Catching Up With Matt K: Cosmic Core Wheels and Aloha Trucks

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Matt Kienzle has been in the public eye of downhill skateboarding for some time now, pushing his own style of what being a pro rider means to our industry and community. Migrating to the original Skate House Media in its infancy and traveling the world putting together some of the most influential videos in the scene, Matt has carved his own path. These days, he is a talented, island vibes kind of guy, doing his own thing and still living and skating his own way. Keeping true to himself seems to be working out and Sector 9 Wheels and Paris Trucks both have Pro Model products with him. Catch up with Matt K below and be sure to check out the products he’s reppin for a great time on your skateboard.

Last time I saw you was at Downhill Disco a little while back, want to share with us what’s good in life and where you’re living these days?

I’m just back from Arizona for a SkateSlate article / Film trip type deal with all the Sector 9 guys. As for where I’m living, I don’t really have an answer for that question.

Not such a terrible answer. NFA can be a lot of fun. You’ve been on the Aloha vibes for some time, and your new wheel video definitely hints at, what’s with you and Hawaii?

Casey Morrow convinced me to go on a three week trip with him almost 4 years ago now. Since then, I’ve been countless times. I’d like to thank Ethan Lau for teaching me all about said “Aloha vibes”.

So you’re not from Hawaii or Califonia, where are you from originally?

I grew up in Montreal, Quebec but I was born in flat old Florida. High school, college, and downhill skateboarding all happened in french for me.

How did you end up in California? What’s your relationship with Skate House?

I flew into Los Angeles, California the day of the whole “Skatehousemedia” inception. It was supposed to be a short skate trip, it ended up taking the past couple years of my life.

(Great posts: First SHM Post and Housemate Bio Post)(More Matt K on Skate House Media)

Seems everyone that helped get Skate House going is now getting some product with their name on, seems like you’re all continuing to influence the industry. what does having a pro-model mean for you?

It means a lot, I’ve put in work over the past couple years but wasn’t expecting this to happen. The guys at Sector 9 decided that I should be the first person to get pro model wheels through their brand, I’m definitely lucky to say the least.

(More info on the wheels)

Knowing you, this is not just a wheel with you’re name on it, how did you help develop this wheel and what’s special about it?

I tried out so many different options to be able to choose “the one”. It’s hard to commit to one wheel, I had to make sure they could suit everything that I wanted to skate. The development took so long mainly because I’m a perfectionist. I’m lucky I had Josh Rolf, (Head of R&D at Sector 9) he helped all my dreams come true. In the end we knew we found the perfect match for my riding style.

What’s next? Filming a part on your wheel? Traveling?

Yeah we had to film something, apparently you can’t release a wheel without any hype. I knew the wheels could’ve spoken for themselves though.

As for traveling, I’m going up the coast tomorrow morning to British Colombia for the Britannia Classic and then driving east for the two races in Vermont.

You also have a Paris pro Model truck right? But you’ve had a that a bit longer? Now there’s a new video. What can you tell me about that?

Yeah, I’ve had Pro model “Aloha” trucks with Paris for a while now. The barefoot video was just a short promo video to highlight the trucks.

And whats with the bare feet.. that shits dangerous!?

It’s only dangerous if you fall, I tend to spend most time on my skateboard rather than off of it so it works out. I’ve messed up my feet falling with shoes more often than when I bailed without them.

(More info on the trucks)

Sounds like things are going great for you. Open mic, what do you have to say about skateboarding, the industry, life? Shoutouts? Call outs?

Skateboarding is the best, the industry is corrupt, but life is great because it’s full of pleasant surprises. I’d like to give a shoutout to my sponsors: Sector 9 & Paris Trucks. No call outs anymore, I’ve ran out of fucks to give a long time ago.

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