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88 CONCRETE WAVE WINTER 2012
MONTREAL<br />
THE LONGBOARD SCENE EXPOSED<br />
BY MICHAEL BROOKE<br />
Montreal is a city unlike <strong>anything</strong> you’ll experience in <strong>the</strong> rest of North America. It seamlessly blends art, history<br />
<strong>and</strong> culture into a tantalizing mosaic. At times it can be mysterious <strong>and</strong> maddening, but I have always found it<br />
utterly mesmerizing. T<strong>here</strong> is an endless amount of incredible food that can please any type of palate. The extraordinary<br />
number of bars that stay open to <strong>the</strong> early hours have sealed Montreal’s reputation as quite <strong>the</strong> party town.<br />
Is it any wonder I wanted to share this magical place with <strong>the</strong> readers of Concrete Wave?<br />
The Big O was dug up <strong>and</strong> moved 80 meters<br />
to accommodate <strong>the</strong> new stadium.<br />
Photo: Michael Brooke
Bob Couet, <strong>the</strong> owner of Urge Longboards,<br />
st<strong>and</strong>s in his 9' x 6' workshop.<br />
Friday night sessions at Le Taz indoor skatepark<br />
are a must for many <strong>longboard</strong>ers.<br />
90 CONCRETE WAVE WINTER 2012<br />
Christian Chenard-Lemire (left) <strong>and</strong> Alaric<br />
LeBlanc of Restless Skateboards.<br />
But what about <strong>the</strong> <strong>longboard</strong> scene, you wonder?<br />
I am pleased to report that not only is <strong>the</strong>re a thriving<br />
<strong>longboard</strong> scene in Montreal, but it is one that is<br />
incredibly hospitable to visitors. You just have to experience<br />
it – to jump in <strong>and</strong> grab hold of <strong>the</strong> “joie de vivre”<br />
that oozes from this city <strong>and</strong> its inhabitants.<br />
My first visit to Montreal was in 1978 on a school<br />
trip. While it was enjoyable, it wasn’t until 1983 that I<br />
truly fell in love with <strong>the</strong> city. Montreal is only a fivehour<br />
drive from Toronto <strong>and</strong> a four-hour drive from<br />
New York City, but as you will soon discover, it feels like<br />
it’s in its own unique world.<br />
Numerous people have helped nurture <strong>the</strong> <strong>longboard</strong><br />
scene in Montreal. I’d like to introduce you to one<br />
of its founding fa<strong>the</strong>rs: Pierre Gravel.<br />
Gravel has lived in <strong>the</strong> city for about 18 years. Initially<br />
from Alma, Lac Saint Jean, a fairly remote<br />
nor<strong>the</strong>rn town, he moved to Montreal for work. “I<br />
moved with my <strong>longboard</strong> <strong>and</strong> I never saw anyone<br />
riding at <strong>the</strong> time,” he says. “It was only in 1996 that I<br />
started to see o<strong>the</strong>r people.” By that time a few shops<br />
had started to carry <strong>longboard</strong>s. “Spin Boardshop had<br />
<strong>the</strong>m, along with Le Roi Lizard.”<br />
THE LANGUAGE OF STOKE<br />
The official language of Quebec is French, <strong>and</strong> while<br />
many in Montreal are bilingual, it’s always much more<br />
convenient to communicate in your mo<strong>the</strong>r tongue.<br />
Back in <strong>the</strong> mid- to late ’90s, <strong>the</strong> Quebec <strong>longboard</strong><br />
community hung out on <strong>the</strong> NCDSA website. Gravel<br />
says, “I met Paul Demers at <strong>the</strong> forum, along with Jim<br />
Z (Ziemlanski). But after this, we all started to congregate<br />
to <strong>the</strong> Motion Longboards website.”<br />
From <strong>the</strong>re, things moved rapidly to <strong>the</strong> website of<br />
Top Challenge, a downhill event that took place in <strong>the</strong><br />
heart of Montreal. Pierre set up <strong>the</strong> site, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Montreal<br />
<strong>longboard</strong> community started to communicate.<br />
Sadly, <strong>the</strong> site ceased to exist <strong>and</strong> its entire database disappeared<br />
after <strong>the</strong> death of Top Challenge. Undaunted,<br />
Pierre decided to create a new website, Montreal Sessions,<br />
which now has more than 2,000 members.<br />
Helping Pierre were Yann Lhermitte <strong>and</strong> Fabrice Gaëtan.<br />
“Mike Bottreau, Myriam Arsenault-Jacques <strong>and</strong> Simon<br />
Benoit are also helping to maintain order,” recalls Pierre.<br />
“Sometimes <strong>the</strong> forum got a little heated!”
