On the 05th of November, we proudly kicked off our first Tuesday of many to come of skating at the famous YAAM Berlin location. For a lot of people from Berlin, it was a flashback since the location for the longest time had a mini ramp that had to be removed a few years back.
YAAM short for Young African Art Market started 25 years ago as a place where the different African communities meet. The conceptual environment at the Spree has a big heritage in hip hop, graffiti, and skateboarding and became a place to connect with all the different parts of the city. Converse now partnered with YAAM to create skate sessions inside the music venue every first Tuesday of the month and we are happy to be hosting these. Together with Civilist Berlin and Give Something Back To Berlin we will be presenting various activities and sessions for the next few months.
The space will also host a group of young people from marginalized communities being taught how to skate and discover the culture and lifestyle that goes with it and at 17:00 we will go into an open session for everyone to join.
Here is what went down:
A big thank you to the Converse Berlin Office, first and foremost Fernando “Nando” Garciacocapiera, Yamato Living Ramps and everyone for showing up, we can’t wait to see you on the 03rd of December at YAAM!
Let’s keep it as short as the name – A new one by Dan Schulz feat.: Oliver Weismantel, Sascha Scharf, Banden B, Franz Zechlin, Farid Ulrich, Sami Harithi, Dustin Bialas, Patrick Rogalski, Sascha Daley, Arthur Kiviliov, Kanya Spani, Kerem Elver, Panos Loupis, Daniel Ledermann, Lukas Bigun, Marco Kada & Tabo Löchelt.
Footwear is probably the most important part of a skateboarders life, every time you go to buy a pair of shoes you ask yourself a lot of questions. How do they fit, what kind of material do I want, is this the right colorway, durability or board feel, Cupsole or Vulcanized, What kind of shoe does my favorite pro wear and why? All these factors and many more are a part of the process when deciding on a skate shoe.
When adidas Skateboarding asked us if we wanted to host a weartest at our favorite skatepark. The first thing we wanted to do was invite our friends that skate for /// and some of the MBU locals we skate with. We all know “It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have some.” So not only did everyone get shoes but dinner at the local tapas place was included as well, we truly managed to take care of everybody for a day.
When the sun set, the weather, the skating, the shoes and the food and drinks all came together to make it a fun day to remember and if you don’t know what happened? It is on the internet for all to see for the rest of eternity.
Text by Roland Hoogwater
Photos by Danny Sommerfeld
Every year, during the winter months skaters in Berlin need to find a sheltered home to skate. Snow, hail, wind, rain and -15 temperatures will make even the most hardened skater go looking for an indoor location.
Some go to public parks others like to get creative and sneak in somewhere warm. This “spot” is definitely the creative kind of location and with Valle Rosomako as the gatekeeper, you are assured that things will be fun and surprising.
Munich’s most dangerous skateshop strikes again. This time Joscha Aicher, Daniel Ledermann, Max Pack & more having a good old time in Barcelona. Dope one, Boys!
Last Saturday marked the start of a new series of skateboard events throughout Europe, the Snipes Squad Up competition kicked off in Berlin.
From all over Germany, they came, groups of skaters ready to compete for the 10.000 prize purse. And to everybody’s excitement, it wasn’t just your usual suspects, Crews like Seoul2k and Europe Co. competed as well. Together with the locals from Märkisches Viertel Snipes managed to create an eclectic atmosphere that made for a good day of skating.
You have heard it before, we are hosting this Saturday’s Snipes – SQUAD UP event in Berlin / Märkisches Viertel. The best thing about it – everyone can join the contest, as long you find a crew of three people and a name. Easy, right? We have more than 10 crews invited from all over Germany including:
Skywalker: Marcel Weber, Tim Hachen, Max Pack Dshild: Modo Matinda, Marvin Rausch, Vincent van Essen 030 Gaunerz: Justin Sommer, Phillipp Oehmige, Max Obert Saltyboys: Yannick Schall, Denny Pham, Patrick Rogalski Bong Bande: Michel Funke, Valentin Ott, Farid Ulrich Marijuth: Joscha Aicher, Daniel Ledermann, Mario Ungerer Seoul Air: Hyun Kummer, Jan Hoffmann, Julian Ruhe Roncalli Kids: Robert Gray, Yannick Zhou, Malte Schüttensack Downright: Tom Kleinschmidt, Christopher Schübel, Quirin Staudt Europe: Kai Hillebrand, Timo Meiselbach, Kevin Vietzke VierSwei: Sascha Scharf, Niklas Stube, Oliver Reinicke Stanley WE: Benny Vogel, Christoph Friedmann, David Neier OWN Skateboards: Andi Welther, Glenn Michelfelder, Robin Wulf
Dan Schulz’s video seems to have no end at all, parts just keep dropping left and right! This one is by Patrick Rogalski who shows us how to flip out of almost all grinds and slides.
