Arto Saari: Finland’s Skating Phenom | Epicly Later'd

Arto's story has it all, from the fairy tale beginning of his career to his awe-inspiring video parts and near-death handrail experiences.
This episode of Epicly Later'd first aired in 2012.
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[@Miskamandariini]

i love the fact the finland skate scene is getting the recognition it needs

[@FuuzBeeen]

I live there now and I see so many skate parks dotted around the place in Helsinki, I wanted to try and skate all over again but I just get shy and embarrassed to do some stuff in public Edit: thanks for your kind words to the good people below, if only I had a skateboard to try with now, I'll get there 😅. Hyvää päivää to you lot😋👋 (still learning Finnish so I won't embarrass myself online😅)

[@Miskamandariini]

i wish a skatepark was still here in kaarina it just got demolished for some stupid tennis thing😪@@FuuzBeeen

[@skankwave5245]

@@FuuzBeeen broo just go ahead its chill. No one cares what you do or dont

[@Vestu]

@@FuuzBeeen Don't worry about such things. Just go out there and do it.

[@jesusisking3814]

Jesus Christ wants a personal relationship with you through the Holy Spirit, not religion and blind faith. You see, we all have sinned, and have broken God’s law (The Ten Commandments). Wrong doing deserves justice and must be punished (just like how a criminal has to pay for the crime they have committed) but God saved us from the eternal punishment of our sins by sending His Son Jesus Christ, fullness of God in flesh, a perfect, sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross and resurrecting, so that we may have everlasting life. It is all finished and now for you to accept the free gift of grace, you must repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ and Bible says that His Blood will cover all of your sins, you will be forgiven, saved from eternal punishment, and be given everlasting life. By faith you will receive the Holy Spirit, become born again, know Jesus personally and He will transform your heart and clean you from the inside out. Turn away from sin, read the Bible, pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you and change you, obey the Word. Much love and God bless you!

[@ConnorHolbrook419]

Dear VICE, please pay Patrick to make more episodes ASAP

[@forevershampoo]

they goin out of business G

[@generationtrillion8787]

​@@forevershampoothey should have signed the rights over to him...

[@skeemininnem]

Vice turned into garbage left wing propagandist so they are going broke now! And they deserve it!

[@mrblaze6982]

I fuckin back this 💯

[@jeremylamovsky3669]

​@@forevershampooseriously? That's fucked.

[@jn-wj9ng]

Arto, niin siisti jätkä, so down to earth. jäbä on elänyt!

[@mrtr0ya237]

Suomalainen niin mitä voi odottaa, toki täällä niitä vitun kusipäitäkin löytyy jopa julkkispuolelta

[@deslow7411]

It's amazing what living in another country can do to your appearance. I'm from Finland and I can pretty well recognize how Finnish people look like. Even when I was abroad in Asia I immediately recocnized the Finnish tourists from the face. Arto looks like a typical Finnish teen, but now in his 40's he looks like he is an American.

[@akiluotonen3407]

I was just thinking the same thing. Ihan jenkin näköinen.

[@lala78891]

a lot of testosterone in American food

[@Vilppy]

@@lala78891 pls be sarcastic lol

[@xKuukkelix]

@@Vilppy it's true tho...

[@Petri_Pennala]

@@xKuukkelixThen explain why they are so obese even if their test is higher☠️

[@tacocat717]

Vice, do the right thing. Make every episode of Patrick's show available.

[@lowkeysoundsystem6174]

Skated with Arto when he did a skate demo in Downtown Honolulu with Dylan Rieder (RIP) and a few other guys from Alien Workshop. At one point his board flew out and I caught it and kicked it back to him. As he jumped on he said Mahalo! (Thank you! in Hawai‘ian) That was pretty cool and unexpected. Later on he got it in his head that he wanted to 50-50 this railing above the coping at the top of the bowl. It's not even really a rail for skating. Pretty sure it's just there to keep boards from flying out of the park, but he went for it. I lost track of how many tries he did, but he never gave up. Towards the end of the day he finally nailed it and the whole park cheered. Everyone was stoked and he was like our hero that day. Very cool cat. Truly one of a kind. 🤙🏼

[@barsk1]

i think he lives in Honolulu nowadays, he got the surfing bug!

