Hi. I'm Hippie Mike!

Hippie Mike is a man of many talents, many skills and many creations. A master of construction, Mike loves to build and create unique and custom projects, but he also takes the same mind frame to everything else he does.

Oct 19,2013 / By Ryan Brynelson / 1 Comment

It’s been 3 weeks now since I came to Japan, and so far it’s been fantastic. The people are amazing, I’m having fun speaking the language, eating the best food of my life, and of course skating with some amazing skaters. When I first got off the plane I couldn’t believe that I finally made it. I had worked part-time at some places as well as doing lots of skateboard demos for the past few years to fund this adventure and I can already say it’s been worth it. Right now I’m going to Yokohama Design College where I am continuing my Japanese studies. To me, Japanese is equally as important to me as my skating, it’s just different. I love skating on using my body to do a bunch of incredibly fun tricks and then when it’s down time, hitting the books and studying. I don’t know, maybe it’s the nerdy side of me that comes with being a freestyle skater, but I love studying and reading as well as the spoken aspect of the language.

I decided to come a few weeks before starting school to have some fun and check out the place as well as find out where some good parks are before I started school. One my ventures, I found Shin-Yokohama skatepark. Built right under a bridge, this place is huge! The concrete is also the best I have ever skated on and best of all, it’s less than an hour away from my house. After skating there for a couple of weeks, I started to meet a bunch of locals and make some new friends. One day when I was skating, I was practising a bunch of 360 spin variations, when this Japanese guy came up to me and said “You spin like Kevin Harris“. I was stunned! Not Rodney Mullen, but Kevin Harris. I was stoked to hear that, especially since Kevin was the one who taught me how to do 360’s. We talked and he told me that when Kevin Harris was in Japan, he did a demo at his school and he was blown away. He introduced himself as Kojima and then introduced his wife Saori to me who also skates. I found out from him that he owns a skateshop called Fabric, and when I looked it up, I found out that is was only 3 minutes away from my house on foot. I went to his shop and he showed me some boards from his collection. Amongst them was a deck signed by Kevin Harris. It was really interesting making that connection with one of the locals.

Right now this is the just the beginning and what a beginning it is. I’m hoping to learn a lot from the experiences that will come with this adventure. I look forward to keeping you all posted, stay tuned…

– Ryan Brynelson

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Awesome Friends

Oct 13,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I was always a very social person in the sense that I loved adventure and would always just talk to anyone anywhere. That’s how you meet people and how you expand your mind by listening to random people’s stories. It’s great to meet someone new and only know them for a few minutes but remember them forever. In skateboarding this happens all the time.

Earlier this year I was on Facebook and saw a photo of one of my distant friends Yuya Ishikawa posted and he was at the Plaza and I wasn’t sure if the photo was recent or not. I new Yuya from a visit he had made in the past to BC but knew he was back in Japan. Next thing I knew Bam, there he was at Chuck Bailey Skate Park the very next day. I was so stoked to see him as he is such a rad dude, and sick ledge skater. Yuya had a girlfriend with him named Nana Kunugi and she was very happy to meet me. I gave them both Protest Stickers and told them to check out the website as there were lots of upcoming events that I was posting about and wanted to make sure they knew about them. These 2 hardcores started coming out to every event I was running in Surrey, they would bus all the way from North Burnaby out to Cloverdale or South Surrey just to be a part of these events which takes hours, and I thought it was so cool. It showed how much they enjoyed the atmosphere at the events. I considered them real friends and was super happy at how much they appreciated the skate scene out here, so I would try to give them rides to save them travel time and they would come back to my house and hang out whenever they could. It is so great when you can overcome a language barrier and still just hang out with others because you have things in common. So many people visit here from Japan to skateboard and they are all so amazing, super friendly and inspirational. We had some great times this summer together and created some awesome memories. Now these 2 friends will be flying out of Canada on Monday to spend a year in Australia and I wish them the best. I know I will miss seeing them around.

