To celebrate the second step in easing the lockdown measures in Switzerland, a small group of us went out on a sunny Saturday for a chilled ledge session. Once the first few tricks were landed, we heard a distant cheer and clapping coming from behind us. We turned to see an older, disheveled man watching from his first floor apartment window with a glass of wine in hand and headphones on. As the session continued over the following few hours, there he remained with glass topped up, offering the occasional burst of encouragement. During the session, Swiss/Filipino superstar Clark Zeller was enthusiastically playing with a few different switch up ideas on his new Razor set up. Highlights included this soul to back torque to true top acid, and soul to back savannah amongst many others.

Zeller / Soul to BS AO Unity

Once the light began to fade and the skate session slowly came to a close, we were greeted with another cheer. Heading our way was our new found friend and biggest fan, grasping a large case of beer, packs of hot sausage rolls, pizza breads, and a collection of chocolate bars for us all. In broken English he relayed that, despite his initial hostility to the noisy rollerbladers outside his house, he felt such joy in seeing people smiling, having fun and beginning to ‘live again’. 

The Covid-19 situation has been difficult for us all around the world, and will continue to be a challenge in the coming months, possibly years. Luckily the Swiss government was quick and effective in their decision to lockdown shops, schools and businesses to control the spread of the virus. Hospitals have been coping well overall, and with children now returning to school, a small ray of light can be seen up ahead. It has been difficult to stay inside for so long and avoiding seeing close friends and family. However, the social distancing/quarantine measures have been working, and it has been demonstrated here that the more we follow these instructions, the quicker a state of ‘norm’ can arise. — Dean Bradley