Wade Fyfe – Studio Skateboards Moodlighting (2012)

The MF Doom track, Lemon Grass, used to accompany Wade’s skating is the perfect swan song for a career of steady cruising.

Wade Fyfe hit my radar back in 2002 when he featured in Jeremy Pettit’s independent hit North out of Canada. For too long anything that wasn’t located in California just wasn’t getting the attraction it deserved. Canadian skaters know this all too well. You had to keep an ear to the street to follow the career paths of non-US skaters so between 2002 and 2012, I had only really seen a couple of full parts from Wade. A brutal slam in his 2004 Strange Brew part might have shortened the life expectancy of his endorsed endeavours but nonetheless what Wade did produce was always a pleasure to watch.

So, the year is 2012 and Wade is at the tailend of his time in the spotlight and has settled down for a place on a new Canadian board brand out of Montreal, Studio Skateboards. Studio are one of those independent skate brands that take their time to deliver quality output. Moodlighting was a visual treat that set the brand off on their maiden voyage to navigate the realms of Cool and Chic. For Wade it was one of his last journeys in front of the VX.

Wade has a slightly bow-legged solid stance that compliments his willingness to skate switch on many an occasion. There are some powerful regular-stanced flips and slides in there but it’s mainly the switch lines (notably the opener) and single tricks that stand out. Switch crooking decent sized window sills for a downhill line remind me of the late great Keenan Milton in Mouse. Why do a regular nose manual when you can hold a switch nose manual just as long if not longer?

Wade’s final parting gift is a perfect switch backtail backside flip out. The abrasive nature of Canada’s curbs never looked so smooth.