‘One day, a guy came to the museum. he told me he had a board to offer. He opened the trunk of his car and my jaw dropped. It was the Hensley.’
Jim Zbinden
Owner
SKATEBOARD MUSEUM
Geneva, Switzerland
May 2025
You started a skateboard museum in 1995. What was your first board in your collection?
I started the associative shop in 1995, with the idea of a museum. It wasn’t until 10 years later that I was really able to start putting it into practice. The journey is and has been long to get there, we have no support, no subsidies. The first boards that I collected at the Museum were boards that I had bought from pro-riders passing through Geneva, alas, many of them were lost in a fire that broke out in a nearby room of the museum where I kept the archives. I think the first one is a Real Salman Agah.
That is terrible. You must be still mourning about all those boards that got lost in the fire.
That’s how it is, you can’t change it. Maybe I should have stored them elsewhere, in another better protected location, but that’s how it is. We don’t rewrite history. There were a few Smallrooms, a small brand that I never found. There must have been 200 decks and a few completes. C’est la vie. I just remember there was a H-Street Matt Hensley “King Size” Special edition. It was the only one I recognized in the rubble because she had an aluminum ply. It became an obsession to find one and then one day, a guy came to the museum. he told me he had a board to offer. He opened the trunk of his car and my jaw dropped. It was the Hensley. Thanks, Reto!
How come you started a skateboard museum in first place?
I started working in a pro shop in 1992-93 and that was when the first popsicle arrived. Many customers came to do complete set-ups with “match” boards as they were called in the ‘era. They didn’t want to keep their old fishboards which, in the space of 6 months, had become has-been. I kept all these boards that people wanted to throw away. In 1994-95 I had a falling out with my boss who owed me months of salary. I slammed the door and I decided under the impulse of a group of friends to open my own shop. I wanted it different, participatory, that’s why I created the associative mode. I ended up with boards that people no longer wanted. I reshaped some of them (eternal misfortune to me (laughing) and I wondered what I could do with all that. That’s when I started exposing them to the ceiling of the shop. Over time, people came to see it and I thought it would be good to continue in this direction.
What are the main challenges in running the museum?
The first is to fight myself, because I am a compulsive collector, sneakers, snowboards, videogames, arcade machines, and of course skateboards, I have a passion for collecting. I think it’s the research that excites me the most, not the possession. If McDonalds publishes collectible glasses, I will try to have them all, even the most rare and difficult to find (especially in fact) but once the collection is complete, I can give it to a friend without any regrets. With skateboarding it’s different. The collection will never be complete. I think that’s why I’m still so excited to look for boards all over the world. The second is survival. I want the visit to the museum to remain free, so I have to bear the costs by myself, and therefore work on the side to finance it. We have no support, neither from the city, nor even from the brands to whom I have often written. I never asked them for money, but simply to be able to recover old series or defective boards (twisted or delaminated, which would end up in the trash) but none of them ever answered. I’m 53 years old. It’s been 28 years since I started this adventure. Life is expensive and difficult in Switzerland, I also have to think about myself, my family. Some choices that will arise for me will be difficult to take.
‘I think it’s the research that excites me the most, not the possession.’
Sounds like museum comes with a lot of joy but responsibility and financial burden. Do you sometimes feel to turn off the lights?
Every day, especially when you realize that brands will never help you when you give them a lot. When the kids discover the story and realize that seeing the products is much more important than an Instagram story, you do a lot of indirect marketing. A lot of people think it’s easy because you get subsidies and free boards, but it’s the other way around. So yes, it’s very discouraging. And then, one day you have a visitor, a curious person, or a story that touches you. Like this couple of elderly people coming to give the board of their son who was killed on a motorcycle 30 years ago. You tell yourself that your work is important, for you, but also for others. It gives you the strength to continue.
How many decks are on display?
There are around 900 pieces on permanent display, but we have twice as many to vary the exhibitions and make changes on the walls. Many boards are exhibited in other places, for exhibitions around the world on specific themes. We are in great demand for these type of loans.
What is your most precious item in your museum?
It’s not a question of ego, but the answer of so many people that I allow myself to write it: The main piece of the museum is me (laughing). People tell me all the time; my stories are the added value to each board. For my part, I cannot answer, each board has its own value, no matter the money. I have a board made by Haroshi that is close to my heart. I have three original Star Wars PlanBs which are three donations that made me shed a tear each time, and then there are all the others. Each board is important because I don’t buy anything on Ebay. So, it has its own life before it gets to the museum. The monetary value doesn’t matter to me compared to its history. There are crazy stories, boards for which I investigated for years to find them, touching donations. When you collect skateboards, you touch as a teenager so each board has a specific story that is linked to your memories. At the moment it passed through your hands, but also the memories of its former owner. I am the guardian of the skates, but above all, of the memories. People often ask me which board I would keep if I only had to keep one, but the answer will be all or nothing. There is no scale of value, out of respect for each board. Each person and each donor, even if it’s a horrible supermarket board, has the same importance in my eyes.
