‘In The Field’ with The War Report: Slow Impact 2026

Photos by Jamie Carey.

This February marked the 4th straight year of Slow Impact, an event that’s often described as a skateboarding conference but is truly so much more than that. Some refer to it as “Tempe Fashion Week,” the one time a year that the most tasteful members of the Skaterati from sea to shining sea (and well beyond) link up in one place, bringing their finest garms to rip the streets surrounding Arizona State University by day and close down Casey Moore’s by night.

Some say there’s an official uniform of Slow Impact, and if you do a lap of the panels at the Bouldering Project you’ll see plenty of Sci-Fi Fantasy and New Balance all around. Sci-Fi and NB have been backing team rider (and Certified Soldier) Ryan Lay’s skateboarding conference since the inaugural event in 2023. They came massive this year with collaborative merch. Sci-Fi made a Slow Impact tee and NB made a special edition of the 480.

While the marquee sponsors were still everywhere in Slow Impact’s 4th year, there were plenty of other brands represented in the huge crowd that showed out. Various sources corroborated our visual assumption that New Balance was the dominant shoe brand of the weekend, to be expected with their deep connection to the event. The Reynolds 933 seemed to be the most popular shoe of the weekend. Returning Slow Impacterz may well have been influenced by last year’s appearance by The Boss, who gave an overview of the design with Nick Pappas and Jeff Mikut. 480s were also Huge, in highs and lows and all kinds of colorways. The most popular 480 colorway was no doubt the special edition Slow Impact jawn, which was available only at the merch table inside the Bouldering Project that was announced a day or two before the event began. Slow Impacterz scooped them up in droves and hit them straight to foot. Good thing the 480 is Good Out The Box, otherwise it could’ve made for some sore hooves by the end of the weekend. (Limited quantities of 480 available after event exclusively at Cowtown)

Photos by Eric Danescu.

Converse was cracking in the crowd this year. Fastbreaks are definitely a popular maneuver right now. Nike was around, as was Vans. Adidas was really few and far between. Asics has been hot and was heavy in Tempe last year, but they were less kicking around this year. One of the biggest surprises is that we only saw one solitary pair of Village PMs. Slow Impacterz are very much The Demographic, so we thought there might be more! Another surprise was seeing Sole Tech still kicking. We heard they’re trying to rebrand Etnies, which is a monumental task, but there were a few Slow Impacterz that had the Snake looking Decent.

This year’s chiller scene was stunning. A lot of people understand the importance of switching out of the skate shoes when off the board, slipping into something more supportive or something more stunting. Court Shoes versus street shoes, if you will (Ball is Life). The chosen chiller was definitely the Birkenstock Boston. Adoption of the Boston has to be near an all-time high as more Soldiers catch on to the utility, comfort, and steez of the Birkenstock mule. Lots of skaters have gotten hip to New Balance and Asics running shoes for the the ultimate mix of comfort and style. Arizona is rugged terrain, especially if you’re heading on a trek with Ryan, so hiking boots were a smart option. We spotted Ted Barrow’s signature Oboz amongst many different styles of Merrell. Ultra-cushioned running shoes, like Hokas and shit, are a favorite for some. We caught José Vadi swapping into his Altras before the session ended and copied the move the next day. Sometimes it’s the only way to call it! Special shout out to Mike Burrill rocking the Ant adidas.

Photo by Alex Fazekas-Boone.

Merch is always Popping at Slow Impact thanks to killer artwork and proceeds supporting charitable causes, and this year reached a new level of exciting and banging. The aforementioned 480 was a hot item, but it was only the beginning of the Heaters on offer. CCS supplied two tees (one short-sleeve, one long-sleeve) printed with Slow Impact graphics. Sci-Fi Fantasy had a collaborative tee, which sold out before we could get our hands on one. Positively flying off the shelves! There was also a hat, custom Yeti drinkware, and probably some other stuff we’re forgetting. Separately, you could cop a tote bag emblazoned with “Free Palestine” being sold as a fundraiser to support a family in Palestine. Everyone was running Slow Impact garms by the end of the weekend! Not to mention the “Abolish Ice” tee seen prominently, which was another separate fundraiser. Slow Impacterz For Good.

