Alessandro Magnani
Where are you originally from?
I’m from Naters, Switzerland.
How and when did you start skating?
When I was 11 years old.
Do you remember what kind of board it was?
A Sonic board.
Did you start out skating in the streets or at a skatepark?
In the streets. We don’t have a skatepark at this time. For now I
skate small curbs and quarters. There are not too many spots here.
Who were you skating with at first?
With my friends. They were stoked on skating and I wanted to skate with them.
Were there any early influences on your skating? Who did you look
up to?
Hmmm, not much. The inspiration and the steel.
I thought it looked easy so I kept trying stuff.
Do you enjoy skating in contests and demos?
Sometimes yes, but sometimes I don’t like them. I don’t like stressful situations.
I don’t feel like this all the time. When I am feeling up for it. Ok, why not, I like all the people that are there to make new friends. You see a good level of performance and what’s new for skating.
How could contests be improved?
I could be one with the board.
What do you like about being able to make some money from skating? What’s not so cool?
Hell yeah it’s cool! Why not, you destroy yourself for tricks.
That’s a reason for making money, at least I think so.
What do you think of skate videos these days?
It’s at a high level but every time it’s the same tricks, only bigger rails and stuff. I like being more creative with skating and I like doing tricks that not many people see.
Do you enjoy filming video parts yourself?
Yeah, I like to see what I do. You can be your own critic.
You can look for what you could do better next time.
And good filming is important.
Do you skate vert ramps or bowls much?
No vert, only a bit of mini-ramp or bowl. Sometimes
skating bowl is a great feeling.
What do you think of the skateparks in Europe?
They haves many parks. Really good parks.
Should skateparks copy real street spots like MACBA or have more
trannies?
That’s a good idea. I like the street spots.
What do you like about etnies?
The super good shoes :-)
Which etnies shoe do you like? Why?
The Arto and the Faction. They grip the board really well and have a great feel to them.
Who do you skate with now?
I skate with a friend from my town and sometimes with the guys from Soletech. Now just look where I can go. I can go to where all the real good spots are. I’m looking for a friend who wants to share an apartment.
Who are your favorite skaters of all time?
Andrew Reynolds! He’s the ultimate styler, hehe. He skates so easy. That’s what I like.
What have been the highlights of your skateboarding career?
The first etnies tour and also winning the am Basel best trick contest.
Skateboarding professionally also means a lot of traveling! What
does that mean to you ?
There are a lot of good things. Like making new friends, new restaurants. The nice places that I get to go to. There are many things.
What do you enjoy besides skating?
Not much. Chillin’ from my skateboarding pains. I worked for a bit, but not for very long.
Road trips, gaming on my Xbox – hehe :-), swimming and snowboarding.
What are your future goals?
I want see the States and go to Australia. I want to see the global scene of skateboarding while preparing to learn some great tricks. I also want to become more motivated and have a nice time.
