Rune Glifberg
How and when did you start skating?
In 1986, a friend from school came back to Copenhagen from Texas and had a skateboard with him, and I just started skating.
Who were you skating with at first?
Just friends from school.
What terrain were you riding at first?
Everything, basically.
Were there skateparks there in Copenhagen? Or did you just ride streets and ramps?
Yeah, we had a couple of parks, but we would just skate anything as much as possible.
Did you have any ramps?
Yeah, we had a couple of local vert ramps, minis and whatnot.
Who were some early influences on your skating?
Nicky Guerrero.
Do you enjoy skating in contests?
It's okay. I wouldn't say that I truly enjoy it, but it's not the worst thing to be doing.
Why do you enter them?
Just because I have to. It makes my sponsors happy (laughs).
How could contests be improved?
Take care of the skaters better. Offer bigger prize money and make sure all of the vert ramps, street courses and everything are some of the best in the world at all of the events, so you don't show up at a contest and it's just like crap.
What is good about being a pro?
Just the freedom, and being able to travel pretty much wherever you want. Skateboarding professionally is fun. You get to skate as much as you want, travel and a hang out with a lot of your friends
What is bad about being a pro?
Sometimes you end up doing stuff you don't really want to do. But, it can't all be good. You've got to take the good with the bad, and make sure that everyone's happy--especially the people that are paying for your travel and all of your income. You just have to make sure all of your sponsors are happy. It is a job just like everything else. A lot the pros should be taking it a little bit more seriously.
What do you think of skate videos?
I don't really watch too many videos anymore, but I used to when I was younger. I watched skate videos all the time.
Which are your favorites?
Blind Video Days, the Plan B videos--things like that. Old Powell videos, and stuff.
Do you enjoy shooting video parts?
Sometimes, but other times it can be a nightmare if you don't get the stuff you need to get. Skateboarding is hard. It's difficult to keep progressing, so sometimes it can be a nightmare. But, if you're pulling stuff, it's definitely fun filming it, for sure.
Do you mostly skate vert ramps?
Yeah, just mainly vert now. But, I've always pretty much skated everything.
What are your favorite tricks to do?
Backside tailslides, frontside ollies, and stuff like that.
Name a couple of tricks that were really hard to learn.
Switch 360 flip. It's pretty hard to do, and took a while. The frontside nollie heelflip took a long time, too. There are just certain tricks I've tried to get for video, you know, that took a long time.
Where are your favorite places to skate?
This place called Mikasa in Japan.
Does it have a good bowl?
Yeah, crazy old concrete that's been there for over 20-something years.
How did you get on etnies?
Basically, I got approached by Don Brown and kind of got it going from there.
What do you like about etnies?
It's an established, well-known brand that's been around making great shoes for a long time.
Have you designed any shoes for etnies?
Yeah, I have designed an etnies shoe called the Tip, available in stores now.
Did any older shoes inspire the design?
Yeah, you could kind of say so. Basically, the way the whole shoe thing seems to be going right now is similar to some of the more basic designs of eight or nine years ago.
Did you do a lot of the design of the Tip?
I had some influence and helped out designing it, but not 100%.
Do you like the way it turned out?
Yeah, it's super nice.
Who do you skate with now?
At the moment, I've just been skating with Nicky Guerrero and some local skaters here in Copenhagen. Other than that, back over in the States, I'm usually skating with Mike Crum, Jake Brown, Chad Vogt and people like that at local ramps around the Orange County area.
Who are your favorite skaters of all time?
Probably Danny Way, Mark Gonzales, Tom Penny, Christian Hosoi and Nicky Guerrero.
What have been the highlights of your skateboarding career?
Winning the Slam City Jam in 1996, which was a big step and a big push in my career, definitely. Winning the Gravity Games in 2001 and 2004--those were big wins.
What do you enjoy besides skating?
Hanging out with my two daughters and my girlfriend. I have a passion for BMWs. I do a little bit of gardening and stuff like that.
What music, art and books have you been enjoying lately?
I listen to a lot of hip-hop, older break beats, some reggae and stuff like that. I don't really read too much, other than BMW magazines.
What are your future goals?
To have fun with my skateboard, raise my daughters and just have a good life.
Is there anything in skateboarding you haven't done in that you'd like to accomplish?
Everything--I'll never be satisfied (laughs)! It doesn't matter how long you skate, you're always going to want more.
