Ride with David Gravette to the viking stronghold of Estonia for the 25th anniversary of Europe's best event through the eyes of one of skateboarding's modern-day savages. These are the Simple Session photos you didn't see. This is the trip you wish you took. Beyond the event and into the wild streets of Estonia.

“I love Simple Session,” says Gravette. “The courses are always fucking crazy and being there in person to watch the biking final in person is worth the trip to me–that's what fires me up to skate more than skating. This was my third time.” The best moments from this year, though, came away from the event.

“I got to catch a fish, throw axes, shoot bow and arrows and I grinded that fucking 30-rail a few times.”

David Gravette doing David Gravette things in Estonia.

“That was the third and best day of the trip. I caught a 4-pound rainbow trout caught on a cane pole–a bamboo stick with some line tied to the end.”

It was at this old Viking Village with axe throwing, archery and medieval foods. As soon as we got there that was the first thing I did, grab a cane pole.”

David’s prize, up close and colorful.

“It wasn't easy. I had to miss most of dinner or lunch because I didn't want to stop fishing.”

David’s prize turned dinner!

“You're not allowed to catch and release there. So they cooked it up for us. It was really good.”

Trout to table feast.

David Loy & CJ Collins start in on a feast with the Vikings watching over them.

“That's an old Viking fertility game where the women would throw rings and try to catch them on the guy's cock, and then the men throw sticks through the other side that has a hole where the vagina is. The first fucking two sticks I threw went right through that vagina, let me tell you.”

Handmade hatchet toss. Basically a bullseye. All part of the experience.

Greyson and Jaws launch a Viking cannonball, or trebuchet, just short of the castle wall…

The next shot cleared it!

“At the Viking Village, we got to play a little dress up with some old Viking fucking wardrobe. Apparently the Vikings always had swings in their food halls. So I took some swings, some jabs and swung swords.”

Greyson Fletcher on the back of CJ Collins’ Bird scooter, takes on the sidewalks of Estonia. “I'm personally against the fucking those damn scooter things. I think people should just ride a bike or walk or something.”

“It was fun but cold on those things in fucking below-freezing temperatures… cold hands, for sure.”

CJ bombs down the leaf covered hill while Greyson berms one out below.

“There's very little tricks that you can do on those... I kept it pretty chill, but CJ was taking on the hills.”

BMX backflip tailwhip over the tiny volcano feature for the Best Trick event.

“That was the BMX best trick at this old train station.”

 

“Since day one, I've been watching BMX stuff pretty religiously.”

Gravettzky 420, a self-described ‘yes’ guy. 

“I signed up for the hockey game–bikers versus skaters. That was Intimidating but I’m a ‘yes guy.’ When I got the opportunity to play ice hockey I figured I should add it to the list of life experiences, and it was pretty fun. I'm glad I didn't get any fingers run over, because I kept falling over. My gloves would fly off. A couple fights broke out, I had to fucking scurry away from those pretty quickly.”

Back into the streets, Chris Greggson locked into filming at a huge rail while Gravette kicked back with a victory smoke. 

“Celebrating my trick, I grinded that fucking 30-rail a couple of times.”

The boys CJ Collins, Jerry Gurney & David Loy spark one up for good measure.

“That's was at these old Soviet ruins that we got to skate inside.”

TikTok a reflection of life, or is life now a reflection of TikTok? Greyson & Jaws do the thing inside the soviet ruins.

“They filmed the movie Tenent in there, and I ended up finding a bunch of fucking movie blank bullets that were from that movie.”

The bullet casings were perfect for packing. There was also an auditorium inside the abandoned City Hall, which served nicely for sparking another J, for good measure.

At another time, elsewhere in Estonia, Jordan Thackeray gets a dose of eye treatment…

“That was like this eye therapy, that's pretty much like a DMT trip. It's pretty gnarly, you sit there and it only flashes one light color, but you see like every light/color in the fucking spectrum like a kaleidoscope style. It's intense."

In between the mayhem throughout the weekend, Jaws could be found jamming duets on the piano in the hotel lobby.

“The stupid Club next door was playing fucking their loud, shitty music, so we couldn't even hear the real musicians at work.”

Jaws on the tables turning up a heavy house storm at the party on the final night with David Loy backing him up. ‘Give it to me now.’

“Jaws DJd the party, which was rad but definitely not my kind of music. I'm not head banging and stuff because I’m feeling the music, I'm just doing it because I guess it's what you're supposed to do. I need instruments. And a story.”

David Gravette, Dave Duncan and David Loy—the three Daves.

“Dave power united.”

Jerry Gurney and Dave Duncan tossing up the horns while they stare deep into David’s eyes.

“Two fucking characters of life.”

Attempt 1 of Greyson’s giant tail drop, Jerry Gurney said it best, “Fuckin’ A.”

Attempt 2 of Greyson’s giant tail drop…

“I'd say on average, Greyson jumps around 900 to 1000 feet a day. Like, at least a couple skyscrapers, you know. All day long power fucking jump.”

The fucking MAKE!

David Gravette and Yuro Nagahara switched up outfits for a quick flick. It may or may not be one of the last things Yuro remembers from the trip.

“There were two final parties, the difference was you felt a little bit more rotten from the inside out at the second one!”

Before the late night could wind down, the Estonian club owners brought out more forms of entertainment.

“They pulled out a basketball hoop for us at about 3am, so we played some serious 3am fucking hoops.”