Lodge Guest, Esben Garder

Name: Esben Garder

Current: Job / school: Teaching Innovation, entrepreneurship and a variety of business-oriented courses for teens and adults at Aalborg Business College.

Where are you from? Aalborg, Denmark

Please name a cool place from where you are from? Ohh, SOO many cool places in and around Aalborg, but love to hang out with the family around our backyard mini ramp.

Where do you currently live? Aalborg, Denmark

(if posissible) please name a cool spot from where you are from? Roundwall, SSP, BroBowl, Lunden, Egholm.

What nationality do you feel the most? Dæjnish J

Family status: Married to my girlfriend for 20 years, Katrine. The raddest woman I’ve ever met<3 Together we have 2 amazing kids. Sylvester (7) and Vega (4). Feel like the luckiest man on earth and try to remind myself every day.

Age: 41 years young… most of the time.

Sponsors: None at the moment, but back in the day I was on the Surface snowboard team (much love to Thue Clausen) and hooked up by Forum Snowboards, Special Blend and Spy Optics through Mikkel Asmussen (mad props).

Years of skateboarding: 30’ish

Board size: 8.5

Wheel size: 55-58mm

Trucks: 149 Indy

I change set up every: When I have to. Not too happy about new trucks, but love fast wheels and a fresh pop!

Current Board trend: Not overly trendy, but looking forward to seeing guys riding uncuts.

Please state your type of terrain on your board in hours, days and years or other

Street: Back then, but not much these days. Only the occasional slappy, game of skate or hill bombing in the hood. Have spent many years building a decent tranny/bowl scene and now it’s time to harvest the fruits.

(Skatepark) Flow Street: SSP has plenty of flow for me.

Miniramp: Yes please. We have been skating mini ramps for many years in Aalborg, but in 2008 the Onsdagscruiser sessions on the Cookiefactory ramp was born, because I developed a crazy mini ramp/slot machine concept to get a roof over our heads (Read this – http://www.skateboard.dk/index.php/artikler/912-rampespillet). This sparked a landslide of fun, opportunities, new terrain and a reunion of a colorful crew. Skateboarding works in a mysterious way and since then I contributed to the local scene by being a part of realizing and building the two concrete bowls/parks in Skørping (BroBowl & SSP), mini ramps in and around Aalborg and the new private indoor Roundwall bowl.

Long board: No thanks, but I have a regular board with soft cruiser wheels for beer-runs and transportation.

Vert: I wish. We need a vert in Aalborg – it died in the early nineties. On the bucket list.

Bowl: Hell yes! We finally have corners in Aalborg/Skørping. Finished building the Brobowl in 2012. Then SSP in 2015 and the brand spanking new indoor Roundwall bowl. Hard work, determination and a dream come true. Much love to the posse!

Freestyle: Only sing in the shower.

Please tell us about your daily WEDNESDAY by the hours, (or tell us about your longest day the last week’s) we want to know how your day is looking like

 06.00 Getting up with the fam. Dazed but feeling happy that I’m alive and able to get out of bed. Hugs, breakfast and Coffee.

07.00 Getting ready for the agenda and dropping of kids at school and kindergarten

08.00 Work

09.00 Work

10.00 Work

11.00 Work and lunch – Black belt salad buffet champ. Texting the boys to set up a session.

12.00 Work

13.00 Work

14.00 Work

15.00 Picking up kids and family time

16.00 Family time

17.00 Cooking and eating dinner

18.00 Family time

19.00 Tucking in the kids, kissing my wife and off to Onsdagscruiser!

20.00 Session and shit talk

21.00 Session and shit talk

22.00 Session and shit talk

23.00 Session and shit talk

24.00 Session and more shit talk

01.00 Kissing Katrine while she sleeps and lay in bed for 5 minutes dazed with a smile on my face before passing out.

 

 

How are you doing at the moment? I’m doing good, thanks – Grateful and trying to enjoy every minute.

