Monster Brings the Stoke to CPH Open 2019

Since its inception in 2007, CPH Open has built a reputation as one of the world’s most respected and authentic skateboarding events. More than just a competition for points and prize money, the real ‘skater’s contest’ celebrates the culture and global family bond that are unique to skateboarding. Revered as ‘The Champagne of Skateboarding’, CPH Open lets skateboarding unfold naturally in the streets and surprises participants and audiences every year with new concepts and innovations.

In 2018, CPH Open hit the road in a ten-day skateboarding showcase with happenings in Copenhagen, Berlin and Amsterdam. This year, it was back to the roots as the Danish capital and its street spots provided the canvas for the latest chapter in CPH Open history. Here’s how it went down…

Presented by Monster Energy as the official drink sponsor, this year’s CPH Open kicked off at the city’s state-of-the-art concrete skate park, Fælledparken. On the park’s halfpipe, Copenhagen skateboarding icon and Monster Energy rider Rune Glifberg set the tone for an epic weekend with his signature blend of stylish and technical vert skating. Highlights of the free-flowing session included head-high frontside nosebone, ollie frontside Smith grind over the channel, heelflip indy, and gay twist heelflip Indy.

Next up, Glifberg’s Monster Energy teammate Gabriel Fortunato stoked the crowd in the Best Foot Forward Am Contest on the Fælledparken concrete street park. Hailing from the streets of Suzano in Brazil, Fortunato covered the course with technical tricks like Half Cab 50-50 the rail, big flip up the Euro gap, nollie backside kickflip and alley-oop 360 ollie over the hip, backside noseblunt the wallride, as well as 360 kickflip and ollie late body varial over the centerpiece pyramid for a strong third place finish.

As the sun set over Fælledparken, the organizers installed a flaming, seven-foot ring of fire on the pyramid platform for the day’s highlight: A Best Trick Session through the flames. Threading the needle with a stunt through a loop like this sure is a feat in itself – but setting it on fire definitely ups the ante. Keeping his cool, Monster Energy’s Wair sent a lofty backside kickflip through the Ring of Fire for the win!

Day Two continued the fun vibes with a cash-for-tricks session in the middle of the city. The mission: Send your best moves over a kicker obstacle featuring an oversized pair of CPH Open sunglasses on its platform. Again, Fortunato dug into his bag of tech moves with an ollie frontside late shove-it, heelflip and huge 360 kickflip. Wair was also stacking bundles in the cash-for-tricks event with highlights including switch frontside kickflip and switch kickflip over the kicker.

At each of the street spots around the skate-friendly Scandinavian city, the action drew hundreds of spectators in a festival atmosphere. Energy levels were high as the crowds, many wearing CPH Open’s heart-shaped sunglasses, spontaneously celebrated every trick – exactly what makes CPH Open a one-of-a-kind happening in the skateboarding universe. 

Day Three saw the crew board a train to join a miniramp session at a trainyard outside the city. This was followed by a heavy Best Trick session on the ledges by the pier. Although the session was cut short by a sudden rainstorm, spirits remained high as the good vibes continued. On the fourth day, the spectacle hit the small town of Svendborg two hours outside of Copenhagen. A jam session in a nearby snake run park got things going and riders found new uses for a long children’s slide. Monster Energy’s European team rider Kevin Baekkel upped the ante with a hardflip into the slide obstacle and also popped an ollie over the slide gap. Then it was time for the day’s main event: the Independent Trucks Hill Bomb down the legendary Kongebakken hill. The high-octane downhill speed race sent riders veering off the road in ultra-tight turns that were a true test of control. Ultimately, Baekkel blasted down Kongebakken faster than anyone and emerged in first place. 

Day Five of CPH Open brought the stoke downtown with the Nike x Polar Skateboards showcase at Israels Plads square featuring a special Best Trick obstacle: A kicker leading into a giant sneaker fitted with ledges on top. Wair had just the right moves for the unconventional set-up and blasted a frontside nosebluntslide over the gap onto the top deck for serious prize money and shut down the session with a hardflip over the entire obstacle. Behind the scenes, Monster Energy filmer Mark Wiitenon got hit in the head by a wayward board and needed to get stitches, but turned out okay. And when pro street skater Lui Elliott dislocated his finger during the session, Monster Energy Skateboarding Manager Joey Shigeo helped pop it back in to keep the good times rolling. 

The final day of the festival concluded with a street session at Triangle Park overlooking the Copenhagen harbor. Wair brought his flow with kickflip backside tailslide fakie and kickflip noseslide on the ledge and frontside kickflip fakie over the quarterpipe hip. Wair also threw a face melter by landing a nollie Half Cab rollout onto the quarterpipe deck to frontside Half Cab kickflip in – only to come back and do the same thing switch, this time with a nollie flip from platform to tranny. That was it: Wair was crowned the overall winner of the eventful CPH Open 2019 and celebrated in style with his peers.

“I'm hyped! Thanks for all the support of skateboarding and keeping it all-around positive. Being out here is a good time!” said Wair after winning the final session at CPH Open 2019 in Copenhagen. Wair already won the street competition at Copenhagen Skatepark in 2017 and was Monster’s MVP at last year’s CPH Open.

After five days of epic action in Copenhagen, everyone in attendance was stoked on an unforgettable event in true skateboarding family spirit. 

Now that CPH Open 2019 is in the books, all eyes will be on the action in Long Beach, California, when Monster Energy skateboarding hits the street and park competitions at Dew Tour Long Beach from June 13–16. Also make sure to tune in as the SLS World Tour returns for Stop Two on July 27 – 28, 2019 at Galen Center in Los Angeles.