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[ o ] COLEN

SEYLYNN TO HAPPYLAND

wordsby dylan doubt

The Girl family may have always been a bit of a dream team, but even so, there have always been those rad dudes that have had comfortable homes elsewhere. It seemed that when Rick Howard and Eric Koston started Fourstar it was to provide a place where good dudes could gather without the limitations imposed by which shoes they wore or what boards they rode. How else do you get such visionary skateboarders as Mark Gonzales and Max Schaaf in the mix? Unfortunately, neither would be able to make this tour, but that is not to say that the crew was lacking.

FROM THE BIG SMOKE

TO SMOKED MEAT SANDWICHES:

Toronto to Montreal with 10 Deep

words by sandro grison photos and captions by shane hutton

SWEET DREAMS ON DECK WITH THE RVCA GANG

wordsby cairo foster photoby ed templeton

I didn’t make it on the East Coast portion of the two-week long RVCA trip in Canada, so my expertise on the matter of goings-on is questionable. Therefore, I’ve resigned from the idea of giving a play-by-play, day-by-day account of what we did whilst gallivanting throughout some of Canada’s skateboarding meccas like Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Such destinations are de rigueur for tours past, present, and future, leaving little reason for me to recount our steps. There is no doubt, that as dedicated skateboarders and magazine lurkers, you’ve pretty much read it all before. It is the photos you seek out, not the words…

FALLEN IN THE FLESH

captionsby jamie thomas words&photosby dylan doubt

It was a hectic schedule. Nine days, eight demos, four flights, and one precious day-off tucked in there somewhere. There were some epic moments, but quite honestly it’s all a bit of a blur…

There was an incredible performer who goes by “Normand” selling his records at a truck stop. He must have been in Quebec somewhere because he could only have been Quebecois. He had recorded some 80 CDs in the past four years in six languages, the voice of god singing through him, from folk to opera, to rap, he had covered all the genres…

SUPRA GETS IN-TENTS

illustrationby niall mcclelland words&photosby jeff thorburn

Skateboarding, in all its wisdom, has taught us to be able to adapt to any given setting. Dealing with things like strange spots in rough areas of our hometowns is a way of testing ourselves to see how we react when we are taken out of the confines of the neighborhood skatepark. A more intense way of testing ourselves is to take a trip to a new town or city. There, we are on our own to find skate spots, as well as shelter, food, and drink.

This intense test is what Mike McDermott, Wade Fyfe, Joey Williams, Ryan Blaxall, Nate Evans, Ryan McGuigan, and myself sought out on our tour from Regina to Calgary, via Saskatoon, Grand Prairie and Edmonton…

TOUR DE SMASH: C1RCA’S COAST THROUGH CANADA

wordsby felix faucher

I’m in Halifax, once again. A Canadian tour should always end up on the East Coast. Steve-O-Reno’s coffee: best cappuccino of the trip. As it was for Buster Keaton in Railrodder (1965), the journey through the continent is over once the Maritimes are reached – the ocean is here again and it’s time to walk back home. Mother nature is finally giving us a break after pouring snow and rain on our sorry asses. It’s been two weeks of flying with some of the most recognizable faces in skateboarding. The kids attending the demos had surprisingly respectful manners. Maybe it’s because of the pros…

THE UNDER ATTACK TOUR

wordsby felix faucher

During the months of July, August and September of 2003, if you live in Canada chances are that you encountered them. They were young, athletic sometimes, heavy partiers at night, and they traveled from place to place celebrating skateboarding like there was no tomorrow. They moved around in a black bus meant to carry handicapped people. They were the Under Attack Tour of 2003, the first skateboarding tour to cross the country from Victoria, BC to St-John’s, NF. And I was lucky enough to be part of it. Our journey started in Montreal, with the French Canadian skateboarders of the Tour, soon joined by Brampton’s own Grant Patterson in the new Mississauga skate park. That night, we had our first encounter with the Ontario Police at the Hotel as they rushed in because of some illegal smoke floating in the air. When asked if he knew any English, Carl Labelle answered the pissed-off officer with an arrogant: “A little Bitch.” That didn’t help our cause and we came close to spending our first Tour night in jail.