Hippie Mike’s 34th Birthday

Nov 20,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

34 years old, 27^th year on a skateboard. It was nice to get to skate with someone the exact same age as me, with the same amount of experience, but who hasn’t gotten overweight and lost his pop like myself. Thanks Paul Machnau for reminding me that age is just a number. Unfortunately, I can’t erase all the massive injuries that have slowed me down over the years, but I’m happy just rippin’ around and throwing down the occasional banger. There’s one thing I know about being a “Skater for Life” is that your life constantly changes, and you gotta just go with the flow. Good thing we have amazing places like Seylynn Bowl and Griffin, Queensborough, Chuck Bailey and White Rock where us old dudes can go and just surf as fast as possible and not worry about obstacles, ’cause I feel lately like I’m really losing my street skills.

Either way, it was a beautiful sunny day last Thursday and we headed out to skate one of my all time favourite Skate Parks – Tsawwassen. I skated this place so much for the first 5 years it was there that people actually thought I lived in Tsawwassen. So many tricks on the lock there it still amazes me what I can land there that I wouldn’t try anywhere else. Jordan Strong, Ryan Barron, Justin James, Paul Machnau, Chris Haslam and the Birthday Boy himself – Hippie Mike all tore it up that day with the park to ourselves. It was great to skate with all these guys that have all been part of my life at different times and eras.

Thanks for the fun birthday boys, check the video

6 Shreddly Sins – Final Part

Nov 20,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

So here’s the Final Part of the Vancouver Island Plunder Tour presented by Ultimate Distribution and Concrete Skateboarding Magazine. 6 Shreddly Sins comes to a close through Campbell River, Courtney and Victoria. You can tell these guys had a great time on this trip and got to skate some rare and funky street spots amongst all the beautiful Skate Parks scattered across Vancouver Island. In this episode, Desmond Hoostie really shows his technical talents on the manual pads and Adam Hopkins finishes it off with a 50-50 down a tough kinked handrail. It seems like it was a good time for all, congratulations to the 6 Shreddly Sinners:

Drew Summersides, Dan Redmond, Jorden Murray, Danny Tumia, Desmond Hoostie and Adam Hopkins.

Read the whole story at

concreteskateboarding.com/?page_id=21685

Andy Anderson Flies at Leeside

Nov 19,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Had a good session today at Leeside Tunnel with Protest Skateboards Team Rider Andy Anderson. Andy destroys this place so hard, just shows up and starts going on 15-20 trick lines throughout the whole tunnel in the nasty flat light shadows. At one point we were all just chillin’ on the sidelines watching Andy and he started hitting the newest obstacle down there, the 9′ pool corner pocket and then blasting huge airs over the knob to flat. As soon as the lights came on I asked Andy if he wanted to shoot a couple photos, here’s what he gave me…

For more photos and videos of Andy Anderson check out his Team Rider Profile.

Pretty Sweet?? More like Pretty Fucking Awesome!!

Nov 18,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

We new it was going to be a spectacular event as everyone out there in the skateboard world loves Girl Skateboards and their videos are always over the top production wise so therefore they are usually super anticipated. This one was definitely worth the wait, although I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of the older dudes like Tony Ferguson, Rick McCrank, Rick Howard and Mike Carroll. Marc Johnson had a full part though which was sick.

There were hundreds and hundreds of people lined up down Granville Street and around the corner waiting patiently in hope that the tickets they got weeks ago were gonna get them in the front doors. The theatre filled up quickly and the rowdiness began. I think I saw Dave Stevens pouring beer on to Majed Salem from the top deck. There was a couple firecrackers that went off and of course a huge poster sized paper airplane went flying by. Just another event in Downtown Vancouver, but at least nothing was smashed, flipped over or burned at this one. Once again the skateboarders, who are judged as the crazy ones, and the bad boys of the world, look better than the Local Sports Fans.

The video was awesome, the crowd was in awe, and everyone left with the urge to go skate hard. All I’ll say about the skating is that these guys went off inventing tons of new tricks on deadly obstacles, and to be honest, Vincent Alvarez pretty much shut the whole video down in the first section, but it still got better. Raven Tershy, Sean Malto and many, many more.

If you didn’t get to see it at one of the Premieres, then be sure to grab a copy as soon as it hits the store shelves. This one is a definite must see video….

Pretty Sweet

Andy Anderson Shreddds Leeside – Like Usual

Nov 17,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Another masterful Hi-8 Video by Ethan Craig, this time featuring Protest Skateboards Team Rider Andy Anderson. Andy might be the most underrated skater in the Lower Mainland right now. Everyone who knows this kid knows he is a natural ripper, especially in any tranny, and lands everything he tries, but there are still a lot of people not recognizing him. Fact: how often do you see Andy Anderson in the magazines, yet he wins almost every contest he enters…. King of the Bowls and King of Surrey in 2011, places in the finals at every Bowl Series Contest, 2^nd place at the BLVD Kensington Pool Contest and placed 5^th at the World Round-Up Freestyle Championships this year, plus took Best Skater Award at Ledge n’ Dairy Best Trick Contest at Chuck Bailey. Street Ripper, Rail Killer, Tranny Destroyer, and even a Freestyle Demo Machine along side Kevin Harris, but where’s the coverage???