If you have ever been to Berlin chances are you have heard somebody scream HACK HACK! But what is Hack Hack and what does it mean? What are those videos popping up with Hack in the title, and who is behind them? The answers to those and many other questions were answered when we connected with Farid Ulrich and Vincent Heller.
Interview by Roland Hoogwater.
What is Hack Hack?
Farid
That is hard to define! While we were traveling through South America people often asked us the same question… How did we explain it again?
Vince
It is a vibe Hack Hack is the moment that you get hyped to do something. It originated in Bar 25 it where we were looking for motivation to do something. Along the way, the word trickled out of the bar, onto the streets and into skateboarding. It was a joke and it has turned into somewhat of a saying.
What was the first Hack moment you can remember?
Vince
Bar 25… that must have been 2010, I think… That is when the first Hack happened.
It made me think of Hakken a high energy Dutch dance style from the 90’s.
Farid
Ah… Do you mean those people with track suits and shaved heads?
Yes! (illustrates dance)
Vince
That suits the meaning of Hack too! Those guys were certainly hyped!
Back to Hack Hack, how did you guys get the idea to make videos?
Farid
We sit together to edit, smoke and try and make the best of the footage. Two heads have more ideas than one.
Vince
I film more than I edit because I noticed I don’t have the patience to just sit there. At the same time, Farid has a good feeling for what works.
What was the first Hack video?
Farid
The first Hack video we did was Hackelona, after that, we released CopenHacken and Hack Hack is our third video.
Vince
I started filming during our travels, I always carried a camera and I started playing around with it more and more. So the video happened when we started taking the camera along for our Berlin sessions. So instead of documenting our travels, it became more of a day to day thing.
The funny thing is we did not plan to make a full length, we just started to edit footage, linking certain things together. After a while, we watched the result and thought ” Oh..this works maybe we should create an actual video.”.
So then we made parts, separate from one another and then we tried to fit those parts together. It was kind of like a puzzle.
I got a flashback to Radio Skateboards “Radioactive Kids” when I watched the video. It showed me a kind of Berlin that I did not think existed anymore.
Vince
That is exactly what we wanted, documenting our lives in Berlin and by our I mean all that cross our path.
Farid
When you see the video you have to keep in mind the fact that these people are not all in the same crew. Vince and I just move in between crews and documented what we saw.
Vince
In the end, we turned it into one big Hack family.
Farid
We did not want to compromise, we wanted to show the people we liked and have them skate to the music we liked!
Often I work with people when I make a video part so it was important for our project to reflect us.
So, It is not like watching a homie video, it is a scene being documented.
Farid
Yes, plus the people that visited the City.
Did you show Hack Hack to people in South America?
Farid
We did, we watched it multiple times and it took me back in time, back to these places. It was a real good feeling! Hack Hack!
What about the footage from that trip, Will there be another Hack?
Farid
It took me some time but yesterday I started checking the footage from that tour and there will be something. At the same time Joscha Aicher and Daniel Ledermann are staying with us so maybe one of them will jump down a building or something.
Vince
The next Hack will be a video focused on South and North America, that will take us some time, with editing and all.
Farid
International Hack
Or Hackernational
Vince
It will be called something like that. First I want to focus on editing and summer in Berlin, I will pack my camera in my backpack and we will see what happens. Maybe this winter we will make the final Hack videos but who knows.
Farid
I just want to say we are not interested in being clean or great filming we want to show our lives and if there is a glitch somewhere we will include it, watch it and laugh about it.
Farid
That is exactly how I filmed my last trick. I was playing around and got the idea to manual over the tracks.
Vince
Just a Smoked out idea!
Farid
And an hour later it was done.
Vince
I think for a lot of people the Hack experience feels like a break from sponsored life. No main spots just hanging out and looking for the next spot. With a high chance of drinking a beer at the end of the day.
“How does it feel to be so well connected that you can go to any location in the world and be at home?”
Those were the opening words of our feature about Sara Parson-Texas and like we said in that feature Sara is still just “right around the corner”, surrounded by her friends and family.
So being that she is the family type, we started thinking and that culminated into one night at the infamous Black Lodge Bar where we asked Sara if she would like to be a member of a new family, our family and she did, she joined with a hug and a big smile!
So without further ado, we present to you the first column created by one of our favorite people Sara Parson Texas!