People come and people go, some are forgotten and others are always on your mind, and with today’s technology we can actually stay connected forever.

To Yuya and Nana –
Thanks for coming to Canada and sharing your smiles, spreading your joy, and displaying your happiness. I can’t wait until we meet again. Good luck on your journey

– Hippie Mike

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Changing the Laws of Life

Oct 12,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

“Being a skater most of my life, I was naturally drawn to the event. The energy of the event felt much like how it was when I was a kid skating. I was leaning over the railing when I ran into and met a local Surrey skate legend: “Hippie Mike,” founder of Protest Skateboards. I asked Hippie Mike if I could try his skate. He of course was more than willing. So there I was, in full uniform, my duties for the moment forgotten, skating. I was trying old tricks, as much as I could do with the 30 extra pounds (of uniform). Within a short time, people were all around, filming and taking pictures. It was foreign to me, as I am not the smoothest skater around (especially in full uniform), but I recognized I was in a position of my duties and a Mountie. The skate high dropped back down to reality. People noticed I had tattoos and asked what they were. I pulled up my sleeve and they immediately recognized the Skull Skates logo on one arm and then the Harris graphics on the other. Hippie Mike was floored by the idea of a skating cop with tattoos like that and immediately called Kevin over.”

Troy Derrick

Somehow I always end up being part of historic events and this is truly one of the most historic articles that has ever been published in a skateboard magazine. It started out at World Round Up contest last May while I was interviewing Freestyle Skateboarders for the website and a cop in full uniform came up to me and asked if he could ride my skateboard. I said sure and handed it over. He was with another officer that I knew from working in the City of Surrey and he let me know that he worked closely with my events DJ Jordan Wiebe all the time and knew all about me. I’m not sure if I was more impressed by that statement or the fact that he jumped on my board in full uniform and started manualling and popping ollies and nollie 180’s. My first thought was “Jesus, don’t let him fall on his gun…” but my second thought was “Who is this guy?” I was straight up surprised and he pulled up his sleeves showing me that he was pure to the core with a Skull Skates tattoo on one arm and a Kevin Harris Mountie graphic on the other. Right away I called Kevin over and got them to pose for a photo. Little did I know that photo was going to make history. When Michael Brooke from Concrete Wave Magazine caught a glimpse he was instantly attracted and wanted to know more and it ended up becoming something amazing. Kevin and Troy started hanging out together and conversing about so much life and we all realized that there had to be an article to teach that cops and skaters don’t have to separated anymore, and show the world that they can actually unite and be one. When I grew up I was a cop hater in my own senses and part of that came from being a pure street skater and having to deal with them on negative terms all the time, but another part came from always being prejudged by the police by my appearance and believe me I have been through some serious uncalled for harassment from these so called “Peace-Makers”. I hated on Police for a long time and always dealt with any situations myself instead of ever calling on them for help. My opinions of cops changed when I started working with the City of Surrey Parks and Rec and worked tightly in the community. I started meeting all kinds of members and found out that some of them were into being police officers for different reasons than just going out there and throwing there weight around. Some people become cops to work in community development and support those who need help and put all their concentration and focus towards providing positive opportunities for kids and other people in need. I’ll always be weary of Police because of the way I grew up but I learned over time that they aren’t all bad, and cops are people too. So this was a great experience to see a cop who had skateboarding in his blood and still itched for it, and once I knew there was going to be an article about it I couldn’t wait to read it. The crazy part about it was we were totally focused on the aspects I had just talked about – a cop that skateboards, and how skaters and cops can get along, and just all about the persona – but the article turned into so much more. As Officer Troy Derrick began to spill his guts to Michael Brooke about his upbringing and the abuse he went through as a kid and the hard times he lived out growing up as a First Nations person he kept coming back to one thing – skateboarding. Skateboarding basically kept him alive, and kept him happy through the toughest of times, and no matter where he went and how he got there all he cared about was his freedom to skate. This tear jerking story that Troy wrote sparked some serious memories in Michael Brooke and he began to write his story of how skateboarding guided his life to where he is today, and that created a whole new article involving so many amazing Canadian Legends who all had one thing in common – they found a skateboard to be the key to a successful and happy life.

