5 Greats: Louie Lopez


Louie 5 Greats Header 2000
We've seen him grow up on screen and in the mag. He's been interviewed enough times to fill a Britannica volume. So on the occasion of his standout year and a new killer Cons part, we're giving you a stack of bite-sized lists from pet peeves to Rowley memories and weird places to take a dump. As seen in our December '22 mag.


Great-looking skating that's hard as hell too? Impossible, you say?! Let Louie show you the way

CAT LA SKATERS 2000
  • Guy Mariano
  • Paulo Diaz
  • Antwuan Dixon
  • Kevin Bradley
  • Paul Rodriguez
CAT SOTYS 2000
  • Mason
  • Cardiel
  • AVE
  • GT
  • Ishod
CAT DEMO TRICKS 2000
  • Phat frontside flip
  • Spin it to win it
  • Some sort of tech shit
  • One-foot tail grab
  • Biggie heel
CAT LA FILMERS 2000
  • Ryan Lee
  • Ben Chadourne
  • Benny Maglinao
  • Ant Travis
  • Ewan Bowman

Louielopez WallieFive0 PhotoCoulthard DSC 8263 DZWallie to 5-0, always great    Photo: Coulthard

CAT RYANLEE ISMS 2000
  • Ryman
  • LFG!
  • Spot king
  • Ultimate brother
  • Absolute legend. I’m forever thankful for our friendship and his energy that goes into skateboarding. Love you forever!
CAT VERT SKATERS 2000
  • Bob Burnquist
  • Gonz
  • Jimmy Wilkins
  • Pedro Barros
  • Remy Stratton

IN LA YOUVE GOT TO GET TO SPOTS QUICK 2000
Louie Lopez fs shove BURNETT DSC 3476 DZDodging rain in Philly with a front shove in the subway     Photo: Burnett

QUALITIES IN A FRIEND CAT 2000
  • Loyalty
  • Caring about other people
  • Being down for whatever
  • Ambition
  • Being animated
ROWLEY MEMORIES CAT 2000
  • The first time I met Geoff was when I was 12. He and Ewan picked me up in the Flip van. They were both chain smoking and Ewan had a Thomas Guide marked with spots (this was pre-Smart phone). The stoke of being there is something I’ll never forget. We skated a bump over gap and both got clips
  • Staying at his house in Arizona with the crew skating all day and night
  • Seeing the dynamic of how those guys filmed projects is something I hold with me to this day
  • He got me on Yeti. Shoutout, Geoff and Yeti! Looking out since day one

LOUIE 180 Crooks 5 750Ricky Oyola ollied this in SLAP. Frontside 180 switch crooks 30 years later    Photo: Burnett

WOMEN SKATERS CAT 2000
  • Elissa Steamer
  • Alexis Sablone
  • Marissa Dal Santo
  • Jaime Reyes
  • Tania Cruz
PLACES TP FALL ASLEEP CAT 2000

  • Car
  • Restaurant
  • Airplane
  • Park
  • Spot
VOLCOM TEAM CAT 2000
  • Ben Raemers
  • Grant Taylor
  • Collin Provost
  • Alec Majerus
  • Dennis Busenitz
REASONS TO JUST LAND IT CAT 2000
  • Say it’s for a loved one who’s no longer with us and you have to try your hardest
  • The joy of rolling away
  • Gotta get this part done
  • In LA you’ve got to get to the new spots quick!
  • I mean, we’re here

Louie Lopez ollie up 180 BURNETT DSC 3978 DZOllie up to 180 blaster, Louie makes his mark on the Ivy League     Photo: Burnett

BEVS CAT 2000
  • Orange Juice
  • Tolago Hard Seltzer
  • S.Pellegrino
  • Green juice
  • Ginger shot
SKATE TRIPS CAT 2000
  • Marseille for Purple
  • Any trip with Raemers
  • First time out of the country—Cayman Islands
  • Paris, 2022
  • Mexico pro-shoe trip