[@SadButTrue273]

He was my favorite skater growing up and most of my friends had never even heard him. I’ve owned so many of his pro models, a poster, and plenty of shoes too

[@lowkeysoundsystem6174]

@@barsk1 Nice! I could totally see that. Maybe our paths will cross again.

[@lowkeysoundsystem6174]

@@SadButTrue273 Right on. He's up there with my other old school faves Geoff Rowley, Tom Penny, Heath Kirchart, Marc Johnson and Andrew Reynolds. 🛹

[@Febard]

cool story. arto repiii

[@oduttagupta]

Arto is the best, he had such an impact because he always has been very careful and meticulous about his footage. He only had outstanding parts: Menikmati, Sorry, Extremely Sorry & Mindfield. The few tricks or lines he had in 411 videos or Transworld were always of the highest quality. I think he was one of the first pros to understand that quality > quantity.

[@OliverRosendal]

I come from a small town in Finland with a population of less than 3000 inhabitant. I must have been 10 years old but I still remember when the town funded a new skate park and Arto came there to test it out. That truly shows what a amazing and humble person Arto is.

[@OliverRosendal]

3k*@@peketee2278

[@bro3797]

​@@peketee22783000

[@sporemaster97]

@@peketee2278 he said 3k not 30k

[@MattSezer]

I was about to say there’s no way in hell that he just turned 30, but then I realized that this episode is over a decade old.

[@hesher1857]

yeah i was confused too. Arto was born 81, and is now 42 years old. so that doku was made 2011.

[@justinbridgez]

dude i was like this mans wa adult when i was a teen. i was like no way and totally thinking the same thing

[@ipaddleYOass]

Yeah that tripped me out too

[@JulesInfinite888]

Same 2023 and what’s now I’d love to see. Gods ty

[@spongeaatu7023]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZXJd3iCfc-kZqs&ab_channel=Slowtide

[@chrmbs.2807]

Makes me miss skating in my teens so much. Going out to skate with the guys every chance you got, travelling around the city all day filming stuff and pushing each other's limits. Nothing else in the world mattered.

[@jesusisking3814]

Jesus Christ wants a personal relationship with you through the Holy Spirit, not religion and blind faith. You see, we all have sinned, and have broken God’s law (The Ten Commandments). Wrong doing deserves justice and must be punished (just like how a criminal has to pay for the crime they have committed) but God saved us from the eternal punishment of our sins by sending His Son Jesus Christ, fullness of God in flesh, a perfect, sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross and resurrecting, so that we may have everlasting life. It is all finished and now for you to accept the free gift of grace, you must repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ and Bible says that His Blood will cover all of your sins, you will be forgiven, saved from eternal punishment, and be given everlasting life. By faith you will receive the Holy Spirit, become born again, know Jesus personally and He will transform your heart and clean you from the inside out. Turn away from sin, read the Bible, pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you and change you, obey the Word. Much love and God bless you!

[@nickbaspaly6239]

I saw this guy skate back in 97 in winnipeg manitoba. It was a skate demo with riders from zero and toymachine. We had never heard of him before and he absolutely stole the show all day .

[@Hjgfrfjufdetivjiu]

I was there lol. I got his autograph at sk8 shop. He was sitting in the floor and people were walking past him. I thought that was a platinum demo

[@justinfleming5908]

i remember that! amazing.

[@radioseppe]

I saw him skate in my town (mid/late 90s?)in finland and we kinda knew who he was but man that style and tricks burned to my brain and that’s like one most really vivid memory I’ve ever had. I was just looking like wtf.