How is your body at the moment, (injuries, knees, back, and so)? Hmm… Getting older. I have been struggling for years with an old snowboard injury. Nearly crippled myself back in 2001. Shattered my hip and dislocated my leg pretty badly. Doctors said I would never walk again, but hey –who are they to decide? Got a ton of metal in me and lately I have gained even more. Broke my arm at Port4130 in February and had surgery+steel …Stupid arm wouldn’t heal -so in August I had a bone transplant from the good hip and into my arm… You quickly learn to wipe your ass switch. Now I’m healing and training to get the old body back into shape… Got back on the board for the Roundwall bowl grand opening and christmas dinner just a few weeks ago – Felt amazing. Looking forward to a strong 2017. I am extremely blessed with a beautiful wife who is keeping up and taking care through a lot of injury time. Love you honey!

When did you start to skate and why? What tricked you into this? Rode my first skateboard on a small roll-in path by my aunt and uncles house in Nørresundby. It was in the mid-eighties and the board was a green and red Danfornia plastic deck (produced in Denmark in the seventies) which I got from my cousin. I actually still have the board in my garage and it means a lot to me. Got my first proper pro deck in ‘87 I think and from then on I was hooked.

Do you think you made the right choice (instead of playing football FX?)? No doubt! I don’t know what would have happened to me without skateboarding. It formed my life and it still works as a credible spiritual catalyst and a vessel of freedom <3

Anything that influences you at the moment? Anything around me.

Please comment your feelings, memories (if you are that old) & know how about Skateboarding in the

80s: Been

90s There

2000+ Done

2010+ That …and will keep pushing for a bright future!

 

 

Do you feel skateboarding is in a good way? Yes! Anything goes and there is room for everybody. Concrete parks are popping up in every small town and even though my body is getting old and stiff, I still feel this is the best time in my skateboard career.

Where do you stand & please comment with skateboarding in the Olympics? Fine by me. Hopefully it will result in more terrain for all of us and better conditions for the dudes riding the contests.

Where do you stand in terms of politics? Don’t really trust any of them, but my moral and ethics are on the left-wing.

When I chill, I chill with: My family and my Norwegian Forest cat Figaro. Nothing like chilling with a purring cat 😉

I have been on a mission lately in (with): Tenerife with the family celebrating Christmas and surfing.

Dream session would be: With plenty of time, trannies, friends, sunshine and cold beer.

Lately I have been working on: Finishing the Roundwall bowl and getting my broken arm back in shape.

When I was little I would like to, become a police officer because my uncle was a crime investigator and he told the craziest stories. I later changed my mind. J

When I’m home I like to, be present – hang with the family, work on creative projects and cook healthy meals.

I normally call my homies for: Session, beers or both. I often call Jesper Andreasen to plan and discuss new skate terrain.

Your homies are: The entire Roundwall crew: Beub, Nathan, Pauli, K-rad, Den tyk’ slagter, Den tynd’ slagter, Sortsmeden, Sømanden, Bastian, Panteren, Kim Kam, Babak, Kim P, Jimmy fra Hals, Prutten, Anders, Casper, Lasse, Magnus, Mads, Martin, Nick, Per, Dan Gade – also Kong John, Dulli, Bugge, Ronnie and the rest of the OG Aalborg shredders. Damn… I could go on! That’s the beauty of skateboarding. Love you all <3

I enjoy going to, bed

FAVORITS

Beer: Cold and plenty

Wine: Not as cold

Liquor: Careful now

FOOD:

Breakfast: Coffee and eggs

Lunch: Sandwich or salad

Dinner: Homecooked (real) Mexican or Thai.

Late-night snack: Nuts

Resturant: Restaurant Pizza med Is (My kids’ imaginary restaurant – they cook the most funky stuff)

SKATE

Skateboarders: Hard to pick favorites because it changes through time. GT, Raybourn, Oski, Walker …Penny, Cardiel, Stranger, Hewitt, Miller, (insert your own name here)

Skatepark: SSP – Skørping, Denmark

Skate spot: Roundwall – Secret private location 😉

Skate film / clip: I really enjoy watching the old classics – Ban This, Useless Wooden Toys, Video Days and Hokus Pokus gets me all nostalgic, but I also try to keep up with the latest clips. The P-Stone Bru-ray edits always gets me hyped to go skate. Bucky’s new part –OMG, guess I can’t use the “old” excuse anymore?

You fave Tricks: The ones that put a smile on my face.

Culture:

Art: Skate graphics, photography and graffiti

Film: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Coen Brothers / The Big Lebowski, A Clockwork Orange, Requiem for a dream…

Music: Rockmetalnoiserapoldiesstonergaragejazzdeathdakkedak…?

