Josh Kalis has been a professional skateboarder for almost 30 years. And there’s a reason for that: dedication. “He never rested on his laurels and he still doesn’t now, especially given the age that he is. He’s still a skate rat, he still loves skateboarding,” says photographer Mike Blabac in the final episode of Complex’s Evolution of Kalis series. That commitment to craft has kept Kalis’s skating on point, even after all these decades. “There’s this timeless approach to what he’s doing,” adds East Coast skate icon German Nieves.
In Philadelphia, where Kalis spent his most influential years, that timelessness has helped him build a loyal following, especially among people who were barely born when he started out. “Josh is Philadelphia skateboarding. He’s the definition of that shit,” says Jahmir Brown, an associate of local skate crew Sabotage. “Like, if it wasn’t for him, there wouldn’t be a Philadelphia story to tell.”
To see how Kalis has been able to maintain his iconic status, check out the clip up top, and if you missed them the first time around, be sure to watch episodes one and two of Evolution of Kalis.
