There was only one left! Thanks to Christian Alexander’s help, I got ahold of Tanner Van Vark to close out the Three Seasons interviews!

I called him up to chat about his latest part, what went into some of these clips, and how he got so good at Wallies. 

🌀: Yo what’s up Tanner! Thanks for being down to chat.

Yeah for sure, no worries!

🌀: The Three Seasons video dropped a few days ago, how does it feel for it to be all done and out there?

It feels good. Pat, Gage, and I had all accumulated footage so we decided to do this project. We were planning to release it around November, but Skater Of The Year time got pretty hectic. I’m pretty stoked on the timing and everything.

🌀: Yeah, SOTY season gets really busy. Once Jan 23rd was set in stone were you nervously counting down the days?

I actually didn’t even know the date of when it was coming out until a couple of days before. It was fun doing the premieres, I already kind of had those reactions and everything.

🌀: Did you make it out to all three of the premieres?

Yeah, Jack and I did all three.

🌀: Sick! How did they compare to one another? 

It was super cool, they were all pretty similar. It was funny, in Simi Valley everybody was stoked for Gage and at the Minnesota one everybody was cheering when a Minnesota clip would come up. Definitely different vibes in that way.

🌀: That’s sick, I love that people were hyped for their hometown spots haha. Was it cool for you to have your friends from home make it out to that Minnesota premiere?

Yeah, we have a solid crew back in Minnesota, so everybody showed up. I had my dog there, a big chunk of my family there, and the shop was completely filled up, so it was a good showing. It’s a new shop too, so it was good to have an event there.

🌀: Yeah, everybody always says that a shop should be somewhere for people to hang out, so having a premiere is perfect.

Yeah, it turned out pretty perfect, it was fun.

🌀: Let’s dive into your part a bit; is there one trick in there that stands out to you that you’re hyped on?

The 50-50 Back 180 Switch 50 on that up-flat-down yellow rail, pretty hyped on that one. That was a fantasy trick for a while and I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on that so that one stands out a lot.

🌀: That’s a really cool pick, I’ve seen that trick done before on skatepark flat bars, but I don’t ever remember it going down in the streets.

Yeah, I’m not sure. That spot helped for sure, since the rail goes down.

🌀: Did you go there with that trick in mind?

Yeah, I’ve always wanted to do that and knew that it got unknobbed, so it was good timing. I’m not sure what the status is right now on the knobs though. 

🌀: Kyle Walker had a trick on that spot a while back, right?

I think so, maybe Boardslide to Feeble or something?

🌀: Yeah, that’s right. What about the song you skated to, was that something you picked?

Tim and everybody handled that. I had two or three songs that we tried to submit but they didn’t work out. We almost had one really good one that I was stoked on. I just trusted Tim to handle that stuff and I’m pretty stoked on how it turned out.

🌀: As far as the songs that didn’t end up working out; were those songs that you found and passed along to Tim?

It was a random song in my playlist that I really like and thought would work good for skating. We almost had it but it was a collaboration with another band, so it didn’t work out.

🌀: Ah gotcha. It’s such a bummer that the music situation is such a hassle.

Yeah, movies spend thousands of dollars for those songs, so it’s all over the industry, it’s a problem everywhere I feel like. 

🌀: Yeah. Let’s chat about Pat and Gage’s parts; if you could steal one trick/clip from each of them, what would it be?

Obviously, Gage’s Kickflips. He’s got the most solid Kickflip. Pat’s Back Overcrooks or how he does Front Shuv 50s, he does those really consistently at skateparks and it’s insane. That trick looks so cool. 

🌀: Those are some good ones. Pat actually picked Gage’s Kickflips as well, which doesn’t surprise me, I think everyone is jealous of his flick. 

Yeah, when we’re at skateparks he’ll spend like 10 minutes just doing Kickflips, it’s super funny.

🌀: Haha, I would too. Both Gage and Pat answered this question by saying your Wallies/Wallie Blunts; how did you get so good at those?

It was never something I pursued. Wallie Boardslides made sense to me, then it progressed to Wallie Blunts and all that. I didn’t realize that it was something that other people weren’t doing, those tricks just work for me. If I can take the easy route sometimes, I’ll do those tricks. Not trying to say that in a cocky way, but yeah, I never really sat down and pursued that trick, they’ve always just worked naturally. 

🌀: Was there a good Hubba to learn those tricks on at your local park growing up?

Not really honestly. The only hubba that made me realize how to do Wallie tricks is the hubba at the PHX AM park. It clicked in my head because it’s kind of a bank, it’s not too steep, it’s mellow enough to kick-turn and work with.

🌀: That makes sense! I thought it was sick that you had a bunch of NY footage in this part, do you have any standout story from the time that you spent out there?

It was my first time out there. We were out there for a solid week and had an airbnb. I’d say having Hermann (Stene) in town was the best memory out of it all. It wasn’t too stressful or anything like it is driving around in LA. We were just taking the subway and skating around.

🌀: Yeah, just cruising around the city looks amazing. How was it skating that square rail that’s on the tiles? I’ve heard that it can get really windy over there.

I don’t remember that spot being super windy, but there’s a skatepark a couple of blocks away and it was really windy there that day. It was October or November, so fall was creeping in.

🌀: True. Another clip that I want to hear about is the Back 3 over the table, is that an ode to Kirchart?

That’s funny you noticed that, that’s exactly what that was.

🌀: I can’t take credit, to be honest, Christian pointed that one out to me haha. How did that come about?

We randomly went to that spot and I was trying to figure out something to do. It was one of those things where it didn’t seem like that crazy of a trick, but it’s an ode to Heath so I was like “We might as well just film this.” 

🌀: That’s cool. Were there any other tribute tricks in your part?