Skaters with a local are Always repping their local. And gatherings of skaters are nothing if not an excuse to rep your set with the latest tees and hats from the place that holds it down for your local scene. Per usual, Slow Impact was a who’s who of skateboarding’s best locals from around the globe. Furnace graphics were very prominent throughout the festivities, as was the team behind their recent 30th anniversary video project with Ace. Needless to say, they made it hotter than it needed to be! But the rainy Pacific Northwest always shows out for Slow Impact, desperate for a break from the rain and a glimpse of real skating. 35th Avenue may have had the strongest showing, with Trons on masses of 253 locals who made it down to soak up the sun. The full assortment of Portland’s Worn Path garms was on display throughout the weekend, especially the iconic “Whole Earth Catalog” cap, as was Niles himself.

Photos by Ted Schmitz and Alex Fazekas-Boone.

We have to give a couple special shoutouts that didn’t fit anywhere else. First to Venture Trucks, which was the most heavily repped truck company by far. We saw a surprising number of the classic Awake tee around Tempe. Sure, one was Ted Barrow and one was Jason from Frozen in Carbonite (the biggest Venture fan in podcasting), but there were more! And this is Good. TWR is a Venture blog. Second, big ups to Quartersnacks, a spiritual Slow Impacter represented in Tempe by hats, tees, and many close affiliates. We need you next year, Snackman. Now for a few awards!

Best Footwork

CSEF Crew. They had the most prominent spot at the Bouldering Project, so you couldn’t miss them all weekend. That also meant getting a full view of their crazy shoe game! Swooshed up like you wouldn’t believe, they were stomping in the upcoming AF-1 SB, the brand new neon Ishods, and of course their own Dunk color way. Might have to rename themselves Cool Sneaker Educational Foundation. 

Photos by Jamie Carey.

*Honorable mention: nobody else could get away with gifted hater’s socks and flip flops. We gotta hand it to him.

Most Fitted Squad

Room 104 (Lurker Lou, Vlad Dichter, and Chris Giamarino). The rowdiest room at the University Inn was also the most fitted of Slow Impact. Chris always keeps it lowkey in a dialed-in uniform of trucker hats, graphic tees, and Stussy. Lou kept his attire loose, breathable, and typically camo. It was a perfect kit for the hostile desert conditions. He was stoked on a Facebook hat. And skating Etnies! Vlad is a bit like Greco, you never know which version is showing up each day. One day he looks like an extra in The Sopranos and the next day he kinda looks like a character from Rocket Power. And just wait until you see him with a flask!

Photos by Jamie Carey.

*Honorable mention: Genesis. No surprise here, but the Genny crew stepped correct all weekend. 

Best Fits

Put Him On: Los

Nobody runs more Quasi garms than SF’s Los. Not even the damn Quasi team! This weekend he came correct in fresh Quasi gear each day. Los is also synonymous with Last Resort, and he was the only MF in Tempe with the new GM001! Quasi and LRAB - take note!!

Photos by Jamie Carey.

Coast 2 Coast: Mike Distefano

Mike’s vintage t-shirt game was crazy this weekend. His pants fit perfectly. He dyed his Pearl cap. He switched to Birks when he wasn’t skating. The perfect blend of Seattle and NYC looks!

Photos by Jamie Carey.

The Proper Way to Dad: Ian Browning

Listen, if you’re a father, you gotta find fathers to look up to in order to survive. Ian’s one of those fathers to look up to for his knowledge and candor, but also because he knows how to fucking dress! He runs with the classics, like Polo and Champion, and keeps his look timelessly ill.

Photos by Jamie Carey.

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