Hermann Stene Is Pro and Ripping
“Why are we having a demo?”
Fans of VP are well aware that we’re big supporters of Hermann Stene, and have probably seen our Watching episode with him (if not, check it out!). To keep the content train rolling, we had Christian Alexander of Ceremony Skateshop get an update with Hermann about going pro, his latest part, being amazing, injury rehab, and Norwegian meatballs.
Christian
You went pro in San Francisco last year. How has life changed for you since then?
Hermann
I don’t know if it’s changed that much, to be honest. It’s hard to explain. Life still feels the same.
Christian
Did you have any idea that you were going to go pro in SF?
We didn’t do a great job of keeping it super subtle.
Hermann
I didn’t think it was going to happen in SF, but I knew something was up because of Jim (Thiebaud). I was talking to him, and he had his computer open with the calendar pulled up. He quickly closed it, hiding the month of June. So I was like, “Oh, shit, he’s hiding something in June.”
But then the SF trip was in May, so I didn’t really see it coming. I was just wondering, “Why are we having a demo?” Then I saw the flier—with Adidas, REAL, and Thrasher logos—all my sponsors. Only Dennis and I skate for both Adidas and REAL, so I was like, “Hmmm, what is this?”
When Mack (Scharff) showed up, that really threw me off because I had just talked to him the day before, and he was in New York or something. Then I see him walking into the park, and right after, I see Mason (Silva) and Ishod (Wair). I knew those guys weren’t in SF when we got there, so I was thinking, “What’s going on right now?”
That’s when it really hit me. I saw the congrats poster written in Norwegian, and I was like, “Holy shit”. Then my family was on FaceTime, which made it even crazier. That feeling was insane.
Christian
Your first pro graphic was the killer gummy bear, loosely based on Dennis’s killer robot graphic from his first pro board. What’s the deal with the gummy candy?
Hermann
I was really hyped on that graphic, but to be honest, I never actually eat gummy bears that much! It’s probably the last candy I would buy. But since then, people have been giving me huge bags of gummy bears as congratulatory gifts, so now I’m like, “Damn, I forgot how good these were.”
Christian
Pedro Delfino asked a question yesterday—what’s your favorite gummy bear brand?
Hermann
I don’t know much more than Haribo, so that’s got to be the one. Haribo.
Christian
You worked super hard to go pro, but it took a little while to get there.
What motivates you to keep pushing your skating at such a high level and never slow down?
Hermann
Because I love skateboarding. That’s the only reason. It’s my life. I just want to keep improving, try new things, and make every video project feel different.
If I wasn’t sponsored, it wouldn’t matter. It’s easy to say that, but it’s true—I would still be doing the same thing. Skateboarding is my life. It is what it is. I love skateboarding till death.
Christian
You just released your newest video part. How has the response been?
Hermann
Pretty good! I’m hyped on the response. People seem stoked on it. I got a lot of DMs, but I’m pretty bad at answering those. Still, it’s been sick seeing people react to it. That makes me happy.
Christian
You went back and skated some spots from previous video parts. Do you like to one-up yourself? Do tricks get stuck in your head, making you want to go back for more?
Hermann
Oh, definitely. Sometimes I’ll land a trick at a spot and immediately think, “I could probably do this trick here too.”
Then I’ll go back just to look at the spot again, wondering, “Can I actually do this?” If I know I can, I have to go for it. I’m pretty done with the Cardiel ledge, though. That one’s scary.
Christian
A lot of people ask about your Suski Grind on that ledge (see above).
Were you trying a back tail and accidentally got into one?
Hermann
Nah, I wasn’t even thinking about Suskis when I did a back tail on it. That day, I was so focused on getting the back tail because I was flying home to Norway later. I had 40 minutes to land the trick before heading to the airport.
I was just happy to get the back tail. I wasn’t even doing Suskis back then. Then later, I started learning them and practicing them at home. One day, I was like, “I could probably do that down the Cardiel Ledge.” After that, it was stuck in my head—I had to try it.
Christian
That one stood out for a lot of people. And the Suski to switch front crook—people were super psyched on that one. Brock Kono’s reaction in the clip was amazing.
Hermann
Yeah, I was hyped on that! I had no idea how to do that trick at first. I spent three or four hours in the Oslo skatepark just trying to figure out how to get into the front crook.
After practicing it for so long, I knew I had to find a spot in the streets to do it. When I got back to SF and saw that ledge, I thought, “This is the one.” I really wanted to film that trick somewhere, and it ended up being the perfect spot.
Christian
How do you feel about some of the ABD call-outs, like Pedro’s grind? I’m curious about your thoughts on ABD spots in general.
Hermann
Pedro was definitely my inspiration for wanting to grind that rail. I get that it’s ABD—he did it first, backside. And honestly, backside is way scarier. But I just wanted to grind it myself.
I did it frontside, which is still different. Frontside and backside are two different tricks. I was actually thinking about 5-0ing it just to do something different. That was one of the rails I wanted to go back to before I got hurt in LA, but I never got the chance.
But yeah, sometimes you skate the same spots. Backside, frontside—it’s still different.
Christian
So… can we talk about the ender controversy?
Hermann
Yeah, the ender controversy. My ender was NBD when I did it. That’s about it.