This article is so historic, from the uniformed Mountie on the cover of the Magazine, to the different yet so similar life stories of multiple skaters that are all considered mentors, to the sole facts that skateboarding can change anyone’s life forever….

It took 13 pages to tell this story with write ups from Troy Derrick, Kevin Harris, PD, Les Robertson, Bricin Lyons, Ryan Theobald, and Michael Brooke himself. Articles like this do not get written often, as they only happen when they write themselves.

This article is a must read for anyone who believes in their freedom to be who they are without being judged, and especially for anyone who has ever called themselves a Skater for Life

Read Karma, Police and Connections

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Never Stop Creating

Oct 9,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

As most of you have learned over the years I am definitely what you call a creator. And every creator comes up with tons of ideas, but needs a special thing called motivation to bring these creations to life. Another key is to collaborate with lots of people along the roads we travel who also like to create and have the same type of motivation. Partnership is a key to success in many situations, especially when creating events for an entire community. We bring you tons of awesome competitions and community events all the time, we provide things to do with your friends and families that are fun and safe, and we try our best to ensure that everyone is welcome to whatever we create. But every winter there always seems to be the same old issue that comes up, nowhere to go when it’s cold and wet. Even with these awesome skate parks Surrey is creating lately with covered areas in them it’s still not always sufficient. I personally will always look for more ways to bring the skateboard community together and will always provide the next generations with anything I can that helps them to learn and grow and be strong. Together, we can do anything.

There’s something in the works right now, a place to stay warm and dry, a place to learn from awesome people, and just a place to hang out and have fun being yourself.

I can’t tell you what’s happening yet, but I can tell you this – it’s happening soon…

Stay tuned

Extreme Sports Skateboarding Video Reviews

Island Storms

Oct 5,2013 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

Every summer Shadd Trepp always hits me up and tries to get some of the Protest Crew to head over to Vancouver Island with him and some of the Tsawwassen Crew. This year was super busy all summer and the only time we could make it happen was the last weekend of September, with by the way the weather went all summer long should have been beautiful, but it totally wasn’t. All week on the The Weather Network there were warnings about the storms coming on the weekend, 50+ mm of rain each day Saturday through Monday, and lots of wind warnings in affect. Did that stop us from going, hell no.

Shadd had a sweet deal on a TimeShare Condo that was only gonna cost us $5 each and we knew there would be covered options. As soon as Friday hit and I finally believed that the storms were definitely coming I booked some time at One Six Ramp for right when we got off the Ferry Saturday morning. One Six is a shop on Quadra Street in Victoria about 20 minutes from Schwartz Bay, it’s a half skate shop, half BMX shop and has a sweet 3′-4′ mini ramp with a spine and wallride. Needless to say we spent a few hours there over the weekend. Super fun, super fast and totally dry.

We had to go peep out Six Side too of course which is the DIY spot under the 6 mile Pub bridge in Colwood/Langford area. This spot puts Leeside to shame for gnarlyness because it is built so compact. The bottom section is insane with wallrides, waterfall slides and a bunch of pillars to smack your face on, but it was wet from the abundance of rain being dumped from the sky so the only skateable portion was the little bowl at the top. This bowl is tough, super tightly built with zero flatbottom anywhere, impossible lines, and a parking curb spine that drops you into a 7′ bowl that’s built like a capsule. Little Andy Anderson dropped in and began the demo, wowing the locals. It was a killer sesh and everyone who wanted to skate it did.

Sunday was clearing up but the wind was coming in hard. They had announced by 9am that Ferry’s in the evening were most likely going to be cancelled. After another sweaty session at One Six, the smart half of the crew headed off to catch the 3 o’clock boat back to the mainland while the jonesers all followed the sunshine to Vic West Skate Park. James Steele dove right into the huge lake in the flatbottom there to open up the drains and the whole park dried up quick. The 80km/hr wind gusts probably helped a bit. We had a solid skate session there but the rain was coming back and the wind was blowing hard, it was time to leave. But guess how many Ferry’s were still running – that’s right, zero.

