07-2025 Jackalope Mississauga

What is Jackalope?

On Par with the likes of the X-Games, Jackalope is an action-sports festival with international competitions, famous guest athletes and amazing skateboarding talent. 

This was our second year at Jackalope, and without a doubt was just as good if not better than the year before! The setup was perfect and well-attended by professional staff, organizers and security. The fairground setup looked amazing in the early morning before it got packed with people. Even still at this early hour, people were starting to trickle in and the sound of urethane on plywood could be heard in the background while some vert skaters got in some early morning practice runs. 

Setting up the Vendor Tent

Fortunately we were permitted to set up the tent the day before the event started. During Jackalope 2024 there was a freak wind and rainstorm which nearly blew our tent away. Fortunately me and my friend held onto it for dear life to protect ourselves and our skateboards from getting blown away and damaged.  Well this year, they made it a requirement to have about 90lbs per leg of weights.  The tent wasn't going anywhere this time!

Vince from Moving Comic Factory - helped with some incredible custom grip tape. We had a bit of a hard time trying to display it, but found some velcro from the tent seemed to hold it up better than using rope. 

The custom airbrushed grip tape was prepared by Vince ahead of time and it looked amazing on display.

Custom Complete Skateboard Setups

Part of the fun is being able to set up custom skateboards for new and experience skateboarders. They can pick their own deck, trucks, wheels and add extra touches likes printed grip tape. We helped our new skateboarders choose softer wheels for a smoother ride, and had a good stock of some of our favorite Big Foot Cruiser wheels on hand.

Here we have a custom mini JART skateboard for younger riders, complete with Industrial Raw trucks and Form wheels.  While this is not considered a high-end skateboard in terms of the components, they are still professional grade and way better quality than those cheaper department store completes.  JART boards are made in Spain by HLC distribution, the same company that manufacturers PLANB and other well-known brands. They are known for top quality and performance. Mini skateboards are harder to come by, measuring about 7.5" x 28.5". They are perfect for younger riders with a narrower stance.  The green neon wheels complemented the green lettuce in the burger graphic.  This turned out to be an amazing looking setup!  

The next complete setup we had the pleasure of assembling was an Atlantic Aire Bluenose model from Atlantic Aire skateboards from St. John's Newfoundland. With iconic east cost Canadian art from Judd Haynes, this graphic is a true gem representing the famous Blue Nose racing ship.  Bluenose was a fishing and racing gaff rig schooner built in 1921 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. What a great part of Canadian history this represents, and what a gorgeous graphic!  We set this up with Bullet Trucks and Bonjour Tsunami wheels.  

Next up was a custom complete skateboard featuring Montreal's own ULC release called 'Countryside' from their  Odyssey series release in 2024. This space-themed planetary landscape scene really captures the immensity of the universe with a beautiful depiction of a rocky mountainside on a different planet. We set this up with Silver M-Class raw trucks.  We also put together a mini cruiser by Krooked - a Zip Zinger with gold-foil graphics, Industrial raw trucks and BigFoot wheels, which offer a softer and smoother ride for cruising. The wheels make all the difference, and having a board this size is great for zipping around town.  We really enjoyed putting these together and making some younger skaters super happy with their new setups!

Next up we set up a complete skateboard with a one-off design by Gloria Kagawa called 'Life on the Edge'. This board was actually done as a test print from a US company called 'customskateboards.com'. We wanted to see how the quality and workmanship turned out, and we were not disappointed in the least! Since this was a one-off test print board, we decided to offer it up for less than what we actually paid to have it manufactured for, as it was not intended to be sold, but when one of our customers asked if they could get a board at a good price, we offered this as an option and they were more than happy to purchase it. The graphic actually looks better in a photograph than in real life - as the DPI of the print was not very high. If you plan on getting a custom board printed, we recommend going with no less than 300 DPI to get a nice clean graphic.  Even still, this looks pretty awesome with Silver M-Class trucks and Chocolate Wheels. Gotta love the shoes and toes that got captured - truly authentic!

Next up, we assembled a complete ULC - "Deschênes - Myth" - Skateboard Deck with Silver M-Class trucks with yellow baseplates, raw hangers and BigFoot cruiser wheels. These wheels are great for city riding as they are softer, but still fast enough for parks. We love ULC's designs and Joe Deschênes is an awesome Canadian skater who's still riding into his 40's.  We love seeing skaters that keep going into adulthood and represent the Canadian skate scene. ULC rocks for having him on their roster. 

We weren't quite done yet - as another customer wanted this classic wider board made by Scam Skates with art by Winnipeg artist Alex Plante.  Shown here is the Chaos 2020 deck with hilarious graphics showcasing all the craziness and mayhem from 2020 including Justin Trudeau's 'speaking moistly' foible, Donald Trump, The Covid 19 virus, Tiger King, Elmo and more. The fact that this board is manufactured in Canada, and features Canadian art is a true testament to skateboarding and art within Canada.  Unfortunately we are sold out of this model, but at least we still have these pictures to help remind us of how much we appreciated this deck. We set this up with wider Mini-Logo trucks and DeathWish wheels. The black axles really complemented the board well, and the owner was truly stoked!

 Last but not least, this young beginner wanted a new complete setup, and she fell in love with the Motif Brand Roses model. We recommended she go with something a bit smaller for her height, however she insisted that this was the board for her, and we cannot blame her for that given how beautiful this graphic is. The vibrant pink and red colors along with some transparent Big Foot red wheels resulted in a strikingly vibrant and colorful setup. This young rider was over the moon to get this board.

