“Building a DIY mini ramp in a rice field was peak.”
Thailand on top
Asked which of this episode's three countries deserves international attention first, Mike Boisvert doesn't blink: “Thailand on top. For sure.” Bangkok alone has at least 25 skateparks; Chiang Mai is a strong second city; Phuket and Pattaya carry scenes of their own. And here's the twist most people miss: surfskate might be even bigger than street: Chiang Mai has five surfskate parks by itself. At the top of the pyramid, a national Olympic program trains full-time in an indoor facility, coached by US legend Kenny Reed, the man Mike calls “the original skate nomad.”
Two shops run the scene
Preduce and Dregs. Preduce may be the biggest skate brand in Southeast Asia: a pro team, full-length videos, and a free covered skatepark that every touring pro passes through. Preduce Skatepark is Mike's favourite park in the country: “Small and big at the same time. And shade, because Thailand is hot.” Dregs' park is excellent too; an hour across town by motorbike taxi, best skated at night. And in the centre of the city, Pink Skatepark is the raw one: public, DIY feel, “less Olympic, more punk. I like it.”
Three skaters to know (plus one machine)
Kenji Jordan (@kenjileonjordan), from Hua Hin, received the first JACKALOPE Golden Ticket Mike ever handed out and flew to Montréal with his dad. Two years later he's popped into “grown-man style”: switch tres off his little DIY. “He's going to be a beast.” Orapan Tongkong (@orapantongkong) took the second Golden Ticket: raised on a skateboard in Belgium, winner of the Kimberley Diamond Cup in South Africa, best style in the country; she filmed her whole video with Mike in two hours. Chai Thawatchai (@chai_thawatchaii) is the underrated one: rides for Dregs, does it all, contest-ready. And then there's Code, the machine of the national program: “as good as Angelo Caro. He could win JACKALOPE.”
The first Golden Ticket
The story behind Kenji: Mike had been living through a month of panic attacks. In Hua Hin, he dragged himself to a tiny local park just to push around, and the kid destroying it was Kenji, a skater he already followed online. The next morning brought the worst attack yet, and he nearly cancelled. His girlfriend's ultimatum: “If you bail on this kid, I will never talk to you again.” He got dressed, filmed the video, handed over the ticket. “For me, it was the universe.”
Where it's going
Discipline, infrastructure, and constant Western traffic through one of the most-visited countries on Earth. Give the Thais equal parks, Mike says, and “they can compete with the Japanese.” Expect Thai names in Street League. “In ten years, Thailand is going to be like Japan.”
If you go
Best food ever, and the right first stop in Asia: India is next-level; Thailand is the on-ramp. Bangkok's old town feels like another planet; just budget an hour behind a motorbike taxi to cross the city. Chiang Mai for mountains and spots, Koh Tao for diving, Khao Sok National Park for the jungle. Take a month: two weeks shrinks to eleven days once you've flown and beaten the jet lag.
Mike Boisvert: “Thailand on top, for sure.”
Watch the full Thailand series
Photos and video: Mike Boisvert / The Skate Nomad. Part of the JACKALOPE Skate Atlas, one country at a time, with the skaters who live there. See every country on the map.
