Thrasher Magazine

Imagine building your own private skatepark and then inviting all of your friends to get together for one epic session. Now imagine that all of your friends happen to be the raddest individuals, gnarliest skaters on Earth and your childhood heroes. Grotto Lotto is so much more than a contest—it’s a dream session and a celebration of the stoke generated when you get the right people together without the lurkers, energy-drink glitter and mind-numbing distraction of social media. This cocktail of positive energy and talent pushed the levels through the roof. Suciu did 168 tricks in ten minutes, Kanfoush cleared the course going Mach 8, grinding up and airing over everything, KB appeared from the parking lot and skated impeccably with no warmup. The whole crew was having fun and the spectators went hoarse from shouting and cheering. As the sun lowered on the horizon, hugs and farewells ensued, the kegs ran dry, Spitfire put out their parking-lot campfire and dragged Daan back into shotgun and the cars rolled away. This was the last session at the Grotto. The next day screws were being pulled and lumber has being dismantled. It was a tremendous farewell to a dream that was real. We will miss you, Grotto aka Rev park aka asshole’s garage. —Joey Pepper

The Grotto hosts with the most: Joey Pepper, Silas and Nikhil Thayer

The Spitfire team setting up camp in the lot

Words to live by

Heavy artillery invite-only list

SF in PDX: Griffin, Barker, Mic and Welsh

Legendary judges: Senn, Chico, Drehobl and Howard

Lui got a special shirt because he's our special guy

Sal Barbier showing Chico how it's done

Cairo, Janoski, and Kurt Hayashi

Hewitt, Antihero daycare

Water bong? Nope. Shop-vac-powered heat lottery

Bledsoe, Manchild, Vincent and Capps. Nice tires, Manch

Heat number one

Best sunglasses awards: Hewitt and Janoski

It’s Portland—of course there’s coffee! Thanks, Stumptown

Parking lot part 1: "Dog in Training"

Parking lot part 2: "Elemental Awareness Gone Wild.” Cody Chapman and Evan Smith, wooden shotgun

Success!

Raven's custom graphics via the Spitfire crew

Becker fam from the Bay

Josh Matthews and Janoski were loving the Grotto scratchers! People were coming up!

Rad dads: Brass and Kanfoush

Give me my Sizzle Pie, Chico!

Raven getting ready for some revs with an assist from Cody

Ishod, noseblunt slide

Tom Grom, top-shelf front rock

Austyn Gillette, switch backside noseblunt slide with style

Big Couch getting a Hot Boy-style back Smith

KB, wallie back tail. It was sick watching Kevin skate a contest!

The youth were fired up!

Euro invasion: Oski, Ville Wester and Hugo Boserup

MapleXO trophy makers: Kenzie and Lindsay

Thrasher Donut Duty star Greg “Salba” Ware and masterlensman BK

Semifinals list—heavy crew

Evan Smith blasting a frontside air, pre-shrooms

Whose house? Silas' house! Nosegrind pop in

FA's newest pro Louie Lopez, bluntsliding like a bat out of hell

PDX's own smooth operator—Tyler Bledsoe, kickflip to fakie

Kanfoush was crushing everything in his path—wallride gripper to fakie

Hugo, coast-to-coast high-speed noseblunt slide

Lakai team represent: Capps, Vincent and Howard

Three stripers: Jascha Muller and our SOTY TJ

Holt Shit! is right!

Jake Anderson, frontsode 180 switch crooks for the best-trick contest before crushing some street spots!

Mason Silva with a power-packed bluntslide pop out

Suciu, varial heel 50-50. Skills, kid

Austyn, fakie tré flip with grace

TJ, backside flip over the hubba—SOTY power!

Raney Beres, backside lip, no wax applied/needed

It was a pleasure watching Simon Bannerot dissect the park with his ATV runs—air to fakie

Evan Smith, nosegrind yank in—all up in the judges’ faces

Local grotto shredder Binger made it to the finals, backside nosepick

On Video reunion: Amber Dianda, Cole Mathews and Kirk Dianda

Three Amigos on Cinco de Mayo: Janoski, Daan and Gillette

Epic bros: Drehobl, Becker and Salba

Big Ed and Peabody

PDX local shredders: Brent Atchley and Emile Laurent

ATL’s finest: Ryan Flynn and Cullen

Bledsoe and Herman

Cousins 4 real: Big Ed and Al Davis

Ace Joey and KT the God

DLX duo: Andy Pitts and Nate Alton

Kaspar and Jascha, shoe gurus

Louie Lopez and Jake Anderson, beanie bros

Father and Daughter: Kalea and Rick McCrank

Skate artists: Barker, Chris Johanson, Arthur Lindsey

Chloe and Binger

Master MCs: Sal and Welsh

Louie’s kickflip nosegrind was on point

Ishod clocked more hours skating than everyone else combined over the weekend—kickflip tailslide

Suciu, front blunt. Mark was on a killing spree!

Award time!

Bro moment

Winners’ circle

Top 3—1st: Mark Suciu, 2nd: Louie Lopez, 3rd: Ishod Wair

Winner winner chicken dinner

Skate fam for life! Sorry to see you go, Grotto. But thanks for all the rad memories!