Denham Hill

Born and raised where?
Leeds, U.K

Current hometown (and best thing about it):
Leeds, the best thing about it is I get to leave it once in a while! I’m joking of course, it’s a vibrant city with plenty going on, and a lot of good people doing good things.

When not skating, I’m…
I’m working at LS-TEN Skatepark, setting up community projects in disadvantaged areas to take skateboarding to more young people. I’m usually coaching here at the skatepark or heading into other organisations to deliver skateboarding sessions, ranging from mainstream schools to young offenders institutions. A vast majority of my time is spent finding ways to give back to skateboarding and the community through the charity I work for.

I have a keen interest in paleontology, so when I’m not working or skating you might find me whacking rocks with hammers to extract cool dead things. I also love writing music (or attempting to), creating artwork (for attempting to), and pursuing incredibly niche hobbies or interests which have zero practical use in today’s world.

Languages spoken
English, Spanish, a small amount of French and an even smaller amount of German.

Favorite skating disciplines and skate spots
I skate freestyle, and my favourite spot changes often! The versatility of freestyle is one of its strengths, so there’s a variety of places I skate and enjoy. I still head down to the local park where I started skating all those years ago, it’s in a scenic spot surrounding by some nice natural open spaces to walk, swim, or just hang out. The skatepark itself has never been great, but there’s plenty of open flat space.

I used to skate transition, and still do on occasion, but freestyle is definitely my passion.

Favorite skaters to ride with
Skating is almost always a solitary activity for me, but when I am skating with others it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite. each freestyler brings something unique to the table, providing endless opportunities to share ideas and new tricks.

Sponsors
Seismic, Moonshine Skateboards, Paris Truck Co.

Favorite Seismic products
Seismic Focus 95A all the way!

Skate heroes then and now
Heroes from then include Don Brown, Pierre Andre, Primo Desiderio and so many others.

My heroes now are probably too numerous to mention. There’s such an incredible talent pool to choose from in freestyle, and my favourite skaters change almost weekly. I’m inspired now by the young kids who are coming through, particularly out in the USA. They’re pushing themselves hard, and there’s a feeling of cameraderie among them which reminds me of when I first met other Freestylers. I think the freestyle is in good hands.

All-time best skate vids
Future Primitive, Rubbish Heap, and The End purely because it’s the first one I ever bought. It reminds me of the days when I was first getting into skating, when it was new and exciting. It’s still exciting now of course, but I’ll always remember the feeling when I was starting out.

Favorite skate-day snack
Probably some disgusting peanut-based energy bar. You know the ones where the peanuts get stuck in your throat and drive you mental all day?

Top artists or tracks on your current playlist
Leatherface are possibly the best band ever, everyone should stop writing songs because Frankie Stubbs already wrote all the good ones.
I’m into a real eclectic mix of music. Generally, it’s hardcore or punk featuring on the playlist but I also absolutely love Kate Bush, and I don’t care who knows it.

Favorite quote
“Some people die at age 25 and don’t get buried until they are 75”

Most memorable achievement
Taking 3rd place at the Euro Freestyle Championships in 2022, as this was the point where I proved to myself that I could compete at a high level after several years of finding competition incredibly difficult. This gave me the confidence boost I needed, and is something I worked incredibly hard for.
I was also awarded by my city for my services to the community in 2023, which I was incredibly proud of.

Goals for the future
Just to keep pushing freestyle forward, and hopefully grow the scene and create further opportunities for freestylers to take up space and be visible. I’d love to win a World Championship one day, so I’ll be putting the work in for that too.

To be honest, my main goal is just to keep enjoying the ride, keep sharing incredible experiences with friends, and to keep a hand in skateboarding by any means necessary.