Ghana’s first skatepark

Ghana’s first skatepark

Vans is proud to announce the opening of Ghana’s first skatepark on December 15th, supporting The Surf Ghana Collective and the important work they’re doing for the local West African communities.

Photos:Heidi Fachtan

The Freedom Skatepark, located at East Legon, was brought to life in the span of 30 days thanks to the hands-on team of Wonders Around the World, with funding from Vans and support from the teams at Off-White, Daily Paper, SAF Ghana (STL-Amandi Foundation) and Ghanaian spatial design studio, Limbo Accra and Space Accra.

Vans and The Freedom Skatepark initiative intends to organize various art and sporting events, including workshops, mentoring programs, art exhibitions and other skate competitions for the African continent. Further plans include the development of a Wi-Fi Cafe and a skate shop, which is expected to be in full operation by the first quarter of 2022. The mission here is to create and sustain a sports infrastructure by involving the youth at every stage to provide job opportunities in various sectors such as sports and tourism for them to excel.

Freedom Skatepark is a beautiful park, spanning 500 m2 in the heart of Accra, located at Shiashie in the East Legon vicinity. The design of Freedom Skatepark, spearheaded by the incredible team at Wonders Around the World, is a truly unique space including the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol “Fawohodie”, which represents independence, freedom and emancipation. This skatepark intends to soon become a home for the youth to truly and freely express themselves.

Vans is working with The Surf Ghana Collective to ensure skateboarding and surfing are as accessible as possible for the local community. The first phase of the partnership kicks off with the build of The Freedom Skatepark and the next phase will be via the development of a surf community hub.

Future goals for the brand include support for the surf community in Busua with a similar program. This kicked off in 2021 for Vans Checkerboard Day in partnership with JUJU Surf Club and with co-founder and Vans team rider Mikey February, who provided surf lessons and inspiration to the local community. Vans continues to support youth culture by enabling creative self-expression through action sports and is helping lay the foundations for future generations in Africa.

To find out more information about Freedom Skatepark, please visit freedomskatepark.org.

Silver Linings Episode 4 – DURBAN

Silver Linings Episode 4 – DURBAN

Every surfer has a home break that has shaped their surfing. For Jordy Smith, without Durban, he wouldn't be the progressive surfer he is today. It is no doubt that Durban’s punchy beach breaks and rip bowls are responsible for the versatile and high-performance surfing Jordy has done throughout his surfing career. Not to mention, when Durban turns on and the sandbars make up the freight train running right-hand barrels, you know Jordy will be out there hunting down the wave of the day. 

Unfortunately for Jordy, (what he thought was) the wave of the day ended up costing him a serious knee injury which would later force him to pull out from the Olympics and the 2021 World Title Race. Stay tuned for Episode 5 to follow along through Jordy's recovery. 'Silver Linings' is a series starring Jordy Smith. The episodic journey covers the incredible highs and devastating lows Jordy experienced in his life over the past 18 months. From entering fatherhood to scoring the best waves he's seen at home, to facing a near career-ending injury forcing him to pull out of the Olympics, this series documents the rollercoaster ride Jordy has been on and the 'Silver Linings' that he encounters within his journey.

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SURF CHAMPS IN THE SWISS ALPS!

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL SURF CHAMPS IN THE SWISS ALPS!

As snow descended from the heavens, the inaugural Alaïa Open Winter Cup 2021 faced many tests. Would the international field of surfers be able to withstand the 3ºC (38.3F) water temperature? Would the innovative format being introduced actually work? Would competitors be able to get out of bed after the huge DJ party planned for Saturday night?
To learn these answers and much more, watch this – you won’t be disappointed.

Win a Mystic Deluxe Explore Poncho

Win a Mystic Deluxe Explore Poncho

Win a Mystic Deluxe Explore Poncho


Windproof and water repellent with snug fleece inner lining, waterproof outer, a tough front zip closure, waterproof inside chest pocket these are perfect for the British and Irish winter, and let’s face it, most of summer!

Not only are they great for changing Mystics carseat protection fabric allows you to jump straight in the car and not have to worry about soggy seats!


They are £94.95, mysticboarding.com but we have three to give away!

To win
Head to our insta post here

TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge

TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge

Competition got underway bright and early yesterday morning at Nazaré’s Praia do Norte for the World Surf League (WSL) TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge presented by Jogos Santa Casa. A beautiful sunny day and clean, offshore 40-to-50 foot bombs set the scene for what would be an epic showcase of the world’s best big wave surfers pushing the performance bar in Portugal.

