BLP’s “HERE’S WHERE THE STORY ENDS”

"In the wake of so many projects this year, it’s hard to find the time to watch everyone. This release from BLP is not one to miss, though, as this crew offers a refreshing take on the Calgary streets. So much potential is coming out of this city, and after producing films like SRD’s Magic Trick and Upper Management’s Body, we can’t help but question the enigma of this city’s abundant snowboard roots. It’s only natural that we find ourselves pondering the same question over and over again—what’s in the water at Canada Olympic Park? With the heat that came out of HERES WHERE THE STORY ENDS, we can only assume it’s something anabolic. Quin Ellul reinforces this assumption, as he filmed, edited, and even opened the film with an unforgettable part. This is all speculation, however, so watch the film for yourself, take notes, and try to discern Calgary’s finest as they start a new chapter away from BLP." - Jon Stark

Featuring: Quin Ellul, Manu Calvo, Taylor Davies, Kevin Beaudet, Conner Felix, Austin Johnson, Stefan Alveraz, and Friends

My first skateboard magazine cover, SBC Skateboard Vol 21 Issue 2, Adam Hopkins concrete continuum

Adam Hopkins ollie Lethbridge

It was Adam’s last day in Alberta and we made the drive out to Lethbridge. We had spent the last couple of weeks driving around to some of the more off the beaten path spots the province had to offer. The day was ruthlessly hot as we checked out some of the parks in in town. We were wrapping up at the old skatepark, everyone was hungry and tired and wanted to go eat and the sun was on it’s way down. I saw some crazy clouds rolling in and I had a feeling that we didn’t have time to wait. I convinced everyone that we should at least go check it out this spot before we called it a day. We rolled over and Adam started warming up. Adam had snapped a few ollies when a security guard rolled up and told us we had to leave. I talked him out of after showing him some of Adam’s first attempts on the back of my camera. He agreed to give us until he did his rounds and came back. Adam had landed half a dozen ollies by now probably but I could see the clouds were building up and rolling in, lightning going off inside of them, so I kept asking him for one more every time. About 10 minutes before the sun went down he snapped an extra high one and the clouds had gotten to epic proportions. I looked at the back of my camera and knew it couldn’t get any better then this. After showing everybody and celebrating a little bit we all went to local legend Roger Burnisma’s shop, Topless Pizza in high spirits and of course enjoyed some pizza and well deserved beverages. On the drive home I watched the thunder storm rage off on the horizon intermittently lighting up prairies for split seconds at a time. The next day I dropped Adam of at his rental car and he was off back to Vancouver .

KING SNOW issue13.1 THE COVER | MARTYN VACHON

I found this spot while driving around last summer. It’s at the iconic Saddledome arena in Calgary, which was built back in 1982, so it’s surprising that no one had hit it. It’s a good-looking spot, and I had heard talk of the arena being torn down, so I really wanted to get a shot on it before it disappeared. I showed Marty a photo; he was the first one who seemed keen to check it out.

The Stampede grounds at the Saddledome can be pretty hit or miss for getting kicked out. You can assume it’s only a matter of time before security drives past and gives you the boot. Marty started testing out the speed when two Calgary farm hockey team players from the Stockton Heat pulled up to watch. These kinds of spots always stress me out because you don’t get many tries to pick an angle and play around with the lighting. On Marty’s first attempt, he was ripping into it and watching him go through the kink made it look way harsher than I had initially thought. By his third attempt, he had everything dialled and made it, clipped up before noon like the beast he is.

Mt. Mtn is definitely one of my favourite crews to shoot with. It’s always a lot of fun and really productive and getting to watch Marty board is a treat. His composure on a board is unparalleled.