Dime Weekend In Montreal – 3 nights and 2 days of non stop skating, partying, and trying to find a good place to piss.  

I drove up for the weekend from the city with no real expectations about what might go down. All I knew was that my friend Alexis LaCroix ( Skate Jawn Issue #44 legend ) said there was gonna be a video premiere and that I could stay at his house. Sick. Love a good video premiere. 

I got in on Friday afternoon and within an hour was already sippin a cold one at Parc La Fontaine with some local Montreal rippers. For those unfamiliar, Parc La Fontaine is sorta like this little plaza area in a park with some benches and nice flatground. A nice place to chill and skate for sure.

Honestly, the first night was pretty much a blur. Alexis said there was a party at the Dime store and I had no plans so we hit it up. There was free beer and lots of dudes in beanies. I probably had a beanie on too. Barned it. One memory of the night I do remember though is walking into the Trash Bar bathroom to piss and finding Tyson Peterson just jamming out with his massive JBL speaker. Not even pissing. Just dancing the night away. Oh and this dude bought 20 shots at the Biftek Bar across the street and I definitely got in on some of those.

• Fast Forward –

Saturday was a rough one and it was raining so the event got pushed to Sunday. The premiere was still happening but everyone was off doing their own things. I heard rumours that there was a pretty heavy sesh going down at some indoor park in Montreal but my crew were taking a chill pill. Alexis and some of his homies jammed while I napped on the cushion in the other room, but it wasn’t until closer to the premiere that the madness of the night started heating up again. 

Round 2 – Video Premiere ( and I’m not talking Rodney Vs. Daewon)

The premiere was sick. There were NOT free beers, but what’s a broke skater to do. I got a few sips here and there and someone gave me mushrooms so the rest is history. The video itself was very dope and I was hyped to see Alexis get last part. He’s a real ripper and the way he looks at skating is pretty unique. Shout out to all the other Dime rippers in the video. You guys killed it.

Once the video ended ( I think they played it at like 1am), everyone was set free to skate and terrorize the city again. Alexis wanted to have an impromptu show at his pad and many started the trek back to his spot for some live music. It was late and I was not well prepared. Canada is fucking cold. Shoulda had that beanie. Barned it. 

We got back to Alexis’ around 5am and started setting up for the show. Alexis and I had jammed before and he wanted me to play drums so I hopped on the kit and waited. His studio room got pretty packed before we started playing but it wasn’t too long before a bummed roommate reminded us that it was 5am and we were being incredibly fucking loud. My bad Trevor. Either way it was a good cue to go to bed. Fried.

SUNDAY OF DESTRUCTION – The Main Event 

The crew got off to a late start Sunday morning but we managed to get to the Olympic Stadium just in time for the events to get going, around 2pm. Oh yeah, we got to drive there in some homies rented Cadillac too. Style. 

This year’s Dime Challenge was different though. 

In previous years there had always been a prize or reward for the sickest shredder. Last year they had almost $1 million USD in prize money. Fuck.

But this years Dime event had no money or reward on the line, just a huge crowd of people ready to see some destruction. That’s pretty sick. Skaters and homies just out on a sunday looking for a rip. 

The first major “banger zone” was a kicker to bench which everyone slaughtered, of course. Mark Sucui did quite possibly the chilliest kickflip BS Noseblunt in history and Mason Silva did a Front Shuv Crooked grind that made my 14 year old self cream. Maybe that’s gross. Maybe I shouldn’t write that. Whatever, shit was sick. Oh and Tiago Lemos Sw Varial Heeled it earlier in the day with effortless steeze.  

Before long the bench was getting old and they moved the attention to a massive bank right next to the stadium. It looked pretty beefy but once again everyone was straight slaying and/or getting slayed by the 5 foot drop landing at the bottom. Mason Silva Sw Big Heeled into it first try. Tom Knox bailed off the edge. So many tricks. Just watch the video recap on Skate Jawn. Got it. 

The event ended after local legend P.I.F. ( Pierre-Yves Frappier) Front Nosed the massive hubba that acted as the last stage of the day. Mark Suciu SW back 50’d it too. An awesome thing to see in real life! He killed it. 

The event was over but the last party of the weekend was yet to start. Alexis often throws these parties at Parc La Fontaine ( refer to beginning of recap) and calls them SKANCE parties, which is when you skate and dance at the same time. It’s really fun. Especially after a few beers and some glow sticks to light your way. The crew rallied again for a final hurrah and danced the night away. 

I made my leave Monday morning quite destroyed from the weekend but stoked on the memories it created. After evading a parking nanny who said I owed him money for leaving my truck parked all weekend, I made my way out of Canada back here to New York City to take a breath and digest what went down. 

Writing this weeks later reminds me of how gnarly the whole weekend was. From arriving and immediately jumping into the whole Dime atmosphere to ending my time in Canada skancing in the cold night, I learned Montreal is dope. The skate scene is sick. And next time Dime throws a big event for the masses, I’ll be there. 

-Sean Bendon