The Pool exhibition at Aalto2, (Alvar Aallon katu 7, Jyväskylä, Finland) is like a cosmic collision of worlds—open until September 15th. It smashes Alvar Aalto’s architectural genius into the gritty, rebellious worlds of skateboarding, rap, and hip-hop. Imagine the wild marriage of Aalto’s clean lines with the rough edges of international skateboarding culture—sounds crazy, right? But that's exactly what's happening here.Three skateboarding exhibitions orbit around Aalto’s iconic Villa Mairea pool—yes, the kidney-shaped one. This design didn't just make waves in architecture; it seeped into the veins of skateboarding culture worldwide. And there’s more. The exhibition throws you headfirst into the deep end of Finnish rap history, showing how Central Finland, of all places, helped shape hip-hop into the beast it...
Marcelo Jiménez, Boneless. The Simple Session contest dropped a bombshell, unveiling the all-new Tartu’s Tähtvere Skatepark, and let me tell you, it’s a savage beast of concrete ecstasy. They cracked open the gates during the festival, and man, when the job’s done this perfectly, you let your four urethane do the talking. This isn’t just a skatepark; it’s a shrine to speed, a temple of terror for your trucks. The bowl? It’s an endless jungle of lines, just begging you to grind until your trucks scream for mercy. Smooth as butter, you’ll glide for days, riding the long ones with a grin that’ll split your face. No crap coping, no wobbly hips, no loose gravel ruining your flow—this is the...
Ritsuki Takenaka, crailslide. The Simple Session, that mad circus of chaos and plywood, returned to its roots for the 24th edition, and Tartu—our gritty, wind-whipped Estonian fortress—was ready for the mayhem. Not only a contest; it’s a proving ground where the lines between genius and insanity blur, where the sound of two Indy trucks grinding metal is a battle cry. This is the Estonian capital of skateboarding now, and we’re all just squatters in its ruthless arena. Danny Leon, bs air. If your soul moves on four wheels, this was your Mecca. The heavy hitters were here—Aaron "Jaws" Homoki, Jake Wooten, Shawn Hale, Tim Aguilar, and Nolan Miskell—all of them circling like sharks in a pool of concrete blood. The...
Meelis Erm, fs air. Simple Session. Tartu. The birthplace of Estonian skateboarding anarchy. This year, the chaos returns home—back to the stoned cobble streets where it all began. Forget the flashy arenas and the polished showmanship. This time, it’s raw, it’s intimate, and it’s got the vibe of a family reunion—if your family is a bunch of adrenaline-fueled skate demons. Grisha Barbashin, boardslide. The locals? Hungry. Starving. Ready to shred. They eyed the big names with the kind of reckless confidence that only comes from skating those same streets year after year. They weren't just participants; they were gladiators, and the park was their coliseum. The international crowd? They were about to get the Estonian welkom ceremony. Ralf-Rasmus Raal,...
Oskar Sikk, 16 years old and full of fire. Don’t let your first impressions deceive you—this kid’s commitment is as solid as a rock and just as relentless. Four years deep into skating, he’s not just fooling around; this young dynamo is primed to tear apart anything in his path. Barge at will! He’s most at home in the streets, hunting down skating spots with the precision of a predator. But don’t be surprised if you find him reigning supreme at his grand oeuvre, at Kari Park, and the now legendary Krulli. Oskar krooked grind on the ledge in Skoone Bastion DIY. Krulli has revolutionized the Tallinn landscape, keeping the young generation skating through the brutal winters. Now, kids are...
