November 2007 cover with Steve Nesser
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Editor | Jake Phelps |
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Categories | Skateboarding |
Frequency | Monthly |
Circulation | 250,000 |
Publisher | High Speed Productions |
Founder | Kevin Thatcher, Eric Swenson, and Fausto Vitello |
Year founded | January 1981 |
Language | English, French (from 2006 to 2012) |
Website | thrashermagazine |
ISSN | 0889-0692 |
OCLC number | 13789617 |
Thrasher is a monthly skateboarding magazine, founded in January 1981 by Kevin Thatcher, Eric Swenson, and Fausto Vitello, and published by High Speed Productions, Inc. of San Francisco, USA. The publication consists primarily of skateboard- and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews. The magazine also maintains a website, which includes segments with names such as "Firing Line" and "Hall of Meat", an online store, a video collection, a radio show, and a forum for registered users. The company also owns and operates the Double Rock indoor skateboarding facility.
In 1999, the magazine sponsored a PlayStation game called Thrasher: Skate and Destroy.
The magazine's website features regularly updated episodes of segments and hosts a forum in which registered users can engage in online discussion.
The title of "Skater of the Year" is awarded annually by Thrasher magazine. The tradition was started in 1990, and the accolade remains one of the most respected awards in global skateboarding culture. The title is bestowed to one skater annually, based on a public vote, and announced by thrasher's editor, Jake Phelps. Chris Cole, and Danny Way are the only double recipients.
Thrasher has also released an annual, King of the Road, video since 2003.
In 2003, Thrasher started the King of the Road (KOTR) skateboarding competition. In the KOTR contest, a group of pre-invited teams of professional skaters are each given a booklet containing a series of challenges. Points are awarded at the completion of each challenge. The teams compete at the same time over a two-week period, in which they travel across the U.S. to complete as many challenges as possible.
KOTR has been held annually since its inception, with the exceptions of 2008 and 2009. In 2011, Thrasher and Converse hosted the competition in China, with the participation of the four biggest Chinese skateboard deck companies.
Thrasher released a music compilation series titled "Skate Rock" under the High Speed Productions label. The first release was in 1983, with Volume One, and continued until Volume Seven in 1989. The series started out featuring Californian punk rock bands, including bands fronted by skateboarders, such as Steve Caballero, Tony Alva, and Klaus Grabke under the name Eight Dayz.