“I JUST HOPE THAT I’M ABLE TO INSPIRE OTHER PEOPLE TO NOT GIVE UP ON THEIR GOALS BECAUSE OF A SETBACK, NO MATTER HOW DARK TIMES MAY SEEM.”

 

ABOUT RELENTLESS:
Dusty Payne is one of the most dynamic surfers of his generation, but his path in the world of professional surfing has been far from easy. His career has been a roller coaster of competitive successes and failures, era-defining video parts, heartbreaking injuries and inspiring comebacks. Set against the backdrop of his near-fatal wipeout at Backdoor in January 2018, including high-action surfing footage from places like Portugal, Oahu, and Maui (including Honolua Bay), Relentless tells the story of a surfer who has been through it all and keeps coming back stronger than ever.

Last month we headed down to Brazil and Peru with Louie Lopez, Grant Taylor, Pedro Barros, Collin Provost and Milton Martinez to meet up with our Latin American riders Jhanca Gonzalez, Akira Shiroma, Giovanni Vianna and Baulio Sagas. Jake Phelps and the Thrasher Magazine crew were also there to document all of hte carnage! With 9 days in Brazil and 4 days in Peru, the squad wasted no time in ripping all of the spots they could under the blazing South American heat.

IT WASN’T ALL JUST FUN IN THE STREETS EITHER, WE TOOK THE MADNESS TO THE SKATEPARKS TOO,

putting on demos in Brazil and Peru, and boy did they go OFF! Milton Martinez was blasting kickflips over the biggest gaps in the park while Grant causally cruised around shredding everything in his path. Our poor filmer Lannie Rhoades even got sun poisoning after going shirtless at the demo for too long, we didn’t even know that was a thing! Pedro Barros was also on a tear, getting clips in the streets and busting 540’s at the demos for the packed crowds. Epic times all around!

READ THE ARTICLE FROM ISSUE 456 OF THRASHER MAGAZINE

Our fearless leader Remy Stratton has taken Thrasher’s Jake Phelps on the road with us plenty of times over the years and there is truely never a dull moment. Beer stop that’s taking too long? Jake’s in the bushes trying to start a fire to get the crew going. Down time at the demo? Jake is in the bowl making that coping bark! It’s always a good time with Jake in the van!

Read more on : volcom.com

Cliff jumping, or cliff diving, is sketchy. It’s not for everyone, and everyone shouldn’t do it. Leave it to guys like Robert Wall and his crew who have been hitting huge cliff jumping spots around California, Washington, and even abroad in Greece and Costa Rica, among other places. The best cliff jumping spots are subjective depending on your desires, but for these guys, the bigger the better. Whether it’s cliff jumping a 100-foot waterfall or flipping into a narrow 30-foot watering hole, these guys aren’t scared (or at least they don’t show it). Adrenaline junkies? You bet. But, they do it for more than just the excitement. It’s a passion. A calling. For guys like Robert, cliff diving is a hobby that turned into a passion, which now consumes his life. An avocation that enables an active, healthy lifestyle, surrounded by friends and nature, pushing each other to go further. Seeking for the next biggest cliff to throw oneself off of. And although it may look reckless, it’s carefully articulated and strategically planned. Each step of the way, each breath, each foot dropped.

How to cliff jump? On paper it sounds simple, right? But, with any extreme sports there are a handful of variables that could go wrong at any moment. Jumping off a cliff into the naked air, unrestrained and free for those few brief moments, is popular among many athletes who choose to go skydiving, base jumping, bungee jumping, and cliff diving. We wanted to find out for ourselves why and how this is done, so we caught up with Robert Wall after he and his friends recently were cliff jumping Lake Tahoe, CA, to get the cliff jumping how-to guide, where the most sought-after spots are, what gear to pack, the different tricks they throw down, and how to do it properly and safely.

Read more at : volcom.com

We recently found ourselves in Copenhagen, Denmark for the annual CPH Pro skate contest and met up with veteran Volcom team rider and local hero Rune Glifberg to show us around the city. After hopping on our bikes to tour the city with the crew (Chris Pfanner, Collin Provost, Milton Martinez, Alec Majerus) and getting a first-hand look at the Danish capital with a canal tour, we decided it was time to hit some of Copenhagen’s best skateparks.

SKATE SCENE IN COPENHAGEN

Copenhagen really has done an amazing job making the city welcoming to skaters, or maybe it’s just the people. All of the locals seem to have the mindset of “live and let live.” Besides letting skaters from around the world takeover their city for a week for the CPH Pro, Copenhagen has built some of the world’s most amazing skateparks and even a lot of the infrastructure in the city seems like it was made to skate. The last couple days of the trip were plagued with off and on rain, and since we had an open agenda and already did the obligatory Copenhagen canal tour, everyone just wanted to skate.

