Here's all the must see skate action from the 2011 Vans Downtown Showdown fueled Monster Energy. Check out all three obstacles get a good old British pasting from the best Skateboard teams Europe has to offer. Danny Brady's B/S Hurricane on Death Skateboards’ Ripper Alley and his F/S Bluntslide kickflip to fakie on Cliché's Tower Bridge assured him best pro, whilst Nassim Guammaz continuous flurry of tricks on Superdead’s Olde English Tavern helped earn him the best am award.

On Saturday, 20th August 2011, Old Spitalfields Market in East London hosted the biggest skateboard event the UK has ever seen. Over 10’000 people visited throughout the day, witnessing ten of Europe’s best skateboard teams battle it out against each other. The lion’s share of the prize purse went to the days winning team: Antiz. It wasn’t just the skaters having fun as the weather held out throughout the day, a thronging crowd of spectators and a high level of skateboarding were key ingredients for the success of this unique event.

Vans selected the incredible obstacles from Cliché, Superdead and Death Skateboards in recognition of their inspired and creative designs and brought them to life brilliantly and installed in Old Spitalfields Market and the neighboring Brushfield Street to be skated for one day only.

Following an hour’s warm up, the competing athletes dived straight into the first Round, featuring Death Skateboards’ Ripper Alley. Phil Zwijsen resurrected the spirit of the Ripper himself, pushing the boundaries and carving his way to first place with his consist fluid style and use of the course. Danny Brady fought to the end, notably with a B/S Hurricane from the flat bank to bar that earned him second place.

The event was then in full swing and the masses accumulated over the Cliche Tower Bridge. Danny Brady lead the line with his progressive array of tricks in his arsenal, none more so than his F/S Bluntslide kickflip to fakie in his usual insouciant manner. Inspired by the amazing obstacle created by Antiz, the Element and Cliché team fought to the bitter end, though when the dust settled it was Danny Brady who left with the top spot.



Despite the best efforts of the typically unpredictable British weather, the clouds parted and the sun shined in time for everyone to roll out to the final obstacle- Superdead’s Olde English Tavern. As the final round, this was the moment when every athlete knew their time was running out and did what they could do claim a stake in this prestigious event, first out of the gates was Nassim Guammaz. Ferocious style that dominated from the minute the final heat commenced. If anyone needed final confirmation that Nassim was taking this heat as his own, his F/S 360 shuvit down the bank reaffirmed his position. Chris Pfanner, representing Yama, kept everyone guessing with his trademark F/S melon flip earning plaudits from the huge assembled crowd.


With all three obstacles taken on and destroyed in a fashion we have come to expect from the Vans Downtown Showdown, it was left to the judges to tally up the scores and inform the heaving crowds of which team had climbed highest in the scoring. Here are the results as presented by the likes of Steve Van Doren, Geoff Rowley and Dustin Dollin. The team results were as follows-

1st - Antiz
2nd- Element Europe
3rd - Enjoi
4th - Superdead



After the prize giving ceremony, it was time to celebrate with Vans legends Tony Alva and Pro Geoff Rowley at the Monster Energy Afterparty at the Village Underground where the party raged long into the early hours of the morning.

For the official Vans Video Edits of all the highlights, keep an eye out on:

www.Vans.com and www.facebook.com/vanseurope



FULL RESULTS:

Death Skateboards Obstacle 3rd: EUR 500 Danny Brady
Death Skateboards Obstacle 2nd: EUR 800 Ben Raemers
Death Skateboards Obstacle 1st: EUR 1,500 Phil Zwijsen

Cliche Obstacle 3rd: EUR 500 Dallas Rockvam
Cliche Obstacle 2nd: EUR 800 Chris Oliver
Cliche Obstacle 1st: EUR 1,500 Danny Brady

Superdead Obstacle 3rd: EUR 500 Rob Smith
Superdead Obstacle 2nd: EUR 800 Chris Pfanner
Superdead Obstacle 1st: EUR 1,500 Nassim Guammaz

Best Am: EUR 1,000 Nassim Guammaz

Best Pro: EUR 1,500 Danny Brady

MONSTER RIPPER award EUR 1,000 Flo Mirtain

4rth Team of the day: EUR 6,000 Superdead
3rd Team of the day: EUR 8,000 Enjoi
2nd Team of the day: EUR 10,000 ELEMENT EUROPE
1st Team of the day EUR 14,000 Antiz

Death Skateboards Obstacle 3rd: EUR 500 Danny Brady
Death Skateboards Obstacle 2nd: EUR 800 Ben Raemers
Death Skateboards Obstacle 1st: EUR 1,500 Phil Zwijsen

