Disclaimer: This is not a typical tour video. And there’s no typical tour article. No perfect filming and not even photos shot on anything different than disposable cameras. This is a raw and real glimpse into a skatecation of our good friends over at Volcom. Back in October 2023, team managers Jens Hennefarth and Nick Gutekunst took Tim Rebensdorf, Robin Wulf, Alex Schulz, Stjepan Lovric, Daniel Spiegel, Ante Aiello, Jan Hoffmann and Louis Taubert on a wild ride to the South of France. And even though it may have taken a little while, we’re stoked now to share their holiday clip, some analog photos and some anecdotes – all filmed, shot and told by themselves. If this one doesn’t make you wanna hit the road with some friends, we don’t know what will.

Nick Gutekunst: 2023 was nearly coming to an end, and we realised, that we really needed to do something with the team. But what? A tour? But where to go? How to get there? Who’s in? Where do we sleep? Are there enough spots? Will the weather hold up? Who’s filming? Who’s shooting photos? Well, we found an easy answer to all that: freestyle and DIY. Through friends we connected with ECW Surf Camp in Soustons. With a small skatepark on site, the best hosts (big thanks!), BBQs, and an always perfectly stocked up bar, it would become the home base of our holiday tour. And in the end, we almost got the whole team down to the South of France: Robin Wulf, Tim Rebensdorf, Alex Schultz, Stjepan Lovric, Ante Aiello, Daniel Spiegel, Jan Hoffmann, Jens Hennefarth and Louis Taubert. Some showed up later, some had to leave earlier, but I’m stoked that we all got together. Volcom family vibes to the fullest! But wait, who’s filming? And who’s taking photos? Well, we would do it ourselves… homie cam! I also handed everyone a  disposable camera to shoot some stills. We picked up this broken mini van and blasted through the night – 10 hours straight down to Southern France. Scoring two weeks of sunshine in October? None of us saw that coming. 

Daniel Spiegel: For me personally, this tour was something kinda special. I had just finished my training as a therapeutic masseur, had barely gotten any fresh air for a while and hadn’t seen my friends for what felt like forever. So, this trip came just at the right time. Ur leiwand! We arrived at the campsite and were able to skate the mini bowl and the little street section right away. Well, since I had not been skating in a while, I actually just sat down with an Aperol Spritz and watched Jan playing around in the park. Man’s got 1000% board control. He’ll probably read this and will have no idea what I’m even talking about, but I will never forget this session. Also, it had been way too long since we rolled up with Louis Taubert. He pulled up for a long weekend with his self-built tiny home on wheels. It felt so damn good to see you again, Louis!

Louis Taubert: When I pulled up on Friday the 13th of October, I had just wrapped up a sporty 24-hour drive. For me, it was the start of a surf and skate trip through the South of France. For everyone else, it was the final two days of the Volcom family tour. No one could – or wanted to – skate anymore. Even partying was too much for most of the crew; they were straight-up wrecked. But the dart finale at the Volcom HQ? An absolute banger. A solid swell was rolling in, and despite the exhaustion, the vibe was up as always. My two days on the tour were packed with fresh haircuts by the one and only Jensiboi, Damage Case tattoos for all the broken boys, a surf sesh in Biarritz with Yusuf the Pineapple Surf Ginger and a secret DIY session with an ocean view. After the crew headed home, I stuck around and met up with some familiar faces. Eumel, who I toured with on Volcom trips some 20 years ago, welcomed me like family. There were hand-poke tattoos, live music gigs and mini board skate sessions. Another friend invited me out to his farm, where post-mini ramp session, we hit the hot tub and had deep chats with some expat Germans.To wrap it all up, I cruised down to Bilbao, had a flat tire on the Spanish highway, and ended up vibing through the Guggenheim. A proper trip at the heart of Volcom Europe. 

Antonio Aiello: Biarritz trip? Sun, beer, skateboarding, just straight-up lit. Daniel Spiegel? Tech god and just an all-around solid dude. Robin Wulf? Always the last one to crash, always the first one on the board, crazy legend. Jens? The boss, straight boss. Vibe chief, OG, basically our father. Nick? Without him: beer crisis. With him: we’re safe, no doubt. Asher? Classic skate rat. Always on the board or behind the lens. Jan and Tim? Full throttle or nothing at all. Stjepan? Beer destroyer. Volcom Surfcamp? Best location ever, seriously ever! A DIY bowl, chill people, BBQs, a fire barrel, and massive breakfasts. Just epic.The spots? Sick. Everything you could ask for: banks, ledges, massive banks, skateparks, and a fat handrail. Volcom Basement? Leisure paradise with a pool table, instruments and a little skatepark. My memories from the trip? A bit hazy… but it was dope, an absolute blast!

Robin Wulf: My favorite skateboarder Jan Houfmän (who, after a few beers, will sound exactly like Johnny Depp in „Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas“) had the glorious idea to open up an account on a dating platform for four dudes at the same time: Four young kooks trying to surf – and maybe more. We didn’t get any matches. But, I actually did meet the love of my life (again) on this trip. So, thanks for everything to those sexy kooks over at Volcom! Can’t wait for the next trip! Hellride to heaven, forever!

Jens Hennefarth: Damage Case on a holiday tour! This is a story about a gang with no plan, hitting the road in a van that came straight out of the garage, but still wasn’t working very well… or maybe we were just a little bit too fat overall. On the road to the Atlantic coast all night long. Arrival at 10am at ECW surf camp, somewhere between the ocean and Soustons. Sun was out and the timing seemed perfect, as the season was almost over and we were the only guests. We took over the whole place. 14 days of sunshine that by now seem to have all turned into a single one. The Volcom family was really living it up in the South of France. Much love to everyone involved! Thanks Louis for hitting the road 24 hours all by ourself to be a part of our holiday. Thanks Robin for being yourself. Thanks Asher for being the most creative and putting so much work into it all. Thanks Nick for the constant ciggy supply. Thanks Jan and Yusuf for you know why! Thanks Dani and Ante for keeping the stone alive since decades and coming all the way from Vienna. Thanks Jebi and Christian for the hospitality. And thank you Nitsche for sending positives vibes, even though you couldn’t make it out to France. Looking forward to being on the road again soon, cause that’s the best place to be.