For the people that don’t speak French:
A.M.V.H – Alfred de Musset
In this world, we must love many things
To know, in the end, what one loves best,
Candy, the Ocean, gambling, the azure of the skies,
Women, horses, laurels and roses.
We must trample barely bloomed flowers;
We must cry a lot, say a lot of farewells
Then the heart perceives that it has become old,
And the effect that goes away reveals to us the causes.
Of these fleeting possessions, only half tasted,
The best that remains is an old friend:
We quarrel, we avoid each other. Chance brings us back together.
We come close, we smile, the hand touches the hand,
And we remember that we used to walk together, That the soul is immortal, and yesterday is tomorrow.
Without any doubt, Dan Schulz’ independent full length Oh Snap made it on the list of the most remarkable skate videos of the past year. I can’t tell you how long he was filming for it exactly, but I know it has been a couple years. This plus the fact that Patrick Rogalski is always a guarantor for footage at any spot you take him results in something that should be regarded as more than just a leftover clip. I rather would describe it as an additional full part to his already existing full part.
Finally, Dan Schulz’s Berlin based independent skate film Oh Snap is going to be premiered on December 3rd. Here is the official trailer, which provides a good foretaste of what is to come! Oh Snap!
Featuring Pascal Reif, Justin Sommer, Joscha Aicher, André Gerlich, Tim Bornemeier, Quirin Staudt, Valentin Ott, Patrick Rogalski, Ilja Judizki, Michel Funke, Philipp Oehmige, Farid Ulrich, Danny Goodman, Roland Hirsch and Daniel Ledermann.
Recently, Team Titus visited Germany’s new and probably smoothest indoor skate park in Stuttgart for a private session. The park looks so nice you even want to skate it in the summertime! That’s what Yannick Schall, Patrick Rogalski, Vladik Scholz, Markus Blessing and Jost Arens might have thought, too.
While we are still waiting for the release announcement of Dan Schulz’s full length video called “Oh Snap”, he frequently delivers some little appetizers for our amusement to shorten the waiting time. Thank you Dan!
After the Team Titus Istanbul- and Abu Dhabi-trip, it seems that the guys have been mesmerized by the east. As a result, they went on a long trip to Vietnam. The brand new AM, Markus Blessing, was welcomed to the team by Patrick Rogalski, Farid Ulrich, Jeremy Reinhard, Vladik Scholz, Jost Arens, and team manager Yannick Schall. Check out the stunning edit:
Let’s call it a day! Go Skateboarding Day 2015 in Berlin was a blast. The crowd met at Civilist store in Mitte to get their goodie bags while Nike SB donated money towards a new local Skate-Spot-Project for every kilometer that was pushed on a skateboard through the streets. The route took us to the “Bänke”, the famous street spot at Warschauerstr. where another issue of Battle At The Bänke was about to go down.
This 5th issue of BATB went to the history books as Alex Mizurov and Denny Pham did so many lines, they could have filmed a whole Bänke-part on one day. It was just stunning! Also the homies like Louis Taubert, Patrick Rogalski, Sylvain Tognelli (and many more) did their best to show amazing skateboarding at a fully crowded spot. Thanks to everyone who came along to join this epic Go Skateboarding Day!
Here’s our photo recap, shot by Burny.
Civilists
Kids loving goodies.
Sebi MC
Sylvain did one of the best lines of the day. Unfortunately he disappeared during the final.
Always a pleasure to watch Sami Harithi skating.
To give you an idea of this still image – Louis` fs bluntlside was fast as hell.
Joscha, Mario & Farid
Probably Denny couldn’t believe how many lines he filmed in one day.
Patrick was on point, flippin’ into fs crooks.
Bänke-legend Jan Kliewer hanging with Topdog Danny Sommerfeld.
Check!
Alex, Michi, Vladik and Patrik checking the news.
Michel Funky, Andre and friend.
Alex Mizurov filmed 13 lines – just in the final!
Justin, Denny, Colin, Sami
Best Trick winner Louis going for the long way.
Kerem Elver likes this a lot.
Free stuff!
In total 3850 Euro got donated for the realization of the new skatepark project. Cheers Bo!
Happy winners with cash – Denny got 2nd, Alex 1st and Louis 3rd, he also won the Best Trick.
Patrick Rogalski never dissapoints – watch this brandnew full part and you definitely know, why Titus turned him Pro lately. Expect excellent footage from Bangkok, Barcelona and Berlin, all with a smile and style for miles. Congrats on this one, Rogge!
