Dime's 2022 Glory Challenge

Montreal streetwear and skate brand, Dime brought their Glory Challenge back for its sixth edition last Saturday. Despite a two year gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their audience has continued to grow. Brand new challenges were being presented, and there was no shortage of skaters eager to conquer them. However, the goal isn't fame or fortune. “Getting together and having a community, that’s why I’m here,” said Leon Dechapdelaine, a skater hailing from Quebec, who was invited to the event.

While there are many other events that display skateboarding skills, Dime has always set themselves apart. “They see the importance of humor and creativity more than having goals or putting pressure on yourself,” said Dechapdelaine. Things like the free speed goggles given with each ticket, or the branded blimp that sat atop the bandstand displayed this. Despite this emphasis on humor, the competitors were prepared to push themselves to their limits, and the crowd was ready to watch them eat shit over and over. The excitement was evident as the raspy voices of the announcers asking the crowd: are you ready? The response was a resounding yes.

CHALLENGE 1: SPEED

In the first challenge, the objective was to land tricks while holding onto the speed from descending a 20 foot ramp. While Dime has held this challenge in the past, they added the element of tunnels for skaters to send their boards through while jumping overtop of them. This began with a 4 foot tunnel, but was extended to 8, 12, and 15 feet long, each paired with increasing speeds of Darude’s Sandstorm blasting from the speakers. Midway through the challenge, officials raised the ramp to 30 feet. One of the few challengers who rode it out was Krazy Franky, and it appears that he’s living up to his name. Near the challenge's end officials removed the plank, but skaters continued to shoot down from the higher platform. This provided a 10 foot gap which the skaters used to complete tricks mid-air.

Krazie Franky dropping from the heightened platform

CHALLENGE 2: RAINBOW RAIL

A rainbow rail is exactly what it sounds like: a rail shaped like a rainbow. In this challenge competitors attempt to ride such a rail with the speed gained from the aforementioned 20 foot ramp. This seemed easy enough, as rails like this exist in many skateparks. The real difficulty would only slowly present itself. Five men outfitted with Dime safety helmets and overalls installed a second layer to the rail, increasing its height and length. This would repeat throughout the challenge, slowly but surely raising the stakes. The second and third layers were still within the realm of what one might see at a higher end skatepark, but the fourth is where it began to get a little bit dicey. Competitor Nicole Hause took a good few attempts before finally conquering it, only to have a fifth level installed immediately after. The growth stopped at 7 layers, giving it a total height of 10 feet and a length of 35 feet. Most attempts at riding it ended in willingful or accidental dismount, but skaters John Gardener and Roman Pabich saw it through.

Leon Dechapdelaine rides the penultimate level

CHALLENGE 3: BUMP TO BAR

After a 20 minute break, a large ramp with a metal bar at the top was brought out. Approaching it at high speeds gave riders a choice: to either jump over it or smack their shins and fly face first into the ground. Unsurprisingly, most went with the former. The first level was impressive, but not that impressive. Following the trend of escalation, a second level was added, giving riders a good six feet of air. The most unconventional use of the obstacles was Hugo Balek’s descent on rollerblades, the only use of them during the Glory Challenge. This event was more technically challenging for the skaters, due to most of them attempting tricks they wouldn’t land until a few tries in. This was exemplified by Chandler Burton's ridiculous dolphin flip, a trick which he had been going for all throughout the warmup. Burton also completed a nollie 360 on the third level of the ramp. The fourth level was about 7.5 feet tall, having to be assembled by forklift. Ryan Decenzo breezed through a frontside 360, while Chima Ferguson battled a backside 360. The 40 year old took 10 falls from 9 feet up before landing it to a roaring audience.

Chandler Burton’s dolphin flip

CHALLENGE 4: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OF SKATE

The fourth event was restricted to two competitors as all games of skate are. The rules are as follows: person A sets a trick. If they succeed, person B has to attempt it. If they fail, person B sets a trick. If someone fails to land a trick while setting they only yield control, but failing while following gets a letter. The first letter would be S, followed by K, then A, and so on until someone gets all 5 letters. This year's matchup was X Games veteran Alexis Sablone versus Canadian underdog Breana Geering. They emerged from a fog dressed in boxer’s robes, stepped up to the center, and squared off in an arm wrestle to decide the first trick. Alexis, emerging victorious, set a kickflip. After matching this, Breanna completed a fakie kickflip. Alexis failed this, gaining an S. Geering then landed a nollie kickflip, which was completed by Sablone. Still in the lead, Geering set a switch pop shuvit, which Sablone failed to complete, adding a K. This concluded the first round. Sablone started round two with a switch kickflip, met with the same from Geering. Both failed their next sets but Sablone came back with a nollie heelflip, which got Geering her S. After both completed a heelflip Sablone put forward a fakie heelflip that Geering nearly stuck. This brought Geering’s K, and the end of round 2. Both missed tricks at the beginning of this round but Sablone put forward a fakie kickflip that Geering could not complete, giving her an A. Sablone refused to let up, completing a brutal frontside flip that Geering failed. Round 3 had ended and Breanna had all but one letter. The final round was finished in one trick. Sablone used her leeway to try a risky trick, a switch varial heel. Luckily for her, she succeeded. Breanna put forward her best attempt, but was unable to complete it. The game was over. Alexis Sablone remained on top.

CHALLENGE 5: ART SHOW

The next challenge was the art show. Large foam boards with shapes cut into them were held up for skaters to jump through. This was completed by jumping off a ramp and landing on an inflatable crash. While this event was probably the least technical, it exemplified the creative and humorous spirit which the fans came for. A few of the shapes were Roman warrior, Tony Hawk, a circle, and even Quebec itself. Not many people made it through without any breakage, but that only made those who did make it more impressive.

Pedro Delfino leaves Quebec intact

CHALLENGE 6: VOLCANO

The final challenge of the day was another repeat from previous years, but it was still improved on and escalated. Competitors would use speed from their descent to climb a 12 foot vertical ramp and perform tricks on the surface or rail at the top. One of the most notable examples was Pedro Delfino’s backside 360 which was met with plumes of fire and smoke erupting from the ramps peak. Soon after this the volcano rose to 20, and eventually 25 feet with the peak growing thinner and thinner. The bails - growing increasingly frequent, were met with Wilhelm screams and a terrifying fall, though no one was hurt. At one point the excitement was paused due to a spill at the volcano's base. Much care was put into its cleanup, a smart move considering the effects it could have if hit at a high speed. After a few more tricks and bails the volcano began to spew orange foam resembling lava. This forced skaters to stop, and after a few minutes of cheers and applause the crowd began to disperse.

Pedro Barros climbs the volcano’s peak

CHALLENGE 7: HILL BOMB

The next day was a rainy one, creating some confusion as to whether the two outdoor events would proceed. Despite the Peace Park challenge being canceled, the Sherbrooke hill bomb went on. At the top sat a ramp followed by a 20 foot rail screwed into the asphalt. The crowd stood damp and expectant. Fewer people would be able to complete this challenge due to the conditions, but those who saw it through it were traveling at heightened speeds. Some even used the weather to their advantage such as Alexis Lacroix who slid the entire rail on his shoes, jumped onto his board mid air, and bombed down the remainder of the hill. Halfway through the rail was increased to 40 feet long making completion even more difficult. One of the few to succeed was Ryan Decenzo, nailing a 50-50 on his first try. Although many riders took huge spills which sent them sliding huge distances, they persevered and dominated the hill in the end.

Lacroix using weather to his advantage