Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

Scandinavian Wanderlust Getting closer to the Gods with Chippa Wilson, Keegan Valaika, Jake Blauvelt and Louif Paradis in Norway and Sweden

Traveling through Norway and Sweden with Chippa Wilson, Keegan Valaika, Jake Blauvelt and Louif Paradis

Drinking gets you closer to the Gods in Norway. Or so they say. And we just got up close and personal with them. Because we continue to be like Ozzie and just say yes. And our most recent “yes” led us to Norway and Sweden with Adidas. To surf and skate and even ride snow. In what is easily being called “the most beautiful place we’ve been.” Breathtaking pisses and epiphany-filled 2 a.m. strolls and surfs in broad daylight made up most of our days. And we met a whole new cast of characters.

A052_C010_01014W

Like Keegan Valaika, the trend setter of snow.  He’s extremely creative, able to illustrate any situation in very funny simple interesting ways. Very in his own head called What Youth gossip girl. Instead of skating one day he went to go check out a museum in Stockholm. Love that about him.

A052_C035_0101QO

Then there was Jake Blauvelt. You always feel safe around Jake. He’s the neutralizer in every situation. Very honest and informative. He’s been around for quite some time, won the US Open of Snowboarding at age 17. Stars in and produces multi-million dollar films…most recent one was called “Naturally.”

Jake

We also got to hang with Louif Paradis from Quebec. His first language is French, but he speaks great English. While we were there on the trip he won video part of the year. Definitely the most motivated and fastest driver of the trip.  He gets shit done on all fronts.

A052_C007_0101UG

And there’s Chippa. He was the star of the trip really. Everyone looked up to him and asked him about his surfing and complimented him on his “front fives” AKA air reverses (Btw we still dont know why its called an air reverse. Can we look into changing this somehow?).

Stay tuned for more on our trip to Scandinavia coming soon.

Also big thank you to our friends at  Story Hotel, and Hotel Rival in Stockholm. Also, Unstad Arctic Surf, check them out if you make it to the Lofoten Islands to rip. 

A049_C001_0101EUA049_C021_0101SS A051_C001_0101HSA051_C029_0101ZM A051_C058_0101DEA051_C062_0101B2 A051_C121_0101NHA051_C123_01018H A051_C141_010158A052_C001_0101AI A052_C010_01014WA052_C021_0101QU A052_C022_0101NYA052_C045_0101ZB A052_C062_0101MP

what youth san francisco road trip surfing

North on 101 in a big white van With Andrew Doheny, Yago Dora, Dillon Perillo and Brendon Gibbens

15 hours in a 15 seater van is a lot of things. It’s super fun, disgusting, hilarious, ridiculous, illegal, terrifying and exactly what we want to be doing. And so we are. We started the day in the beast vehicle at Denny’s on Century Blvd. by LAX. We walked in to pick up Yago Dora,…

what youth dane reynolds carves surfing

The Return to Thrash Have aerials and “clips” reached their ceiling?

I love airs. It’s why I’m here. It’s why I met Kai. It’s been my life’s work to highlight and get people amped on the latest in surfing. And airs have been the thing. Modern Collective was my project when I worked at another magazine and led me on the editorial path I’ve been on…

what youth dear youth dave rastovich

“Support the freaks as much as jocks.” From a conversation on the surf industry with Dave Rastovich in Europe

Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes with Rasta and all seems right again. From a recent hang in Europe while watching sets roll through at a French beach break: “Tell them how the groms don’t give as much of a fuck about contests as they used to. Heaps of surfers who groms look up…

Beach Goth remains freaky good The Growler’s music festival is the best Halloween party ever

I still have glitter in my hair and I’ve surfed and showered several times since the weekend. But I don’t mind, it’s a nice reminder of a really good time — and I think it’s why I like the Growler’s Beach Goth music festival so much. It’s ridiculous. Absolutely looney tunes. It’s a freak show…

what youth japan dear youth kai neville skateboarding

So Long Japan A wild seven days in the streets come to an end and the edit bay opens

We’re literally, somehow, rather deliriously checking in at the airport to leave Japan. 7 days, 3 major cities. DIY spots in the countryside. Robot cafes, underground bars, getting the boot out of numerous epic skate spots. Hotel lobby life, way too much time in a van, copious amounts of time at Lawson, family mart, 7-Eleven,…

I quit eating meat now I have no friends The repercussions of a healthier lifestyle

I didn’t mean to do it. I hadn’t even seen Cowspiracy or Food Inc. yet. Or read the recent study about how processed meat can cause cancer. I just decided I didn’t want to eat anything I wasn’t comfortable killing on my own. So that narrowed my options. I thought nothing should have to die to keep…

what youth dear youth arto saari in japan

And we’re in Japan With Arto Saari, Ishod Wair, Kevin Terpening, Raven Tershy and Peter Ramondetta

Somehow we’re here. In this wild, wild place and we are skateboarding. With some of the best dudes in the world. We’re once again following around legend Arto Saari and are joined by Japanese guru and photographer Rip Zinger. We’ve ridden bullet trains and skated ditches, ledges, seen the neon lights and the shows in Tokyo….

what youth bob hurley

Bob Hurley Retires as CEO of Hurley Congratulations on a career dedicated to making our lives radder

Bob Hurley is a surfboard shaper. I know this because I have a surfboard he shaped for me. I also read it somewhere a long time ago, that he was a shaper way before running one of our favorite brands (Billabong), and then starting another (Hurley). But he got his start shaping. And I’ve always loved…

mikey wright what youth surfing oregon

Postcard Oregon: Frame Grabs Short film starring Mikey Wright, Bryan Fox and Javier Mendizabal presented by Quiksilver

We’re not even really sure how this happened. But we’ve come to be thankful that it did. A random trip to Oregon with a surfer, skater and a snowboarder. And we sent our very own Michael Cukr to record what happens when the cultures collide. While we were there we hangout at Bryan Fox’s [pro…

what youth issue 12

A reason for radio silence What Youth Issue 12 is at the printer

Hi there. I want to begin by apologizing for the silent treatment. Between finishing our 12th issue and inserting ourselves in the sea on the hour, every hour (it’s been absolutely cooking around here), we’ve hardly had a chance to talk. You know, me and you. And that’s because all the planning and prep work in…

dear youth mick fanning shark attack what youth surfing

On the Unthinkable Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson brought us to tears

For whatever reason, I’ve been more emotional than usual the last week or two. I feel like I’ve been on the verge of tears at times. For no reason. Just highly volatile. A good inspirational Nike commercial will get me to well up and I’ll have to walk away. No chance at watching movies. People have…

music, bazooka, brixton broadcast barcelona

The Brixton Broadcast Barcelona All night rock and roll on the surreal sea

What do you do when a place has no respect for time or light or dark or anything outside of enjoying and capturing every fleeting moment presented? Well, you melt right in. Welcome to Barcelona. Last weekend in the beautiful city of Barcelona, we snuggled right up to the Mediterranean and tagged along with our friends…

Sign up for letters from What Youth


By enabling this page, you are acknowledging and accepting our privacy terms and conditions.