For years, European tours by US pro teams were a regular occurrence during the summer months. They were always super sick, as you could finally watch your Californian heroes cope with all the rough German spots! Not to mention, you could personally talk to your favorite pros, get an autograph, and maybe even score some free stuff from the events. Sadly, times are changing, and social media allows brands to get their skaters close to fans for a fraction of the tour costs. Regardless, even in 2019, a handshake with Chris Joslin is a hell of a lot more interesting than pressing a like button. During the second week of July, the Etnies crew came to Stuttgart and Munich for the (Ger)manic Tour. In addition to demos and Titus shop visits, the guys destroyed some of the most famous street spots in both cities. We checked out the action in Stuttgart.
Etnies (Ger)manic Tour | Stuttgart
Chris Joslin & Co on tour in Germany
The fact that being a pro skater can be really hard work could easily be seen on Saturday in Stuttgart. The Etnies team had just got off the plane that morning and anyone who has ever flown across the pond knows how terrible jet lag can be. In this state, even the simplest tricks are challenging. However, this just doesn’t seem to apply to Chris Joslin. After checking into the hotel, it was like 10 minutes before he was back downstairs popping kickflips! This dude doesn’t stop. Trevor McClung and Matt Berger also headed right to skate at Paulinenkirche, but it was understandable that everyone was a bit tired. A lively session still kicked off and new team rider Nassim Lechab impressed with some technical lines.
After the session, we headed to Titus Stuttgart where beer and pizza were waiting for the pros. In front of the shop, the Titus guys had set up a jump ramp and a little session popped off with kids blasting airs. Joslin also seemed to think it looked fun and hyped up the crowd with a big benihana. Barney Page then had the idea to make a wallride over a nearby window, further making the crowd and spectators go wild.
For pretty much any normal person, the jet lag-filled day should have been over by now. Not for Joslin. Earlier, he had been eyeing a 10 stair at the Paulinenkirche spot before the shop visit and apparently still felt the need for destruction. Nassim was also down to skate it, but the 10 stair alone would have been just too “boring”. So, a construction barrier was added at the bottom to make it that much gnarlier. First, Joslin shot a heelflip and a varial heelflip down the stairs in quick succession. He actually did this several times so filmer Mike Manzoori could film two different angles. Nassim only needed a few tries to stomp a huge frontside flip and the destruction was finally over. It was impressive to see the work ethic of all the guys that day. I can’t remember the last time I watched a team go so hard on only the first day of a Euro tour!
