Topography: Wallrides with Silas Baxter-Neal

Silas Baxter-Neal discusses a tapestry of wallrides throughout his career, spanning from his days skating San Francisco’s Alabama Banks right up to the present.

Interview and video production by Farran Golding | Footage courtesy of Habitat Skateboards, Adidas Skateboarding, and others (as credited) | Photography by Ken Goto, Dave Chami, Jonathan Mehring, Dave Swift & Marimo Ohyama

words, Interview and video production by Farran golding

Whilst living in San Francisco in the mid-2000s, Silas Baxter-Neal would skate a few blocks from his apartment, to his favorite coffee spot, passing the “Alabama Banks” on route.

Named after their native street, the possibilities of this Mission District parking lot, banked at one end with tarmac crawling upwards towards a painted white wall, regularly occupied his imagination. From the simple joy of floating vertically, backside and frontside, ideas of intricate wallrides began which manifested for Silas’ professional debut in Habitat’s 2007 video, Inhabitants.

Wallrides have since remained a staple of his trick selection, deployed with power, technicality, or a combination of both. As one of their most proficient practitioners, Silas spoke about all things wallride-related and his longstanding love for the trick.

Silas Baxter-Neal, alley-oop frontside flip wallride | Alabama Banks, San Francisco | photography by Ken Goto for Silas’ pro debut Habitat advert, 2007 and featured his ‘Topography’ interview for Closer Skateboarding Issue #4, Spring 2023

“I don’t know if I try and play that role of, like, “the wallride guy”. I just see opportunities for things that are, like, “Maybe this will work….”

— Silas Baxter-Neal

Silas Baxter-Neal, wallride beside the Sumida River Tokyo, Japan | Marimo Ohyama for Closer Skateboarding Issue #4

“It’s a rad spot, and the bank helps a little bit, but that wall is so damn rough and rocky. You have to go completely weightless. I was skating it more like a bank-to-wall than a straight wallride because the board is bouncing around under your feet as you’re wallriding and you don’t get solid contact until you’re off.”

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This story was published under the same headline in Closer Skateboarding Issue #4, Spring 2023.

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Favorites from the print edition of Closer

• End of The Line — A ‘Static’ Retrospective with Josh Stewart: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
• The Long Play with Mason Silva on Early 2000s Skate Video Soundtracks
• Leo Romero on Stay Gold and Grinding Up Handrails
• Ariana Spencer — One Rad Mom
• ‘Have You Met Nelly Morville?’ — An Interview with Limosine’s Breakout Star
• Louie Lopez on AVE’s Green Bench

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