The KebbeK Krew: (left to right) Marco Waldorf,<br />
Stephen Peters, Kevin LeFrank,<br />
Kayla Hill <strong>and</strong> Pierre Gravel.<br />
WHEN FABRICE MET YANN<br />
Fabrice Gaëtan started <strong>longboard</strong>ing at <strong>the</strong> age of 30<br />
after he had broken his wrist while bike riding. “I had<br />
met up with a few folks via <strong>the</strong> Internet. As we started<br />
to go faster, I felt <strong>the</strong> wheels drifting <strong>and</strong> I wanted to<br />
push things fur<strong>the</strong>r,” he says.<br />
Joining up with Fabrice was Yann Lhermitte. Yann had<br />
arrived from <strong>the</strong> French Alps to study <strong>and</strong> work in Montreal.<br />
“We were just having a blast sliding,” says Yann.<br />
“People used to give us very strange looks. They just<br />
couldn’t underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> gloves or what we were doing.”<br />
Fabrice <strong>and</strong> Yann took inspiration from Supaflex<br />
videos <strong>and</strong> adapted what <strong>the</strong>y saw to <strong>the</strong> terrain of<br />
Montreal. Interestingly, Yann credits Fabrice as his<br />
mentor for sliding, <strong>and</strong> Fabrice credits Yann as his<br />
mentor for going fast. “We were learning from each<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong> it was pure fun,” says Fabrice.<br />
At <strong>the</strong> time <strong>the</strong> two were sliding with a fellow Montrealer,<br />
Nicholas Senequier. “It was all about going fast<br />
with slides – it was surfing <strong>the</strong> concrete,” he adds.<br />
I asked Yann <strong>and</strong> Fabrice about <strong>the</strong>ir style of sliding.<br />
“We have a history of putting our h<strong>and</strong>s down when we<br />
slide,” says Yann. “We have a laid-back, low positioning<br />
style. We stretch out.”<br />
Graffiti sanctioned by <strong>the</strong> city of Montreal for <strong>the</strong> 'Under Pressure' festival held every August. AJ Powell proudly shows off his snowskate collection.<br />
WINTER 2012 CONCRETE WAVE 91
Fabrice Gaëtan <strong>and</strong> Marc Séguin hit a Montreal<br />
cemetery during a snowstorm.<br />
Photo: Martin Duquette<br />
Hanging out after <strong>the</strong> interview at Underworld skateshop. If you visit Montreal, it is imperative you eat a smoked<br />
meat s<strong>and</strong>wich.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>the</strong>re were three distinct crews:<br />
Yann <strong>and</strong> Fabrice’s little group, <strong>the</strong> guys from Motion<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> KebbeK group. “Dwayne Pereto, Pierre<br />
[Gravel] <strong>and</strong> Ian [Comishin] would be doing crazy<br />
things in Westmount,” explains Yann.<br />
Dom Mahe over at Motion had a website <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>re<br />
was a message board <strong>the</strong>re. The board got filled up<br />
with messages, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> gang realized <strong>the</strong>y needed<br />
something bigger. Thus was born <strong>the</strong> Montreal Sessions<br />
website.<br />
During <strong>the</strong> 2005 Top Challenge, Fabrice organized an<br />
outlaw slide comp. “We knew we had some of <strong>the</strong> best<br />
riders in <strong>the</strong> world, so we took <strong>the</strong> opportunity,” he says.<br />
“We did it <strong>the</strong> night before <strong>and</strong> it was amazing. It is <strong>the</strong><br />
best souvenir I have from my time in <strong>longboard</strong>ing.”<br />
The one key connection between Yann <strong>and</strong> Fabrice<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong>ir riding ability was <strong>the</strong>ir skill at capturing<br />
images of <strong>the</strong> action: Yann has produced a number of<br />
videos, <strong>and</strong> Fabrice attended school for photography<br />
<strong>and</strong> was working in a production facility w<strong>here</strong> <strong>the</strong> duo<br />
spent nights editing film. This unique combination<br />
meant o<strong>the</strong>rs could get a glimpse into <strong>the</strong>ir world.<br />
“We were taking <strong>the</strong> time to make good videos,”<br />
Yann says. “We used video technology that was a little<br />
ahead of its time <strong>and</strong> people appreciated it.”<br />
Unfortunately, Fabrice got burned out on <strong>the</strong> business<br />
92 CONCRETE WAVE WINTER 2012<br />
Yann Lhermitte faces down old man winter.<br />
Photo: Fabrice Gaëtan<br />
MJ's fa<strong>the</strong>r runs Urge Longboards<br />
<strong>and</strong> she loves to slide.<br />
Photo: Bob Couet<br />
Dmitri Komarov, Ludovic Tremblay, Maxime Robitaille <strong>and</strong><br />
Kelian Duplain at St-Donat in <strong>the</strong> Laurentians.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc
side of <strong>longboard</strong>ing. He left <strong>the</strong> scene, but <strong>the</strong>re is no<br />
doubt he left his mark. Ironically, he credits <strong>longboard</strong>ing<br />
for getting him back into photography. He is now a fulltime<br />
photographer supporting a family.Yann still travels<br />
<strong>and</strong> competes in numerous events while balancing his<br />
career as an engineer. He seems to be doing well at it. In<br />
November 2011 he held a push race; despite rain <strong>and</strong><br />
wind, more than 90 skaters showed up.<br />
“I have a desire to charge hard <strong>and</strong> keep traveling,”<br />
Yann says. “My goal is to mix my passion for <strong>longboard</strong>ing<br />
with my job.<br />
RESTLESS – NO SLEEP ’TIL PJ’S BAR<br />
Restless Longboards was founded in 2004 by Christian<br />
Chenard-Lemire, Alaric LeBlanc, Di<strong>the</strong>r Flores <strong>and</strong><br />
François-Olivier Théberge. Originally, <strong>the</strong>y were set up as<br />
an online shop offering custom graphics with different<br />
models. Restless still offers this service but has over time<br />
created a unique <strong>longboard</strong> br<strong>and</strong> of <strong>the</strong>ir own. I met up<br />
with Christian <strong>and</strong> Alaric in <strong>the</strong>ir R&D facility in Montreal.<br />
We also took time to spend a lunch at <strong>the</strong> infamous PJ’s<br />
Emilie Gascon at <strong>the</strong> Montreal Slalom Outlaw.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc<br />
Bar just down <strong>the</strong> road from <strong>the</strong>ir warehouse. Most of that<br />
conversation will remain off <strong>the</strong> record.<br />
Restless are spending a lot of time prototyping with<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir vacuum press. “It’s a Venturi system, which uses<br />
compressed air,” explains Christian. “We are also using<br />
3D modeling to make our own molds.”<br />
The team at Restless is excited for <strong>the</strong> future. “We see<br />
<strong>the</strong> growth of <strong>longboard</strong>ing,” says Christian. “Our idea is<br />
to create a diverse amount of product that appeals to<br />
riders looking for a superior ride.”<br />
WEST COMES EAST<br />
Jim Ziemlanski, Jody Willcock <strong>and</strong> Ian Comishin are three<br />
individuals who have collectively had a huge impact on <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>longboard</strong> scene in Montreal. As Pierre explains, it was<br />
Jim who first contacted him to try out a slalom board. The<br />
two traveled to an event in Boston. Pierre has turned a lot<br />
of folks onto <strong>the</strong> fun you can have with cones. “I got Jim<br />
into slalom, but it was Jim who got me into downhill.”<br />
A year later, Pierre met up with Ian. “Those guys were<br />
younger than me,” Pierre says. “They were fearless! I<br />
WINTER 2012 CONCRETE WAVE 93
Charles Ouimet at one of <strong>the</strong> locals’ favorite spots.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc<br />
started following <strong>the</strong>m but couldn’t go through every<br />
red light like <strong>the</strong>y did. It was fun.”<br />
Ian went on to found KebbeK Skateboards. The<br />
br<strong>and</strong> has forged a unique place within <strong>the</strong> scene <strong>and</strong><br />
its boards are now sold worldwide.<br />
THE GENESIS OF TOP CHALLENGE<br />
In <strong>the</strong> early 2000s, Pierre was riding with a <strong>longboard</strong>er<br />
named Frank Fontaine. “He told me he<br />
wanted to start a race <strong>and</strong> asked me to help out,”<br />
Pierre says. “I hooked him up with Ian <strong>and</strong> Jim, as <strong>the</strong>y<br />
had been involved with numerous races.”<br />
Frank was passionate about creating something,<br />
Pierre says, but was unsure how to put it on: “He saw <strong>the</strong><br />
potential of a downhill race right in <strong>the</strong> middle of <strong>the</strong> city.<br />
His choice was Mont Royal. The first dry run of <strong>the</strong> event<br />
took place in 2002 with 10 racers. I broke two fingers just<br />
a week or so before <strong>the</strong> event, so I couldn’t ride.”<br />
Top Challenge was ahead of its time, with key sponsorship<br />
from Bud Light. Fontaine invested a huge<br />
amount of time <strong>and</strong> money in Top Challenge, <strong>and</strong><br />
repeatedly tried to get Red Bull on board as well. The<br />
energy-drink company had sponsored downhill events<br />
in previous years, but for some reason, things just<br />
didn’t gel for Top Challenge. Still, <strong>the</strong> memories of that<br />
time are something that will never fade. The sight of<br />
thous<strong>and</strong>s of spectators lining <strong>the</strong> streets was something<br />