[@scottheppner7896]

Hahaa the early footage of him reminded me of Kenny Harrelson

[@The_Corridor]

The Flip Sorry videos will forever be my favorite skate videos. I was like 14 and 16 when they came out and I remember like 5 of us huddled around a computer watching them on limewire. Just jaws to the floor mind blown at some of the clips. Still top tier videos even by today's standards in my opinion.

[@philsnow1714]

The Plan B were also good in time with Danny Way , Rodney Mullen and others

[@kevinwilson6270]

Same experience it was amazing

[@CarsCatAliens]

It's really interesting as well as amazing how our ages and when we started into skating have such an impact of what your expectations were/are for skate footage. I was mid 90s,.so koston,Williams,Campbell,kalis, Santos, were the big dogs. Their footage back then was ridiculous and mind blowing. To see someone Ollie over a picnic table was insane. Now people are doing such tech skating that the level of experience and expectations is getting higher and higher and ypunger and younger. It's amazing to see skateboarding grow so much over the past 30 years. Koston still killing it

[@CarsCatAliens]

Back when we really were the outcast and looked at like lesser humans cause we skated.. lol. Back when you had vert guys, and street guys

[@movezzify]

The vibes, the skaters, the tricks and the soundtrack, really memorable movies. I can’t count how many times I rewatched both.

[@kevindoidge9586]

I'm 43 this year.Still skateboarding hard thanks for the memory lane.

[@wdvnge]

As a finn i remember when i was a kid and i was dreaming of these kind of things and its crazy that he really did it! And in the golden age of late 90’s/early 2000’s ❤

[@chrisjordan3493]

Arto was my hero growing up. I had that board he showed at 11:38. Brings back so many good memories. Thanks for being so influential Arto!

[@stobe187]

Arto is a legend, his effortless style is so pleasant to watch.

[@GVilleAnarcho]

A Tom Penny episode would be fucking wild. That man is an enigma.

[@zaccharlesworth5577]

This right here^

[@crustkitchen2044]

Good luck. The Heath episode was already a miracle.

[@shookmusic]

If there ever be a tom penny all will be okay in the universe

[@heroicsquirrel3195]

Hes a talented druggy, thats it, nothing mystical, having a borderline empty head is great for skating

[@frsm_]

you will have to find him first :D

[@th3rd3arplan3tradio]

I met him back in 2015 down here in okc. Him & a few dudes from Etnies showed up at the park. He was chilling & I was skating alone. Other skaters were showing off but he wasn't watching them. I was skating a box & practicing my fakie bs big spin off it & he was watching which was cool. Shook his hand & told him my name when he was leaving. I was happy to meet the dude.

[@zacharyswassing6741]

prob cuz u weren''t showin off, real recongizes real

[@jani724]

Arto and Heath parts got me hype to go skate growing. This series over the past decade or so has been a blessing. Thanks for all these

[@JAWS_164]

Arto is a huge inspiration for all of us he is the main reason why we all skated and his tricks says it all about him

[@Ramboskates85]

Arto and Geoff’s Part in Feedback to Fugazi is embedded in my brain forever I watched it so many times 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@johnnyharperscoutstable5386]

Feedback fu.. ing rules!

[@Skaz1hiphop]

Arto was always one of my favorite skaters as a kid. Broke a lot of bones tryin to imitate him lol

[@drf8879]

Same! Except Jamie Thomas 😅 Atro's sick tho!

[@johnnyharperscoutstable5386]

Bro, feedback. One of the best skate videos of all time

[@shigeon2668]

to be fair, breaking bones is imitating arto in and of itself

[@sereal2091]

​@@johnnyharperscoutstable5386And the fact that Muska filmed his WHOLE part in 1 day

[@essenceofemerald]

Super sick, the first time I heard of him was when I played THUG and he was in an eS ad, he did a buttery 3 flip on a bank in some brown Accelerates. From that point on, I usually picked him as a character.

