Basically it’s just a bunch of old dudes in a van, trying to get away from the boredome of the 9 to 5 world. Sounds like pops and his homies are going to an AC/DC concert. But those old dudes are different. They’re some of the best skateboarders Germany has seen in the last decade (well, more like the last two decades) and they’re looking for other kicks than watching a guy in shorts jumping around with a guitar like he has a stroke. They want to jump around themselves. They still get kicks out from crusty streetspots and big handrails (just check Paul Zenner’s interview in our recent issue) and proof that skateboarding is not a sport – it’s a lifetime deal. Or an excuse to never have to fully grow up. Well, whatever it is, in the end it’s fun and we asked the crew to share photos that represent that fun for them, while filming for the new HR Dept. video “Get in where you fit in”. Maybe you feel inspired by that to throw some cold sixpacks on the bakcseat and bring the gang together as well? See, it never stops!
Ollie
“Hellride is just the best, because there you drive, for example, at night somewhere between Gibraltar and Huelva, after an extensive and chip-rich session, to the next accommodation and talk the entire 3 hours drive extremely animated and profound about jerking off. If you consider that we are all now arrived in the daily work routine and lead a reasonably orderly life, it is very refreshing to behave like a 15 year old again. Except that you can drive a car, buy alcohol, cook well and no longer have to sleep in a dorm with six people. And if something should burn, Papa Leo will take care of it.”
Switch Frontside Crooked
"Age average at 32, lawyer, craftsman, designer, pencil pusher, two kids, one dog (James is the best), dad bod instead of Weckingball, too much overtime, every single vacation day is precious and in German skateboarding everything has been achieved for a long time anyway – so no one from the HR department has to prove anything to anyone. Why film the whole video at all? Because this crew doesn’t have to, but wants to. We weren’t thrown together by our sponsors, we just feel like spending our skateboarding evening with guys who a) are each other’s long-time inspiration on the skateboard and more importantly b) the conversation horizon goes beyond skateboarding. Hellride is the best!”
Crooked Grind
“Besides the extensive sessions, cold beers and good conversations, I also find it pretty cool that during the last few rides Jenga has established itself. At first I thought it was more of a 'one hit wonder' but it's always fascinating to see how the mood still escalates with every game and everyone still goes crazy. In the meantime Alex has built a HR Jenga which we will start soon. Stay tuned. Jenga / HR is the best.”
Ollie to frontside 5-0
“Knowing that we’re filming a full-length video this time got me pretty motivated and pushed. Skating after my slam with my double vision was definitely no walk in the park. Now that you’ve seen the finished video, you realize how awesome the last two years of Hellride have been and how sick everyone has been – fierce crew! Fat shout out to the riders, especially to team media, Leo for the precise organization + photos and Dom for the masterpiece 'Get in where you fit in'.”
Frontside Nosebluntslide
“There are things for which you drop everything and do everything possible so that you can be there: Trip with the Riders! Probably the best gang you can imagine to hang out with! Never had so many good moments with so many good vibes in the last years as with the gang. From the organization to the backrow talks, to faceslams or Jenga tournaments. The Hellride tours are not easily forgotten. And even if it got tight somewhere, somehow it still fit somewhere! XO”
Frontside Lipslide
“A lawyer, a marketing professional, a graphic designer, a carpenter, a professional athlete, a Bradley Cooper, a photographer, a filmmaker and another guy in a van on the way to the next handrail in some small Spanish town. The mood in the van is boiling over. There is shouting, there is laughing and someone is sleeping – beers, bananas and other things go through the rows of seats. In this moment there is only this van and this gang and everything else is forgotten. This is us, this is our passion, this is our VAN. Never let it stop!“
Backside Kickflip
“It makes me proud to be a part of such a great crew. It’s like a field trip but without teachers. Stand up comedy show to go, 24/7 deep talks without therapists, and bangers like on thrasher – but live. Hell ride is and always will be the fuckin best and shall never end. :)”
“GET IN WHERE YOU FIT IN – the name of the video says it all. Each individual has found his appropriate place in this group. Friendship, respect, trust and team spirit has made this project what it is. No one leaves unless everyone leaves! On that note, at 10:00 at the van, my brosephs!”
“Actually we just wanted the output of our fifth Hellride tour to be a bit more special than 'just' a tour clip. 10 days in the Basque Country, maybe a city trip afterwards, done. But then Covid came, one city trip became five and another big tour was added, the momentum was unstoppable, nobody wanted it to ever stop. The result: A full length video, in which everyone has already passed the age limit of 30 (except the filmer, coming soon). And even though nobody had to prove anything anymore and it was more and more about spending time with good friends, the result still doesn’t have to hide! Big ups to all for desecrating the Ü30 cadavers and of course to Dom for the incredible filming & editing job!!!”
