Skateboarding
Skate Escape: I love Porto
A crew of French rippers enjoy the many assets of Portugal’s second city.
3 min
I Love Porto
A crew of French rippers enjoy the many assets of Portugal’s second city.
A little while ago, a bunch of French skateboarders, comprised of Joseph Biais, Remy Taveira, Thomas Renaux, Benoix Renaux and Vincent Coupeau visited Porto, the second biggest city in Portugal.
Porto
© Alex Pires
The city where the River Douro meets the Atlantic coast has a lot to offer: great wine, wonderful architecture (the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), great food and good spots.
The plan was to skate Porto for five days and then hit Vigo in Spain for four more days of skating, even though Vigo in January didn’t seem the wisest destination if you’re on the look out for dry ground.
Joseph Biais, Frontside Smithgrind
© Alex Pires
Naturally, we had some rain, but the windows of clear skies were filled with high-octane skateboarding, especially after watching Austyn Gillette’s Habitat video to spot all the tricks filmed in Porto.
Vincent Coupeau, Frontside Nosegrind
© Alex Pires
As with every good trip, organisation was key. Luckily, two members of our crew spoke Portuguese – Remi and Alex (the photographer) both have Portuguese roots. Unluckily, it turned out that we rented a two-person apartment, even though there were nine of us – this oversight led to some fun at night when we were trying to sneak past the owner!
Rémy Taveira
© Alex Pires
Porto was charming, even if Vince’s last blindside flip took him the whole day, so we weren’t able to hit any other spots – but, hey, that’s how it goes.
Vincent Coupeau, Backside Flip
© Alex Pires
At least we got to skate a little there, unlike in Spain – a word to the wise, avoid rain-sodden Vigo in January if you want to skate!