[@Androx-murdok34]

ARTO WAS A SHREDDER !I had two pairs of his etnies in high school now I’m rocking Jamie foys.

[@anhedonia420]

Seeing you break into tears when you summited made me very happy and emotional, YOU DID IT!!

[@mrtr0ya237]

🇫🇮❤ Respect to Arto ! True finnish legend. Kovin monta ei ole, ikävä kyllä.. Vielä toistaiseksi

[@ilfantasticobananajothesci3922]

ilman muuta

[@dingdong5601]

One of the best skate biodocs I've seen. Bravo to who put this together.

[@zackmccurdy8144]

Always loved in that front board clip how he looks back at the rail. Something about the pure essence of that moment. So rad.

[@mazeones]

This video was so well made. It made me feel almost like these guys have been my friends I grew up with. Arto's story is one of the most interesting and refreshing too. Thanks for uploading.

[@c33jp]

Arto is definitely one of the greats. Such a major influence when I grew up skating. Such a beast!!!

[@MaxwellPowers666]

Just a completely entertaining documentary. The editing is a piece of art in itself.

[@devon5590]

I really enjoyed this mini documentary on Arto. I grew up skating in the mid 90s. The Flip team for the mid 90’s was something special.

[@timeslot09]

Still my favorite skater. Everything he did was on point. I was there at those contests in Europe, it was amazing.

[@shaman2384]

Only saw this in 2023. I feel like this gives it even more nostalgy than decade ago when it came. This is a really well made story imo.

[@j_moonchild]

Hey thanks for that, I think it should be mentioned it's that old document. I know nothing about skateboarding, but somehow KZbin recommended to watch this and I'm glad I did. I'm Finn you know.

[@TheJames1842]

i remember watching sorry and really sorry growing up skating with my older brother at the age of 5 and just thinking how amazing those skate videos were back then, especially going to your local skate shop to purchase it is so nostalgic

[@skiandcomment]

Love this. Those sorry videos were so influential in so many of our lives. Hell yeah Arto. Templeton, rowley etc… legends

[@brucewayne5504]

Dude this is a serious case of nostalgia! Wish I was young again.

[@mikeharris6335]

Templeton didn’t have a part in Sorry lol

[@Naksuu]

One of my heroes. Good doc, greetings from Finland!

[@whitneyallen9237]

This made my day!! Watching his style for the first time blew my mind as a young skater!

[@spliffaminal]

my fist skateboard was an arto saari pro model. i did everything i could to skate like him and i still could never equate. cheers to one of the gnarliest guys to do it

[@bgreat5111]

I grew up watching all these guys. They had a big part in my child hood at the local skate shop. Watching all the up in coming parts getting hyped to hit the ledges in SF from HMB. I miss those days. Thank you for the walk down memory lane. 🥃🥹🇺🇸

[@topcuka]

Having watched Flip's skate videos countless times back in the day, this stuff is precious as hell

[@danielhenriquez4236]

Absolutely love this series. Can’t wait to see more!

[@DazedCutty]

Arto is a legend. Hope he’s still doing well.

[@Redline6ix]

Living in hawaii now i think!

[@topbanana3413]

Wow, one of the best things I have watched this year! Skateboarding is a lifestyle.

[@savagemoves9601]

Artos effortless style nd switch tricks was crazy af not many were doing it at that level back then

[@misfittttti]

Thank you for a great documentary. Arto was my idol growing up and its really great to learn more about him.

[@penguinjay]

That honorary boardslide he did w paramedic assistance at the Jamaiican Special Olympics, as seen in the thumbnail, was one of a kind. I can hear the music and it gives me goosebumps.

[@everykneeshallbow4047]

36:23 is symbolic for Arto even killing it when he’s on a stretcher “back lipping” that eail

[@Febard]

fr 😂

[@jamesfranko5098]

Lol. Hospital grind

[@bobcat2938]

Some people are justly, universally loved. I know it's something you enjoy anyway, like any other skater, no matter the pain, but thank you for your contribution to skateboarding. ❤

[@jamesx9767]

Watching these videos makes me say one thing “Damn I’m an old man now”

[@MatthewSmall-hq8ny]

'Bout Creager??

