Skate Code



Words and art by Michael Sieben

Anybody who has ever ridden the rails or cooked a can of beans over a trash fire knows about hobo codes: little pictograph scrawlings that clue you in to danger and/or free lunch in your surroundings. But did you know the same thing exists for skaters? Next time you’re at a spot keep your eyes open. Skate code is all around you; all you gotta do is look.

As seen in the November 2014 mag.

  • Michael Sieben's "Let It Kill You" Episode

    Michael Sieben's "Let It Kill You" Episode
    Vice shines a light on our guy Sieben, tracing his early zine days up to working for the mag and highlighting all the projects in between.
  • Wax the Coping: Ben McQueen’s “Let It Kill You” Series

    Wax the Coping: Ben McQueen’s “Let It Kill You” Series
    Ben McQueen is expanding his Let It Kill You book into a web series focusing on art and skateboarding. Sieben hit him up to get the scoop on the first three episodes, which feature Mike Gigliotti, Ryan Townley and Sieben himself.
  • Bum Rushing Austin’s Lizard DIY

    Bum Rushing Austin’s Lizard DIY
    Bum Rush The Spot teamed up with No-Comply skate shop for an unforgettable event at Lizard DIY. They even gave out two grand to the rippers having the most fun. Check the pics and stay stoked!
  • Roger Skate Co's "Water Spirit" Video

    Roger Skate Co's "Water Spirit" Video
    Reese Barton and the Roger crew rush through Austin's concrete spillways before a haunting show with the fabled Ditch Elf and Sieben. All that before David Langston's all-hitter closing display makes it another essential vid in their canon. 
  • Getting Weird with Evan Smith

    Getting Weird with Evan Smith
    Sieben calls up Evan to talk about trippin’ out in Austin, the lasagna man and a bunch of other Weird stuff.