Under the Bridge: Köln, Germany (building): PHASE II & III

Under the bridge in Köln, Germany, a DIY skate spot had been started a few years ago, and then lay stagnant. With some motivation from the Köln skaters, Phase II was underway, with a pump bump and quarter pipe. Money was gathered for bags of concrete, tools were purchased, trowels were customized, and even a concrete truck made a delivery of fresh ‘crete.

Oostende “Velodrome Bowl”, Belgium: Opening day

k in Oostende Belgium is located in the old Velodrome (bike course) next to the harbor, a few kilometers from the ocean. Built by Concrete Dreams. a Belgian skate park company started by Bruno, which is collaborative effort with Mike and other guys from Brusk Collective, locals in whatever city they’re building and assisted at times by Matt Grabowski from Minus Pools. The final product in Oostende came out super insane. The opening party had punk bands, DJs, graffiti “jams”, no real contest just people skateboarding, and a lot of spectators who it seemed were quite impressed with what Concrete Dreams had created for the city and visiting skateboarders. There’s not really much to say except another great skate park in Europe, BUILT BY SKATEBOARDERS.

DIY Spot Berlin: GHETTO

Daniel Schmid and Sven Daubenfeld built their own skate spot in Berlin. The ground was too sandy, the wood wasn’t good enough to get enough speed. Two slams, one make. They agreed they efforts were a failure and moved on to the next spot. Better luck next time dudes…

Danger!…Sean Gutierrez in Germany

CONSOLIDATED SKATEBOARDS riders Ryan “DANGER” Carruthers and Sean Gutierrez came through Köln, Germany for a week and tore up everything in sight. Hagen Mickey Mouse Pool, Siegburg, and Lohse Ramp.

Malmö, Sweden – DIY WEEKEND (Part II): Bryggeriet + Sibbarp

…I awoke on the hardwood floor, my neck severely tweaked from my short but heavy slumber on the floor. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee thickened the air, enough to motivate me to my feet. Outside the sky hung neutral grey, a dense wet mist, leaving the ground wet. Outdoor skateboarding was canceled for the day so it was off to the indoor wooden skate facility of Bryggeriet for the day’s activities.

Malmö, Sweden – DIY WEEKEND (Part I): THE HOLE

We had been invited up to Sweden for the DIY Sibbarp Skate weekend over a month before but as the weekend drew near, the first Issue of Confusion was still not off to the printers and I almost canceled the trip. But my old saying is “It’s better to go and regret going, than not going and regret not going.” And I never regret it. So we closed down the Confusion offices on Friday morning, caught the train to the Köln airport and 2 hours later we arrived in Copenhagen airport.

IMPAKT SKATEBOARDS – Belgium Tour

We headed out on the road Friday evening with a good part of the IMPAKT SKATEBOARDS team in Captain Road Hog’s van, with only 2 hours to our destination of Brussels, where we would stay at the Brusk Collective’s house in central Brussels. Beers were cracked, the dudes were freaking out with the excitement of our weekend trip to Belgium.