Thrasher Magazine

Photo: Morford

By Lui Elliot

How are you doing today, Zion?
I’m doing good. I’m just dealing with this shit. I just got surgery on my knee. I got my meniscus taken care of. I tore it at the US Open at the beginning of the year.

Was it a gradual thing or did it tear from a slam?
It tore but I was skating on it since August so it kept getting more fucked up.

Meniscus-punishing crooked grind through the kinks    Photo: Morford

You’ve been going to Red Bull to get it rehabbed, right?
Yup, I go every day. We just got a new physical therapist just for the skate team, so she’s been working with us a shit ton.

What’s your regimen look like?
Get my leg better, just train my shit. She’s really good. She helps me especially in the spots where I’m weak. The shit that isn’t strong, we have to strengthen it up. Its super good. Your body is what you need to maintain and that’s the only thing that’ll keep you going.

Have you ever been in one of those weird-ass cryogenic chambers?
I’ve been in the one where your whole body is enclosed. You can either do two or three minutes and it’s cold but very refreshing. You feel amazing.

Downhill 50-50 pop over before heading to the cryogenic chamber. Both were very chill     Photo: Morford

It’s pretty sick that Red Bull takes care of you guys to that extent.
They know that the shit we’re doing is very extreme and know we’re gonna get fucked up from it. They take into consideration that it’s the one thing we need to work on the most. Hold up, I gotta get in the car real quick. We’re looking for a new place.

Are you buying a house in California?
No, I’m gonna buy a house in Florida; this one is just to rent while we’re out here. I still got a little way before I can do that so I’m gonna take it slow. We’re looking at a place in Northridge.

If this is what he’s doing when he’s injured, just wait ’til he’s 100 percent! Lengthy 5-0    Photo: Papke

Why do you like The Valley so much?
To be honest, the reason why we moved up here is because Jamie found a spot. He likes to be up here because we’re close to Baker Boys. It’s about a ten-minute commute from the house to get there. It’s his favorite spot to skate and his whole family is over there.

Do you like The Valley, too?
Yes, I do. It’s more family based up here, which is sick because it keeps me out of the chaos of partying and getting distracted.

You also picked up another sponsor recently—Hot Wheels.
Oh yeah, Hot Wheels, baby!

How did that happen?
Hot Wheels has been trying to start an action-sports team for maybe a year or two and they teamed up with Ryan Clements from the Boardr to get a basis of what's going on in the industry. They hit me up to be a part of the whole team and I told them I was down. I’ve slowly been doing projects with them here and there. It’s been super sick.

His car sponsor is miniature but his stair sets are regulation height—backside bigspin     Photo:Morford

How does that work? What are your responsibilities for a toy car company?
Just to do some obligated posts and show up to whatever events they have planned for us.

Do they send you boxes of hundreds of cars a month?
I just got a box of all these toys sent to me so I gave some of them to Nate Alton’s daughter Quinn. Lizard has been hitting me up for Monroe, too.

That’s pretty sick. For Christmas and all of those family events, Zion is about to come through.
It’s easy. I’d get it shipped to wherever it needs to be and go from there.

Now that's he pro, maybe Zion can get that house in The Valley     Photo: Morford

Has Hot Wheels ever tried to get you to do the loop?
Nah, they haven’t told me I have to do anything but I’m trying to do some cinema-type-of shit with them. Have us riding around in expensive-ass cars and skating ill-ass spots.

Real, adult Hot Wheels—have you gotten any backlash or weird remarks about your sponsors?
Of course. I always get the, “You’re on Hot Wheels? What do they do?” But besides that, it’s pretty chill. As for the whole Red Bull thing, who doesn’t ride for them? It’s action sports. If you see someone doing gnarly shit, they’re usually repping Red Bull or another energy drink. The heat is mostly on the Hot Wheels stuff.

I mean, honestly, it’s not like its anyone’s business besides your own if you want to take a deal or not.
Exactly.

Earning that hat money with a gnarly back tail     Photo: Morford

Back to your injury, how long until you’re fully back on board?
They’re saying February but depending on rehab and how well I do it, I’ll be back sooner.

What are the details on the surgery? Did you have to get a dead guy’s meniscus?
Nah, they repaired it. I also had two screws in my femur which they removed.

If you were hurt, when did you film for this part?
The last part came out four or five months ago, so I would say I started right before August. I tried to get out there, got on a few trips—a trip to Sac, some side missions to Albuquerque, Texas and shit. We also went to Australia. Within these last couple months, I’ve been filming. I managed to get it all done before I had surgery so it ended up working out.

Smashing windows and grabbin’ covers, Zion’s here to FSU    Photo: Hammeke

Tell me about the 5-0 that’s on the cover of the December issue.
We all linked up and ventured towards Pasadena. I had skated that rail before and gotten a clip on it so we went to check it out. It’s not like I was pressured into it but all of a sudden I’m jumping on it. Started firing up and ended up getting it. When I landed, I hit the window and shattered that shit. Out of excitement, I flung my board out and it went right through it.

How big was it?
It was a two-door entranceway, so it was pretty big. The had to put a whole big sheet of plywood up to cover it.

How does that weigh on your mind? Do you feel guilty at all?
Yeah, I felt bad but it happened and we had to get out of there.

Guilt-free Indy air Down Under     Photo: Morford

I would for sure do the same.
You could hear someone in the clip say, “Welp, we gotta go.”

What’s next for you?
Pretty much just rehab to get back on my board—keeping it slow, just kicking it. It’s recovery time now. I’ve been traveling a bunch and now it’s time to give my body a rest.

Get well soon, Zion—kickflip 50-50. See you in the streets in ’19     Photo: Hammeke