Gracing the cover of the newest catalog is none other than CCS Rider Arto Saari. Traditionally, cover shots aren’t easy to make happen. But this one could have been the easiest cover shot in history, with Arto opting for his own backyard pool as a go-to spot.

CCS went behind the scenes of Arto’s newest cover shoot and came up with some solid video of how it all went down.

Watch the exclusive video and then scroll down for a full interview with Arto!



Where did the decision to get the band back together come from? That was an ongoing process for a while. Even at the time I left, I never really left. It’s been in the back of my mind for a long time. I was in a really good place, it was great and everything but at the same time, it took me a little time to figure out my place. Growing up I was one of the biggest fans of Workshop but it just wasn’t my place. I had a choice back then to walk away from Flip, but it took me a little bit to figure out that I wanted to go back. It just happens to be that two guys left at the same time that I got back on. It was like, Oh sh*t, there goes two, you get one back [laughs].

Has anything at Flip changed while you’ve been gone? Team changes…but no, not in the grand scheme of things. Little things here and there. It’s still the same old Flip when I was there, where I left and what I’ve gone back to. Pretty much, the only thing that’s changed is that I’m back on [laughs].

Is there any significance or underlying message behind your first graphic back on Flip? It’s a ripped up heart. It kind of symbolizes a tough love type of situation. I guess it’s about putting some love into things. That’s what the move to Flip was about. It wasn’t about money. It wasn’t about anything other than family and friend related issues. I’m stoked to be back on Flip. You only get one chance, one life, but somehow I got two [laughs]. So I’m pretty lucky. I’m just stoked to be back with the people and the team. Psyched on that chance they’ve given me, and I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Workshop and how they were super cool about everything.

Has having your own pool in your backyard changed your skating? It’s definitely helped me stretch the legs out a little bit. It’s great to get out there and stretch out, have a cup of coffee, drop in and skate around. I’ll just keep dropping in and out of it throughout the day. Other than feeling better on my board in general, I don’t know if it’s changed a whole lot…I’ve learned a couple tricks I didn’t know I could do, but it’s only been 6 months since I’ve had it.

Do people constantly try and barge the spot? No, people have been super mellow about it. Everyone’s been super respectful. I think the Anti-Hero dudes are the only ones that barged it when I wasn’t here. It was kind of a funny situation. They woke up a breast-feeding mother and got kicked out. But it’s kind of an honor to have those guys barge your pool [laughs]. It was actually just a miscommunication and bad timing, but I just say they got kicked out [laughs]. A breast-feeding mother is my head of security over here…so don’t try to barge!

What’s a day at the office like for you? I get up around 7 or 8, around that time, depending on how she [the baby] sleeps. Then either take a hike or tend to the baby in the morning. Then I’ll figure out phone calls, emails and find out where the session’s going on. If I don’t have baby duty, I’ll get out of the house around 11 or 12 and go skate for a bit for the remaining hours of light, which is until 5 in the winter. Actually, sometimes we’ll do some generator missions, but those are rare these days. But depending if there’s a session going on…then dinner and baby and then bed. I’ll throw a little bit of physical training or boxing in the middle somewhere some days.

You box? Yeah, I started boxing a few months ago. Just the training part. It’s pretty good cardiovascular.

Yeah, that’s a sick workout. Is it just traditional boxing? Yeah, just traditional boxing. Just getting into the groove, dancing, hopping and hitting the bags. I got a bag in the backyard, it’s pretty fun.

Do you find being active off your board helps you feel more on point when you skate? Yeah, for sure. Whether I’m skipping rope or doing push ups…anything you do that’s physical, like stretching…it’ll help you stay on point. It helps you work different muscles and keep you in tune. Just going and jumping off something on your skateboard is tormenting on your body. When you’re on the younger side of 20 you’re fine, but when you get on the older side of 20 then you pretty much have to start doing something. When you’re young and invincible you’re fine. Your body needs more to maintain now. It’s all real fun though. I do it for peace of mind and at the same time I get to refuel the body a bit.

Seems like you’ve got a lot of interests outside of skating. They kind of all compliment each other. I think I have too many hobbies right now. Motorbikes, boxing, hiking, photography, bicycling…everything but skateboarding [laughs]. You know how some people say they’re 100% skateboarder? I’m about 1% these days [laughs]. No, I might do more than just 1% [laughs]. It’s just a fine balance and it takes a little while to find it.

Arto Interview Photos Courtesy of Flip Skateboards.

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