Twelve-year-old La skate prodigy Junior Guiterrez (aka @lidojunior) has just returned from the CpH Open, one of the largest and most renowned skate events globally. His first time skating in Europe, Junior was invited by CpH Open sponsor Guess Originals as part of a special project which saw the Italian denim brand create a custom ‘S curve’ track across one of the city’s bridges for skaters to hit tricks on. Needless to say, Junior killed it. We caught up with the rising skater on his return to the West Coast for a quick chat, published here alongside BTS photos of the event taken by Neri.

Hey Junior, LA’s skate culture is a super rich and layered community, how is it growing up there experiencing the skate culture first-hand? And what attracted you towards that lifestyle?
Growing up in LA, the skate culture is big. I’ve been around skaters and skate shops ever since I can remember, so I was automatically attracted to it.

Where’s your favourite LA skate spot?
I like skating the Westchester 12 handrail, the only time we get to skate it is on the weekends because it’s inside a high school. We have to jump a few fences to get to it and sometimes the janitor is there on Saturdays, so we get kicked out.

Who do you look up to in the world of skateboarding?
I’m really inspired by my friend Vincent Nava and pro-skater Ishod Wair.

You recently skated in Europe for the first time at the CpH Open, can you tell us about that?
The skate culture is different in Copenhagen, everyone loves skating and you also get to see all the homies from all around the world. I can’t wait to go back next year.

What music do you skate to?
I don’t really listen to music while I’m skating, but on my way there I like to listen to Destroy Lonely.

Discover Guess Originals here.