The trip was all good even with the rain, we had fun together as a group the whole time, but it did make it tough to get any street footage…

Check the video of the stuff we did skate featuring Hippie Mike, Andy Anderson, Cisco Gooding, Jay Mykyte, Tyler Burke, James Steele, Shadd Trepp and Little Kaelen Faux

Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind The Bob Marley Quote of the Month

Positive Vibrations Change the World

Oct 3,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Every month I write a little article about Bob Marley and how he affects so many lives in so many ways, myself especially. Everyone has someone they look up to in life and he is the one for me. Every month, and every day, emotions change to reflect what is happening in life – sometimes life is tough and you’re feeling pushed down and depressed and other times it’s all sunshine. This is how any musician makes a solid career, by writing through every type of emotion, and I believe that is why Robert Nesta affected so many people while he was alive, and why his lyrics continue to raise the children of the world. Bob Marley wrote about everything from sorrows to love songs, songs of freedom to songs of rebellion, but most importantly he wrote about unity.

Bob had a vision which equalled success in his mind and it had nothing to do with his own royalty, it was about the societies that he was a part of, the communities he grew up in, and overall mankind being one and getting along. When Bob Marley stood on stage with 2 white political members holding hands together to symbolize unity it was a humungous historic moment. He wasn’t trying to be a hero, he just wanted everyone to get along and stop fighting. The world will evolve further if we all work together instead of trying to compete against one another all the time and deciding who is better and so forth. You can look at this scenario in any part of life, it could be racial, it could be political, or it could be business. There are so many different ways to live your life, and so many paths to choose from. We learn that independence is a luxury, but does it bring you freedom? Maybe it can free one person, but what about the rest of your community? I look at skateboarding and think about the early years when it first began. It was new to everyone so there were no standards and each person belonged to their own group which had their own style and would only see other skateboarders at competitions.

Skateboarding through these early eras became quite competitive, especially in the 1980’s when there were a few key squadrons of hardcore guys. You had the Powell Team, Santa Cruz, H-Street and Vision and they all tried to outdo the others. Their styles were different, their graphics were unique, their videos had different meanings behind them, and when they competed they did so as a team. It was team against team. And what happened at the end of the 80’s? Skateboarding died out, and almost left for good…

When it came back to life in the 90’s, attitudes had changed and everyone was just stoked that the industry was alive again. People started getting multiple sponsors that connected other groups to each other and it became a more collaborative time where everyone started working together to help promote skateboarding as a whole instead of just themselves. And as this mentality grew to be more natural you have what exists today – an industry that anyone is welcomed into that will last forever.

It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about us.

Together we can make it happen, make it exist, make it last, make it an unstoppable force, and just plain make it reality.
It’s amazing the progression that has happened since skateboarding died. Teams do demos together, skaters compete in doubles runs with each other no matter who they’re sponsored by, and companies collaborate with one another on graphics and advertising. The competitive nature, the segregation, the independence and the ignorance of fighting the battle alone have all diminished. We look forward to the future in a positive light and work together to ensure that everything is gonna be alright.

The first line of this song says it all with “Live if you wanna Live” but that’s not the quote I am using.

This month’s Bob Marley quote comes from the song Positive Vibration off the Rastaman Vibrations album and it relates to the Rastafarian leader Haile Selassie simply referred to as Jah and how he guided a nation to be one…

“If you get down and you quarrel everyday,
You’re saying prayers to the devils, I say.
Why not help one another on the way?
Make it much easier. (Just a little bit easier)”

Are you pickin’ up on what’s being put down??