The contest transforms the city to a great big skateboard festival with skateboarders dominating the city picture. Everywhere you look there are skateboarders from all over the world riding their boards and bikes around town. All in all, this festive week is the perfect backdrop to go in depth with the Volcom Skate Team. -Rune Glifberg

MAKESHIFT CITY SPOT

In a brief period of dryness, we had to take advantage, so we hit the streets on our bikes to skate all of the spots we’ve been seeing during the week. We pulled up to a spot that Rune had saw, but we weren’t even sure if it was skatable as he had just seen it in passing. After arrival, we took a quick glance and it looked highly questionable: a very long mellow bank that leads up to some high metal poles sticking out from the ground. To most of the crew, it didn’t look that skateable, but to Pfanner, it was his specialty. After a quick roll up, he ollied it first try! A few more tries later he was rolling away from a backside 180 as the rain slowly started again and forced us to find cover elsewhere.

DIY BRIDGE SPOT

Under a bridge by the highways entering the city there is a DIY skatepark that the locals have constantly been building. Only a few months back, Collin was out here on the Volcom X Harley motorcycle trip and he was astonished at how much they added to it since then. The boys quickly fired it up and Collin and Milton were going off, flying around everywhere under the bridge while the locals were chatting it up with the rest of the crew and watching all the action.

FLAT GROUND AND THE DISH SPOT

Just out from under the bridge was a park with a playground, some ledges, and a lot of the other dudes just chilling and skating flatground. Sometime during the sesh, a local skater showed up with a little Vespa scooter and Pfanner and Collin wondered if they could ollie over it. The guy was skeptical, but let them try. Almost instantly, the guys were nailing tricks over and over and the dude was happily surprised.

After the DIY spot, we headed back into the city to hit more spots. During the week in Copenhagen cruising around the city, we spotted this interesting dish spot at a public park not too far from our hotel, so we decided to check it out. Collin had a field day as he loves skating small and odd transitions. The guy can kickflip off the side of a curb! Everyone was having an awesome time just kicking it in the park, watching Collin and people watching. It wasn’t too long until the rain came back and we were forced to retreat to the hotel.

THE HOSPITAL

On the very last day we decided to try and hit a spot before we all had to catch our flights back home. Alec had seen this rail in a skate video that he knew was in Copenhagen, but he didn’t quite know where it was. After asking some local skaters, we got a pin to the local hospital, so we decided to go and try to skate it. Turns out, the hospital was a huge complex with multiple buildings and we still weren’t sure where the rail was. Thanks to Google satellite images, we located the massive 14 stair rail. Skaters call this rail a “shotgun rail” because it has two parallel rails about seven inches apart from each other, resembling a shotgun barrel. Alec said he always wanted to grind one with each truck on a different rail, and after a few tries, mission accomplished! Ending the trip at a high point and checking one off the bucket list was not a very bad way to end a trip to the happiest place on earth. Thank you, Copenhagen!

“I WENT TO COPENHAGEN THREE YEARS AGO FOR THE FIRST TIME AND EVER SINCE THEN IT’S BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES TO VISIT.” -ALEC

After the CPH Open contest was over, which was the reason we ventured to Copenhagen, we arranged a boat ride with our friend Martin to let the crew relax and get a different perspective of Rune Glifberg’s hometown of Copenhagen. Rune put it best when he said, “The appearance of the city is a lot different from a boat ride. There’s a quietness in the canals that doesn’t exist on the streets.” The crew (Louie Lopez, Chris Pfanner, Jamie Lynn, Collin Provost, Milton Martinez, Alec Majerus, Arto Saari, Rune) hopped on their bikes and rode down to the canal where the boat was docked. We had a case of beer, some decent weather, good company, and were off on a canal tour of Copenhagen – it was going to be a good afternoon.

COPENHAGEN CANALS

Rune was right, there was a quietness out on the canals that you didn’t get in the streets and it was extremely refreshing. Louie Lopez has been to Copenhagen a few times, but never had experienced a full boat tour around the city, and he was stoked. Once everyone got their sea legs, we were off! Rune instantly started to point out all of the interesting things you could see from sea level: historic buildings, different neighborhoods, and some of the oldest parts of the city. Arto and Pfanner had a hard time putting their cameras down. There was just so much to see. There are lots of cool things to do in Copenhagen, and this is definitely near the top of the list.

This summer I wanted to show the team all the canals and crazy scenery you can see from the water. The appearance of the city is a lot different from a boat ride. There is a quietness in the canals that doesn’t exist on the streets, so it’s a nice escape from all the madness of the CPH Open contest. The contest is legendary by now, and the energy around the whole city is really mind-blowing when you live here. -Rune Glifberg

SCENERY ON THE COPENHAGEN CANALS

Not too far into our boat ride we got stopped by the police, yes, the police boat. They were only checking to make sure that the boat had enough life jackets for everyone and once they recognized Rune, they let us continue on our journey. You can’t give local Danish legend Rune Glifberg any trouble! All along our ride there was something to see. Huge 19th century tall ships, some sunken ships, and a lot of curious tourists on the shore. One of the most interesting sights of all were these floating shantytowns just outside of Christiania. Residents had built their own homes out of other people’s trash, made it float, and now lived on the water. It really tripped out Louie and Alec. They said it was probably the craziest thing they’ve seen in Copenhagen. Nothing like a graffiti-ridden trailer floating on the water!

