Simon Hallberg

Simon Hallberg has been on Vans for over 10 years, now having graduated from the Vans Nordics team into the big leagues of the wider EMEA team, we decided to give him a call to discuss beginnings, Simhall and the status quo of Nordic Skating.

And who better to intro him than his Team Manager and fellow Swede, Tom Botwid.

“I’ve known Simon since he was a little kid with a helmet, flying around the contest scene doing the weirdest, wildest stuff you could imagine. While everyone else was learning back lips, Simon was trying to hang-ten 50-50 down a handrail… and somehow pulling it off. He was always that mix of genius and chaos - part little mastermind, part loose cannon. These days, he’s still the same Simon - just taller, faster, and maybe slightly more aware of what he’s doing. Whether he’s skating ledges in Stockholm or filming something entirely impossible with Fritte Söderström, he brings this calm, laser-focused energy to tricks that make no sense on paper.

Watching Simon skate is like watching a jazz musician fight a robot - it shouldn't work, but it does. He’s the kind of skater who might accidentally film Trick of the Year, forget he did it, and then spend the next two hours trying to switch wallride into a moving car. Quiet off the board, chaos on it. A full-blown cartoon disguised as a minimalist. And honestly? It’s about time the rest of the world catches up”

Give us a little background on yourself.

I’m Simon Hallberg, I’m from Stockholm, Sweden – where I grew up. I’ve been skating my whole life. I love music and I’m 27.

Where are you right now?

I’m at my family’s summer cabin in the Stockholm Archipelago with my Girlfriend.

Talk us through your journey in skateboarding.

My older cousin and his best friend were skating and I thought they was really cool. I would see my cousin’s friend doing super high ollies in the schoolyard so I started skating with them and my brother and I was hooked straight away. They didn’t really keep on skating but I never stopped.

My day one homie that I was always skating with, I met him in the suburb where we lived at the local skate park. He had some friends and from there we had a crew, where we do videos and stuff from the local indoor park. Eventually we got a VX and it went from there. I feel for a while I skated less and then had the desire to see where skating could go – I guess I didn’t have the best self confidence in social situations and that also affected my skating. I didn’t really believe I could do it but I started believing in myself and just kept going. When I was a bit older I went on a skate tour with a Swedish skate magazine that sadly isn’t around anymore called Giftorm. I met the filmer Fritte Söderström on that tour and it kept going from there to today. I’ve been on Vans for 10 years or so and also ride for Sour Solution and Independent.

Average day in Stockholm?

Wake up. Usually I meditate a little which gets me in the right vibe for the day. Eat breakfast, play some guitar. Skate, film with my friends. See my other friends. Hang out with my girlfriend. Pretty normal stuff.

How would you describe the skate scene in Stockholm?

I think the scene is really cool at this point. When we were young the vibe was a lot more fragmented, different crews – there’s not really a meet up spot in Stockholm – it’s really spread around the city. You never know where you would meet everyone. Now we are all friends and there’s all these group chats so it’s easy to connect. The spots are really good too. You just ride the metro and hit them all - they all look really nice as well.

It's a lot different from Malmö for example. I feel most people think of Malmö when they think about the Swedish skate scene, it’s so small there you can bike five minutes between spots which is really cool. It’s just a different scene – I feel Stockholm is more underrated. I am pro Stockholm!

Winter in Sweden can be pretty cold, pretty dark, pretty wet… How do you find the challenges of skating in winter?

It’s challenging for sure. We have one indoor park that I have been skating all my life, it’s kind of cozy as everyone goes there. It feels like an afterschool club for adults as everyone goes and hangs out there – I really like that as in summer we don’t really have that vibe. The park is also pretty good, I remember when we were younger we got pretty over it as all the adults were there so we would just hide in the parking garages all winter…

And the summers?

Well, the winters are so long so by the time summer comes we’re so excited. There’s so much nature, there is water everywhere. It’s the best summer city but it’s only for two months…. You have to make the most of it! I wish it was seven months of summer then I would never want to leave Stockholm…

Where are your favourite places to skate outside of Sweden?

I’ve been to Finland a lot these past two years and really enjoyed it, meeting people there and exploring different spots. Other than that, a few months ago I went on a trip to Serbia, I think that’s the sickest place I’ve ever been for skating – people don’t really go there that much. We would only go 10 minutes from our Airbnb and there were so many spots to skate – apparently it just keeps on going.

What are the exciting things coming from the Nordics right now?

I feel there are a lot of things going on right now, there’s this guy Hugo Håkansson, he’s on Polar and I’ve always thought he is the best guy from here. He was always underground but now you are seeing a lot more of him. There’s also a bunch of younger skaters coming up which is great to see. There’s a new hard wear company called Eva they have a shop now and a kid on there who’s really good – his name is Matteo. I’m excited to see where that is going to go.

Talk to us about your recently released part Simhall?

When I was still on Vans Nordics, the Team Manager wanted us to do parts with Free and I wanted to see if Fritte was down to do it, he was and I was stoked. We had one year to do it, we had some budget but we blew it in one week in Barcelona… We kept on filming but didn’t really have enough so in the end it took two years, a few trips to Barcelona but mainly Stockholm. I was really happy with the result and it was great to film with Fritte, he is one of my closest friends and we always have a great time.

And what is the meaning of the name?

It’s the nickname Fritte has for me. It’s the first part of my first and last name. I guess the meaning of it is a Swimming Hall in Swedish– a swimming pool. It’s kind of weird…

What and who inspires you in skating?

The feeling of doing something that’s really weird is what I find the most inspiring. It’s that feeling of freedom and not caring what other people think. In terms of who, the generation before me in Sweden inspired me a lot. Ben and Sweet, I still watch their DVDs even now – it makes me stoked.

And outside of skating? What gets you fired up?

I’m really into music, and dancing. I like going to the clubs and dancing to Techno, I don’t drink usually – I just go there and end up dancing for hours getting hooked to the music. I got injured two years ago and ended up learning how to play guitar and taking lessons from a good friend. It’s the same feeling that I get from skating – it comes naturally that you want to learn more every day.

How does it feel to be on the Vans team?

It’s really cool. I’ve been riding for Vans for 10 years, the biggest dream was to always be on this team. I didn’t really think it would be possible so now I’m really happy. Now that I am here and I can see how the vibe is and participate in that it’s amazing – such a great group of people.

Favourite Vans shoe to skate in?

The one I prefer the most is the Half Cab. I also really like the Gilbert Crockett Hi, I think it looks really sick and good to skate in. I also skate in the Era.

Any last words? A message for the internet? A message to your former self?

Enjoy yourself, enjoy the moment. Try to not think about what may or may not happen – which is easier said than done. Everything will work out in the end.