[@Brian-cb3ce]

why? how old are you?

[@jamesx9767]

@@Brian-cb3ce 40

[@EzraCanFlyLA]

Man. I had artos shoes as teenager. I idolized this guy. He was also one of my favorites. It was him and everyone on Baker. I would just marathon watch their stuff. Good times man.

[@rekocastren923]

What a great scene this was... a Sorry VHS was on repeat at our houses. Thanks VICE, amazing work!

[@TheJames1842]

so many legends when it comes to skating but Atro forsure has stamp of approval in my book with how rad he was at such a young age with the genuine passion for skating .

[@awesomo411]

i remember seeing artos video in tony hawks underground for ps2, i was like 9 or 10 and always would chose his character for some reason. he seemed like the coolest street skater in the game... finally getting to hear his history and career was really really cool. thanks vice and epically laterd!

[@redheadboyyy123]

His American accent is trippy to hear with the video of him as a teenager. Like i know you lose your accent over time especially if you don’t try to keep it, but it’s kinda crazy to hear

[@seand5942]

Yea Rowley def purposely kept his.

[@Sarah-fy3qf]

​@@seand5942he doesn't sound like he is from Liverpool so I'd say he has lost some of his natural accent.

[@diegomo1413]

There’s still hints of it left for sure

[@Perasis]

Arto is so sweet that i smiled throug the document. Best doc ever.

[@Suicaedere666]

Having your washer dryer outside is siik. Love Arto's style, remember this guy in all the mags, such a great video. Thank you Patrick and Co!

[@evolmiles4659]

Skateboarding saved my life

[@herbalassassin9745]

Yep👊

[@CryWolfFilms]

This KZbin comment saved my life

[@haviik109]

Same brotha ❤

[@SKIWOK]

Same

[@danm1319]

Skateboarding ruined my life..

[@jasondashney]

Oh wow, I've never seen this before. I filmed most of his Vancouver footage. He was off the chain good. Rick McCrank was the only guy I'd ever seen live that was even close at that time. I never even got a copy of that Platinum video. I've been trying to chase it down this whole time (I filmed Machnau, Moses and Jake Stewart for it too).

[@bdottv3363]

thisis my favorite episode . thanks for this epicly'd later'd and thank you arto !!! much love.

[@samrlynch]

THANK YOU for the complete episode!!!

[@fernando__bueno]

I must have whatched Flip Sorry at least 2000 times, it was part of my morning routine. Forever my favorite video, best times of my life

[@punkfiendofficial]

I remember meeting arto at a active demo back then dude was really cool all around great guy and skating was phenomenal. They dont do skate demos like they used to anymore

[@MAINHEADSKULL]

Thank you Vice🤗! Arto is a such a legend🙏

[@TheSpleenboi]

Haven’t seen epicly later’d for long time!!! I’m here for it!!! ❤🎉

[@victorr2040]

Glad he was able to be in mind field, my favorite video ever… but even happier for him he was able to be back on flip where he wanted to be

[@johnnyharperscoutstable5386]

Mind field is fu.. ing rad! Alien workshop rules

[@Pathos312]

holy shid, i was a early teen when I out about Arto, crazy seeing him now as an adult. Very inspiring to our generation, ngl. Bro threw hammers.

[@mystymysty3667]

Best skateboarding documentary series of all time 🎉🎉🎉

[@jonahphono]

This brings up so much memories. Thanks!

[@happinesshotel5375]

My brothers and I would watch sorry and really sorry every time we went outside to skate when we were kids.

[@kennygardner6339]

Menikmati, specifically Arto’s part, was the go-to watch to get hyped before skating.

