SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE

SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE - Stickers from 1980s CalStreets Vancouver VIP COLLECTORSSKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE BANQUET AND AWARDS MARCH 27 1980 NEWPORT BEACH CALSTREETS VIP COLLECTION VANCOUVERSkateBoarder Magazine: The OG Ride!

Let’s roll back to the mid-’60s and drop in on some skate history. Before you could pop an ollie or shred a backyard pool, The Quarterly Skateboarder was already holding it down. Launched in 1964 by Surfer Publications, this mag was the first of its kind in the US—America’s original skate bible. Its maiden cover even featured Dave Hilton, repping Hobie Super Surfer style.

But, like a quick session cut short by security, The Quarterly Skateboarder only dropped four issues before folding when the first skate boom fizzled. Fast-forward to 1975, and the magazine got resurrected as SkateBoarder just in time for the second wave of skate mania. From slalom and freestyle to the earliest sparks of vertical skating, it was all captured in glossy pages by legendary photographers like Glen E. Friedman and Jim Goodrich. These were the days when you’d spot SkateBoarder repping on the racks at every 7-Eleven across Cali.

As the scene progressed from mellow sidewalk surfing to gnarlier pool sessions, SkateBoarder tried to keep up with the changing vibes. Back then, a lot of folks couldn’t even find a rad local park to skate, but the mag pumped out dope shots of dudes killing it in massive concrete bowls. The bigger the sport got, though, the more the mag struggled to juggle the mainstream side and the new punk rock, anti-establishment energy of street and backyard ramp skating.

In 1980, they pivoted hard—changing the name to Action Now—and featured other sports like roller skating and BMX. Not everyone was stoked on that shift, and by ’82, the mag was done.

Years later, they tried revivals—guest editors like Tony Hawk came in with big ideas—but eventually, in August 2013, the last print and digital copies of SkateBoarder rolled off into the sunset. Still, the magazine’s legacy stands: it was the skate world’s first real voice, capturing the whole evolution from smooth sidewalk surfing to rebel ramp ripping. It laid the foundation for every skate rag that followed, and it’s the reason we talk about skate magazines like we do today. SkateBoarder Magazine was the real deal, the one that started it all.

No products were found matching your selection.