Video by Robin Pailler | Photography by Alex Papke
For those of you who never miss a new skate edit, you may have already caught SML. Wheels’ 2 day venture to Las Vegas upon its online release last week.
It appears the trip itself was somewhat orchestrated by our very own Robin Pailler, who having found himself with a few days to spare in LA a few months back, convinced Sml. Wheels co-founders Aaron Brown & Austyn Gillette (with James Craig’s approval of course), that they should arrange a team trip to Sin City. Phone calls were made, schedules were rescheduled and after some heavy convincing, particularly for Mr Gillette, who isn’t a big fan of Vegas whatsoever, our lead video creator found himself in a van with team riders, Sammy Montano, Justin Drysen, Josh Pall, Akwasi Owusu, Austyn (despite his reluctance), and by some miracle, Austyn’s housemate at the time, Señor Danny Garcia, aka Reverend Baron. With Aaron on TM and filmer duties and our dear friend Alex Papke shooting stills, the boys managed to somehow pull a tight little skate edit out the bag, despite only spending 48 hours in the glitter gulch.
So you may be thinking, why is there a ‘director’s cut’? First off that’s a little tongue in cheek to be fair. Because let’s face it. No-one directs a skate trip. And Robin isn’t claiming he directed this video. He simply shot the 16mm and edited it together. But we felt “Director’s Cut” sounds a little more sophisticated than “remixed”. Essentially the above edit was Robin’s first cut. But the team felt due to audience’s wavering attention span in the modern age, the edit was a little too ponderous. And they’re probably right too. And so the request was made to re-edit a much tighter and shorter clip to Blonde Redhead’s 2000 hit, Melody of a Certain Three (scroll down to bottom to watch said edit).
But since skateboarding is art. And all art is subjective. We thought, why not release both versions?
In the meantime we’ll leave you with Papke’s collection of stills, along with a blurb from a few of boys involved.
Robin Pailler-
“I’ve been low key, pushing for a return to Vegas, ever since our partnered trip with Globe for Somewhere Around Barstow back in 2022. I’d also been telling Aaron for a minute, that SML. should really orchestrate a team trip of sorts. Mainly because I think it’s one of the sickest and most diverse skate teams out there. And that’s not even including the EU guys. So when Aaron told me the US lads were keen, I was kinda ecstatic, especially since we were returning to the infamous casino/hotel, El Cortez.
Now trips with Austyn, Aaron and Sammy are always great. I’ve been blessed to travel with them several times over the years and they’re arguably three of my favourite dudes within skateboarding. Convincing Danny to join us was also a trip. Mainly because I’ve made no secret he’s one of all time favourites since I first saw Habitat’s Mosaic as a kid. Having spent time with him last year for our Reverend Baron print interview, I was stoked to be in his presence yet again so soon. Josh I actually met when shooting Rowan for Vista Virtues last year. The best way I can describe him is just a wholesome Aussie, who like a fine wine, seems to only get better with age. Akwasi’s obviously pretty hyped on right now and rightly so. Meeting him for the first time was dope. Dude is mad humble and those wall rides are just so much better seen in person. As for Justin Drysen, I kinda thought that dude was lost in the ether after HUF dropped their shoe program. But I’ve always backed his style. And I can’t lie, he was probably MVP in my eyes. Despite being super quiet (he clearly prefers to let his skating do the talking), he’s incredibly talented and was always down to skate whatever spot we found ourselves at. Last but not least, having Papke on board was just the ultimate bonus. Not only for his photographic skills of course, but also due to fact he’s a fucking lovely man. And it also meant I had someone to talk to on my eye level (if you’re unfamiliar we’re both almost 2 metres tall).
And despite it being so short lived, I had the best time with those guys. So I’d like to thank Aaron and Austyn for making it happen and also extend a special mention to local guru Douglas Vincent, who always ensures we have a list of spots ready to go.”
Austyn Gillette –
“I’ve never had the bug or obsession with Vegas, but with a crew like this you could practically be anywhere. That’s kind of how we wanted the brand to always feel. Just friends that feel like family.”
Sammy Montano –
“First official sml wheels trip..aka (Robin’s trip) was a success, nothing like getting on the road with close friends and creating memories! Can’t wait for the next one.”
Justin Drysen –
“Trip was fun! We Skated a few things I haven’t skated before. Walking the Vegas strip is always a trip. Held a snake for the first time. Gambled a bit and lost some money haha. We had a Good crew. Hyped for the next one!”
Akwasi Osuwu –
“The trip was dope! It was my first time in Vegas despite living about a 4 hour drive away for most of my life. Shazamed a few songs from DJ Danny on the way there. When we arrived, I lost $40 at the casino immediately, but I think it was good for me in the long term. Finally saw the Sphere thing which was pretty awesome. This was my first Sml wheels trip, but we had fun. Looking forward to the next one!”
Josh Pall –
“I don’t know if we were more excited to leave than to arrive… The vibes were high, but Vegas always seems like a rollercoaster. A couple wins and a couple losses. Don’t think anyone left up. Good crew and the live music by Reverend Baron on the sessions were an added bonus. Shoutout to local legend the Dougska on the scene, the El Cortez Hotel for having us and Dragonlink for reminding me that gambling kinda sucks.”
