Thrasher Magazine

Thrasher Weekend descended upon Minneapolis and the town was ripe and ready for pickin’. Just a month ago, ice winds still ravaged the Land of 10,000 Lakes and now here we are melting in the Minnesota heat. With some of the heaviest hitters on the Vans roster and three sick hardcore bands, the Weekend was a powder keg ready to blow. Informants handed over a scroll of spots and the crew got after it right off the plane, leaving stab wounds ‘round the city. Jammin’ Jay opened the doors to Hiawatha Bowl for a sweltering session with locals and pros goin’ toe to toe. Gluttonous nights of White Castle and CC Club patronage were the norm. Nesser brought the top-shelf hospitality, hosting the demo at Familia HQ. The Squad delivered the goods and the audience brought the heat. Ronnie got taken out trying a move off the ramp to wall that was surely on the cusp of legendary. Like the man he is, he walked out on his own with a smile and a wave to the horrified crowd. Following all the demo carnage, it was showtime at the Underground Cafe. Some of hardcore’s finest: Big Laugh, Public Acid and Electric Chair took the stage and left it smoking. No joke, these bands went off and put a big ol’ red bow on a shredded weekend for Thrasher, Familia, Vans and all of Minneapolis. That’s what I call one hell of an icebreaker to a Midwest summer! Now, hop in the van with Brook as he gives you an insider look at all the action. —Hitz

Photos and captions by Joe Brook

Couldn't ask for a better backdrop. This is where our weekend begins

Elijah right off the plane

One of the first rips from Kirby, back noseblunt on some epic granite. Rye got it

Ronnie is the farthest thing from a hippie but he does like to jump

Hella high rail, Ronnie!

Just around the block, Elijah bushwacks a noseblunt slide on an urban rainbow bank. After checking out the spots downtown it was over to Familia HQ to get a feel for the park

Starting off, Elijah gets weird with the wall. He rides for Vans afterall

What's a weekend without a slice? Kirby nosegrinding the crust kinda made me hungry

Kirby couldn't get enough of the pie. Back tail

San Pedro's finest! Ronbone wallride to layback ride

Kevin Shealy, the most ripping TM with a fakie nosegrind

Berle balling

TNT three-pointers all night

Psycho Dro and Rye work it out

Rye had to cool off after a heavy Familia skate session. 

Next day, we're back in the streets. Gilbert Crocket warms up with a back nosegrind

Posted up

No LCD? Shoot two for safety

And get low

Pros love point and shoots. TNT and his Yashica T4

Pedro’s obviously spent time with Foy

Elijah surfing around the bend

Ronnie set up a trap for Mr. Wilson

You don't get good at doing inverts by standing around all day. Just ask Ronnie

Elijah checking the waves in Minne, brah

Then he goes top shelf for the team

Roman rips a 5-0 into the bank

And follows up by going Tarzan

Trujillo goes upstream on a hippie jump

The guy that wrangled this whole thing together, event guru Jerome Case. Now, let's get over to the bowl jam

Wit on dog duty

"You really need a dog, bro"

Wit, you’re a real good salesman

Over at the Hiawatha Bowl, Mami warms it up

Elijah flies on an FSO

Austin, Elijah, Pedro and Roman's minds were blown away

Roman serving up some eggs for the locals

Jerome saw somethin’ from his ex-boss

Gonna rip one, Rye?

Berle Haggard hops in on a nosegrind

Ronnie crails the cradle

Kevin squared

Big Dylan with a big corner Smith grind

Lizzie learned from the grillmaster Steve Van Doren

Todd Bratrud his finance Ilana. Y’all saw that billboard, right?!

