We talked about surfing in the Basque Country in Winter being hard work, but did we mention skateboarding…?
Luckily we ended up spending time with two of the only wizards who never seem worried by wet pavement, and happen to be French Basque Country residents: Phil Zwijsen and Sam Partaix.
Phil Zwijsen has been on our list of interviewees for a while.
Namely because he recently fell in love with surfing and moved to the small town of Guéthary, a short drive from our office. An interesting move to say the least, when most of his piers enjoy the smooth streets of Barcelona or Paris, and knowing that the region is more famous for its gravel roads and rainy winters than its skate spots.
Being one of the locals now, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to hang out with one of Europe’s finest skateboarders, and learn more about the reasons of his move. We therefore jumped at the chance to hang out, surf, skate and get an insight of the life one of Belgium’s finest exports on his new turf.
Being down South, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to spend some time with Sam Partaix. After long stints in Lyon, Paris & Berlin over the past decade, Sam decided to move to calmer pastures. One where the skate scene thrived, albeit away from the urban chaos of metropolis living.
Having discovered a passion for surfing, Sam naturally found himself drawn to The French Basque coast. A place where he could skate, surf and re-connect with nature, away from the urban sprawl. ‘Marengo’ is the culmination of a week spent with Sam in his new surroundings, in a bid to document the crossroads of his newly found escapism.
