Ten stories of people who revolutionised skate culture
- Text by HUCK HQ
Piss Drunx: The legendary skate crew lucky to be alive
In 1998, a mob of young skateboarders descended on an ordinary street in Huntington Beach, California. Spread across four apartments, they quickly gained notoriety not only for their on-board antics, but for embracing a lifestyle of excess. The Piss Drunx, as they came to be known, adopted a ‘fuck everything’ attitude that turned them into skateboarding icons within just two years. But looking back, many of the original members have mixed feelings about their legacy.
Stef Nurding is bridging skate’s gender divide
Pro skater and model Stefani Nurding is using her unique set of skills to shake up a male-dominated industry. “If people think it’s just for girls and it ends up staying that way, it’s not going to be quite as powerful,” she says. “I don’t want to make loads of money; I want to spread this message that it’s for everyone.”
Meet the pioneers of Palestine’s skateboarding scene
Learning to skate can be one of the most important cultural moments in someone’s life, and, thanks to projects like SkatePAL, it could be one of the most powerful forces in the cultural development of Palestine.
Snapshots of an enigma: Keeping up with Mark Gonzales
Mark Gonzales and The Gonz are two sides of the same fable. There is the man and the myth, the artist and the skateboarder. And then there’s the enigma that somehow binds it all. As a kid he rewrote history with an otherworldly instinct. As an artist he still finds ways to transcend the adult world. This story is just one piece of him – our version of The Gonz.
Tim Von Werne: Out and proud
The Last Taboo: Why are there so few openly gay pro skaters? In 2012, we caught up with Tim Von Werne, whose career was cut short under a veil of ‘controversy’, to find out if skateboarding is stepping away from the closet and allowing more pros to be out and proud.
How Skateistan is creating spaces for gender equality around the world
Thanks to the non-profit skate school, young women can find an escape from the realities and stresses of growing up in extremely difficult situations.
Countercultural history, through the lens of Glen E. Friedman
What unites skateboarding, punk and hip hop? “It’s all about the fucking attitude,” says photographer Glen E. Friedman.
Clyde Singleton: A skate legend too radical for the industry
Clyde Singleton has been a transgressive force in skateboarding history – a tell-it-like-it-is character who has zero time for bullshit. Two decades after making his dream a reality by turning pro, he’s still committed to pulling off the unexpected. This is a snapshot of his life.
The skater who became a shaman
Greg Carroll revolutionised the skateboard industry, taking him from rags to riches and back again. Now he’s disrupting on another level: helping people make sense of their lives.
Why Nora Vasconcellos is the future of skateboarding
After her parents lost the family home and her friends went off to college, Nora Vasconcellos headed west in chase of a dream: turning pro on her own terms. But now that she’s become the first female rider on Adidas Skateboarding, the 25-year-old believes it’s time the industry caught up with reality.
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Leticia Bufoni is one of the greatest skaters ever. Now she’s tearing up asphalt.
Vamos, Leticia! — The Brazilian trailblazer helped rewrite the rulebook for women in skateboarding – and now she’s setting the pace behind the wheel for Porsche. For Huck’s 20th Anniversary Issue, she reflects on shredding stereotypes, building a career in male-dominated spaces, empowering the next generation, and the lessons that defined her journey.
Written by: Tracy Kawalik
Dropping in at Lahore’s first ever public skatepark
Skate Pakistan — Set right in the centre of Pakistan’s capital city, the free-to-use space has started a mini youth revolution in the country. Z. Raza-Sheikh tracks how it came to open its doors.
Written by: Z. Raza-Sheikh
The concrete skatepark oasis in the Navajo Nation desert
Diné Skate Garden — Opening in 2023, the Two Grey Hills spot is getting people of all ages on the reservation onto boards. We spoke to those behind the project about its impact, its growing importance as a community gathering space, and their ambitious vision for expansion.
Written by: Tyrone Bulger
Inside the London rollerskating scene’s fight for space
Chop & shuffle — A new, young generation is skating with a style unique to the UK’s capital, but they’re up against security guards, dog units, and padlocks. Sunny Sunday reports on the community’s search for a home.
Written by: Sunny Sunday
In Palestine Skating Game, rollerblading is resistance
Inline protest — Blending influences from Jet Set Radio and Tony Hawk Pro Skater, the psychedelic video game sees players move through the West Bank and tag occupying soldiers with spray paint. Amaar Chowdhury speaks to the team – some living in Gaza – who are currently developing it.
Written by: Amaar Chowdhury
Brick rattling memories of San Francisco’s skateboarding golden age
EPICENTER — In the early ’90s, the city’s scene revolved around the Embarcadero Plaza, or EMB as it was lovingly known. Now, with the area facing redevelopment, a new book by Jacob Rosenberg immortalises its heyday.
Written by: Isaac Muk