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Take a Chance on Me

Sep 27,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I’ve known about the company Chance Skateboards pretty much since it started and I always liked it because it reminded me of my own company Protest. The graphics were simple but seemed to have a message behind them, and I appreciated that they never looked like they were trying to grab your attention or sell something that meant nothing to the company. I brought Chance on as a sponsor for all my events a few years ago and had a good first “real meeting” with the owner Matt Holdsworth. I had know Matt from skating over the years and we knew who each other were but had never actually sat down together or hung out really. After chilling with him for a little bit I knew that my initial instincts about him were right – he was a family man who had positive dreams he wanted to fulfil and a real passion for skateboarding, not just for promoting himself but for promoting skateboarding in general as a positive activity that anyone could participate in – I was glad to help promote his business. I’ve gotten to know Matt a little closer lately and have partnered with him a few ways, I’ve watched his company grow and get more recognized in the skate world and I’ve seen his vision stay exactly the same. I love that about Matt, and I’m stoked for his company. Everything about him reminds me of myself. It’s great to see a man’s dreams come true…

“The Chance you take in life as a skater and the blood sweat and tears you put into your passions; Chance is not just about one guy doing something, but about creating something that is large enough to allow and enable others to pursue their dreams and passions” – Matthew Holdsworth

Check out this sweet article on fromthefeetup.ca about Chance Skateboards, how it began, what it stands for and why you should support it

http://fromthefeetup.ca/2013/08/chance-skateboards-interview/

Extreme Sports Skateboarding Video Reviews

A Little McCauley

Sep 26,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Anyone who knows Mathew McCauley knows he’s got skills. At 13 years old he is really starting to step up his game and hit bigger obstacles. Mathew can lay down sweet kickflips and frontside popshovits within a few attempts over pretty much any gap he rides. And that’s just the warm up. He’s got lots of rail skills, and his ledge tricks are expanding. We put McCauley on the Protest Wheels Team at the start of summer and he’s been working hard ever since. Give it a couple more years and everyone in the Lower Mainland should know his name. Can’t wait to watch this kid grow.

Here’s some one off tricks that Brandon Giesbrecht put together, check it out

Hippie Mike's Messed Up Mind Life and Death - And all the Emotions that come in between

Photos From The Moonrider

Sep 24,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

I hooked up with Mark Halliday earlier in the year and we started hanging out together, me skating and him filming and shooting photos of me. Mark owns Moonrider Productions and shoots documentary style videos of multiple trades along with awesome photos to compliment them. Mark has a knack for discovering the inner beauty and meaning of his work and assisting it to express itself through his lenses. Over lunch one day we were discussing all the events I run and others that I participate in and decided it would be sweet to document 2 of these skateboard series’s together – The 19^th year of The Bowl Series, and The 10^th (and final) year of Hippie Mike’s Tour de Surrey. So Mark agreed to be part of these projects and committed himself to as many of the proposed dates as possible. Mark had shot a wide variety of different things in his life, but these were going to be serious eye-openers to how a humungous community can come together so tightly and treat each other like family. And the funny thing is, both of these events have a family of their own.

The first stop for the project was all-time best day of the year – Canada Day Bowl Series at Seylynn Bowl, it doesn’t get much more real than this. Mark brought all his gear, and his pal Jamie Madill, and they spent close to 9 hours taking photos and shooting video. The place was jumping, all the old time regulars were present, and everyone was ripping the bowl and having a great time. Anyone who is new to this event would be astonished at how many people can be in one place, all know each other, and have nothing but respect. It was a definite life altering experience for him I’m sure. Mark is a long time skateboarder, but he was new to this contest scene, and he totally loved it immediately. I remember talking with him afterwards and he just kept talking about how awesome all the people were and how everyone was so friendly and when we interviewed any of them they all said the same thing about how they just love being part of a family. It was probably a very heartwarming experience, but there was a lot more work to be done.

