Thrasher Magazine

Captions by Arto Saari

Busting Through BarciKeeping it simple, we went to Barcelona to start on familiar ground. With big blocks, DIYs and Penny's favorite bump over bar, BCN catered to the whole crew. 

Returning to the scene of crime, Tom soars another shifty flip 20 years later with the exact same finesse

Remember who you're dealing with

Needless to say, the locals and even this crew of Finnish homies were stoked on the session

I can still hear him saying, "Arto, wake up. Let's go skate!" So that's what we did!

Right out the van, the Danish cab killer Alex Risvad frontside flips a four block on the outskirts of Barcelona

Art Cordova backed him up with two perfect bigflips down the block to start the trip. He did the second one so I could get it on super 8! That's skill

Trip MVP Art decided to go dumpster diving the first day. This backside nosegrind went down just after the bigflips

Art needed some ice-assisted recovery after just the first day. His wrist was about ready to fall off by end of the trip, but that didn't slow him down a bit

The style master Tom Penny front boards at one of the many skateable plazas in Spain

Unfortunately not all plazas were free game...

Iban aka El Jefe de Chuletones! Our Spanish distributor and all-around epic host 

Moving to the outskirts of BCN, David Gonzalez pops out of a nosegrind at a DIY

Then he took a back Smith over the sketchy DIY doorway. Dude doesn't waste a second

Tom Penny opted for an airborne approach

And Alex followed through with a monster switch frontside heel higher than most could ollie. This place needed a breather after these dudes rolled through

What's a tour without a demo? Better question, what's demo without a product toss?! I couldn’t help myself but to shoot a photo every time. Put those hands up when David starts slingin'

With the boxes unloaded, David was ready to roll out

The Bash in Basque CountryAfter the gang had a few successful sessions under its belt, it was time to cover new ground up north. 

Not missing a beat, Art kickflip front boards at a busy library in San Sebastian. All odds were against him on this one. Super busy with people walking around, constant rain drops and the security was on his nuts as soon as he threw his board down. Just a few tries after all that hassle, he bagged it up and we bounced

Take Tom anywhere in Spain and he's gonna get somethin'. Crooked grind in San Sebastian

David G and Luan Oliveira, braddahs from different maddahs

The Laplaza skateshop locals were treated to a show when Luan lofted a backside flip over this bench

Then he channeled Penny's proper form for a shifty flip in Vitoria

Ian Deacon aka OG Darkman demonstrates how to handle business from the road

Oh, shit! Is that that magnificent homie Javier Sarmiento?! 

A classic Basque spot gets the ol' faithful frontside ollie courtesy of David Gonzalez 

Not one to get left behind by the vets, Alex throws a frontside flip over this hefty double kinker in the midday sun

Another demo, another board toss photo—this time at a Basque Pier 7

The Spanish Meat SweatsEating with a big crew presents problems sometimes, but these traditional steaks squashed any would-be cuisine beef. 

Basque feast preparation with racks of chuletillas al sarmiento, look it up

As soon as we made it to Basque Country, we were treated to a proper meal. The crew was truly hyped on chuletillas al sarmiento. No Chipotle could ever compare. Thank you, Iban and Varo!

Iban and amigo el Jefes de Chuleton prepping the traditional Basque steak

Sizzled to perfection! You can't skate for at least an hour after you eat one, but it's worth it

El Cabrones de Chuleton playing table soccer after a massive feast at club de sociedad. Much mahalos, Iban, for hosting us and showing us true Basque aloha

Masters of MadridAfter we spilled blood and broke bread together, the well-bonded team had to mobilize once again, if for nothing else than to burn off some of those cutlets. From the OGs to the newer dudes, everyone was ready to move on to Madrid for the last few savory sessions. 

A few pounds of cow couldn't ground Luan's nollie backside flips 

Art going the distance with this long 50-50. He also threw in a 180 at the end just for good measure

Luan frontside flips over the slanted Spanish doorway. Spain is full of beast architecture

David hits the bricks again and boosts a backside flips over this paved volcano

Then he rocks out like a hurricane at Alcobendas, which is one of the oldest parks in Spain

Rune Glifberg made sure to back him up with the best looking FSA at Alcobendas

Rune always brings the stoke!

Oh, what's that? Another product toss? Like I said, I couldn't help myself. The turn out in Madrid skate plaza was unreal. Thank you, everyone, for showing up!

Art closed out the trip with another quick hit. Kickflip crooks in Madrid, before the Cops showed up and sat him down

Nothin' to be Sorry about, Rune and Tom have been traveling the world together since the '90s, and they're still loving it! Add this to their long log of successful trips

After two grueling weeks,  the up-and-comers as well as the legends proved to one another they could hang in the streets and with the meats. It's a amazing if a skate company lasts ten years, but it's a miracle if it's around for 20. The only way that happens is by sticking to your guns while keeping up with the times. Flip's managed that with the Sorry trilogy anchoring its legacy and by keeping the crew together to make new memories on trips like this. Special thanks to HLC Distribution, Iban, Ander, Igor, Pablo, Joan, Alex, Javi, Victor and everyone who came out to the demos!