In 1976 they opened a foundry in Hunters Point called Ermico Enterprises Inc. Just two years earlier, the two longtime friends and former Harley-Davidson racing team mechanics had built their version of a skateboard truck - the metal part that connects the wheels to the wooden board. Vitello and Swenson needed skateboarding to stick around. “There was some cool photography on stuff, but skateboarders don’t give a s- about horseback riding and roller disco.” “It sucked,” longtime Thrasher writer Chris “Wez” Lundry says. Worst of all for those who still loved the sport was that Skateboarder, the biggest publication covering skating at that time, changed its name to Action Now and expanded its coverage to other outdoor activities like motocross and horseback riding. Only the truly hard-core skaters stuck with it. This was in 1980, when skate parks were closing all over and skateboards were stashed away in closets. Thrasher’s story begins with Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, who decided to start publishing a skateboarding magazine when everyone thought the “fad” was over. “We take a lot of pride in the city, even with the Google kooks leaving and talking s-.” Jake Phelps, the former editor in chief of Thrasher magazine. “We love San Francisco,” Thrasher webmaster and podcast host Greg “Schmitty” Smith says. But this is couched in truth, and Thrasher Magazine is a big reason why. Before he died, former editor-in-chief Jake Phelps called San Francisco “the center of skateboarding” - a strong opinion from someone known for making grand statements. The city has been the magazine’s home for all of its 40 years, with offices in Hunters Point. In many ways, celebrating Thrasher’s history is also recognizing the impact of San Francisco and the Bay Area on skateboarding.

If the Thrasher staff could, they’d probably host one of their Bust or Bail sessions, the antithesis of ESPN’s X-Games, where skaters compete for prize money by skating gnarly structures out in the wild - not professionally made ramps.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the magazine bailed on holding in-person celebrations.

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