to behold.<br />
A VARIETY OF DISCPLINES<br />
If <strong>the</strong>re is one element about <strong>the</strong> scene in Montreal<br />
that keeps appearing, it’s <strong>the</strong> concept of riders<br />
embracing all types of skateboarding. “I am really<br />
proud of <strong>the</strong> fact that many skaters <strong>here</strong> are willing to<br />
try different things. I encourage street skaters to try<br />
<strong>longboard</strong>s <strong>and</strong> vice versa,” says Pierre.<br />
THE DEVIL’S TOY<br />
A number of years ago, skating <strong>the</strong> “Devil’s Toy” run in<br />
Westmount was pretty easy. Nowadays, it’s a bust due<br />
94 CONCRETE WAVE WINTER 2012<br />
Ludovic Tremblay in Quebec City.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc<br />
T<strong>here</strong> is life among <strong>the</strong> dearly departed. Dmitri at a Montreal cemetery.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc<br />
<strong>the</strong> numerous private security firms that prowl <strong>the</strong> area.<br />
The spot got its name from a 1966 National Film Board<br />
documentary on <strong>the</strong> skateboarding scene in Montreal. It’s<br />
a classic, <strong>and</strong> you’ll cringe at <strong>the</strong> site of clay wheels hitting<br />
<strong>the</strong> hills of Westmount. The introduction states: “This film<br />
is dedicated to all victims of intolerance.” Like many things<br />
emerging from Montreal, <strong>the</strong> film truly was ahead of its<br />
time. Do a quick search on Google <strong>and</strong> you’ll find it.<br />
Dmitri Komarov plays with <strong>the</strong> devil's toy in Westmount.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc<br />
LE TAZ<br />
Opened in <strong>the</strong> spring of 2009, this indoor skatepark is<br />
absolutely massive. The $10 million project also features<br />
a second level with a nice wooden kidney bowl.<br />
Friday night sessions are populated by a number of<br />
<strong>longboard</strong>ers who love to carve with <strong>the</strong>ir pool decks.<br />
While <strong>the</strong> infamous Montreal wea<strong>the</strong>r can be horrendous<br />
from late November to April, Taz is nice <strong>and</strong> toasty.
Behind Taz is a free DIY concrete park called Area 45<br />
built by a number of passionate locals.<br />
GOING UNDERGROUND<br />
Eight years ago, at <strong>the</strong> age of 18, AJ Powell moved down<br />
from Laval to attend college in Montreal. He too has had<br />
a front-row seat to <strong>the</strong> growth of <strong>longboard</strong>ing in Montreal.<br />
I asked what made <strong>the</strong> scene so special.<br />
“It’s definitely not having all <strong>the</strong> seasons to skate,”<br />
AJ said. “Winter has a huge impact on <strong>the</strong> scene <strong>here</strong>,<br />
so you have to be adventuresome.”<br />
AJ, Yann <strong>and</strong> Jace Samikov escape <strong>the</strong> grip of winter.<br />
Photo: Mikael Bottreau<br />
For example, AJ explained, <strong>the</strong>re are 34 kilometers<br />
of underground in Montreal that you can skate. T<strong>here</strong><br />
are pedestrian tunnels that connect to malls <strong>and</strong> major<br />
hotels along with huge parking-lot spirals that go deep.<br />
You can skate for hours without going outside, AJ says.<br />
Of course, <strong>the</strong> sessions at Taz Skatepark also compensate<br />
for a tough winter, too. AJ also enthusiastically<br />
rides his quiver of snowskates during <strong>the</strong> winter. “The<br />
companies making <strong>the</strong>m originally didn’t underst<strong>and</strong><br />
how <strong>the</strong> truck should work,” he says. “Now we have a<br />
steering mechanism that works. You should check out<br />
Rocker Trucks.”<br />
Hey, don’t blame Concrete Wave if you hang up your<br />
<strong>longboard</strong> <strong>and</strong> take up snowskating full-time!<br />
THE ROOKIE<br />
I’ve known Pascal Jean, a.k.a. “The Rookie,” for a<br />
number of years. He skates it all: parks, hills <strong>and</strong> cones.<br />
He’s also a big proponent of snowskating. When I met<br />
him at <strong>the</strong> Taz skatepark he was padding up for a session.<br />
I asked him what he’d been up to.<br />
“I have footage of me hitting 73 kilometers an hour<br />
on my snowskate,” he told me. “I’ll send you <strong>the</strong> link.”<br />
I sense that if more <strong>longboard</strong>ers knew about<br />
snowskating, <strong>the</strong>y would actually look forward to winter.<br />
Besides being one of <strong>the</strong> nicest guys you’ll ever<br />
meet, Rookie is a highly acclaimed DJ. Tune into his<br />
Rock Therapie podcast.<br />
HILLS, TRAFFIC AND NERVES<br />
OF STEEL<br />
While <strong>the</strong>re are numerous hills surrounding Montreal,<br />
