Earlier this year, for issue 20.1 of SBC Skateboard Magazine, we caught up with Magnus Hanson and talked about his journey in canadian skateboarding.
After a casual youtube search it was pretty easy to see that you have been filming and ripping pretty hard for at least 15 years now. How have you been able to stay so motivated for so long?
I’ve been lucky enough to always be skating with a group of skaters who are motivated to film constantly, whether we are working a project or not. I honestly just enjoy skating, and going out into the streets has always been part of it.
You grew up skating with a lot of big name Canadian skaters. What was it like? Who had the most influence on you?
It was exciting! A very motivating time, lots of videos to film for and lots of magazines to shoot photos for. The Decenzos and I were 100% skate! It was hard not to progress skating with them. Paul Machnau and Brian Caissie also helped me a lot, but I always wanted to skate like Bradley Sheppard.
I know at first you were shooting straight for the California dream of getting on an American company, was there a certain point that you stopped trying to make it in the states and started doing your own thing in Canada?
I think I could’ve stuck around down there a bit longer, but I found it exhausting. There’s a lot of down time in California and as a Canadian staying in the states, it’s hard to progress your life outside of skateboarding. No school, no work. After the initial trip down south after high school I knew it wasn’t for me. I enjoy trips down there, but only short term.
Watching your part in Digital’s “smoke and mirrors” video from 2008 you were basically skating at a professional level and getting all kinds of coverage. Did you ever think “What more can I do to get on a good company?
It actually might have helped if I skated less!!! Haha. But like i said, I’m not sure I stayed there long enough to find a lane to fit into. I only went down a couple times and knew it wasn’t for me.
I saw that you went to Portugal with RVCA and basically the best/coolest skaters I’ve met across Canada. Tell me a bit about that trip it looked amazing.
Trip of a lifetime! It had been a while since I had left the country to skate, and I forgot that there’s some really amazing spots outside of Vancouver. It was great to reconnect with friends I hadn’t seen in a few years, and to skate with Joey Larock, Nathan Ethier-myette and Eric Lebeau.
Nollie and switch heels definitely came more naturally. The switch flips come and go. I use to try to limit my heel flips, but now I just let em fly!
You varial flipped the infamous “black ice” double set in Vancouver which might be a world record V flip. Can you tell us about that day?
Ryan DeCenzo heel flipped it the same session, he did that about 2 hours earlier than me. I had music playing off the MP3 player when I did it, Maybe the DVS skate more soundtrack (haha!!!!)
Tell me a bit about what you’re up to these days? Anything skate wise coming down the pipeline?
Things are good! I’m just finishing up school to be an electrician. Getting more into snowboarding over the last couple years, not getting any good but I do enjoy it. My friends and I are releasing a short skate project sometime this spring. Always filming for something is a good way to stay motivated.