[@samrosthstein6385]

Bro the song by CKY, it's on my Skate playlist as a 34 year old. Lol

[@c1dtl39]

@@samrosthstein6385which song? I’ve got “96 Quite Bitter Beings” on mine lol

[@kennygardner6339]

@@samrosthstein6385yes, Testing. Great song.

[@Lookbakwest217]

I got to party with arto when he came to New Zealand for a etnies tour early 2000s.... legend 💯

[@totosoapcity]

My all time favourite skateboarder.Thank you Arto, tank you Vice.

[@Schabo1234]

I was 1997 Münster Monster Mastership in Germany.....Arto was ripping like no one else there.That was before flip ! Good Times ❤❤

[@stevedonaghey6436]

Legend. Thanks Vice ❤

[@AirborneAnt]

His part in menikmati was phenomenal!!!! I have always been an Arto fan!!!!!

[@stevengerman2759]

I loved his parts my favorite skater growing up

[@teelewis644]

Man finally after all these years i get to find out what happened to Arto in Sorry. I always wondered why they had the animation to show what happened but now it makes sense it wasent filmed because he was just warming up.

[@pop150173]

I never following about skateboarding but this story of my countryman Arto is very interesting 🇫🇮

[@JamesTouhey]

Amazing episode. Thanks for making this! ARTO IS LEGEND

[@leopabe]

This is one of the best shows ever.

[@tom-ot8kg]

Its insane how much skating has changed since this originally aired. Alien workshop was a powerhouse and crazy to see dill before he turned FA into a board company

[@al_chargedup]

Arto was my fav skater in the early 2000’s his part in really sorry still is one of the best of all time. I had his pro shoe from es and his flip decks. Dude was a certified badass

[@jonathangold1681]

Definitely my favorite epicly later’d episode.

[@kevinalamo4250]

Arto still has the best style imo... for younger people, it's near impossible to overstate how HUGE Sorry and Menikmati were at that time.

[@jaspermeyers8500]

THIS IS THE FIRST EPICALY LATERD OF FLIP.. THAT IS CRAZY

[@Aridrona]

Great job making this.

[@mattohearn48]

Brings back so many memories

[@kylevictorwilliams]

I love seeing all these San Diego spots. I didn't realize i was walking on holy ground around here. I have never seen a group of skaters recording in SD.

[@Trump.2024.]

I remember playing as Arto on the THPS game series as a kid, he was my favorite skater of the time

[@Androx-murdok34]

Yea I think he came in the later ones but I don’t think he was on1-4.

[@Trump.2024.]

@@Androx-murdok34 I should’ve said as a teen instead of kid. Yea he showed up in THUG, I was thinking of Rune Glifberg in the og THPS games

[@ItzViscy]

genuinely such a good documentary

[@Darkseb22t]

That was a good one,The golden era of Skateboarding with the master of Backlip/Front board🤌✌️👌🖖🤘

[@WjB_96792]

He lives here on oahu now and surfs alot, shoots incredible photos! The nicest guy very humble.

[@johnnyharperscoutstable5386]

One of my all time favorite skaters🐸🍺🔪🔥

[@nickychimes4719]

Even on the stretcher the dude is lip-sliding the handrail!

[@jadenventura8283]

Really appreciate this Arto video. I still recall buying my first pair of Arto Etnies shoes.

[@Atrainswrld]

Arto is one of the smoothest! Him, penny, mccrank, reiliegh

[@johnmarcovich1706]

I fucking loved this episode, as I do w all of these. Only thing it was missing was a part of Arto skating w Bam. Loved watching those 2 rip together. 🛹

[@marshallchristy537]

Imagine being that young and Danny Way himself walks up to you and says, "you owe me money..." then just keeps walking. Ahaha i think we'd all be just as shook.

[@tuemose22]

arto has one of the best, lines in all skate movies ever... where he perfectly does a line, flipping and grinding in regular. then turns around to, do it perfectly in switch afterwards.. its so smooth and hard to do like him

[@mentalslugworkshop]

Thank you! As a fin, i have mad respect for Arto