<strong>the</strong> truth is that <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>the</strong> least of your concerns. If you<br />
want to survive <strong>longboard</strong>ing in this city, you’re going to<br />
need to h<strong>and</strong>le <strong>the</strong> traffic. Montreal is well known as<br />
being an explosive mix of insane drivers <strong>and</strong> fearless<br />
pedestrians. Both parties seem to have a love affair with<br />
ignoring traffic signals. At times you get <strong>the</strong> feeling it’s a<br />
scene out of “Deathrace 2000.” Longboarding in this city<br />
requires lightning-fast reflexes <strong>and</strong> nerves of steel.<br />
Racers start very early in Quebec!<br />
Photo: Luc Bertr<strong>and</strong><br />
“You have to expect cars to show up in blind corners,”<br />
says Pierre Gravel. “T<strong>here</strong>’s rarely a clean empty street.<br />
Footbraking, sliding <strong>and</strong> speed-checking are skills you<br />
must possess – because you’ll need <strong>the</strong>m!”<br />
FAST FREDDY<br />
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet up with <strong>the</strong><br />
legendary “Fast Freddy” Desjardins on this trip to Montreal.<br />
This was a severe disappointment, as Monsieur<br />
Freddy has also been instrumental in building <strong>the</strong> scene,<br />
including starting up Street Missile Longboards, along<br />
with a race series called Attack. So I wanted to get his take<br />
on things. I also recall meeting him at Top Challenge in<br />
2003 <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ing in awe of his ability to party <strong>and</strong> skate!<br />
T<strong>here</strong> are numerous stories about Fast Freddy. The<br />
latest one I heard was <strong>the</strong> time when he was in charge<br />
Charles Ouimet at <strong>the</strong> Caserne.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc<br />
of fixing <strong>the</strong> gradient on a mountain road. T<strong>here</strong> was a<br />
certain pitch to <strong>the</strong> road, <strong>and</strong> Freddy realized that if was<br />
good for a car, <strong>the</strong>n it would be even better for a <strong>longboard</strong>.<br />
A few adjustments later, <strong>and</strong> presto – <strong>the</strong> perfect<br />
run. The only issue was that <strong>the</strong> contractors couldn’t<br />
figure out how <strong>the</strong>y had used all that additional asphalt!<br />
THE NEXT GENERATION<br />
I had an opportunity to interview some of <strong>the</strong> next generation<br />
of Montreal <strong>longboard</strong>ers who are building upon<br />
<strong>the</strong> city’s strong foundations: Kevin LeFrank, Maxim<br />
Garant Rousseau <strong>and</strong> Dmitri Komarov.<br />
Kevin is originally from Ontario <strong>and</strong> now works at<br />
KebbeK. He says <strong>the</strong> camaraderie is what drew him to<br />
<strong>longboard</strong>ing. Maxim discovered <strong>the</strong> scene when he visited<br />
La Source Attack race. “I ended up finishing fifth<br />
<strong>and</strong> got addicted,” he says. He is an ambassador for<br />
Loaded. Dmitri, who is originally from Russia (he left<br />
when he was 8) has also been riding for four years.<br />
Since Kevin hails from Ontario, he has a unique perspective<br />
on <strong>the</strong> differences between <strong>the</strong> scenes. “Both<br />
scenes are friendly, but I find that <strong>the</strong> Montreal scene is<br />
a bit more inclusive,” he says. “No one pushes anyone<br />
away – it feels like family. T<strong>here</strong> also seems to be a willingness<br />
to share spots.”<br />
Maxim comes from Quebec City <strong>and</strong> also has a different<br />
take on things. “Something that is cool about<br />
Montreal is that people actually live in <strong>the</strong> city,” he says.<br />
“In Quebec City, a lot of people live in <strong>the</strong> suburbs. Here,<br />
in Montreal, we just grab our boards <strong>and</strong> go.”<br />
Everyone meets up around <strong>the</strong> mountain – it’s <strong>the</strong><br />
focus that drives <strong>the</strong> stoke.<br />
“What’s kind of crazy about Montreal is that none of<br />
us are actually from Montreal,” says Dmitri. “Somehow,<br />
we all ended up <strong>here</strong> <strong>and</strong> it feels like our town.”<br />
The gang all nodded in agreement when Kevin piped<br />
up with, “Home is w<strong>here</strong> you hang your hat.”<br />
Dmitri has definitely found a place in Montreal <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>longboard</strong> community. “Through <strong>longboard</strong>ing, I<br />
learned French,” he says. Talk about <strong>the</strong> benefits of<br />
immersion!<br />
WINTER 2012 CONCRETE WAVE 95
THE PARTY SCENE<br />
No article on Montreal could be published without a<br />
mention of <strong>the</strong> party atmosp<strong>here</strong> that pervades <strong>the</strong> city.<br />