Here we have another skater who asked us to take a picture of a complete Motif Brand setup we did for him, however we thought he wanted us to take his picture instead. He was cool with that, so we did end up getting a great photo of him with his new setup, but for some reason we didn't get the photo of the board. Nonetheless, we want to thank this rider for his support and show him with his new setup. Checkout Tekty in the background, our incredible helper. 

Nothing screams Jackalope more than the other vendors on site who are all as passionate and excited about skateboarding as we are. It was super hard to actually get time to visit each booth, cause we had to tend to our own, however we made sure to at least do a quick walk-around and snap some photos. One of the best parts of Jackalope is getting to meet and chat with other vendors who, like us, had less expectations about earning a profit and were more interested in being a part of a historic event. Getting to share one's passion with other likeminded retailers and not-for-profits gave us a huge sense of community and made us feel like a part of the larger skateboarding community. 

Will and Scott, the Comacan skateboards https://comacan.com/ founders are some of the coolest guys involved in the Canadian skate team. Not only do these guys still skate well into adulthood, they believe in making skateboarding more accessible, affordable and supporting the Canadian skate scene. I loved sharing stories about our mutually adored skate spots in the Kitchener waterloo area from back in the 90's and relating to how skateboarding has evolved over the years. it's so cool to be able to hang with skaters who have been around for decades and are still into the sport and who want to share their passion with all generations. I especially love and relate to their attitude about wanting to share their love of skateboarding with others as their main focus, not necessarily trying to make money. I wish these guys all the success in the world. 

Driveway Skateshop https://www.drivewayskateshop.com/ -another Ontario outfit is driving the scene forward with their innovative mobile skateshop, while also providing skate clinics on site!  What an incredible idea, and seeing them for the second year at Jackalope was truly an honor. These guys have invested so much of their time and money, but for them it's more about spreading the love of skateboarding and bringing it directly to communities than it is about profit. Kudos to these guys for their dedication and commitment to the sport!

Ontario Skateboarding https://www.ontarioskateboarding.ca/ is a non-profit outfit dedicated to showcasing and promoting skateboarding in Ontario. It was cool to meet the owner of this outfit and we appreciate their initiative to bring awareness of the positive impact skateboarding has in communities across Ontario!

We got to meet some innovative shops focusing on apparel and hand-made items like Hooked On Kashmir https://www.instagram.com/hookedonkashmir/   What a cute and creative team!

Stuntin https://stuntinhq.com/ is another vendor we got to meet briefly at Jackalope, and although we didn't get much time to chat with them we truly appreciate their unique branded designs. The skate community needs original designers and Canadian businesses more than ever, and these guys are definitely interesting, unique and deserving of all the support possible.

Kraywoods https://www.kraywoods.com/ was another vendor we got to meet at Jackalope 2025 - in fact their tent was set up right beside ours. These guys traveled from Quebec to be at the festival, and we couldn't have been happier to have them right beside us. Talk about quality, style and professional workmanship - the eyewear is exceptional and we just love how this company is incorporating sustainability into their designs. Their wood framed glasses are incredible!

Skateboards For Hope https://skateboardsforhope.com/was another vendor tent right beside us at Jackalope 2025. This mother/son duo runs this non-profit organization and helps to get skateboard products to developing and countries across the globe. What a huge initiative they have undertaken and hearing their stories about how they've helped countless kids access skateboarding was truly touching and inspirational. There are so many countries that have zero or limited access to skateboarding products and apparel, but to be able to reach them and offer them a happier existence is truly exceptional.

Ride Skate Shop https://rideskateshop.ca/ is a truly remarkable local shop in St. Catharines Ontario. The owner, Trevor, lives and breathes skateboarding and puts everything possible into his shop. With big box stores like Zumiez taking over the skateboard industry, and small local shops struggling to compete, we have to hand it to local skate shop owners like Trevor who push forward to keep skateboarding local and community-based. Thank you Ride Skateshop for everything you are doing for skateboarding in Canada and in Ontario! It's not easy to do what you do, but it's so worth it. 

KLIPT https://klipt.ca/ is another mainstay at Jackalope, with fresh designs and talented young skaters. It's always great to see these guys in action around Toronto and surrounding areas. We got to meet them at Bevy in Toronto and 2 years in a row at Jackalope.  This is a talented and style-oriented crew. 

CHILL Foundation https://www.chill.org/ is another non-profit organization that we had the pleasure to meet at Jackalope! It has never been more important and relevant to ensure skateboarding is accessible to all. There's just way too much bias and stereotypical attitudes in the world today, and unfortunately even within skateboarding culture still. It's so important to fight these stereotypes and enable everyone the access and fulfillment that skateboarding can offer. We loved meeting the CHILL reps at the festival and truly appreciate their mission. 

Tech Deck was also out in full force with a double-sized tent, giving away free Tech Decks. Their tent was totally fun but also very very busy! Fortunately we scored one tech deck souvenir, and thank them graciously for being at Jackalope!

Closing Remarks

As 2025 closes out - the memories of Jackalope live on. The best part of the festival was getting to meet everyone and be part of a massive celebration of skateboarding.  The organizers who put together this event every year are doing a very positive thing for their community and for skateboarding. See you again in 2026!