Ronnie and Austin between rips

Gym rats could never

Roman high flyin’ over the corner

Spineskipper by Ronbone

Mami extends it

Then fires off a crail

Ronnie's street handstands pay off. Torqed frontside invert

Gilbert, Lizzie and Mami enjoy the show

I had to grab a photo with Ewan Bowman, Todd Bratrud, Steve Nesser and Emeric Pratt

Hesh Law Hitz, Trujillo and Kanfoush, salt-of-the-earth kind of dudes

Some sort of ​​hieroglyphics, I assume

Couple of fuzzy locals

Hitz and Jammin’ Jay from Hiawatha bowl

Next day, we had the big show at Familia HQ. Pre-demo group photo with the Vans van and Nesser

Loosen up a little

Kirby's on some new shit with that pallet PT

Showin’ love to the STRAT fam

Milltown’s MC Hitz holdin’ down the mic

Roman fires off with an alley-oop wall crawl

Shealy was way off the wall, stuntin’ on the fatty-to-flatty launcher with an early-grab back three

Like the local salmon, Elijah heads upstream

TNT lives up to the tag line

All eyes on Mami, back board

The ol’ over-and-under from Ron and Roman

Yeah, she got the clip

Happy spectators reppin’ our friends over at Skate Like a Girl!

Mami always gets double angles

Then Top Roman skips over the channel to shut down the demo

Mami “The Tee-Shirt Gun” Tezuka

Free proddy?!

Think the new Z9 would have gotten the Thrasher sticker in focus? Nikon, let us test one!

Familia skate rats for days

You know what it is

Roman gifted a landsled to this local homie

Hometown hero Jack Olsen is always down for a photo op

Words to live by

Trujillo was the most sought-after autograph

The band’s here!

These two are always the best dressed

Gilbert always down to give some ink

Lookback Kevin and Kafoush—covers, baby!

Trujillo showing off the most valuable real estate in skateboarding. Fronts for days

This is Nuke Baby all grown up

Nesser and Bratrud billboard! Thanks for making it happen!

Tanner Van Vark with Minnesota’s finest skate rats. Now, let’s check in at the show

The music portion of the weekend started off with Big Laugh

Shredding all weekend

The shredding was so good it made your hair stand up

Up next, Public Acid

Band pics for days

The pit was on fire

Punkers stretch too!

Perfect mosh form

Electric Chair with perfect stage form, too

The pit got really fired up!

See?!

He really had the right moves

The ol’ no-hander

More flips?!

Fuck yeah, more flips!

Hope he’s got a good chiropractor

Token drummer shot for Schmitty

Little more pit action

Could you tell it was a Vans event?

And another pair!

We’re havin’ fun!

The crowd didn't want it to end. Neither did I

Encore skate jam?! Of course! Spencer Reil fires off

Spencer nails the first barrel. Check the kicker—hella sketchy

The homies were hyped!

Wild nights

Back at it with two barrels

Soarin’ eagle on three!

Came up short. Thanks for the show!

Next day, we’re back in the van for another street mission

Lunchtime. Check the floating sandwich!

Kanfoush knows his way around a job site

How many hours have they spent on this block?

“You think they’d like this spot?”

Mandatory gas-station jam grind

TM keeping everyone hydrated

At the channel gap, Trujillo gets smoked

Kanfoush cleared it with a back 180

Rye caught it all

Theme of the trip: Stretch!

Freeway bank bomb? Kanfoush cops the kickflip

TNT with the fakie frontside flip. SOTY shit

Vans staff Kevin Shealy, Bob Lasalle and Christian Senrud

Elijah gets a few helping hands on the bombed-out set

Dinner and a show? Kirby obliges

The Rye and Eli show was scheduled after dinner

They are working out the kinks still

It’s 2010 somewhere

Blades of Glory is in the DVD player

One more, Rye

All good things have to come to an end

Last spot and Kirby got taken out here

The board was asking for it

That’s the price sometimes

After the sessions we had time to unwind at the lake, first with a little stickball. Kevin whiffed at bat

Of course, Elijah can hit!

Out to the rafters

A quick snorkeling session?

Weird way to do it…

Classic water trampoline

Just one of Minnnesota’s 10,000 lakes

I waited all weekend for Dennis Burdick to show up for this photo

Dennis Burdick and Steve Nesser of Familia! Thank you guys for keeping skateboarding dope in Minnesota!

That’s it. We’ll see you in Boston!!