I’ll be blunt <strong>here</strong>: Montrealers know how to have a great<br />
time <strong>and</strong> live life large! But when your bars are open<br />
until 4 a.m., you run <strong>the</strong> risk of sleeping in <strong>and</strong> missing<br />
Lord knows what event or race. It’s happened so many<br />
times to so many skaters that people just roll with it.<br />
“It’s not just that <strong>the</strong>re’s a party after each race,” says<br />
Maxim “but <strong>the</strong>re’s also a party BEFORE each race!”<br />
TEAMQUEBEC.ORG<br />
Thanks to <strong>the</strong> hard work of a dedicated group of riders,<br />
<strong>the</strong> web is allowing people to get a sense of what is hap-<br />
pening in <strong>the</strong> world of Quebec <strong>longboard</strong>ing. Modeled<br />
after <strong>the</strong> success of Skate House Media, teamquebec.org<br />
is forging a huge amount of unity. “We are working with<br />
so many different people <strong>and</strong> we all have <strong>the</strong> same goal,”<br />
says Dmitri. “It’s really bringing people toge<strong>the</strong>r.”<br />
LOOK NORTH<br />
The hills in <strong>the</strong> snowboard areas of Mont Tremblant <strong>and</strong><br />
Saint Saveur beckon riders from <strong>the</strong> city. You can easily<br />
hit 60+ mph, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>re’s new asphalt being laid.<br />
A MOVING TRIBUTE<br />
TO THE BIG O PIPE<br />
It’s a rite of passage – practically every skater makes a<br />
pilgrimage to <strong>the</strong> Big O pipe at <strong>the</strong> site of <strong>the</strong> 1976<br />
Summer Olympics. The pipe, originally a corridor for<br />
athletes to walk under, has been sessioned now for<br />
almost three decades. A few years ago plans were<br />
under way to tear it down. Thanks to <strong>the</strong> hard work <strong>and</strong><br />
dedication of Barry Walsh <strong>and</strong> Marc Tison (two legendary<br />
locals), <strong>the</strong> pipe was spared. The weekend I was<br />
<strong>the</strong>re, crews were in <strong>the</strong> process of moving <strong>the</strong> pipe<br />
about 90 feet from its original position due to <strong>the</strong> need<br />
for <strong>the</strong> adjacent stadium to have extra space. Kudos to<br />
cheese maker Saputo, who picked up <strong>the</strong> $63,000 tab.<br />
THE URGE TO SHARE<br />
Yann Lhermitte <strong>and</strong> I drove out to a town just east of<br />
96 CONCRETE WAVE WINTER 2012<br />
Niko Desmarais has a degree in kinesiology, which he puts to good use!<br />
Photo: Luc-Bertr<strong>and</strong><br />
Snowskate enthusiast "The Rookie" has hit over 40 mph.<br />
Montreal called Repentigny. Here we met Bob Couet,<br />
owner of Urge Longboards. Bob makes <strong>longboard</strong><br />
decks for small children (under <strong>the</strong> age of 10). He does<br />
this in a workshop that is 9’ by 6.’ Yes, you read that correctly,<br />
he works in a 54-square-foot workspace. The<br />
amount of stoke that Bob has for <strong>longboard</strong>ing is off <strong>the</strong><br />
charts. He truly embodies what it means to be a skater.<br />
Bob, merci pour ton hospitalité!<br />
HEAD EAST FOR MORE!<br />
Just three hours down <strong>the</strong> road <strong>and</strong> you’ll hit Quebec<br />
City. It’s a whole o<strong>the</strong>r experience <strong>and</strong> definitely worth a<br />
visit if you have <strong>the</strong> time. We’ll get to a scene report<br />
eventually, but I did want to mention some incredible<br />
folks <strong>the</strong>re who are making <strong>the</strong>ir mark on <strong>the</strong> scene in<br />
Montreal. Miguel “Mig” Marco is not only an exceptional<br />
slalom skater, but he’s created quite a buzz with his<br />
company, Fullbag. The guys at Rotule Longboards are<br />
Yann <strong>and</strong> his magic flying carpet <strong>longboard</strong>.<br />
Photo: Olivier Séguin-Leduc.<br />
also creating some extraordinary decks. Vinz over at<br />
Motion Longboards has been manufacturing since 1999<br />
<strong>and</strong> utilizes a number of substrates in his decks. And be<br />
sure to visit Dom at Free For All BoardShop.<br />
HEARTS IN THE RIGHT PLACE<br />
T<strong>here</strong> are numerous riders of an extremely high caliber<br />
in Montreal. The interesting thing is that <strong>the</strong>re is now an<br />
older group of riders <strong>and</strong> a younger group. “We are all<br />
friends <strong>and</strong> we keep a good spirit toge<strong>the</strong>r. T<strong>here</strong> isn’t<br />
much rivalry. We have different skate companies <strong>here</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> we all skate toge<strong>the</strong>r,” says Pierre.<br />
BIENVENUE – YOU ARE WELCOME!<br />
The scene in Montreal is very welcoming. Don’t be<br />
