Being a “creative” skater can easily be a cop out for being “not a very good” skater. Conceiving of the most non-trick tricks, finding the least skateable spots, and praying to land on your board can be fun for a minute, but it gets tiring quickly.
But Ben “Rollersurfer” Koppl is both creative and talented. He puts real power into all of his tricks, and he can take all the gimmicky things people love right now (running instead of skating into tricks, powersliding vertical walls, and firecrackering up stairs) and make them look as impressive as they should.
Ben is basically a master in what we’re gonna describe as “goof gnar,” and we love it.
“Goof gnar” is like laughing and shouting “oh shit!” at the same time. “Goof gnar” is wearing out the 5-second-rewind button on YouTube. “Goof gnar” is like Fancy Lad but faster and with less hardware. “Goof gnar” is like if Eric Koston’s only video part was in Chomp.
Make friends with “goof gnar” and make friends with Ben. Then when you’re fully aroused go check out the full personas vid and accompanying zine here. (JK it’s actually over here.)
Related Posts
-
PREMIERE: STEVEN CUSTOZZO AND MICHAEL FALLER IN “HEIRLOOM”
Unconventional tricks at classic NYC spots.
-
CATCHING UP WITH KEVIN, THE TRAVELING SKATE MAG LIBRARIAN
He's dedicated to sharing old skate mags around the country, so we checked out his live-in van and watched him set up a library in Brooklyn.
-
WATCH “PERISH; SAGAS” BLEND SKATING WITH GLITCHY ANIME
The skating is solid, but the special FX, ignorant rap music, and recurring anime clips put this video over the top.
-
“PARTS” WITH BRIGHTON ZEUNER
We took a shot in the dark and asked a 16-year-old contest skater what parts she's watching.
-
JUMPING THE 145TH SUBWAY GAP WITH THE CITI BIKE BOYZ
Citi Bike Boyz hit us up yesterday afternoon saying they wanted to jump it on a Citi Bike after being inspired by Tyshawn.
-
PREMIERE: MIKE MAG’S “BURDEN OF DREAMS”
Ever wondered what kind of skate spots you'd find along the Amazon River?
-
JOSH KALIS PROVES THAT AGE DOESN’T HAVE TO SLOW YOU DOWN
In 2020 older skateboarders are skating better than ever.
-
THE EARTHERS EP. 4 – SKATING ROOFS IN MICHIGAN
Jake has a knack for always finding something enormous to roll off of.
Comments
Popular
-
A CHAT WITH LUDVIG HAKANSSON, THE OLDEST SOUL IN SKATEBOARDING
The man loves to read Nietzche, skates in some expensive vintage gear, and paints in his own neoclassical-meets-abstract-expressionist style.
-
MY HUSBAND TOOK ME TO A SKATE-URBANISM FESTIVAL. HERE’S WHAT I THOUGHT.
"I was headed into one of the most intellectually engaging conferences of my adult life. And, it was hosted by a bunch of skateboarders."
-
PREMIERE: STEVEN CUSTOZZO AND MICHAEL FALLER IN “HEIRLOOM”
Unconventional tricks at classic NYC spots.
-
A NEW GENERATION’S TAKE ON WALLENBERG
Toby Ryan and Dylan Jaeb weigh in on whether or not this formidable stair set's reputation holds up today.
-
LOUIE BARLETTA ON HIS CAREER AND THE PUSH INITIATIVE
Louie discusses the challenges of maintaining a pro skate career and his new initiative to help those in need.
February 25, 2019 5:07 pm
Somebody watched Vic’s Market!
February 25, 2019 6:28 pm
full shred
February 25, 2019 9:14 pm
Urban Urinator’s club is finding new ways to prevent gentrification.
February 25, 2019 9:17 pm
The first sentence of this article is the absolute truth. It’s good to attain a certain ability before you get weird. Ben Koppl does it right!