Built To Grind

One of the best things about skating street in a city like Toronto is having such a great diversity of skate mediums available to us. A metal ledge in the streets is always a great find- but the most of the time you're trying to skate old chunky ledges blown out by years of smith grinds and bike pegs, or any obscure material with an edge- occasionally with dire consequences to the surface. Everyone gets bored of skating parks with nothing but metal ledges, but often granite ledges at parks get destroyed due to bike pegs and contractors cheaping out on poor quality granite. Although thats not to say all granite is bad- of course there are many granite ledge spots like mustard and sunlife that have stood the test of time and even bikers. This is where the genius of Everett MacLean kicks in, Evey did his research and sourced the Skate Loft's new granite ledge from a granite that is known to skate properly- the same ledges that were skated for years at BMO plaza. The new ledge has been in for quite a few weeks and though it has rounded slightly as any ledge should, no big chunks are missing.

Obviously anything as awesome as this deserves a proper christening- so come out March 3rd for a three hour skate jam with prizes by indy, DC, and HAMMER skate shop!

HAMMER skate shop

For years HAMMER skate shop has been the only proper place to go to for skate goods in the east end of the city. Since the Shop's creation in 2004 the teams has slowly grown from dudes I looked up to as a gerb, to some of my best friends. I couldn't be more stoked that Dave found a spot for me on the eclectic team. Im really looking forward to filming a video with these homies this year, I can allready tell you- it's gonna be a good one.


Rob Carley- sw fs crook


Promo featuring HAMMER riders Joel Scullard, Andre Besner, Nolan Waller, Zack Ferguson, Rob Carley and Will Baigent


HAMMER team welcome video featuring yours truly


Nicky Young- fs crook to fakie


Will Baigent- fs Smith as seen in the SBC 2011 photo annual.


Joel Scullard- nollie


Andre Besner- fs tailslide


Nolan Waller-bs smith pop out HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDAY!!

A No Damn Good Montreal Winter

Something about the skateboarding thats going on in Montreal is really sick right now. I think it has something to do with how skaters there are a product of their environment. The Big 0 (pretty much the best natural mini ramp you could ask for) has been skated for decades in Montreal- so it's no wonder transition skating is seemingly allot more developed there in contrast to the tech ledge skaters that toronto seems to produce. Perhaps it also has something to do with the mass availability of cheap booze the place has- after a few wobbly pops the homies might feel a little more like just cruising some transition rather than freaking out on some flip-in flip-out trick for hours. Whatever it is it Montreal definitely has a more diverse skate vibe than Toronto, and the newly revamped NO DAMN GOOD skate shop and park is an excellent example of something really sick thats coming up fast. NDG as one of the youngest teams in montreal right now- but thats not to say they can't hold their own against MTL big 0 legends such as Barry Walsh and Marc Tison, two dudes who are now regulars at the best indoor bowl the city has to offer- NDG SON


Vince Baldo fs air to the roof


Joey Marcogliese bean plant


Devante Crudup and Rasta editing the NDG SCVM promo video with max and chad lurking


MTL would be nothing without late night downtown sessions with Rasta- regardless of temperature.


Saw some dilapidated shit along the Canal


Yum flour!

No Damn Good

Quick Draw McGraw

It's a seasonably warm Sunday in early December and the first session on my winter trip to Montreal- a sunny school yard very reminiscent of southern California, except that it's 5 degrees out. It's about 3 O'clock as our session wraps up, Rasta, Max and I have been skating and filming for hours. The spot is just a plastic picnic table bench, with a bank and some good flat. Just before we depart who casually rolls through for a warm up? Zoo York's only international pro Andrew McGraw. In a period of about 30 minutes Andrew puts our three hour session to shame, just warming up. You could tell in his skating that he's a really humble dude, and considering the condition ( it's fucking freezing out- and his only companion is a homie filming on an iphone) he's definitely got some passion. Here's a few photos I was fortunate enough to poach.


bs tailslide



nollie half cab switch crooks to reg


fs crooked
this trick took me like half an hour, he did it in three tries.

Sin City

Montreal has long been known as a city synonymous with heavy drinking and partying, even since prohibition times it has had the nickname of Sin City. The face is that booze and drugs for that matter and much cheaper and more readily available in montreal, so to me it comes as a surprise that the street skating scene seems much tighter there. It could be because they don't have a dunbat or ashbridges to get sucked into, although the new P45 D.I.Y park might start to come close. Perhaps the majority of skateboarders there are on some Dustin Dollin tip and the excess of mind altering substances fuels some of the skateboarding thats going on there. All I can know for sure is that when I visit is stay with some homies that can skate as hard as they party, so Im can be sure I will be returning. Across the street from the Montreal Strip Club resides Max Cote, The Rasta Man (Shawn L.), and Marina Harlow, three of the most hospitable montreal residents I am fortunate enough to know. These photos are from the 2 weeks I spent with them inwhich I had some of the best times of my life, on and off the board.


The homies can cook!


Max Cote- Wallride


Conor Neeson-Ollie up Pivot Fakie as seen in COLOR magazine 9.5
Stoked to get my second photo published! This was the first one he landed, and also the first one the rim light actually worked out properly. The trick is really an ollie up to pivot fakie because at the bottom of the bank there is a space you can't ride up.


Steph Bough- fakie thruster


Frédérique Luyet- blunt to rock


Jeff Coopman- lean back fs rock
Thanks a million for hooking up a ride back Jeff!!


Me- Fs Crook
Max Cote photo


Leon Chapdelaine- bs tailslide


Seb Carranza- overcrook


Max Cote


RATPACK- boneless


Jesse Ramirez- fs blunt

Tangent Skate

This fall a good friend that I've grown up skating with launched his a small clothing brand called Tangent. That friend is Pat Dysart- a 19 year old Ryerson student and Skate Loft local. It comforts me somewhat to know that there are still, and will likely always be small under ground movements, resistant to the overpowering weight of corporate rule in the skateboarding industry. It's all too easy to grow up around skateboarding, feel inspired by it, and and settle for a job at a west 49 or zumies or maybe if you're lucky a legit local shop or distributor. Real passion is shown in those who throw the status quo to the wind and take a chance. For Pat Dysart that chance is Tangent Skate. Like any legitimate skateboarding brand Tangent has a growing team which consists of Nick Fulton, Aidan Bryant, and owner Pat Dysart


Pat Dysart- kick flip fakie

Pat Dysart- fs 5-0

Aidan Bryant- switch flip

Nick Fulton-bs tailslide
Andrew Roberts Photo