intimidated if French is not your first language. Even an<br />
attempt to speak just a little French will go a long way.<br />
Before coming, however, it’s a good idea to visit some<br />
websites <strong>and</strong> get a sense of <strong>the</strong> place. You’ll find <strong>the</strong><br />
hospitality pretty incredible. Pierre <strong>and</strong> dozens of o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
locals have hosted people <strong>the</strong>y’ve only met on <strong>the</strong><br />
Internet <strong>and</strong> formed lifelong friendships. As someone<br />
who has experienced firsth<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> generosity of <strong>the</strong><br />
locals, I can assure you that your first visit to Montreal<br />
will not be your last.<br />
LAST WORDS<br />
Pierre Gravel<br />
“At almost 50, I am happy to be riding. I still enjoy <strong>the</strong> ride.”<br />
Fabrice Gaëtan<br />
“I am proud of what’s been accomplished in Montreal. I<br />
did not expect things to get this big this fast. We started<br />
to push <strong>the</strong> engine <strong>and</strong> have fun.”<br />
Yann Lhermitte<br />
“Longboarding saved my life. I am living a dream <strong>and</strong> I<br />
intend to keep riding for a long time!”<br />
Dmitri Komarov<br />
“I had an opportunity to come to ei<strong>the</strong>r Montreal or Halifax.<br />
I’m glad I wound up in Montreal!”
AN INTERVIEW WITH<br />
IAN COMISHIN<br />
OF KEBBEK SKATEBOARDS<br />
So, Ian, you’re a transplanted British Columbian. How<br />
<strong>the</strong> heck did you wind up in Quebec?<br />
The reason I am in Quebec is that I had a disastrous run<br />
with a skateboard/punk rock tour. It left me <strong>and</strong> a bunch<br />
of my friends deeply in debt. T<strong>here</strong> was a business<br />
opportunity that came up in January of 2000 that<br />
allowed me to get <strong>the</strong>se debts paid off. It was only supposed<br />
to be for one year. But I became a fa<strong>the</strong>r out <strong>here</strong>,<br />
so now I’ll be <strong>here</strong> for at least 20 years.<br />
How are Jody Willcock <strong>and</strong> Jim Z connected with you<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Quebec scene?<br />
Jim was one of my roommates when I was living in Rossl<strong>and</strong>,<br />
BC back in <strong>the</strong> mid-’90s. Jody I’ve known since<br />
grade three. We were in Cub Scouts toge<strong>the</strong>r. (Editor’s<br />
note: The thought of Jody being in Cub Scouts boggles my<br />
mind!) We just grew up toge<strong>the</strong>r as skate rats.<br />
What were you riding on back <strong>the</strong>n?<br />
We were using <strong>the</strong>se Highway Skateboards that Jody<br />
was building back in Prince George. These were <strong>the</strong> lowered-platform<br />
decks. It was really exciting because it<br />
allowed us to open a whole new style of riding in British<br />
Columbia. We hit big roads – straight-up bombing. No<br />
sliding or drifting. We went as fast as we could.<br />
So what happened next?<br />
About a year later (in 2001), Jody <strong>and</strong> Jim said <strong>the</strong>y were<br />
interested in moving to Montreal. I had offered to get<br />
some CNC technology for <strong>the</strong>m. They had been borrowing<br />
it from a local college in Prince George. They<br />
wanted to build <strong>the</strong>ir own. So I said I would help finance<br />
this, but only if <strong>the</strong>y came to Montreal. We started<br />
building boards toge<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
I assume it wasn’t long before <strong>the</strong>y started hitting <strong>the</strong> hills.<br />
Jody was very astute in tracking down <strong>the</strong> location of<br />
runs from <strong>the</strong> film “The Devil’s Toy.” Jody <strong>and</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
guy named Jeremy Webb, along with Jim <strong>and</strong> myself,<br />
would go <strong>and</strong> skate <strong>the</strong>se runs in Westmount – all from<br />
<strong>the</strong> film. It was an interesting feeling of nostalgia.<br />
From speaking with people who remember seeing you<br />
guys at <strong>the</strong> time, your crew had quite <strong>the</strong> reputation<br />
for speed.<br />
Jody’s design of boards allowed us to go fast. We had<br />
<strong>the</strong> confidence to go into corners. The lowered platform<br />
helped us push things <strong>and</strong> not get <strong>the</strong> wobbles. At <strong>the</strong><br />
time this was something unique; it was a game changer.<br />
T<strong>here</strong> was a downhill scene at <strong>the</strong> time – you had EDI in<br />
California, for example – but it wasn’t focused on highly<br />
technical moves like scrubbing your speed in <strong>the</strong> corners.<br />
