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Sicilian Memories Pics: Biais, Mauro, Coupeau… Shot By Coupeau

It’s cliché but eternally and profoundly true: The best part of skateboarding is that it’s your door to the world, your pass to fun times, your fuel to friendship and your spark to creativity.

Want another proof? Check out what Vincent Coupeau and Ludovic Azemar brought back from their Sicily trip: Some amazing photography, a sick edit, and a ton of good times out skating with friends. What more can you ask for?!

Ludo’s edit premiered in bar in Paris on Wednesday a long with an exhibition of Vincent’s photos. The two took the occasion to get friends together and reminisce their Sicilian Memories over some cold ones. We’ve got a few of those here for you to catch a glimpse (and the edit here). Enjoy.

Photos: Vincent Coupeau | Intro: Jan Kliewer | Words: Vincent Coupeau

Mauro Caruso once again played host for the visiting French crew, here he is leading the way jamming a pole in Catania.

1- First funny thing: When we got to Catania, we discovered that people were driving their car as if everyday was in some kind of dangerous race. In order to be able to move from spot to spot I had rent a little car – without taking some insurance for it, eventually trying to save little money.

I think I tried to drive the first night before realising that, even though I was used to Parisian traffic, I wouldn’t be able to sit behind the wheel over there! In fact, I didn’t drive for the whole trip in the end, because I was too scared. So Mauro was leading the race pretty well until one day, driving pretty fast in the narrowest street, we totally broke one rear view mirror… I feared I would loose the caution but Mauro and his friend finally fixed a new mirror the day before bringing the car back! Just in time.

»Even though I was used to Parisian traffic, I wouldn’t be able to sit behind the wheel here!

Joseph Biais taking his straight no-comply over and down Catania's most famous gap.

2- We got to Sicily at night for the first trip. Super stoked to arrive we decided not to party too much for the first day so that we’d be efficient the next day. Eventually the next day it rained a lot so we couldn’t skate at all. So at night we decided to get out in some bars in the centre, “just to see what’s going on around in the city”… You can imagine that second day of the first trip was already a Day Off… Catania is wild at night!

»Apparently, being dead felt really stressful to him!«

3- For sure after this we couldn’t skate at all because of the hangover. So in order not to stay home without doing anything, we decided to go and climb Etna. For those who know about climbing a volcano, you’ll agree that it’s not as easy as it seems. Results: the next day we got so sore in every muscle of our bodies that we couldn’t skate at all. Clever moves!

»Climbing a volcano: not as easy!«

Shooting and skating is one thing, but then there is shooting yourself… Vins wallriding into a Catania downhill.

4- One night while having fun in the city, some random dude speaking a little bit of French showed up, and started to call Ludo “Jesus” because of his long hair. Pretty funny in the beginning, however, it quickly became a little annoying. Ludo got mad and told the guy to get lost, while giving him a quick but efficient slap in the face. Upset, the guy turned back and started walking, claiming he had a lot of guns and he would get his rifle and come back to shoot at him. According to Mauro, this guy is always around saying that he’s got loads of weapons that he was trying to sell to make some money. He’s possibly doing it for real, so we disappeared as fast as we could.

»This guy had loads of weapons that he was trying to sell«

Another Mauro banger: Mr. Caruso kickflips in Siracusa.

5- Last but not the least there was this night, after a good session we headed to the city without putting petrol in the car. We partied a little bit, before Ludo and Mauro decided to head back home (I was staying over in the city for the night, different story).

Of course the car stopped working in the middle of nowhere, middle of the night, something like 30 a minute drive away from home. Mauro pushed it to the side of the road and decided to sleep a little, waiting for the sun to rise and maybe some people to help him out. Later, when Ludo woke up sitting in the front seat of the car on the side of the road, with nothing around, and moreover not remembering anything from what happened, he thought they’d had a car accident, and that he was dead. And apparently, being dead felt really stressful to him!