10.25.2011

chrome ball incident #710: atlas










"People all around the world come to California thinking they can skate all the famous spots that they've seen in the videos. But they don't know that you have to sit in traffic for an hour and a half everyday to go to a spot and most of the time you get kicked out, you get hassled by cops, you get tickets or the place is already knobbed."

Figured I'd continue the gnar theme with Finland's finest, Arto Saari.

Dude doesn't fuck around.

...and Ed's version of that cover is still amazing.

Special thanks to Greg Hunt.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Remember when he first showed up, skating those European pro contests? '97 or '98? Out of nowhere amazing...

dflip said...

Love that CKY song in his part.

Anonymous said...

411vm europe 1998 or 411 issue 32 was the first I saw of him. You could tell he was going to blow up. He was after all on Flip during their heyday

Kris Gurley said...

One of the best back lips in the business. When I first saw the kid I knew he would be one of the all time greats but I had no idea burly he would get.

Man Chops, you are pulling out some of my favorites this week. I would say keep up the good work but all your work is good.

Dave said...

@anonymous 1: it was crazy how he just came in an destroyed everything.

Then came to American and crushed it. I wasn't a fan of him at the beginning; he seemed a bit generic. But since then he definitely grew on me. The dude rips. Really liked his Alien part for some reason.

tim said...

I've always wanted him to suddenly decide to represent Toy Machine. Still kind of would like that to happen. One of the best of all time more than likely.

Keith said...

Super good. Always a fan of Arto since his Platinum days. The shit eating at the start of his part in Sorry was so gnarly.

The bs heel sequence almost looks switch in terms of his posturing.

FamilyMeeting7 said...

Such a sick skater, when I first watched his Sorry part and watched him back feeble, back crooks, and back lip the Franklin 18-stair rail, I was in shock. He looked like he was skating a flat bar. That part still rules...so many great tricks at landmark spots...fakie flip MACBA, switch flip SM triple set...

Anonymous said...

would love to see more Templeton archives...

Anonymous said...

His Sorry part is easily one of the greatest parts ever. He absolutely murders it.

stephen said...

Is he smokin a butt in that blunt slide pic! Haha. Just noticed that...

chops said...

thanks for the comments, guys.

yeah, I'm always a sucker for dudes that seemingly come out of nowhere and arto did just that. he was so clean cut back in the day, too. though I will say to see someone go to the lengths he has (as well as the some of the prices he's had to pay) is beyond inspiring.

thanks kris.

keith, i actually thought that was switch. whoops!

totally, stephen. so sick

agreed tim, arto on toy would be perfect... actually surprised that didn't happen when he ended up heading to alien.

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for this!
Always fun to see old stuff of arto´s
Would be great if you could post some old interview or something!

darsh said...

His fakie flip down MACBA is my favorite trick ever done on a skateboard. So perfect.

dan77 said...

His post SOTY interview in the Thrasher for Trujillo's win is so sick. Does a huge switch heel and a perfect fakie backtail. I don't think anyone does that trick better than him. He was really on top of his game in the Really Sorry era. I think that's such an underrated part and he skates to The Smiths. Beyond tragic how he fucked up his knee then

Unknown said...

love skating.... but afraid..........

layzieyez said...

The caption on the backlip in Japan is wrong. That rail is in Yokosuka which is an hour and half of train riding from Tokyo. So gnarly in person. I don't think I've ever seen any japanese pros step to that spot. Never ever.