The C rail that I Front Boarded where I roll away in between Tim and Morf. I don’t think anyone has hit that since Dylan Boardslid it.

🌀: Some people might notice things like that immediately, and others might hear about it after the fact, but it’s sick to have something like that in a part. It’s like a little story.

Yeah, 100%. My brother and I really like the Alien Workshop video, so even the Jake Johnson wallride was a must-hit spot in New York. 

🌀: That’s classic. I was tripping on how a car honks in the clip of your Switch Wallride Half Cab haha

Oh, I don’t even remember that. I think on the try before I hit the car that was sitting there. We were getting the boot, just pushing the security guard off.

🌀: Ah just one last try?

Yeah, that sort of deal.

🌀: Another answer that Pat gave when I asked him about a trick of yours that he wishes he could do is your Back 180 Switch 50. How did that one get in your bag? You don’t see that trick too often, especially down a rail…

I’m not good at flip tricks into grinds, so my whole thing with skating is trying to find tricks that people aren’t exploring. I trust my 50’s a lot. That’s just a trick I don’t see ever, it’s kind of in my bag but I’ve never done it on a handrail. I like to run that trick, it kind of works for me.

🌀: It’s a sick one. Do you aim to lock in on your heels or is it just whatever happens?

I put the nose on first and then the back truck on as soon as possible. You hear the trick more than anything.

🌀: That’s crazy. It’s almost like you just think Back 180 Nosegrind but press it down?

Yeah, for sure. It’s all about awareness of where your trucks are going, trusting, and throwing your weight into it once you know where you are.

🌀: Yeah, I see what you mean, that’s gnarly though. Pat was saying he’s tried it but hasn’t figured it out yet. I can picture him doing it though, since he’s good at Back 180 Nosegrinds.

Yeah, it’s a weird one. You don’t ollie as you think, it’s almost all scoop basically.

🌀: That sounds crazy. Let’s go behind the scenes on the Wallie 180 Fakie 5-0 all the way around down the blue hubba. How did that one come about, did you have that in mind for a while or was it more so you were in Miami and it just happened?

I think it was more just that we didn’t really have a true ender to the video and that was one of the better tricks I’ve done. It’s a trick I’ve never seen before, so again, just trying to explore and find tricks that are new to me.

🌀: Yeah, I’ve seen people do the Wallie 180 Fakie 5-0 Half Cab out, where they go back to straight, but definitely haven’t seen anyone go all the way around as you did. I remember seeing the sequence of it in Thrasher and tripping out on it, it made me excited to see the footage.

Yeah, for sure. I literally write down tricks on a list, that was one of them and I just thought it would work on that hubba. A lot of my tricks are just connecting the right spot to the trick.

🌀: Yeah that makes sense. Especially with Wallies, there are only specific hubbas that work for them. Did the blue hubba work pretty well to Wallie into?

Yeah, it’s hard to find hubbas that are tall enough to Wallie into. It’s just about finding the right dimensions, and that’s a really mellow hubba compared to most. 

🌀: Yeah, it looks tall and short.

It’s one of those spots that’s like a skatepark.

🌀: Did you have to work pretty hard to get that one?

It was an hour or so. I broke my tail on the try before so I was skating my board backward. It was definitely a little battle for sure.

🌀: That’s funny because Pat skated his board backward for his ender too.

Oh, I didn’t know that, that’s crazy, wow. Holy shit.

🌀: Two enders in the video were done with backward boards, that’s so random.

That’s pretty hilarious. Another side note on Pat and broken boards; he had a board with a cracked tail and he was super convinced that it was working really well for Front Shuv 50s and that’s when he did it down Muirlands. He said he liked how the cracked board popped, it was the craziest thing ever. I’m 90% sure that was the case.

🌀: What?! That’s wild. I might have to hit him up for confirmation on that.

Yeah, ask him about that one. I remember him skating at a park with it the day before and he was like “I can not break this thing, it’s working so well.” He’s crazy man.

🌀: Yeah that seems insane to be thinking about skating a cracked board while you’re skating a huge rail.

Yeah, he knows his set up though so he knows what’s good.

🌀: Yeah, I remember in this day in the life video for Thunder he does Front Shuv 50 down that Manhattan Beach rail, at the time I was tripping that he’d do something that gnarly for a day in the life kind of video.

Yeah, he’s fucked. He’s one of the hardest-working dudes that I’ve seen in person.

🌀: That’s sick. Is that how this video came about, from the three of you just being out together all the time?

We just work really well together, we’re all pretty good friends. I’ve known Gage since he was 10 or 11 because he’d come out for King Of The Groms at 3rd Lair all the time. Pat was just a best friend from day one type of deal.

🌀: That’s the best. Gage and I were talking about the relationship that you all have with Tim and how cool it is that you guys can trust him with things like a song choice while working together on a project like this. 

Yeah, we all work really well together and are having fun, it’s cool.

🌀: So now that this video is out, is there another project on the horizon?

It sounds corny, but we’re all really hyped to start fresh and try to do better than the last time. Once we start getting some momentum going the vibes will be a lot better than they were when the video was wrapping up a few months ago.

🌀: Yeah, now you don’t have to worry about not repeating tricks, you got a clean slate.

Yeah. My brain is used to putting out footage every two years, it’s just how it’s been my entire life. You just gotta refresh every two years.

🌀: Exactly. You got any trips planned?

Just Tampa and then maybe go down to Miami.

🌀: Miami seems like a hot spot recently, lots of sick spots out there.

Yeah, it’s amazing out there. The weather is chillin all year long, it’s a good winter spot. That’s my Minnesota brain talking, I live in LA, what am I saying. 

🌀: Hahaha. That’s exciting, looking forward to whatever’s next. I appreciate you taking the time to do this! 

Yeah for sure, thank you!