About Vertical

Vertical is a small-scale, quarterly magazine or “zine” focusing on vert skateboarding. Based out of Southampton, England, the publication is run by Jack Wallbridge, a vert skater himself who frequents the vert ramps at Skaterham in Surrey and Gregtopia in Hampshire. Jack is largely responsible for the design of the layouts, writing several articles, and the overall editing of the magazine. However, without the help of countless photographers, writers, and the general help of skaters and event organisers around the world, the magazine would be impossible.

The idea for Vertical was conceived over Christmas 2022. At the time, I (Jack Wallbridge) was spending a lot of time thinking about how “dead” vert skating was, with the international vert competition scene still effectively recovering from the COVID pandemic and with few new skaters taking up vert skating. I guess I hoped that through Vertical I could create a bit more of a buzz around vert skating, giving vert skaters and photographers a chance to get their photos in print where it seems so difficult to get featured in other magazines as a vert skater. Although I certainly do not expect Vertical to have a major impact on the global vert scene, I do hope that it has encouraged at least a few newer skaters to take up or persevere with vert skating so they can enjoy this rad style of skating.

Work began on Issue 1 in January 2022, which featured a lengthy recap of the previous year’s UK Vert Series competitions and interviews with Jim Langran, Annalise Lam, and Tay Cunningham. The design of this first issue was quite basic and featured many mistakes, as is to be expected with any new publication. Totaling 80 pages (including the front and back cover), 200 copies of Issue 1 were printed. The first issue was released at Skaterham skatepark on Tuesday, 14th March 2023. The cover photo was of Ethan Doody doing a Bs Air in Cardiff, photographed by Stu Bennett. This first issue of the magazine was a success, selling out not long after the release of Issue 3.

Issue 2 was released a month late as I tried to squeeze in as much content as possible, which took longer to compile. At 124 pages including the covers, this was a pretty ambitious issue featuring a 50-page recap of Vert Attack 14 in Sweden, a recap of the Sunday Service competition, and interviews with Jesse Thomas and Greg Nowik. Looking back, there was a drastic improvement in the design and writing of this issue compared to Issue 1. This second issue became available on our website on 17th July 2023, with Jesse Thomas on the cover doing a Frigid (or Judo for those across the pond) at the Bryggeriet gymnasium in Malmö, Sweden. The photo was taken by Ramin Golmohammadi.

Issue 3 once again featured vast improvements in the overall look of the magazine. This issue was released at the Mount Hawke Vert Jam on 16th September 2023, only two months after the previous issue. Featuring our first issues from the US, and coverage of three UK Vert Series events plus Greg’s Ramp Jam, as well as an interview with Phil Hajal and Shea Donovan, this issue was packed with content across all 94 pages. The cover photo was of Phil Hajal doing a Christ air at his ramp in Ocala, photographed by Robert McClory.

The next three months saw the production of Issue 4, which included articles about the second Rage at The Rose competition in Tennessee (done as an interview with Peter Furnee), Blockless Combat in Birmingham, The Mount Hawke Vert Jam in Cornwall, a vert demo in the Portuguese town of Ericeira, and an interview with Lars Stout. All this plus the regular departments (Vert News, Team Robot, and Ramp Focus) was covered in 112 pages. This issue was released on 8th December, with Viktor Solmunde on the cover doing a Bs Boneless on an extension in Birmingham, photographed by Jon Blades.

The fifth issue of Vertical was released on 31st March 2024. At 76 pages long, this issue featured interviews with Pontus Bjorn and Ruby Dolan, as well as coverage of Le Grand Air 6 in Bordeaux, Vert Invaders in Oslo, Halfpipe Horror in S’Hertogenbosch (good luck pronouncing that!), The Konstanz Open, and The Skatepark of Tampa (SPoT) Legends Jam. The cover featured Tony Hawk doing a Stalefish over the channel at SPoT, photographed by Robert McClory.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with the magazine so far, I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes over the next few years…