“COPENHAGEN IS KIND OF A WONDERLAND FOR EVERYONE THAT APPRECIATES A LITTLE BIT OF FREEDOM AND ENJOYS THE ‘LIVE AND LET LIVE’ MENTALITY.” -PFANNER

Heading back to dock the boat, everyone was pretty quiet. They were taking in the beautiful scenes around them and were enjoying the last fleeting moments together cruising through the canals of Copenhagen. Just in time, too, as the skies started to darken towards the end of our route, we docked our boat in a hurry right before it started to rain. Luckily, it was just a passing shower and we were all able to hop back on our bikes and make it back to the hotel just as planned.

The Volcom Skate Team recently traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark for the CPH Pro and found some spare time after the contest, so they decided to hang out with local legend and longtime Volcom team rider Rune Glifberg for a couple days to get the true Copenhagen experience on two wheels before getting an authentic Copenhagen canal tour.

RIDING BIKES IN COPENHAGEN

There really is something magical about Copenhagen, Denmark. Chris Pfanner, Arto Saari, Louie Lopez and Alec Majerus all mentioned, at one point or another, that the city and people of Copenhagen really have it figured out. Not only is Copenhagen one of the cleanest cities in the world, but it is also one of the healthiest. One of the main reasons is that the infrastructure is designed to promote a pedestrian and cycling culture rather than driving. Normally on skate trips, the crew packs into a van and drives to a spot and skates for hours. In Copenhagen, you travel by bike like a pack of wolves. As Alec pointed out, “Biking around from spot to spot is fun and keeps your legs warm.” A perfect activity for skateboarders.

WHERE TO RENT BIKES IN COPENHAGEN

In Copenhagen, the majority of people ride a bike, and if you want to embrace the city as the locals do, you’ll want to rent a bike from one of the many establishments located throughout the city. Whether it’s a touchscreen-enabled, navigation-friendly bike from Bycyklen, a simple city bike you can access on the street 24/7 from Donkey Republic, or a secondhand bike advocating a philanthropic cause from Baisikeli, there is no shortage of choices.

Summertime in Copenhagen makes it one of the best cities in the world. Short lived and with a seasonal bloom. Our summers work as a breath of fresh air from our long winters that seem to last forever sometimes. Sharing our summers with the skateboard world is such a fun thing. Riding bikes around with the Volcom team and just enjoying the warm weather and the energized summer pulse of the city. -Rune Glifberg

HIPPIE FREETOWN OF CHRISTIANIA

Our hotel was located right next to the train station where there were bikes everywhere, but we were lucky enough to be able to rent bikes from the hotel – all 12 of us! On the first day we were waiting for everyone to get in to town, but we already got our bikes and Collin Provost was ready to explore. First stop?! Christiania! Like travelling back in time, Christiania is like old town Copenhagen which operates on its own rules. A self-governing gypsy village located somewhat on the outskirts of town. It was only a couple miles away which was perfect for a nice little bike ride, and with all of our friends and other skaters coming to town for the contest, it served as the unofficial meeting place all week. Needless to say, everyone on the trip knew the route to Christiania by heart before the trip was over. Bike ownership is pretty loose in Copenhagen and Collin got his bike stolen within the first couple days. No worries though, he just took another bike that seemed unwanted (and unlocked) and really made it his own for the rest of his time in Copenhagen, putting on stickers and tagging it.

THE CITY OF COPENHAGEN

One of the highlights of riding bikes in Copenhagen with such a big squad is that you can stop and look at whatever interests you along the way without having to find a place to park your car, pile out, and pile back in. One of our European riders Victor “Doobie” Pellagrin was also with us and he doesn’t know how to not have a good time! Romping around on bikes was second nature to him. He mentioned that he used to race motocross as a kid and that his father was a world-renowned racer as well. It all made sense when he was popping wheelies for 50 feet down the road and taking the poor hotel bikes off-roading. The architecture is really something to admire and everywhere we looked we saw some cool building nestled between the busy cobblestone streets. The different building colors, old school architect, and many towers and spires which populate the city give Copenhagen a feel like no other.

“BIKING AROUND THE CITY IS EPIC. AMAZING ARCHITECTURE AND VIEWS CONSTANTLY AND IT’S FASTER THAN DRIVING AROUND IN A CAR. YOU CAN PULL UP TO A SPOT AND BE WARMED UP AND READY TO GO!” -LOUIE

Video: @justsomedude @anttravis @kevinparrott
Music: @theheavytwelves | The Electric Peanut Butter Company | Here Lies Man

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