Freakend 2023 – Port Land DIY – Basel, Switzerland

Words and photos by Balthazar Wyss

Oli Bürgin, Claudia, RJ and the whole Port Land family put together a new edition of the Freakend party. Three days of rad skating, music playing, silkscreen printing, snake venom drinking and chicken plucking in one of Switzerland’s most famous DIYs.

This year has been very uncertain as the city is planning to build a temporary school on the area, leaving few hopes for any further skater-made and community-oriented open place to skate in the region. The project has been postponed, or modified, and that’s all we know about it so far. We’ll see what news 2024 is going to bring.

Freakend at Port Land DIY – Basel, Switzerland

Filmed by Elia, Alain and Taro. Edited by Taro.

Anyways, nothing, even the rain, would have stop this year’s Freakend, and although the afternoons were kind of wet, the squeegee detachment and the blowtorch squadron just blew the bowl dry for the evening sessions. So the guys and girls could give everything for the best trick challenge around the lighthouse, the surprise fire step-up, and the kids session.

Definitely a good occasion to meet the nicest people coming from all over the country, but also from Austria,France, Germany, the Netherlands… remember to listen to festive country-blues-garage-rock (or whatever it was) by the talented Red Tape Redemption and Thomas Schoeffler Jr and the Rusty Rifles. Look at the kids and families fooling around and showing how highly essential such places are in the city.

By the way, organizers’ wishes were very high, and some challenges are still open. Don’t hesitate to ask what tricks still need to be seen there if you’re passing by…” – Balthazar Wyss

Theyge Nenz. Layback grind.

Cedric “the kid” Oosterhof. Frontside ollie transfer

Pete. Over the Pudi’s Pool coping deathbox.

Jan Hirt. Frontside air over the hip

Rachèle. Backside grind

Thibaud Mettler. Frontside tailslide

Tobias Siegfried. Nose grab tailtap

Timo Ruffel. Backside feeble

RJ. Frontside lipslide.

Raphael Marxer. Backside nosegrind

Jano. Stand up frontside grind

Pepe. Fifty-fifty stall

Olaf. Lighthouse wallride

Olaf. Frontside fifty-fifty

Nico Krebs. Backside smithgrind

Nathan Charpin. Standup frontside grind

Nathan Charpin. Backside 5-0

Mörä. Frontside smith

Jano. Mute fire transfer

Yannick Ruffinen. Treflip

Jan Hirt. Backside big spin

Nico Krebs. Frontside flip

Thoma. Boneless

Concert shenanigans

Caryl Bartl. Hardflip

Chicken time

Grom session:

Emilio. Transfer to backside grind

Emilio. Frontside grind

Emilio. Frontside early grab

Check out the Freakend at PortLand from 2019