Louie Lopez wallrdie BURNETT DSC 3046 DZLouie meets all obstacles with grace and determination. Bar hop to wallride, ollie out past the vent      Photo: Burnett

HOBBIES CAT 2000
  • Cycling
  • Eating
  • Hanging with loved ones
  • Need to…
  • …pick up a new one
FUNNIEST FOOLS CAT 2000
  • Jando
  • Amos
  • Bryant
  • Cody Green
  • Theotis
QUOTE ID RATHER SKATE THAN WORK A NINE TO FIVE
LouieLopez BsSmithBs180 PhotoCoulthard DSC 5352 DZBack Smith back 180     Photo: Coulthard

SLANG THATNEEDS TO DIE CAT 2000
  • Bet
  • Slay
  • Brute
  • Bruh
  • Saying “like” every sentence
SHIT JAKE MAKES FUN CAT 2000
  • Random purchases
  • Girls
  • Moving away from him in Ventura
  • Call of Duty game play
  • Hanging out with anyone else more than him
THINGS JAKE YELLS CAT 2000
  • “Homaaay!”
  • “Where ya’ been?!”
  • “Are you fucking kidding me?!”
  • “My man!”
  • “Oh my God!”
AREAS FOR PERSONAL IMPROVEMENTS CAT 2000
  • Cook more
  • Stay healthy
  • Appreciate the now and don’t stress on the future too hard
  • Less time on the phone
  • Be happy

Louie Lopez gap to boardslide BURNETT DSC 4450 DZBig gap to board in the South Bay. Wonder if that Matix shirt still fits?     Photo: Burnett

INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE CAT 2000
  • Mom
  • Dad
  • Sister
  • Grammy
  • Tyler
QUESTIONS YOU GET ASKED CAT 2000
  • Do you speak Spanish?
  • Why did you cut your hair?
  • Why did you leave Flip?
  • Do you smoke?
  • Are you related to George Lopez?
EXCELLENT PET NAMES CAT 2000
  • Iggy (my iguana - RIP)
  • Shadow (gnarly dog)
  • Any bland name is funny (like Steve)
  • Santos
  • Jasper
CONS SHOE CAT 2000
  • LL Pro
  • LL Pro Mid
  • LL Pro
  • LL Pro Mid
  • LL Pro
PET PEEVES CAT 2000
  • Getting snaked exiting the plane
  • Door not being shut
  • Mistaking kindness for weakness
  • Coughing without covering your mouth
  • People not saying thank you after a kind gesture
HILL BOMBERS CAT 2000
  • Pablo
  • Sean Greene
  • Gerwer
  • Milton
  • Tommy G
EURO SKATERS CAT 2000
  • Penny
  • Arto
  • Raemers
  • Tom Knox
  • Gustav
MOTIVATIONS TO GO SKATE CAT 2000
  • Ain’t shit else to do
  • I’d rather skate than work a nine-to-five
  • Enjoying the younger years while the body is still itching to get after it
  • The feeling of rolling away from something you are hyped on and proud of is indescribable
  • For those who can’t

