GL BAL Y
INVASION
Over the years we've sampled skate fare
from all over the world. Whether following the
touring paths of pros or striking out for adven-
ture on our own, we've brought you coverage
of skate activity from the four corners of the
planet. It started even before Caballero and
McGill stormed the newly poured Livingston
Skatepark in Scotland and then moved on to
invade England and Sweden. It continued as
allied correspondents like Claus Grabke and
Shane Rouse slipped through the Iron Curtain
Into the Czechoslovakian scene. Battle raged
as attache MoFo belly crawled along the
Berlin wall one day and sipped brew on
beauty filled beaches in the south of France
the next. Billy Runaway escaped from his
cage and has been romancing his way
around Europe and the Orient ever since. KT
got down and dirty in Australia. BK and his
crew started a coup in Tahiti. Our trusty mail
bag provides us with consistent international
inspiration, as well. We receive letters from
buzzing scenes in places we didn't even know
existed. In the interest of furthering world
skate domination, we now bring you the first
Installment of a monthly primer on plank
masters around the planet. To help foster your
wanderlust, this month Billy Runaway and
friends kick down some basic travel info and
the good word on a few hot spots in various
paved lands around the world.
by Billy Runaway
Well, summer was just like a killer grind
on pool coping-long and laid back-and
you made the most of it. Now, as the sun
burns into the final stretch before fading into
autumn, you're craving a change of terrain.
Perhaps a trip is in order-a long one.
In 1983, Stacy Peralta looked into skating's
future and predicted, "...We're talking
global." He was right. Wherever you go,
skating is there; it's just a matter of knowing
where to look. I'm going to tell you how to
get there and where to look, so after you read
this, what's your excuse going to be? The
world is waiting, go check it out!
PLANES
A round trip ticket from
the East Coast of the U.S.
to most European locales
will run three to four bills.
If you're going from the
West Coast, it will be a
hundred or two more. Use
these figures as guide
lines-if you're paying a
lot more or a lot less,
you're being gouged or
traveling by hang glider. If it sounds too good
to be true, it probably is. Reserve your depar-
ture AND return date well in advance for the
best deal. One final piece of advice here:
check for any restrictions on the ticket and
read the fine print.
PAINS
You aren't likely to go far unless you get
yourself a passport first. Locate your friendly
neighborhood passport office (usually in
another city miles away) and pay them a visit
with the necessary documents in hand (two
passport approved photos, birth certificate,
identification, around fifty bucks-call for
specifics). Be there early, otherwise you'll
wait forever. If you can't make it or have a
thing about waiting in line, you can get a
passport through your local post office or
county court (this
may take a while, so
call for details).
TRAINS
Trains are the
cheapest, best way
to travel through
Europe. Purchase a
Eurail pass from a
travel agency (it
takes about a week,
so don't put it off till
the last minute).
Once you're in Europe, you should make
travel reservations one day in advance at the
local train station. They're not mandatory, but
strongly recommended, especially for over-
night trips. Interesting note: It's not uncom-
mon for trains in Europe to split at some point
and go off in different directions. Be sure
you're on the right part of your train-or wind
up like Hosoi and Pat Ngoho, who fell asleep.
Block
HEAD
FRAGILE
PM
FRAGIL
VISION
STREET
WEAR
SLAM
BEACHSE
22
Clockwise from Top: Americans in Paris. Tandem
twists by Tony Hawk and Danny Way Might up the
Mega Free/Bicross demo at the Palais de Bercy
in Paris. The demo featured bikes, rollerskates.
MC Skatemaster Tate, pom-pom girls, fireworks,
and a fakie tin plane landing on stage.
Insane terrain in Spain. An overview of the
popular reservoir at skatepark Madrid.
Getting down under. Sydneyite Chad Ford lifts a
launch among intimately close skate fans at a
rock and roll demo in Newtown.
Chris Miller demands the attention of a demo
crowd with a commanding, stylish lien at
Kawana Skatepark. Queensland, Australia.
A fly on the wall view of the awe-inspiring indoor
mini-ramp at St. Mary's.
Spread: A historic Peruvian panorama.