Cliche Obstacle 3rd: EUR 500 Dallas Rockvam
Cliche Obstacle 2nd: EUR 800 Chris Oliver
Cliche Obstacle 1st: EUR 1,500 Danny Brady

Superdead Obstacle 3rd: EUR 500 Rob Smith
Superdead Obstacle 2nd: EUR 800 Chris Pfanner
Superdead Obstacle 1st: EUR 1,500 Nassim Guammaz

Best Am: EUR 1,000 Nassim Guammaz

Best Pro: EUR 1,500 Danny Brady

MONSTER RIPPER award EUR 1,000 Flo Mirtain

4rth Team of the day: EUR 6,000 Superdead
3rd Team of the day: EUR 8,000 Enjoi
2nd Team of the day: EUR 10,000 ELEMENT EUROPE
1st Team of the day EUR 14,000 Antiz

Here they are, the three obstacles that the teams will be competing on at today' s Vans Downtown Showdown in Old Spitalfields Market

Death Skateboards


Superdead Skateboards


Cliché

The obstacles are up and the practice session is going off, we can't wait for tomorrow's Vans Downtown Showdown fueled by Monster Energy!

The guys from Fire & Stone have hooked up with our very own Steve Van Doren to create a special Vans pizza especially for the Downtown Showdown.

The California special, a margherita pizza with mixed peppers in the shape of a V, is on sale from now until Saturday at their Spitalfields restaurant for £7.95, if that wasn't enough to get your mouth watering the first 30 people to buy one get a limited edition Vans Downtown Showdown T-shirt free!

With London’s rich history and varied culture as the theme there was no shortage of inspiration for the design of this years obstacles. After much deliberation designs from Death skateboards, cliché and Superdead were selected to be built and feature in this Saturdays contest.

We managed to get hold of some 'artists renderings' to give you a little taste of what to expect when the finished obstacles are unveiled.

Death Skateboards
Death Skateboards have found a little slice of London history to call their own and Dan Cates had to say the following about their dauntingly titled ‘Ripper Alley’: “This years Death Skateboards obstacle is a tribute to London’s most notorious serial killer, ‘Jack The Ripper’ and is loosely based upon Gunthorpe Street in Whitechapel. A spooky looking alleyway that still stands today leading to George yard where some claim that the first of The Ripper’s victims was found. Death’s obstacle is a skateable interpretation of this Alley in all of its Victorian beauty, complete with blood stains, filth, Ripper graffiti and a rideable version of the infamous ‘Ten Bells’ pub, complete with cellar door. The obstacles contained within the alley are based on some of our favourite London spots past and present and include: South Bank’s original bank to wall, the now defunct Fenchurch street quarter pipes and a bank to bar inspired by the estate near Clapham Junction station.”



Superdead Skateboards
Harry from Superdead was more than happy to share their inspirations: “The Superdead Tavern, a ‘ye olde English pub’ with a twist. The Superdead obstacle contains trap doors, bars and beer barrels - it’s what every good skate spot needs. We were stoked to be asked to take part in the Vans Downtown Showdown this year and even more stoked to design an obstacle. London is steeped in history and it became easy to add a heavy flavour of that history into our design.”



Cliché
Cliché’s Jeremie Daclin kept things simple, offering a clue as to what to expect on the day: “For this years Vans Downtwon Showdown, Cliché wanted to reflect the London vibe so we came up with an obstacle I’m sure people will get and enjoy to skate. Lets hope we can get the Thames flowing under our bridge.”

If you can't make it to Old Spitalfields Market this Saturday don't worry, you can enjoy all the action from the Downtown Showdown from pretty much anywhere courtesy of Freecaster.

Here's the full list of teams and riders for this years Downtown Showdown.

ALIS

The Northern lights of this year’s event, founded by Albert Hatchwell,
Alis hale from the always awesome Copenhagen. With a talent for spotting
new talent, Alis have discovered some of Europe’s most stylish skaters for the
past 10 years, not to mention sponsoring established riders like our own Vans
Master Nicky Guerrero, a famous figure from the legendary Powell-Peralta
Bones Brigade videos. We’re pleased to welcome a Scandinavian brand for the
first time to this year’s Vans Downtown Showdown.

