Barcelona may be known for its smooth ground, blue skies and perfect ledges, Berlin may be the new hot spot - but New York still is New York. That's why successful skateboard photographer Eric Mirbach joined some of Germany's top skaters in the Big Apple. Here in the Bronx, skater Ben Wessler picked a fight with the street - and lost.
The Bronx Courthouse is a "bust" (in skate lingo that means you likely will be kicked out in a few minutes). So Tom Kleinschmidt and photographer Eric Mirbach stuck to the backside of the courthouse in order to stay away from the main street. Tom decided to skate up rather than down, doing a trick called Wallie 5-0. They were lucky and didn't see any officers that day.
Another bust spot for Kleinschmidt. This abandoned mall in Queens was all boarded up, but still had a rather unfriendly security guard to look after the premises. When Kleinschmidt's first attempt wasn't successful, he crossed the street for some greasy French fries. Then he and Mirbach took a stroll around the block, waited another 10 minutes and went back to get this shot of a Crailslide.
Patrick Lindenberger prefers the rougher spots in New York. This shot shows him and his weapon of choice. He was waiting here to meet up with the other German skaters for a coffee in Brooklyn before hitting the streets for a full day of tricks and bruises.
Stephan Günther (aka Günni) is a skater who can deal with any terrain - he'll always come up with something great. This spot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn had close to no run-up, a sketchy landing with trucks passing by non-stop, and had to be approached from a strange angle. Günni did the job, though, and rolled away clean.
Another man down. Danny Sommerfeld battled with a well-known stair spot, smack in the projects of Alphabet City, Manhattan. After more than an hour of trying and not being able to find the right approach, Sommerfeld had to give up. The impact was hard too to handle and the trick not an easy one to roll away clean in a couple of tries. Sommerfeld had a hard time walking for a few days after that.
Photographer Mirbach found this spot in Brooklyn by chance and had a feeling it might be just the thing for Fabian Lang to pull off a Switch Frontside Noseslide. This ledge came up to his bellybutton, but since Fabian has a lot of "pop" (that is, the ability to jump high on a skateboard), Mirbach was sure he would make it.
With the view over Midtown Manhattan, this barrier spot in Greenpoint, Brooklyn turned into the crew's daily hangout. They were staying in a place right up the street and started their days with a view over the East River. When Lucas Fiederling came to town, he instantly adopted the hangout and Mirbach captured the skater's very own postcard to send home. A Frontside Feeble with a view.
Successful skateboard photographer Eric Mirbach joined some of Germany's top skaters in the world's skate capital: New York City.
Successful skateboard photographer Eric Mirbach joined some of Germany's top skaters in the world's skate capital: New York City.
