Skate and glide in Amsterdam

Festival

New city, new sport, new feelings... A short trip into the Forbidden City.

Amsterdam’s best known for its red and green areas. We picked up one skater, Simon Stricker, and two wakeboarders, Maurus Zwicker and Severin Van der Meer, then mixed them together and let the magic happen. You’ll see a much different version of Amsterdam here than what you’d find on a postcard.
Coached by our local Dutch rider, Stefan Jansen, we began our board adventure.

 

Here is our story

Day 1
In big cities, you can’t waste any time. Taking advantage of the warm and sunny weather, we told our Dutch contact we wanted to check out a few spots. After an hour, the crew was ready for their first real taste of the chaotic bike lanes around the canals.

We wandered around for a little while, when finally a bowl appeared in the middle of a promising park. Simon took a couple of runs to get warm before smashing things up.

The second spot took us straight to a secret paradise. No tourists could ever imagine that there is a perfect spot for skating by the sea that’s less than twenty minutes away by tram.

Getting lost is not always a bad place to start filming. We skated around, got a few fringe lines in and found one of the coolest spots ever. This bridge looked like it was designed for skateboarding! Half an hour later, Nicole and Stefan were kicking badass tricks.
That’s what we call a good day on the streets.

The sun went down (as well as several drinks), and the party mood began. Surrounded by lovely people we made our way through the night and managed to find our way back to the flat.

Day 2
Overnight the weather changed from mid-summer to autumn — wet streets and wind were waiting for us outside our apartment.

We wavered because of the possibility of rain, but Utrecht and its cable were waiting for us, so we went for it. After a tram, train and bus trip, we arrived at the small lake where the cable line ends.

Severin and Maurus threw on their swimsuits and set the Down Under park on fire with smooth rails and stylish tricks on the kickers.
You don’t often meet guys who excel in multiple board sports, but Stefan and Severin are inspirational athletes who can do it all.

Sevi took the time to get Simon started with his first wakeboard session ever. Apparently a Sevi’s a good teacher because Simi hit his first up rail after only a few laps. Well done Simi!

Days 3 and 4
We all got smashed Friday night so laziness was the word for that Saturday. But by 3 pm, Simon was pumped to throw some tricks around the mini in one of the most crowded places in Amsterdam.

Reverse went international when Jelle joined the crew, showing off how Belgians like to ride hard, pulling off massive Fs Airs and technical flips.

Our conclusion
We had an amazing time together and experienced the city to its fullest. Thanks to the riders for the collaboration and the laughs during the shoots! And a a very special thanks to Stefan, our local guide, who coached us and showed us the most eclectic spots in the city.

Can’t wait to go out and explore more — see you soon dear Amsterdam!

 

Enjoy the little bit of summer that’s left, because winter is not too far off.
Cheers,
Ale and Nicki

Pictures: Alessandro Pellanda & Nicole Antognini
Locations: Amsterdam and Utrecht, Holland
Thanks to: Down Under Cable park in Utrecht, Red Bull Switzerland
Special thanks to our guide Stefan who stayed with us the whole trip and showed us every corner of the city — and took us to the best parties!