It’s been another massive year for Jackson Pilz. The Sunny Coast ATV earned himself the cover and a solid feature interview in the newest issue of SLAM; he’s about to drop his latest video part, which is called No Reception; and he’s designed a brand-new colourway shoe with Vans.
Caption: Jacko floats a lofty frontside kickflip in his backyard bowl up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Photo by Reece Newnham.
Jacko only skates in high-tops, preferring the added stability for his ankles, so his new colourway shoe is a variation of the classic Sk8-Hi Pro, with a rubber toe cap and ollie guard. Jacko’s surname, ‘Pilz’, is German for mushroom, which inspired the illustrations on the shoe’s insole, done by his good mate and fellow Vans team rider, Jesse Noonan.
To coincide with the release of the shoe, Jacko has worked hard and won a few battles for a heavy new video part called No Reception, which was edited and directed by George Kousoulis. George, who is among Australia’s most well-respected skate videographers, was locked down in Melbourne while much of the part was being filmed, but he tried to check in with Jackson regularly over the phone. This became a running joke between Jacko and George, and ended up being the namesake of the video.
“Living deep in the Sunshine Coast, Jacko’s cell signal comes and goes, making him hard to reach at times,” says George. “When he would get back on the grid, I would receive messages saying, ‘no reception,’ hence the name of the video part was born. Sometimes I think he had reception but was just taking a break from me suggesting tricks and spots all day, every day.”
The pandemic and its associated travel restrictions were obviously an added challenge to the making of this video part, forcing to Jackson to skate more in his home on the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane, his nearest city. But judging by the quality of the photos that we’ve seen and published alongside Jacko’s feature in the Summer issue of the mag, Jacko remained highly productive throughout lockdown.
Jackson’s feature interview in our new edition is out on Monday, December 14, and his much-awaited full part will drop on December 18. You can cop his shoe in Australia’s leading skate shops or online here: vans.com.au/jackson-pilz
Jacko’s new colourway kicks, in all their glory.