It was all about pushing roads to <strong>the</strong>ir limits <strong>and</strong><br />
having this sort of experience that we didn’t think<br />
existed anyw<strong>here</strong> else in <strong>the</strong> world. At least that’s how<br />
Ian enjoys a late fall session.<br />
Photo: Pierre Gravel<br />
it felt to us – pre-Internet days. We didn’t get much<br />
exposure to hard cornering or hard drifting.<br />
How did KebbeK Skateboards start?<br />
KebbeK is actually an offshoot of PM Skateboards,<br />
which I started in 1992. When Jody came out, he had a<br />
contract to build boards for L<strong>and</strong>yachtz. Since <strong>the</strong>se<br />
lowered boards were so weird-looking for a lot of<br />
people, we decided to introduce a br<strong>and</strong> that would be<br />
a complementary br<strong>and</strong> that would compete on a<br />
friendly basis. This would mean that <strong>the</strong>re would be two<br />
companies making lowered-platform boards.<br />
Additionally, Chris Chaput of Abec 11 had asked Jody<br />
<strong>and</strong> Jim to come up with a board that he was interested<br />
in. This deck became <strong>the</strong> Smoothcut that was based on<br />
Chris’ public files that he had put on <strong>the</strong> Internet (a<br />
design he called <strong>the</strong> Roughcut). It was 2001 when we<br />
launched our first KebbeK speedboard.<br />
What happened next?<br />
Jody left back to BC pretty quickly after moving out to<br />
Montreal, as we found that our friendship was clashing<br />
with our debt management, <strong>and</strong> frankly, he just really<br />
missed BC life with <strong>the</strong> great snowboarding <strong>and</strong> being<br />
close to his family. Jim really helped form <strong>the</strong> style of<br />
<strong>the</strong> company as we moved away from subcontracting to<br />
doing just about <strong>everything</strong> ourselves. He apprenticed<br />
me on CNC philosophy, which was very rare in <strong>the</strong><br />
skateboard world back in <strong>the</strong> late ’90s <strong>and</strong> early 2000s.<br />
Jim hung out for a few years, but BC was beckoning him<br />
back too, so he left.<br />
So <strong>the</strong>n it was just you?<br />
I was on my own for quite some time. I <strong>the</strong>n had a long string<br />
of apprentices who came to work with me, but virtually all of<br />
<strong>the</strong>m threw in <strong>the</strong> towel within a few months, as I can be<br />
very picky <strong>and</strong> very sloppy at <strong>the</strong> exact same time. AJ Powell<br />
was really running <strong>the</strong> show while I helped my friend<br />
relaunch his robotics company in <strong>the</strong> wind energy industry;<br />
it required a very special sort of shoestring, broke-ass management<br />
style that only one who has been in <strong>the</strong> skateboard<br />
business for 15 years can underst<strong>and</strong>. AJ tried hard, but<br />
when <strong>the</strong> CNC blew up we had to do more manual work,<br />
<strong>and</strong> things were tough.<br />
Pierre Gravel at <strong>the</strong> Devil's Toy.<br />
Photo: Ian Comishin<br />
Tell me about <strong>the</strong> German master craftsman.<br />
One day Tim Brodesser from Germany walked through<br />
<strong>the</strong> front door <strong>and</strong> said he was an engineer in woodworking<br />
<strong>and</strong> he wanted to work for free. In <strong>the</strong> last few<br />
years he has rebuilt <strong>the</strong> style of production, helped me<br />
to rebuild <strong>the</strong> CNC machine a few times over, took on<br />
Kevin LeFrank as an apprentice <strong>and</strong> really brought our<br />
reputation back to w<strong>here</strong> it was in <strong>the</strong> early 2000s. He’s<br />
now moved back to be with his family in Germany.<br />
Who’s running things now?<br />
We’ve got Stephen Waldorf, Kevin, Marco Peters, Kayla<br />
Hill, Pierre Gravel <strong>and</strong> myself to try <strong>and</strong> make all <strong>the</strong><br />
rippers <strong>the</strong>ir rides.<br />
What about <strong>the</strong> future?<br />
It’s looking as exciting as it has always been. People love<br />
to talk about w<strong>here</strong> things are going. PM/KebbeK turns<br />
20 years old in 2012. Time is actually kind of st<strong>and</strong>ing<br />
still now. Skateboarding is not changing or evolving or<br />
becoming something else, it’s still just skateboarding. It<br />
is to me today what it was to <strong>the</strong> kids in “The Devil’s Toy”<br />
film shot in 1965: a piece of wood that rolls <strong>and</strong> you can<br />
st<strong>and</strong> on it. If you are a personality type who can take<br />
something so simple <strong>and</strong> utilize it to fulfill one or even<br />
all your aspirations, <strong>the</strong>n you are a skater. CW<br />
WINTER 2012 CONCRETE WAVE 97