13 skaters, two photographers, two filmers, a tour guide, two houses, two minivans and a city full of spots of all kinds … Ladies and gentlemen, here is a recap of the first week of the #EmpirePortugalTrip!
A huge thank you to Empire, DC Shoes, Brixton, RVCA, Vans, USG and everyone who made this trip possible! Infinite respect for our guide Pedro for all the help. Thank you!
Photos: Dan Mathieu
Day 6
The sixth day of our trip took place in the suburbs of Lisbon, in a small town called Sintra. This city is known for its epic castles and monasteries, but we were there for skateboarding. perfect, the city of Sintra, like every corner of Portugal, is full of skate spots and plazas as smooth as each other. After skating a perfect plaza at the top of a small mountain, we met and enjoyed a good pizza to build strength for the rest of the day.
We continued to skate when it got dark. With the sun setting around 5 o’clock, good thing that our cameramen Brian Shannon and Éric Lebeau have spot lights for their cameras. After getting a few more clips at a perfect handicap rail on the outskirts of Sintra, we went back home to chat about the day and have a well deserved beer.
Day 7
The seventh day of our trip started earlier than usual. Everyone had set their phone alarm around 8 am because that day, we had planned to go to the city of Nazaré to see some of the biggest waves in the world. On a skate trip, it’s also important to take time to enjoy the country in which you travel. Because it’s easy to skate every day and see nothing but spots. The whole crew gathered at Nazaré’s lighthouse and it was really epic. The waves that burst beneath our feet, the surfers who were being pulled by jetskis, the landscape… Nazaré is really an impressive place.
Nevertheless, we still continued to skate that epic moment. After a sightseeing session in Nazaré, we headed to the city of Leiria, a small paradise in the middle of Portugal and skated its famous white marble plaza for the rest of the day before heading back to Lisbon. Another really epic day.
Day 8
We all thought that day was going to be a rainy day, but the sun was with us again that day, so guess what we did! We jumped in our minivans and we left to skate! Duh! It was a wild day. Sometimes the best stuff happens when you least expect it. We took advantage of the sunshine to skate the small municipality of Cascais, another suburb of Lisbon, located about 30 minutes from the city on the seashore. The skatepark of Cascais is probably the most beautiful we ever skated and the boys took the opportunity, especially our youngest rider Philipe Dulude, who skated the bowl like a madman and impressed all the locals who were the park that day.
After the park, we moved to a manual pad spot that was so perfect it was unreal. After an hour of skateboarding and several tricks landed, it was time to go back home. We didn’t know it yet, but the next day was going to be a really good one.
Day 9
Wednesday, December 12th. Everyone is tired and a bit sore by the previous days of skateboarding, but the guys are solid. We boarded our vans that day and we went to another neighborhood of Lisbon where there are a ton of spots. JS Lapierre, Fred Lanteigne and Charles Deschamps have completely destroyed the spot with heavy bangers. It was really beautiful to see and above all, the day was far from over.
After a complete destruction of the concrete hubba. We headed for a rather dangerous neighborhood in Lisbon where there was a huge, steep bank some of the boys were able to do several tricks while the rest of the crew was chilling and listening to at the bottom. After this spot, the destruction continued for of Charles Deschamps, who landed two more tricks including a long boardslide on a double kinked rail. Wait to see the footage, available on SBC Skateboard Mag next Spring!
Day 10
The tenth day of the trip was more relaxed. Sometimes it’s important to take a day off to recharge the batteries. That morning, half of the group stayed home to sleep while the other half got up at 5 in the morning to return to Nazaré, where waves of more than 10 meters high were forecasted. We arrived at the spot just before sunrise and it was quite heavy and dangerous. At the bottom of the lighthouse, where we could get the best view of the waves, the wind was so strong that it made us twirl in all directions. The chaos of the Nazaré sea at this time of the day was hectic, but really beautiful to see.
We came back around 1pm and spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach and getting in shape for the next day.
Day 11
Already the 11th day of the trip … All the boys are starting to really love their new Portuguese lifestyle, but they also know that coming back home to reality is inevitable. Reason why the boys were ready to destroy on their skateboard again on that day. We started the day with one of the most iconic spots in Lisbon: the classic over the ledge into yellow bank. After seeing this spot in several videos, the guys wanted to get theirs on it too. JS Lapierre, Phil Dulude, Andrew McGraw and the rest of the crew went to work and all three landed impressive tricks. We then went to see another perfect ledge spot that was not far away and the rest of the guys were also able to do some tricks.
Everyone was happy with their day and were rewarded with a great meal cooked by none other than JS Lapierre. Nothing better than a good homemade meal to recover and recharge your energy for the next day.
The second week of our trip was really productive and all the guys were hyped. Three more days to go before going back to reality! The guys are tired, but they intend to take advantage of our last days! Stay tuned on our social networks and on SBC Skateboard Mag’s for more photos and videos of the trip.
COME HANG OUT WITH US AT THE EMPIRE DOWNTOWN LATER IN APRIL FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE EMPIRE IN PORTUGAL ARTICLE AND VIDEO EDIT!