Why you should watch King of the Road even if you don’t skateboard

For years since the 1970s, skateboarding has been an underground culture that has slowly risen to a worldwide phenomenon that it is today. Even with all the increased publicity that skateboarding has received with certain reality shows and officially becoming a new summer Olympic sport, there is still a stigma that surrounds it. This leaves skateboarding in an underground state of mind which purists might prefer. 

The saying “skateboarding is a crime” is something that these purists take pride in. Many skateboarders claim that the Olympics is not a place for skating and believe that it is more of an art than a sport. There is truth behind that belief.

A skater can do very technical tricks but it can have little respect by other skaters if it is not done with style compared to a trick as simple as a kick-flip with style. Style in skateboarding relates mostly to the comfortability a skater has with a trick and having great body control while skating. This is one reason why contests are looked down upon by peers in the industry along with the fact there are numerous styles out there that also depend on the multiple types of skateboarding. The solution to this debate? Enter Thrasher Magazine’s King of the Road.

For over 30 years, Thrasher Magazine has been coveted by skaters as the bible of skateboarders worldwide. In 2003, the magazine started King of the Road, a cross-country scavenger hunt between 3 or 4 different skate companies and 5 of their team riders whom which they are free to choose. The concept was originally created by longtime photographer for the magazine Michael Burnett. These skaters are joined by their team manager, videographer, and photographer to complete challenges related to skateboarding and other forms of sadistic hijinx. Some of these challenges include extremely difficult tricks, skating naked, making out with a variety of women, random piercings, ridiculous hair styles, and even drinking urine. Did I mention that this isn’t a kids’ show? The team that wins is rewarded with a cash prize along with the cover of Thrasher Magazine.

Last year for the very first time in the history of the contest, ViceLand has turned this into a reality show adding more documentation to the torturous road that the skaters must endure. I did imply before that reality shows are not popular among this skateboarders but I believe this one is different than ones made before. Along with the teams taking part in the contest, the show stars Burnett, Jake Phelps the editor in chief of the magazine and Andy Roy longtime pro skater as well as the man who attempted to hug DMX and lived (worth looking up on YouTube, the whole situation was hilarious). With these legends running the whole show who have devoted their whole lives to skateboarding, you cannot go wrong when trying to keep this show true to the skateboarding and the overall essence of it.

For people that don’t skateboard, this gives you an inside look at what the life of a skater is like to an extent and the reckless lives that they live. What I believe is the reason that most people don’t pay attention to skateboarding is the fact that most of the films that document skating only show the end of what these skaters work for and how they revolve their lives around these tricks. King of the Road gives those who don’t pay attention to it an exclusive inside look at the brutal process of slamming and hurting themselves just to get a single trick as well as the overall lifestyle of the culture. Most skaters travel around the country in a regular old van packed with up to 12 or 15 guys embarking on an adventure to put out some amazing skateboarding content. That is exactly what King of the Road is, an adventure. It not only shows the amazing places that these skaters get to see every year, but it also documents the hardships and the adversity that they face as well as the bonds that they share with each other all to keep the true spirit of skateboarding alive. They will go through any amount of excruciating pain to reach their goals and to

Most skaters travel around the country in a regular old van packed with up to 12 or 15 guys embarking on an adventure to put out some amazing skateboarding content. That is exactly what King of the Road is, an adventure. It not only shows the amazing places that these skaters get to see every year, but it also documents the hardships and the adversity that they face as well as the bonds that they share with each other all to keep the true spirit of skateboarding alive. They will go through any amount of excruciating pain to reach their goals and to them it is driven all in the name of having fun. It may be labelled as their profession but to them, this is their passion and is all about the joy that it brought them when they first started to skate, even if it may be their jobs now. It really is all about having fun to these professionals. This is the message that I believe King of the Road sends to us.