When I first looked at the spot, I thought, "Damn, this is possible." There was no Bondo or anything at the bottom, which is why no one had skated it before. I went there at the end of my trip, and we Bondo’d both the top and bottom. You can see it in T-Funk’s clip too. I just know I did it first, but T-Funk did it his own way, and I love watching him skate. He made it look sick. I know it was an NBD when I did it—that’s about it.
Christian
That plays into the whole ABD debate. Is it the spot that's ABD, or is it the trick?
Because you both had completely different approaches.
Hermann
100%. It’s the same trick into the same bank, but a different approach. His was really sick. He did it so well. I did mine from the top, so it was still a different ollie. I’m really hyped on that ollie either way. I already knew this would be a thing when I was going to drop my footage, because he dropped his first.
Christian
You mentioned suffering a serious injury while filming this part, which cut things short. Do you want to talk about that?
Hermann
Well, what is there to say? My knee just completely gave out. I stretched a nerve, tore my ACL, and messed up my hamstring—all at the same time. I’m doing way better now. Just need stay positive and keep going. I’m ahead of schedule in recovery, so I’ll be back eventually.
Christian
How’s the recovery going?
Hermann
Pretty good. Once the nerve heals, I’ll probably skate with a brace for a while, but that doesn’t matter—at least I’ll be skating. My knee feels great, rehab is going well, and my physiotherapist is taking good care of me.
Christian
You put a lot of thought into your video parts, like a musician putting out an album. Were there specific tricks you wanted to get but couldn’t due to the injury? Anything you plan on going back for?
Hermann
Yeah, there’s one I really wanted to go back and try one more time—the big flip down Wallenberg. That one is still stuck in my head. I’ve been there so many times, landing on it but slipping out. I have some clips on my phone and always think about posting them, but I want it to be a surprise if I ever roll away from it. If I fully heal, I’d be down to go back and try again. There’s also the Pedro rail—I wanted to try a 5-0 on it. And I had this other big rail where I wanted to do a back lip. Maybe I’ll get back to that when I’m good again. We’ll see.
Christian
What do you do with your time while injured? Video games? Bike rides?
Hermann
Not much. Some video games, but mostly building a lot of Legos. Been collecting some anime cards too. I just started rolling on my board a little, just cruising around, not skating. Oh, and I just bought the LEGO Love Park set, which is pretty sick. I’ll build that and put it in my living room. Other than that, I drive to Oslo a lot.
Christian
You live in Norway full-time but travel often for skating. Years ago, most European pros had to move to California. Have you ever considered moving to California?
Hermann
I guess since I travel so much, I like being close to home when I’m not on the road. Most of my friends are in Oslo, and staying home saves money. When I’m injured, being home is the best option. I’ve thought about living in San Francisco for a year or two, but getting a visa is a long and expensive process. Still, I’d be down to do something new.
Christian
Tiago was living in Norway for a bit, and you two skated together. What was that like?
Hermann
It was random! I didn’t even know he had a Norwegian girlfriend until one day he just hit up Pekka saying he was in Oslo. He stayed for a while, and yeah, we skated a lot. He’s different, man. He can do anything. Watching him skate is so inspiring. At the indoor park, instead of dropping in like everyone else, he carves into the rail like he’s in the streets, pops to the top, and pinches everything perfectly. It’s crazy.
Christian
What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen him do?
Hermann
One of the wildest was his switch flip front board in his Primitive part. That rail is way taller than it looks on video, and it has two big cracks in front of it. No one skates that rail. But he just forced his way through the cracks and made it happen. He’s like a cat—he knows exactly how to fall and avoid bad slams. Even after sacking the rail once, he got up and handled it. It was gnarly.
Christian
How much of an impact did your mom have on your skate career?
Hermann
A huge impact. At first, she didn’t really understand skating, but once she saw how much we loved it, she got super involved. She took me and my brothers to contests, road-tripped to Barcelona so we could skate, and even helped get skateparks built at home. My dad was super supportive too. One time, a volcanic eruption grounded flights, and he drove all the way from Norway to Prague to pick us up in a minibus. My parents have been there every step of the way. I couldn’t ask for anything better.
Christian
And she did the artwork that was used in your new video part, right?
Hermann
Yeah! That was crazy. I found the artwork in our basement and thought it would be sick as a board graphic. My mom made it during the Cold War, and it’s supposed to represent an atomic explosion tearing people apart. That’s why it’s called "1000 Suns." She’s an incredible artist. It’s really cool how it all came full circle—she supported my skating career, and now her art is on my pro board and in my part. She deserves everything and more.
Christian:
What is your favorite Norwegian meal?
Hermann:
Oh yeah, my true favorite Norwegian meal... it's so different. Like, we're not that different. I can't think of one specifically, but a classic one is this waffle with brown cheese. I eat it more often now than I ever did. Brown cheese is just a Norwegian thing. Waffle with brown cheese—it's so good. Another favorite would be salmon. I eat a lot of fish, like salmon and cod. Fish is really good here. Also, there's the classic Swedish/Norwegian mashed potatoes and meatballs. That's really typical here. You should definitely try it.
Christian:
What was your first sponsor in the skate industry, besides local shops?
Hermann:
When I started skating for my local shop, I thought the shop was so cool. They hooked me up with shoes from Osiris and boards from a Norwegian brand called Demon (not Denim, but Demon). I was about 12 at the time. It was crazy to me because I got a couple of free boards and shoes. That feeling as a kid, getting free stuff—it's something you can't even explain. It's like a dream when you're a kid.