Film: Tim McCoy, Isaiah Boughn, Cal Aamodt Edited by : Tim McCoy
The Northwest Open has become an annual summer tradition for skaters in the Pacific Northwest. After a long, rainy winter, skaters from Seattle, Boise, Bend, Eugene, Southern California, and beyond make the pilgrimage to Portland for the perfect weekend getaway. Over 2,000 skaters came together to skate, party, and make the most of the short, sunny days.
The third annual Tactics Northwest Open, presented by Converse Cons, added exciting new features to the event, including a contest at Director Park in Downtown Portland, an art show at One Grand Gallery in East Burnside, and, of course, the annual Seek Skate Camp on Sunday, a community day filled with skate jams and youth contests.
The first art show kicked off Friday night at One Grand Gallery, featuring works by Mike Gigliotti, Scotty Copalman, Charlie Salas-Humara, James Alby, and Jesse Kamerzell. Mike designed this year's event poster, and Portlanders were thrilled to see him, known for his graphic work for Baker, Deathwish, Vans, and DLX.
Saturday's contest at Director Park was a huge success! Local ramp builder Ben Mohr and his team installed sections like hubbas and mani pads within 24 hours, and by noon the course was perfectly set. For about three hours, pro, amateur, and local skaters competed fiercely for control of the course and a chance to win $3,500 in trick prize money. Ultimately, Alex Lobasyuk and Kasci Woolf won $1,000 each, while Sebo Walker took home $800 for his Red Bull Best Trick with a nosegrind into a nollie bs flip. The excitement continued into the evening with a screening of Cons' new video, "Evergreen," at 10 Barrel Portland.
The magic of previous Northwest Open events continued at Seek Skate Camp in Sandy, Oregon on Sunday. Volcom Skate's big wall jam was intense, almost like a death match. On the vert wall, performances ranged from intentional double routines to accidental double routines. Next, Dickies Skateboarding's popular pole jam took place in the concrete jungle, igniting the excitement. The perfect weekend was capped off by a youth skate contest co-hosted by Arbor and Protec. The technical level of the young skaters was incredibly high, with impressive moves like kickflip indies on the vert wall and crook-to-back 180s on the bike rack. The future of skateboarding in the Pacific Northwest is bright.
Special thanks to all our sponsors, including Converse Cons, and our media partners Low Card Mag, Adjacency Bias, and Bigfoot Mag. We can't wait to see what next year's Northwest Open will bring! Check out the photo report below: Photo: Noah Smith
Friday: One Grand Gallery
Featuring featured artists Scotty Copalman and Mike Gigliotti. Mike has been a beloved Baker graphic artist for many years. Baker for life!
A large crowd of Portlanders came out and Mike's skateboards and custom clothing drew a lot of attention.
The party spilled out onto the streets of East Burnside, where crowds gathered in droves to enjoy the party.
Introducing Jesse and James, two slappy gods!
Sebo Walker's overwhelming "Dad Power" and Cons' Scott Mackey make an appearance!
The whole Cons team is here! Featuring Chris, Tenny, Tony, and Eli P, plus a special appearance by Skelator.
"You don't have to go back, but you can't stay here."
Saturday: Director Park
Cash for Tricks! Join now to win a cash trick battle!
Romel Torres' backside 180 nosegrind back to regular was amazing!
Tom Britt came down from Tacoma and did a kickflip crook on the hubba, and Nick Peterson was also giving it a go!
Kendal Toliver showed off a 180 fakie manual followed by a fakie frontside flip out!
Shane Heyl took the microphone and got the crowd excited.
Silas nails a perfect kickflip into a frontside tailslide in no time!
A hot skate session unfolded at Director Park in the heart of Portland.
Aaron Herrington designed the section himself and created a smooth back lip!
The Cyclops Rail session was a spectacular way to end the day!
Kasci Woolf and Alex Lobasyuk took home the win!
Sebo Walker wins Red Bull's Best Trick award!
Sunday: Seek Skate Camp
Kevin Kowalski effortlessly conquered the huge wall with his overwhelming skill!
Local star Michael Fooshe thrilled the crowd with some impressive airs.
Jamie Jacobson's invert was spectacular.
Oli Ward performs an amazing backside air at the youth contest!
Seek Skate Camp was paradise! See you next year!