Book: The Disposable Skateboard Bible, Dansk Skateboarding – don’t really read fiction.

City’s: Aalborg (The happiest people of Europe – apparently?), Copenhagen, Malmø,

PEOPLE:

Writers: Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Bukowski, Tarantino

Actors: Nicholson, De Niro, Pacino, Hopkins, Walken, Jackson

Skaters: Just because you are a skater doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a nice person, but it usually goes hand in hand.

Homeboys: All of them

Random’s: Shorty’s

Technology:

Tablet: iPad

TV: Stream it

Camera: DSLR and iPhone

Phone: iPhone

APP: Camera

Car: BMW 320D Touring

Bike: Christiania Bike

When was the last time you really won big time? Few weeks ago when Aalborg Kommune granted Roundwall 80.000 kroner to refurbish our indoor facilities.

When was the time you really lost big time? February 2016 – When I broke my arm.

When I travel, I always bring: Passport, skateboard, toothbrush and a camera.

Best travel advice I can give is: Go for it and get local with an open mind! …but not so open-minded that your brains drop out.

Best life advice I can give is: Enjoy the little things you usually take for granted!!

Are you good with money (do you plan, safe it, cash in or blow it)? Better now than then. Love to spend money on my family and on traveling.

Best travel memory you want to share? I have been traveling a lot and have been living in France, UK and the US. However, one of the best skate-travel experiences must be a trip to Cuba with the family in 2009. I researched the Cuban skate scene (as I always do when I travel) and I realized it is impossible to buy a skateboard in Cuba due to the US trade embargo. Therefore, I persuaded my family not to bring any clothes – instead we filled all of our bags with decks, trucks and wheels. Roughly around 60 boards which I donated to the Cuban skateboarders. I became friends with the grand old man of Cuban skateboarding (Ché) and he helped handing out the boards to the most needed. This gave me an incredible glimpse into the lives of the Cuban skaters. They all treated me like a brother and shoved me the best spots and invited me to their homes. The way they skate have never really been influenced by skate videos or by the marketing of the industry, so I experienced a very pure group of skateboarders who had invented their own tricks and had their own interpretation of what skateboarding should be like = FUN! Spread the gospel…

When I do not skateboard I, do something else.

My fitness program is: Existing and picking up… Unfortunately aging has become an issue, so I have to work harder and eat less to stay fit.

Do you care about your health? Yes!

Anything that concerns you at the moment? Getting fit for snowboarding in a couple of weeks with my wife, kids and friends J Last year I went snowboarding 1 week after surgery in my arm… In retrospect a bold move, but it is just incredible to ride with your kids.

When I get old I want to, rewind and do it all again.

I would NEVER, watch sci-fi, zombie or horror movies.

I would like to see more of: DIY Concrete – Happy to be a small part of the quickly emerging Danish concrete scene that has evolved the last decade.

That one time where I was in jail because of: Luckily I never been to jail- they got the wrong kind of bars in there.

I should do more of, skateboarding and sleeping

My future looks like: Who knows? Hopefully bright…

I dream of some day that I would: …We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us. –Charles Bukowski

On Netflix / YouTube / Internet I watch: Skateboarding, documentaries, and cartoons with the kids.

If I could change the world I would, probably already have done it.

Everybody should own a, concrete float and a trowel.

The hobby I have, no one knows about is, I calculate the most random and irrelevant things and really enjoy it… My wife will be like – ohh, you are at it again J For example I recently found out that I roughly ate 90.720 meters of spaghetti in my life. That’s an average of 250 grams every 2 weeks… Now that is good to know! Other than that, I coach my son’s soccer team, I do graphic design and I play the drums.

I will never get rid of, the ability to really laugh at myself and make a fool out of myself.

I would love to be in a movie with, I am a horrible actor, so probably none.

Any regrets in life so far? Not buying two of all my decks in the eighties and nineties.

I currently follow (social media, instagram twitter, Facebook) Facebook+Instagram but try to spend less time on SoMe and be more present in the moment. Too much noise – not enough content.

Anything else: A six-pack, a bowl and a day off, please.

Random story’s you want to share? A lot. Will tell them next time we meet.

Thanks to The Lodge and all the shredders out there. Keep it spinning!