Lucas Chianca (BRA) was quick to set the scale on the very first wave of the event, fading right with a 360 spin in the middle of the wave face before racing on a high line on the left to score a nice barrel vision. His compatriot Pedro Scooby (BRA) was hands down the most impressive surfer out in the lineup in the first half of the day as he set himself up for the biggest, deepest barrels, and eventually scored a clean exit with the spit to take the top spot on the leaderboard after the first three heats, courtesy of a near-perfect 9.50 score (out of a possible 10).
“It was a crazy heat,” Scooby said. “We chose the wrong waves at the beginning and I was going crazy but Nic (Von Rupp) calmed me down and ended up putting me on a bomb. His driving put me in the perfect spot and I just did the rest, the barrel was really good.”

Andrew Cotton on a bomb above.

Kai Lenny (HAW) did his part of the job to take his duo up top the team leaderboard, scoring some nice rides on the lefts of Nazaré but not quite managing to find the hollow sections his partner Chianca was all over.

“It’s so much fun out there, two heats is just not enough,” Lenny said. “Our first heat ended chaotically but that’s why we come here, to charge. The second was better, Lucas got such a nice wave. It’s not massive but it’s always big in Nazaré.”

On the women’s side of the draw, Justine Dupont (FRA, above) held the lead after her first two sessions with good waves but was on the wrong end of an interference call which opened the door for her opponents Maya Gabeira (BRA) and Michelle des Bouillons (BRA) in their second go at the Portuguese lineup.
Des Bouillons stayed extremely busy in the lineup, surfing maybe the most rides out of the field but struggled to find the deep sections and was always a little away on the shoulder, hindering her scores. 

“It was amazing,” Des Bouillons stated. “It’s really pretty out there but a lot harder than it looks. There’s a lot of bumps so I tried to control as much as I could and I’m happy with my performance.”

When the dust settled on the six, 50-minute heats, the leaderboard standings post first round remained accurate as Lucas Chianca (BRA) walked away with the Men’s Best Performance award for his ferocious attack of the big lefts earlier this morning. Towed in by his partner, and 2020 winner Kai Lenny (HAW), the Brazilian rising star of the big wave world got his time to shine and stepped up with a massive performance.

“It’s an honor to be towing and be Kai’s partner,” Chianca said. “He definitely put me on the best waves of the day for sure and we did our best out there. This is one of the best performances of my life and I’m so stoked.”

The pair successfully defended their 2020 title as the combined efforts of Lenny and Chianca once again put their team atop the leaderboard for the Best Team Performance award.

“It’s a dream-come-true working with someone like Lucas (Chianca) because we’re so like-minded,” Lenny added. “We go out and we know the exact waves we want and we’re trying to push our performance as far as we can in the airs, barrels and turns, and we’re just having so much fun out there.”

Despite a close call in her second heat, with the interference that could have cost her the victory, Justine Dupont (FRA) also managed to retain her title. Her attack of the rights and lefts, carving on the massive wave faces proved once again unmatchable as she claimed back-to-back Women’s Best Performance award.

“This is definitely team work and Pierre (Rollet) was amazing,” Dupont said. “We started coming here to Nazaré together a long time ago so it was awesome to partner with him today and with Fredo on the safety ski. We had so many friends around and it was just so sick to have all our favorite people there to share this.”

Pressure was definitely palpable in the final heat of the day as Pedro Scooby (BRA) was chasing a relatively low score to push his name and his team atop the leaderboard. The bomb he needed unfortunately never manifested and he had to settle for the second spot in the individual rankings. 
But the Brazilian powerhouse’s morning exploits, scoring the deepest tubes and taking maximum risks to put himself in the sketchiest sections won him the Jogos Santa Casa Most Committed Award.

“It was a beautiful day in Nazaré, I love this place,” Scooby said. “Nic (Von Rupp) deserves a lot of credit for this win, I’m just here to have fun, I don’t have the same level of focus that they have. He pushes me a lot and I really enjoyed being out there.” 

Maya Gabeira on fire above.

With the TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge pres. by Jogos Santa Casa completed yesterday, the best big wave surfers on the planet will now shift their focus to the Pacific and track swells around Hawaii in anticipation of the Quiksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge presented by TUDOR.

The TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge pres. by Jogos Santa Casa is proudly supported by TUDOR, Jogos Santa Casa, Red Bull, Corona, Hertz, MEO, Portuguese Waves, Visit Portugal, Oeste Portugal, and Nazaré City Council.
The TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Presented by Jogos Santa Casa was broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and YouTube, as well as the free WSL app. The same platforms offer an array of replay content, from the full day of action to cutdowns of the best action, highest scores, interviews and more.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.