QUOTE ENJOYING THE YOUNGER YEARS WHILE THE BODY IS STILL ITCHING TO GET AFTER IT 2000
DSC 0554 BURNETT DZPhoto: Burnett

ANIMALS CAT 2000
  • My
  • Bulldogs
  • I miss
  • You
  • RIP, Bruno, BB and Bo Bo
WEIRD PLACES DUMP CAT 2000
  • Side of freeway
  • Church parking lot
  • Ditch
  • School
  • Plastic bag—inside of car
SKATEPARKS CAT 2000
  • Back Smith
  • Salad
  • Sugarcane
  • Frontside nosegrind
  • Primo drop in
THINGS YOU REMEMBER FROM SCHOOL CAT 2000 LOUIE GRAPHICS
  • Fourth grade—acting like I needed to be tutored just to hang with a crush
  • Breaking my arm on a slide trying to impress friends
  • Going to elementary in DTLA
  • Getting kicked out for missing too many days
  • Going to the school where my mom worked
BIZARRE ENCOUNTERS CAT 2000
  • Chris Troy once threw my board at a best-trick contest
  • Ben Schroeder hit on my mom
  • Meeting Phelper for the first time in the Cayman Islands when I was 12
  • I used to wear a Daewon Matix shirt that had his name on it when I’d skate with him
  • Sitting in front of Dollin and Duncombe in the van and them not letting me look back at the madness they were doing
VACAYS CAT 2000
  • Traveling around the world with my mom and dad on skate trips when I was under 18. I used to hate that my mom would make me go to museums and do touristy things while being on a skate trip, but looking back on it I’m thankful for those memories and opportunities with my parents—precious moments. So I’ll consider that a vacation!
  • Swimming in the Dead Sea in Israel
  • Hawaii
  • Costa Rica
  • CPH/Mallorca
WAYS TO CUSTOMIZE CAT 2000
  • If you’re in between sizes like me, just get a size up and cut the shirt to your length, then wash it. That does the trick!
  • Don’t like your shoe colorway? Just spray paint ’em
  • I usually shrink my hats due to my small dome—wash and dry in hot water
  • Find a tailor
  • A Sharpie can hide some logos if you’re a plain kind of person
HOPES FOR CAT 2000
  • Good health
  • Happy life
  • Staying productive
  • Growth
  • A family of my own
LouieLopez FsFlip PhotoCoulthard DSC 3372 DZHe’s no Muska, but by the looks of this frontside flip that might be a good thing     Photo: Coulthard

FRONTSIDE FLIPS CAT 2000
  • Dylan Rieder
  • Penny
  • Reynolds
  • Taylor Smith
  • Muska
LESSONS FROM DAD CAT 2000
  • In life, you’ll always want more. Take a second and appreciate the now
  • Seeing the positive in negative situations
  • Being a people person
  • Patience
  • Sense of humor
REASONS TO LAY OFF CAT 2000
  • No hangovers
  • Consistent rest—having a lot of energy
  • Learning about yourself
  • Being focused
  • Staying healthy
FRUITS CAT 2000
  • Orange
  • Banana
  • Mango
  • Any kind of berry
  • Watermelon

COMP DZ FlatLouie takes the ride-on trend up a notch with a back tail shove into a weird fountain thing in Guadalajara     Photo: Burnett

FOOD THAT MAKES YOU CAT 2000
  • Anything in Mexico with tap water in it. Beware of the Montezuma!
  • Dairy
  • Gluten
  • Apples
  • Anything chili cheese
FLIP VIDEO TRICKS CAT 2000
  • Arto, fakie flip – MACBA
  • Arto, backlip – Frost double kink
  • Penny, everything
  • Bastien, kickflip front board – huge rail
  • Appleyard, nollie flip backside 50-50 – Clipper

Louie Lopez ollie 2 BURNETT DZBarbed wire on one side, Jesus on the other? Louie makes the only logical choice and jumps off a cliff     Photo: Burnett

SHIT TO WORRY ABOUT CATS 2000
  • What I would do if I couldn’t skate anymore
  • Getting older
  • How to keep progressing
  • Crazy people
  • Red tops
THRASHER COVERS CAT 2000
  • Tyshawn, ollie – January 2019
  • Rowley, backside 360 – April 2005
  • BA SOTY – April 2000
  • Cardiel SOTY – April 1993
  • Phil Shao, 5-0 at Miley – July 1996

QUOTE SEEING THE POSITIVE IN NEGATIVE SITUATIONS 2000
LouieLopez Five0Transfer PhotoCoulthard DSC 7197 DZ 5-0 grind into the bank—big thrills, happy life!     Photo: Coulthard