DOUBLE COVER!
For the first time in 15 years, this issue of Slam was printed with two cover shots. Jedd McKenzie’s frontside air on a rusty steel structure in Newcastle, and Jedd’s stalefish on the refurbished Hardcore bowl.

This giant steel section is part of a beastly boring machine called Kathleen, used to dig Sydney’s Metro rail tunnel beneath the Harbour. Masquerading as “steelworks archivists” to scope the spot and get the backstory, JEDD MCKENZIE and his crew discovered the only day the workers knocked off early was on Sunday afternoons.

They had 40 minutes of daylight before the sun laid itself to rest – to sneak in, skate it, and shoot the shot before it was annihilated. Jedd frontside airs on a thin strip of steel transition – rest in peace Kathleen – may your destruction become another skateable creation. PHOTO: RIELY WALKER

And to celebrate 50 Years of Hardcore, the Hardcore indoor bowl was given a facelift, pool coping, and a lick of blue for JEDD MCKENZIE to blast a stalefish off the new extension into the corner.

50 YEARS OF HARDCORE
Hardcore hit a massive half-century milestone and have released an epic new book: Hardcore – 50 Years of Skateboarding in Australia, published by Thames & Hudson­ – 480-page 100 per cent skateboarding tome dedicated to Hardcore and the multitude of skateboarders they’ve supported along the way. We chat with Jason Boulter to discuss the new book, working for Hardcore and Globe and tracking down an elusive photo of the first 900 in the southern hemisphere.

GEOFF CAMPBELL’S NIKE SB AUSTRALIA VIDEO
Come behind the scenes with one of Australia’s finest skateboarding filmmakers as Nick Boserio finds out what really goes into making a skate video. It’s a glimpse into the process behind the lens, where friendships, road trips, and the search for the next unforgettable spot are as important as the footage itself. Read on for more and check out the incredible selection of snaps capturing some of the tricks from Geoff Campbell’s next classic.

EETU TOROPAINEN INTERVIEW
The 23-year-old hailing from Helsinki on his recent Australian adventure. We cover camping in the Aussie bush with Pass~Port; a surprise snake under his pillow; the unlikely companionship he found with Callum Paul; Eetu throwing out a bit of Aussie slang in his sweet Finnish accent; hollow legs to make room for his endless appetite; and scoring $50 cash, and pizza, for a trick from a random dude in Canberra. Dig in!

ASICS AUSTRALIAN CRAWL
With Asics Skateboarding leaving its infancy and approaching toddler status, it was time for us to crawl and see the world. Come on the crawl on Aussie terrain with Simon Bannerot, Emile Laurent, Alan Bell, Kyonosuke Yamashita, Dougie George, Jeremiah Corea, Tai Wepa, Kalem Beange and Kieran Woolley.

DYLAN DONNINI HIGH FIVES
Dylan gets the Slam High Fives treatment, covering everything from the wildest moments he’s witnessed at his second home, Five Dock Park, his all-time favourite videos, to roof-to-roof missions in New Zealand, underrated skaters, travel stories, pet peeves, and the things skateboarding could probably do with a little more – and a little less – of.