The next day we hooked up was July 6^th at Cloverdale Skate Park to kickoff the 10^th annual Hippie Mike’s Tour de Surrey. Now the entire feeling and emotional aspects were definitely the same, but suddenly it was all teenagers and young kids that were expressing themselves, and in a new style environment. I knew right away that Mark understood how I took that family appeal that I lived in with the old school skaters through Bowl Series and created the same feel in this group, but it is very different when you experience it. I could tell he was having a great time by the looks on his face throughout the day and just by how into his filming he was. I don’t know how many of you that are reading this have ever tried to film and shoot photos at the same time for a large scale event all by yourself but it’s very difficult and tiring because the action never stops making it undesirable for you to take a break. In your mind you believe that if you put your camera down for 2 minutes, the most important shots of the day will happen and you will miss them, it’s very torturous. The day went smooth and everyone had a great time. We did some interviews with this group as well and coincidentally, the same feelings and emotions were expressed as the group from Bowl Series. All of a sudden, Mark knew he was in for an amazing journey and there was no want to back out.

What a summer, 10 events in total between the 2 series’s and not one of them was rained out or postponed. Every event had the same dudes at them, and all of them were nothing but positive. The skating was amazing and unstoppable at each one, but different people would place in the finals. And the number one thing was how every person that was a part of any of these events was there because they loved to be there, not because they wanted to win. Mark put in a lot of effort while covering these events, and we still have some more interviews to do before either of the videos can be produced, but there are a ton of photos up on Mark’s Flickr page so you can get a real feel of what’s to come. A photo says a thousand words, I’m sure you will be able to hear all of them.

Thanks a ton to Mark Halliday and Moonrider Productions for being so supportive of both of these events and putting in so much effort. I know how hard it is to be a one man show behind the lenses and I know in the end it will be worth it.

Stay tuned for more information about when these videos will be released and how to get your hands on a copy very soon.

Until then, check out the photos from all the stops Mark was able to make it to and recognize that it’s not always about the best trick that went down that day, but actually about the day itself…

The Bowl Series

Seylynn Bowl – http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0092009/gp/moonriderpro/05046w/
Griffin Bowl – http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0095009/photos/moonriderpro/sets/72157634787834588/
White Rock Bowl – http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0091009/photos/moonriderpro/sets/72157634868254074/
Whistler Bowl – http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonriderpro/sets/72157635166738530/

Hippie Mike’s Tour de Surrey

Cloverdale Skate Park – http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonriderpro/sets/72157634765730013/
Fleetwood Skate Park – http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonriderpro/sets/72157635414286736/
Bear Creek Skate Park – http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonriderpro/sets/72157635710267845/

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

What a Summer

Sep 20,2013 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

By the looks of the weather network, these awesome months of summer are soon coming to an end and we will be back into the unpredictable fall and winter days. But what a summer! This summer in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia was definitely historic in so many ways, 0mm of rain in the entire month of July – that’s never happened before, and how about the fact that not one skateboard event was cancelled or even postponed the entire summer due to rain? It’s insane since there are literally 2-4 events every weekend here. We live in one of the rainiest places in the world and when it rains it pours, but we live here because when it doesn’t rain it is gorgeous. What a Summer.

When you think back of your own memories that you made this summer what comes to mind? Did you travel? Were you extra active outside? Did you make a bunch of new friends? Maybe you just overloaded yourself with too many beers and BBQs. But I know what I think of is how many different skateboard competitions and demos that went down this year. Flip Skateboards, Girl x Chocolate, Adidas, Creature and Santa Cruz, Contests at Plaza, Railside, Bonsor, Tsawwassen, North Delta, The Battle at Hastings, Road Block, Go Sk8 Day, The Booze Bash, The Bowl Series, and of course the 10^th and final year of Hippie Mike’s Tour de Surrey – talk about being spoiled every single weekend. Skateboarding is definitely growing again and in the land we live it’s just natural to run a million events and know that each one will be popular. So many awesome events and great pros that came out to Vancouver and Surrey this summer and skateboarding was like a force of nature, it was a stellar summer, probably the best that I can remember.

So as these months cool off and the leaves change colour and slowly drop to the ground, think about what this summer meant to you and instead of dreading the winter, make the most of every sunny day we get and keep summer alive for the rest of the year.

It doesn’t have to end you know…

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