All photos: Brian Caissie

In this case, one thing certainly led to another, and the fact that Daylight Savings Time was scheduled to end late in the evening only prolonged the party. Although I'm harvesting a moustache, which is a daily costume in itself, I didn't break my cardinal rule of not dressing up when it's not Halloween. However, November 1st marked the 2nd Bowl Series Halloween skate jam at Leeside—a DIY concrete skate haven near the PNE [Pacific National Exhibition] in Vancouver. The abandoned transit tunnel project—located beneath East Hastings Street at Hwy #1—has been unofficially sanctioned by the city as a skate spot, and it saw record attendance on this particular post-Halloween evening.

"I didn't know Lee [Matasi], but I have respect for any skater that moved a lot of people, and I think it's sick that a lot of people came out to this event to support skateboarding, and most importantly Lee, who's somewhere else. If he was here, he'd be right in this jam, and he'd be so stoked," says Sascha Daley, commenting on the late Lee Matasi (1981-2005, RIP), who initially discovered Leeside as a place to paint and skate, and inspired the skate community's continued positive evolution of the tunnel project.

The Leeside Jam
The setting on November 1st was nothing short of highly entertaining in every aspect. Rainy Vancouver skies had no dampening effect at all, and the view from the tunnel's north end was the skyline of Fright Nights, where the 50 year-old wooden roller coaster, the Hellevator, and haunted houses were lit up for the PNE Playland's final evening of the year. The Leeside setup is in the best shape it's ever been in, and was fully swept and well lit for the event. There are new hand-made concrete formations, the session was heated, and the costumes were hilarious. Bowl Series henchman, Seb Templer, was the Master of Ceremonies for the event, which served as the 14th Bowl Series wrap party, and the prelude to the Independent Truck Company's 30th Anniversary Vancouver bash. Seb donned the Leatherface outfit from Texas Chainsaw Massacre as an ode to his love of classic horror films, which included a functioning gas powered chainsaw (minus the chain, of course). The ski-masked Barrier Kult horde were present, attacking Leeside's modified barriers. They also held a séance to usher forth the new BA.KU wood, by Skull Skates, which had recently been crafted, added to the Kult's quiver of weaponry, and released for public consumption. Barry Walsh and Marc Tison—veteran Montreal Big O soldiers and Skull Skates affiliates—were in attendance, and shook off the plane-legs on Leeside's ‘crete.

While wallrides were reaching the highest heights, the constant barrage of firecrackers going off inside the tunnel certainly made things interesting. Not until the very end of the jam did a single police cruiser pull up, despite the constant echoes of what sounded like amplified machine gun fire. After heavy sulfur inhalation and dodging a ruthless swarm of short-fused bottle rockets, it was time to dive into Part 2 of the evening: The Independent Truck Co.'s 30th Anniversary Vancouver party at The Sweatshop.

The Indy Party
"I find it difficult to do it justice and not just re-hash everything that's already been said about Independent," explains Jim Fenton, the Independent brand manager (he's also the Momentum brand manager) for Canada through Ultimate Distribution. "I could go on for days about how they're the best trucks in the world, the legends that have ridden and continue to ride the trucks, and how the brand is not just a truck company, but a lifestyle."

It's really a no-brainer to git ‘er goin' for the iconic truck brand, which I consider the Harley Davidson of skate steel. Hilarity ensued as the pickled survivors of the Leeside jam shuffled in and B-lined it to the bar for a Pilsner cold can (and a complimentary Indy coozie), then straight over to the flatbottomless mini-ramp. There was a rare sighting on the ramp in the form of Indy pro, Chris Haslam. He came out to celebrate by doing some skating—a treat for anyone to witness (check him out in the latest Globe United by Fate video #4, and the Independent 30th Anniversary 2008 summer tour video).

Jim Fenton, the party planner, was sure to fasten a "free everything" bracelet to my wrist, which only blurred matters further. Thanks, Jim. MC Cyrus Thiedeke was entertaining the crowd and handing out free Indy goods while the Independent Anniversary tour video was projected in large scale on the wall. Stimuli was at an all-time high when the mini-ramp was in jam mode, and Pride Tiger later took the adjacent sound stage at midnight. Fortunately for me, a very sober Push.ca/skateboarding photo editor, Brian Caissie, drove me home right before I was about to climb that proverbial fence of no return.

A special thanks goes out to Independent, NHS, Jim Fenton, Ultimate, Pilsner, the Bowl Series hombres and all their supporting sponsors; all the costumed skaters in attendance; the dudes that turn bags of cement into raw gold down at Leeside, and Lee Matasi (RIP) for seeing the potential of the Leeside tunnel long ago. Also, thanks to The Sweatshop for providing the perfect storm for a skateboard party.