Riders:
Sebastien “Flex” O’connor,
Bjørn Lillesøe, Thomas
Roupe, Dannie Carlsen


Antiz Skateboards

Antiz was founded by 10-year veteran of the Vans European skate team
Hugo Liard in the early 2000’s. ‘By hardcore Skaters for Skaters’,
Hugo has endeavored to create a brand that corresponds to the way he skates,
and with strong connections to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music and imagery.
Refreshingly, Hugo’s goal wasn’t to make money, but to produce boards that
he and his riders would like to skate. Nowadays the Antiz team is well known
for being full of out and out rippers, they skate anything! As a result they have
some of the best European talent around, much of which is on show in their
recently released 3rd video, The Occasional Antiz Flashback.

Hugo Liard, Sam Partaix,
Samu Karvonen
Dallas Rockvam


Blueprint Skateboards

The UK’s most well-known skate company and one of the longest running
British skate brands. Blueprint discovered many of the UK’s finest talents
and is famous for its stylish and consistent riders and equally strong aesthetic
output. They shone at the first European Downtown Showdown in Torino
(Italy) two years ago when Jerome Campbell, one of their team riders, took the
title on the obstacle they designed. This year the likes of Danny Brady, Nick
Jensen and Sylvain Tognelli will be showing their skills in Spitalfileds - can
they do it again?

Riders:
Nick Jensen,
Danny Brady,
Jerome Campbell
Sylvain Tognelli


Cliché

One of the first legit European Skateboard brands, Cliché was founded
by Jeremie Daclin in the late 90’s, with a strong focus on the European
scene but with the brand presence and attitude of an established American
company. With an eye for talent, at some point in time they sponsored most of
European Skateboarding’s all time greats. The quality keeps on coming, even
garnering global recognition with the Transworld Best Team award in 2005
which was the first time a European brand had been awarded the acolade. This
is the third time Cliché have had the chance to see their obstacle brought to life
by our expert team of DTSD ramp builders, with an impressive team including
the likes of Lucas Puig, Charles Collet and Daniel Espinoza they will be one of
the teams to watch.

Riders:
Charles Collet
Lucas Puig,
Flo Mirtain
Daniel Espinoza.


Death Skateboards

With a name like Death you know that these guys aren’t messing about or
interested in commercial success… they can be described as purists…
they eat, drink, sweat and bleed Skateboarding. This comes from deep inside
and manifests itself in their attitude and non-conformist graphics. Their
pirate ship obstacle was a real highlight of 2010’s Hamburg edition and it’s
great to see them back again at this year’s event. Once again, they have designed
a truly imaginable obstacle, taking inspiration from the London spots they have
grown up with. We gave them the chance to see their obstacle built and skated,
and we’re expecting a bloody good session, in the Ripper alley!

Riders:
Dan Cates
Boots,
Adam Moss
Moggins

Element (Europe)

Formed in 1992 by former New Deal riders and originally called
‘Underworld Element’, their legendary videos defined an era. In more
recent years they have been most associated with team riders like Bam Margera
and Mike Vallely, although as one of the strongest brands in the market,
they fully support European skateboarding. With Nassim Guammaz, Ross
McGouran, Guillaume Mocquin and Phil Zwijsen on board we can’t wait to see
what they come up with.

Riders:
Ross McGouran
Guillaume Mocquin
Phil Zwijsen
Nassim Guammaz


Enjoi

Enjoi are a tight bunch of homies hailing from San Jose, Northern
California. Get ready to watch Enjoi celebrate their strong links with
the UK skate scene and their latest AMs - Walton-on-the-Naze’s gift to the
world - Ben Raemers, rising international star Barney Page, Hotknives wannabe
Josh “Manhead” Young, and a super star very special guest -the local Chris
Oliver. Enjoi.

Riders:
Burney Page
Josh “Manhead” Young
Chirs Oliver
Ben Raemers


Palace Skateboards

A relative newcomer that has firmly made its mark on the global skate
scene, with strong ties to the one and only Slam City Skates. Palace is
the quintessential London skate brand and the brainchild of Lev Tanju, who,
along with ample amounts of graphic help from Will Bankhead has created
an understated visual identity for the brand that stands out from the crowd.
Complimented by some of London’s best talent in the shape of Olly Todd,
Lucien, Clark Chewy Cannon, Charlie Young and Rory Milanes it’s going to be
interesting to see how they perform in their home city.

