking French is 10% pronunciation and 90% attitude.” — Young Lady Giving Impromptu French Lessons at Glory Challenge

OHHHHHHH YYYEEEEAAAAAHHHH — Dime Comp. Volume 5, An Alexis Lacroix Special Edition

Photo by Eric Palozzolo

In all honesty, we’ve been hoarding the idea of an all-Alexis Dime Comp for years — ultimately to accompany an interview with the OHHHHH YYYYYEAAAAAHHHH spokesman that we never ended up getting around to. (Pro tip to all aspiring content creators: The Dime Glory Challenge is not the most optimal event to try and accomplish #skate #journalism at.) Then, Skate Jawn beat us to it.

Now is as good a time as any to remind you that speed is an illusion.

OHHHHH YYYYYEAAAAAHHHH.

Previous Dime Comps: 420, three, two, one

On Skateboarding As Sport As Stupid — The 2017 Dime Glory Challenge

Words & Photos by Zach Baker

As the cloud of loud begins to dissipate from the stimulation of last week’s festivities up in Montreal, it is time to reflect. Tony Soprano once said, “I feel like King Midas in reverse, everything I touch turns to shit.” Since their inception, the Dime boys have proven to be a bunch of full-blown regular ass speed King Midases. There has not been a single public offering — be it a bowling montage, full-length skate video, a collab baby, or any of the annual skateboarding competitions to which they’ve played host the past three years — that has not gone off without a hitch. But this year’s Glory Challenge, with the newfound aide of DC Shoes, was more frivolous than anyone anticipated. DC, recently reclaimed by one of its original co-founders, weighed in hard with their trademark mountain of money, bringing the spectacle to a new echelon. We’re talking renting Wade D. a Ferrari and a helicopter for an Instagram post, a pyrotechnics exhibition that was described as “a buffet of fire,” renting ten limos to go bowling, and throwing a carnival-esque block party DJed by Darude that felt like a billionaire kid’s freakin’ quinciñera. These and every other tiny, speed shade-tinted detail amount to, from where I’m standing, the most expensive joke ever.

This long weekend of overstimulation has left us still unpacking all that happened. So these guys went out, invested all this effort, capital, manpower, organization…for…a joke? It took these boys the better part of a year to plan. Bryan worked tirelessly for weeks on end to construct the many rooms and modifiable obstacles of this year’s Glory Challenge. Legends like Tiago, Biebel, Kalis and Forrest Edwards were flown from the extremes of the continent to be in attendance…for a weekend of laughs? Listen — I’m no Miscavage, I don’t have all the answers — but the spectacle has left thousands of people at once psyched, inspired, shocked, and confused.

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‘That’s Not Worth Filming’ — Dime Comp Volume 420

dime

Dime’s affluence over the past year has given rise to several developments. 1) They’re opening a store in Montreal on Saturday (depicted above.) They’ll carry their line, in addition to hardgoods, Quartersnacks merch and chill stuff from other chill companies. Proud of you boys. 2) They command a wider-reaching influence that has catapulted Jamal Smith into internet infamy yet again, made bowling edge out tennis as skaters’ peripheral sporting obsession, and the #dimechallenge to be undertaken in regions far outside French Canadia. 3) When you catch checks, you catch flights, and those flights have resulted in side-eyes from Swedish filmmakers.

Phil only carries the VX around for exercise, so here’s everything from the past year or so that was just for Instagram ;)

Previous Dime Comps: Three, two, one

Also, how could we forget…

First* Post of 2017

zered

Z. Photo by Joe Brook.

Technically it’s the *second* post of the year after the online DANY video premiere (YouTube link here btw), but let’s not screw tradition up yaknow :)

As always, let’s get anything pertinent to the last year out of the way: 1) Tiago, Hjalte and Jerry Hsu round out the top three of Boil the Ocean’s ten best of 2016 countdown. 2) Better Skate Than Never is always good for a round-up of largely independent web clips that stood out. Their top 30 of 2016 is a nice reminder to rewatch Hjalte’s Jonas Skrøder part. 3) Ripped Laces runs down the best skate shoes of last year.

Village Psychic put together a sick new remix video of Mark Humienik, avid practitioner of the backside shove-it out, and one of the few remaining devotees to the early-2000s Staten Island ledge relic known as the ABC Ledges #wenning #durante #charlesives

Conor, Jesse and Loose Trucks Max all heavy in Genesis Evans’ new iPhone clip.

36 Stair Ollie” is the new ~moody~ clip from the Marbio Worldwide crew out in L.I.

The Bunt is really coming through with the heavy-hitters this year. Episode two of the new season is with new Anti-Hero rider, Brian Anderson, who has apparently been skating Anti-Hero boards with stickers over the graphic since the Yeah Right! days.

Brunch is a fun new full-length out of Montreal (pretty sure…) with a good bit of New York footage. A lot of familiar faces and an E.T. cameo :)

Diamond Days, now ten away from a hundred.

Hardies threw an unannounced best trick contest at the L.E.S. Park a few weeks ago.

Joe Cups has hard copies of Lurkers 3 up for preorder + some other merch.

Steve Mastorelli’s new video, The Meadowlands, is premiering at the SVA theater on 23rd Street between 8th and 9th at 9 P.M. on Saturday. You can find the flyer here.

ICYMI, there’s nothing to skate at Astor again. This headline has some nerve

One thing that moves lightyears quicker than the Thrasher homepage is the Live Mixtapes homepage. For that reason, RapZips.tumblr.com has been a massive help in catching up on music that might’ve slipped through the cracks last year.

Uncle Murda’s “2016 Rap Up” is wwwaaayyy sketchier than last year’s.

QS Sports Desk Play of the Week: This Kris Dunn sequence is fucked, but also the Blazers are 30th in the league in defense (don’t worry, the Knicks are 23rd.)

Quote of the Week
Yaje: “In Europe, you can get beer anywhere, even at the vending machine.”
Jason Byoun: “Word. That’s like the Staten Island Ferry.”

Let Roy help you get through this next year…or four ;) ♥