Kingpin Magazine

French skater Guillaume Mocquin is part of Element Europe family and is sponsored by his own Cannes-based skateshop, Papatoro. Riding with Element teammates Gautheir Rouger and Julien Benoliel he won the Cosa Cup in 2007 and yet again took away the winning spot at the best trick contest at the 2009 Volcom Red Neck Rampage ISPO in Munich.

He hit the big time following his part in Element Europe’s 2010 video Get Busy Living, directed by Yves Marchon and also featuring Element riders such as Madars Apse and Nassim Guammaz. Since that stand-out debut, he has also appeared with Ruben Rodrigues in Element Europe´s 2013 production Hold It Down.

Born on 28th March 1987, Guillaume grew up skating on the streets of Grasse and Nice, but didn’t focus properly on the sport until very late, preferring to work as a spot welder and share most of his time between hanging out with his girlfriend and partying. However, someone so talented couldn’t stay hidden away for long, and he dumped the girlfriend, quit the job and concentrated on skating the bowl in Marseille as much as possible.

Despite learning his trade on the streets, Guillaume has become one of the gnarliest transition skaters around – give the man a pool, a bowl or a ramp and he’ll skate full speed ahead, constantly on the verge of falling. Guillaume says he’s now scared of being labelled a ‘bowl rider’, but it’s hard to avoid doing so when you see him in action.