I’ve been a huge supporter and massive influence on Andy as he has grown up to this still young age of 16 years old that he is now. I used to teach him stuff all the time since he was 7 years old, and I still push him to learn more and more every day. I’ve taught him a ton about skateboarding, and just as much about life, and I am very proud that he represents for Protest Skateboards when he skates. Andy is amazing. He invents tricks by thinking of it and landing it right away, usually first try. I’m stoked to see him in this profile video by Ethan Craig shredding one of his favourite places to skate – Leeside Memorial Park. Here’s what Ethan had to say about Andy after filming this day, “Andy loves to thrash every little nook and cranny there is at Leeside, here is evidence of Andy shralping nearly almost every DIY obstacle there is. Please, enjoy the rawness of Andy’s skating filmed on a Sony Video 8 camera. In Loving Memory of Lee Matasi and Don “Mad Carver” Hartley in which Andy shows his love and support by continuing to wear his helmet beyond his premature years of skateboarding” – Ethan Craig.

Straight to the point, and very true. Andy Anderson is a skateboard machine. He’s calm, cool and collected, but also overflowing with energy. Now please, somebody give this kid the credit he deserves…

North Delta gets 2×4’d by Hippie Mike

Nov 17,2012 / By Hippie Mike / 1 Comment

[youtube id=”e7LIGQdlQ0c” width=”620″ height=”360″]

Well the title boldly says it all. But some people might wonder what the hell it means, that is if they don’t know that I used to ride a 2×4 skateboard all the time.

My Halloween costume this year was a Caveman and so I brought out the 2×4 board as part of the outfit to a couple contests/jams. One was at Leeside and one was at North Delta Park. I hadn’t pulled this deck out for years until earlier this spring for a couple clips in a video part, and then I put it right back into it’s spot hidden away in my laundry room. But when I started riding it at ND for the Coastal Riders/Street Dreamz Jam it brought back the memories of how hard it was to skate but how fun the challenges of learning tricks on a 2×4 skateboard were. So I told Jordan Strong that we were gonna have to go back to North Delta Skate Park with it on a quiet day and film a quick video part.

That day was November 14^th, 2012

Wet, slippery and empty – Hippie Mike represents on his legendary 2×4 skateboard at North Delta Skate Park

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

The Proof is Here – Magnus is the Best…

Nov 16,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

The Skullcandy Best Skater Award for the Store Wars entries has been announced and the winner is Surrey’s own – Magnus Hanson. If you live around here, that would come as no surprise as Magnus is one of the best skateboarders this Lower Mainland has ever seen. Super tech, and very consistent, he can go big at any time and rips tranny too. Magnus was always one of my favourite kids to watch grow up, and sometimes it’s still hard for me to recognize how old he actually is now. I still picture that goofy little 12/13 year old kid that I would simply call “Mr. Varial Heelflip” tearing up the parks and competitions way back in the early 2000’s.

You’ve come a long way Magnus, and we are all stoked to skate with you all the time. Keep keepin’ it real man.

Give it up for Magnus Hanson for being the King this year, winner of Skullcandy Aviator Headphones, $1500 cash & a crazy sabre sword. And congratulations to Coastal Riders for having Magnus representin’.

Check out Steve Berra and Eric Koston deciding the winner

http://www.push.ca/storewars/news/p/63400/default.aspx

Extreme Sports Skateboarding

Another Year Begins

Nov 15,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Each year I write my feelings

how I feel at that time

and what I foresee in the year to come –

Last year I stated that it was going to me “My Year”

And it was probably the worst year of my life…

This year I’m not looking ahead

This year I’m taking what comes

This year I’m looking back on what I have:

I look at my Wife, I look at my Son,

I dream about my Dad, and I talk with my Mom,

I think of my Sister and all of her Kids,

I thank all my Friends for being there through all this,

I wonder how life would be different without me,

What would have happened, where would you all be?

I’m happy for every day that I’ve lived,

I know the world is thankful for all that I give,

So this year is different, I have no big plan

I’m just gonna be me – The Man That I Am

And take what is given whether I like it or not

Smile every day, and be thankful for what I’ve got

– Hippie Mike

Part 2 – 6 Shreddly Sins

Nov 14,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

Here’s the second part of footage from the 6 Shreddly Sins Island Tour with Adam Hopkins, Drew Summersides, Dan Redmond, Jorden Murray, Desmond Hoostie and Danny Tumia. The Tour took place over the summer of 2012 across Vancouver Island. This video shows stop offs in Courtney, Nanaimo, Sooke and everyone’s favourite – Drunken Duncan.

Here’s Part 2 –

[vimeo id=”53013638″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

Still more to come

Sounds Pretty Sweet

Nov 14,2012 / By Hippie Mike / No Comment

A long awaited film from Girl Skateboards, this one should be pretty amazing, or Pretty Sweet, as the title promotes.

This Saturday November 17^th, 2012 the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver, BC will be packed with skateboarders of all ages, eras and generations. Doors open at 7pm. Hopefully you got your tickets ahead of time or you might have to wait for the DVD release.

Girl is a sick company who has always had a solid team of riders.

Vincent Alvarez, Brian Anderson, Kenny Anderson, Elijah Berle, Brandon Biebel, Chico Brenes, Devine Calloway, Mike Mo Capaldi, Mike Carroll, Daniel Castillo, Justin Eldridge, Jesus Fernandez, Rick Howard, Gino Iannucci, Marc Johnson, Cory Kennedy, Eric Koston, Sean Malto, Guy Mariano, Alex Olson, Anthony Pappalardo, Stevie Perez, Chris Roberts, Raven Tershy, Jeron Wilson and Vancouver’s own Rick McCrank.

A huge line up, can’t wait to see it…

Check the Teaser

[youtube id=”32240946″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

Category : Extreme Sports