A dark grey sky is looming overhead, and a mixture between rain and snow has been pouring down all day. Surprisingly, Patrick arrives on his cruiser board despite this total mess; what’s more, he’s smiling and seems to be in a very good mood. But then again, that’s just how he is, smiling and laughing all the time. Plus, what probably helps him stay positive even on a horrid day like this is the fact that he just returned from Bangkok, from a four-week trip that saw him skating with friends like Farid, Joscha, and Burny every single day.
Still in high spirits after this month-long Asian adventure, Patrick is something I’d like to call a “the sun made me do it” kind of guy. Prior to meeting him I even thought he was a hippie child, but he’s actually not. He grew up in a small town called Goslar, where he was able to choose between two indoor skateparks. That’s also where he learned everything about backside noseblunt slides.
I’m a little bit surprised to find out that you’re actually not a hippie child, attending Waldorf school and growing up with laughing adults dancing around a campfire, singing songs and being just happy.
I grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of immigrants, and everyone had a different cultural background. I liked it because most of the time the people were open-minded and they didn’t judge you. Everybody had to find some way to make things work, to find an arrangement. I have always been on my own track and sometimes I got a “What’s this for a German kid?” thrown after me. Though actually I’m half Polish, but I was born in Germany. A lot of them didn’t really like my style but we used to hang out together anyway. They were more the Nike Shox and leather jacket types, and I was wearing baggy pants and skate shoes. It was okay.
How much would another company have to pay for you to join their team?
To me, it’s not about a price, it’s about that you get along with everybody in a good way, that you’re able to do lots of tours and that you can be in touch at any time. This is very important to me when it comes to riding for a company. At Titus, we’re all super down, that’s great. If another company made an offer, it’s not about the money. It’s rather the whole thing, the whole picture, you know?
There’s a football player named Patrick Rogalski and his current market value is 25.000 Euros. Would you change teams for 25K?
Ha-ha… no idea! But, for example, Louis Taubert got an offer by (German TV station) Pro 7 for a long-term documentary on him. He said that he’d never sell his soul for such crap, although they were willing to pay him a lot of money. That really impressed me and this is way more real than doing stupid shit for a few bucks.
SW Kickflip
You changed your profile picture on Facebook four days ago and got 230 likes since then. How does that feel?
Feels fucking awesome, ha-ha… seems like 230 people like my photo. It’s just a confirmation that I did it right, don’t you think?
So it’s more about the right photo – and not because of your looks?
Dwag shot a good photo I guess! It’s just for the homies.
20.000 views on your last video part on YouTube. Are you satisfied?
Could always be better. But it’s better than having less that 20.000, isn’t it?
Someone in the comments section asked why you always seem to be so out of it. Are you?
How can anyone judge based on a video part?
What has changed since you turned pro for Titus?
Not much, just more hustle. I don’t work at the Titus Zoopreme store anymore so I have to make my money from skating. Or else I’d have to find another job.
So how much is it worth to be a pro then?
Personally it means a lot to me, it’s like a dream come true! When I was a kid I could never understand why all the pros where skating so good, so I always wanted to have my own board one day. I thought it would be cool. Ten years later it happened, I got my own board and I’m really happy about it! But of course it’s a known fact that you can’t buy a Ferrari when you turn pro so I am not kidding myself. I turned pro but I have to do something else on top to make it work. Like studying, which my mum has been forcing me to do a lot lately.
What are you interested in?
I think when you study it’s not about your interests. I finished economic high school so I know what I don’t want to do. I think I’m more drawn to something in the social sector, but let’s see. I don’t have a bigger goal, at the moment I’m simply working on short-term schedules.
BS Nosebluntslide
Did you know before traveling to Thailand that you were going to do the backnoseblunt?
I guess so. We went straight to the hubba the first day we arrived. I shot a photo of the spot and looked at it for days. The spot is very crowded with pedestrians so it’s definitely not easy to skate. I saved one board for the last day.
To be honest, I wasn’t surprised that you did it.
Because it’s my signature move?
Yes, you kind of destroyed this trick already before. I have seen you doing it so many times; I know how comfortable you feel with this trick. Of course, it’s a big spot but I guess it was only a question of guts and the day’s form, wasn’t it?
It’s definitely a serious hubba, and to be honest I almost shat my pants. But I had to do it. It was the day before I was going to fly home, and I needed the best possible ender. So I could enjoy a nice Gin & Tonic on the plane and be very happy after a successful trip.
You buried this trick forever.
Ha-ha, everybody should do whatever they want!
Do you think the backnoseblunt is the king of the tricks?
For me, personally and emotionally, I would say yes. It took me a long time to learn it and now every time I do it, it just feels amazing. To do it in a proper way you really need to put everything you have into it. But okay, if it’s dead now, I will stop doing that trick, ha-ha. I don’t know where to do it anymore anyway.