Riders:
Chewy Cannon
Rory Milanes,
Lucien Clarke
Olly Todd


Superdead Skateboards

Founded in 2010 ‘to combat all that is wrong in the world’ Superdead
consider themselves ambassadors of Skateboard Justice. In their own words
‘We are doing this because we get stoked on rad graphics and art, because we
always wanted to put a bangin’ team together and because we get stoked on
skateboarding!’. With a team including Andy Scott, Eddie Belvedere, Harry
Lintell, Chris Barrett, Josh Parr, Ben Rowles, Nick Remon, Awadh Mohammed
and Denis Lynn, Superdead have quickly established themselves in the world
of European skateboarding, we can’t wait to see what they come up with at the
years downtown showdown.

Riders:
Eddie Belvedere
Harry Lintell
Nick Remon
Awadh Mohammed


Yama Skateboards

Yama is an Austrian Skateboard brand with an uncompromising hardcore
style, their riders are committed to skating anything you throw at them.
The first board sponsor of Vans International rider Chris Pfanner, they first
appeared on the European scene in the early 2000’s. In recent years the brand
has been spreading out across the Austrian borders and is now conquering new
markets with distribution deals in the main European countries. This is the
first time we’re welcoming them at the Vans Downtown Showdown, and we’re
excited to see them skating this year’s obstacles. They’re definitely hungry, but
can they take some trophies back home to Austria?

Riders:
Muki Rustig
Ferit Batir,
Dustin Vollnach

With now only 8 days to go until this year's Downtown Showdown in East London's Old Spitalfields Market Vans have set up a shop close to all the action. The temporary Vans Store can be found at number 73 Brushfield St and has a pretty good offering of shoes, apparel and accessories.

The vans downtown showdown concept was created for skateboarders by skateboarders and has been running globally for the last six years, each time creating unique off the wall ideas to be skated.

With Torino and Hamburg the previous settings for the European Vans Downtown Showdown, and the infamous Paramount Studious in Hollywood, Los Angeles being the birthplace of this unique event, expectations this year are higher than ever before as Vans and the competitors push hard to surpass the already extremely high standard of the contest. Ten of the best skate teams will be competing at the historic Old Spitalfields for their chance to take part in a contest renowned to test skill, flare and creativity. Far removed from the usual format of any other skateboarding competition the event will take place on special customised ramps, which are all designed by the invited teams themselves. Expect to see the top professional skateboarders doing what they can to secure their share of the crown jewels. For that matter, a combined prize total of €50,000 should inspire enough carving and slashing to make old Jack proud.

Check out, we have created our very own Vans Downtown Showdown newspaper. You can pick up your own copy of 'The Daily Waffle' from all over London from this weekend. It has low down on this years event, including everything from profiles on the teams and a schedule for the days events to exclusives like a preview of this year obstacles.

Only 9 days to go until this years Downtown Showdown and the excitement is starting to build. Check out this ripper themed window from the guys at the VSD Skateboard Shop in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

Nice work chaps, see you in London!

Twelve of the best skate teams will be competing at the historic Old Spitalfields Market in London on 20th August 2011 for their chance to take part in a contest renowned to test skill, flare and creativity. Far removed from the usual format of any other skateboarding competition - the event will take place on special customised ramps, which are all designed by the invited Teams themselves.

With London’s rich history and culture the theme, there has been no shortage of inspiration for the designs of the obstacles of which three ideas from Death Skateboards, Cliché and Superdead were selected to be built as a feature in the contest. Between professional pride and the sizable €50 000 prize purse, it was no surprise to see the very best in European skateboarding talent sign up for their chance to write their name in history.

Do you really need convincing that this is the place to be in August? Just ask International Pros Geoff Rowley and Dustin Dollin or Skateboard legend Tony Alva - all of which are flying in to see the action unfold and make sure you catch them at one of the signings.

Harry from Superdead was more than happy to share their inspirations: "The Superdead Tavern, a ‘ye olde English pub’ with a twist. The Superdead obstacle contains trap doors, bars and beer barrels its what every good skate spot needs. We were stoked to be asked to take part in the Vans Downtown Showdown this year and even more stoked to design an obstacle. London is steeped in history and it became easy to add a heavy flavour of that history into our design."

Cliché’s Jeremie Daclin kept things simple, offering a clue as to what to expect on the day: “For this years Vans Downtwon Showdown, Cliché wanted to reflect the London vibe so we came up with an obstacle I’m sure people will get and enjoy to skate. Lets hope we can get the Thames flowing under our bridge.”

Death Skateboards have found a little slice of London history to call their own and Dan Cates had to say the following about their dauntingly titled ‘Rippers Alley’: “This years Death obstacle is a tribute to London's most notorious serial killer, 'Jack The Ripper' and is loosely based upon Gunthorpe Street in Whitechapel. A spooky looking alleyway that still stands today leading to George yard where some claim that the first of The Ripper's victims was found. Death's obstacle is a skateable interpretation of this Alley in all of it's Victorian beauty, complete with blood stains, filth, Ripper graffiti and a rideable version of the infamous 'Ten Bells' pub, complete with cellar door. The obstacles contained with in the alley are based on some of our favourite London spots past and present and include: South Bank's original bank to wall, the now defunct Fenchurch street quarter pipes and a bank to bar inspired by the estate by Clapham junction station.”

And as if you need any more convincing about the caliber of the Vans Downtown Showdown…there’s an abundance of other treats going on, highlights include: the Van Doren Pizza Parlour (presented by Fire & Stone and headed up by Steve Van Doren the Godfather of Vans himself), the Vans Waffle Booth, Live Screenprinting with Lovenskate, Athlete signings, product givea-ways as well as a retail area populated by the likes of Monster Energy, Slam City Skates, LCB and Fifty-Fifty.

The Event starts at 12 noon and will run until 6.30 pm when the winners are announced and prizes awarded.

Lastly, this is not the end, as Monster Energy will be hosting the after party that runs from 9pm till late at the Village Underground. An impressive musical line up is to be announced imminently, keep an eye on www.vans.com for the news as it unfolds.

To top it all off, entry to the Vans Downtown Showdown is free.

Blind Europe –
Chris Oliver, Sam Beckett, Sewa, Javier Pares

Element Europe –
Ross McGouran, Guillaume Mocquin, Phil Zwijsen, Nassim Guammaz

Antiz –
Hugo Liard, Sam Partaix, Aaron Sweeney

Cliché –
Charles Collet, Lucas Puig, Flo Mirtain and Daniel Espinoza.

Yama Skateboards –
Muki Rustig, Ferit Batir, Dustin Vollnach

Blueprint –
Danny Brady, Mark Baines, Jerome Campbell, Tom Knox

Almost –
Willow, Michael Sommer, Michael Wright, Daryl Dominguez, Youness Amrani

Alis Skateboards –
Flex O’ Connor

Superdead Skateboards –
Eddie Belvedere, Harry Lintell, Nick Remon, Awadh Mohammed

Palace Skateboards –
Chewy Cannon, Rory Milanes, Lucien Clarke, Olly Todd

Death Skateboards –
Dan Cates, Boots, Adam Moss, Moggins

The infamous Vans Downtown Showdown returns to Europe this summer to take over another major destination. London thought it had its hands full when Jack the Ripper stalked the streets but little did they know that they had just swung open the doors to an onslaught of Europe’s most notorious rippers. Historic heritage site: Old Spitalfields Market in East London (UK) has been confirmed as the venue for the third edition of the now legendary International Skateboarding Spectacle and the stage has been set for proceedings to turn sinister on Saturday, 20 August 2011.

Twelve of the best skate teams are venturing from the far reaches of Europe for their chance to take part in a contest renowned to test skill, flare and creativity. Far removed from the usual format of any other skateboarding competition - the event will take place on special customised ramps, which are all designed by the invited Teams themselves. With the park layout being thrown out to the competing brands, the focus is not just on the riders ability and skills, but also on the individual Teams to redefine the concept of a skate obstacle and ultimately designing something original and in keeping with the authentic and murky London setting. Inspired by all the stories of one of Europe’s major historic Cities, you can expect to see some very special ramps to be built. Suffice to say, the spirit of the Ripper will be resurrected and features are going to be haunting, dark and of deathly inspiration. But it’s not only the Ripper that comes to mind, think Victorian Era, Cobbled streets, Sherlock Holmes, Gas Lamps, Gothic Churches, Pubs and Ales, The Royal Family, Oliver Twist and The Thames… the wealth of inspiration to draw from seems endless.

With Torino and Hamburg the previous settings for the European Vans Downtown Showdown, expectations this year are higher than ever before as Vans and the competitors push hard to surpass the already extremely high standard of the contest. With some of the top board brands in skateboarding already confirmed, expect to see the top Pros from Death Skateboards, Element Europe, Antiz, Superdead, Cliché, Blind Europe, Blueprint and many more doing what they can to secure their share of the crown jewels. For that matter, a combined prize total of 50’000 Euros should inspire enough carving and slashing to make old Jack proud.

The Vans Downtown Showdown concept was created for skaters by skaters and has been running globally for the last six years, each time creating unique Off the Wall ideas to be skated. Be ready
to see some British flavour added to this renowned event as it continues to lead the way for future skate contests.