You were talking about crazy stories in your quest to find boards. Can you share one?
I remember this Tony Hawk Claws; it took me three years to find it. It all started with a simple sentence from a visitor. “My neighbor had a board with a kind of claw on it.” We had to find him. His parents who had moved several times and finally left Switzerland for northern Germany. The board had been used as a trolley to move furniture. The parents were not very keen on parting with it because this “trolley” was doing them a favor. Once convinced to exchange it for a real object to move their furniture, they did not want to take the lead to send it by post. So, they had to find a way to bring it back. That was not so simple. After three years, it ended up on the wall of the museum.
‘I have three original Star Wars PlanBs which are three donations that made me
shed a tear each time,’
How about a ‘touching donation’?
A visitor told me about the fact that he has a Jason Lee American Icons OG in his cellar. My heart stopped beating because it has been on my absolute wishlist for 15 years. But there is a moral question. Tell him or not the value of this object. I admit that I thought about it because telling him was also a risk, but I am a legal person (unlike others…). So, I chose to inform him of the value of his deck. He answers me “you know, the value is you who gives it to me, if you hadn’t told me. It’s a board lying around in my cellar, so it will be better in the museum.” For me this donation is incredible, because beyond the value of the object he chose to share it. When I tell this story at the museum, my throat always gets tight. I often put visitors in front of this choice and almost all of them tell me “I wouldn’t have said anything” (laughing).
If you could pick any deck in the world for your museum, which one would it be and why?
Could you find me a PlanB / Star Wars / Mike Carroll / Leia? It’s my first love. Carrie Fisher and her macaroons hair. And how can I survive having Han Solo without the princess? I love you! I know! I grew up with Star Wars, I saw episode 4 at the cinema at 8 years old, I think it’s the series that I would like to complete the most. I never thought I would have one, today I have half of them. It’s more than a dream (thanks to Jeff, Laurent and Laurent) but the princess is something else again. There you touch all my heartstrings in a single board.
How about the Vision Beastie Boys? You told me this one goes not for under USD5000 which is crazy.
I could give you dozens of them, like this Beastie Boys, but today the price of these pieces is way beyond what I could pay. I think I’m over it. I’m not jealous. I am happy for those who have it and even happier for those who have the money to be able to afford it. This is also why I exhibit certain reissues at the museum. For me the og/reissue war is a mental wank. I’m talking about history. So, if I have the opportunity to present a board because it has been reissued than better. The goal is to discover certain models, artists, design. What importance to have an OG of 88 or a version of 2023? What do you think when you go to the Louvre? You see the real Mona Lisa? Don’t dream. It’s in a well-protected trunk.
‘For me the og/reissue war is a mental wank.’
You were involved in the Grand Prix of Skateboarding contest in 1996, 1998 and 2000. Apparently, you donated your old car for the first event.
The GP was insane. At that time skateboarders went to Munster. The idea was to send them through Switzerland before returning to the US. The first edition was a kind of test with rented modules. Given the enthusiasm, it was decided to create special skateparks for the contest. We were very innovative. This hadn’t really been done before, bringing the street indoors. I had picked up this old Chrysler LeBaron Coupé 1977 and I really wanted to make it an obstacle. The first to cross it in a hippie jump was Tyrone Olson. I was crazy to see his skateboard passing inside and him on top. It was magic. Just to bring him to the Grand Prix had been quite an adventure. Things that we will never be able to do today. I think we had broken at least 200 traffic laws. We were young and inconsiderate, and above all we were afraid of nothing. Suddenly, the journey had been hectic. We must have spent as much time in it as on it while driving on the road.
Just recently I listened to The Nine Club podcast with Brad Hayes. He even talked briefly about that car in this contest.
I admit that few people knew about it before, but what an adventure. The worst was when José Martinez jumped from the first car onto the Buick while we were driving at 100 km/h and landed on the windshield. That’s why there was a wooden board instead at GP Skateboarding (laughing). 25 years later I have no regrets for having sacrificed this car. I also tell myself that it is a mistake because today it would be worth a good sum, with and without tricks on it (laughing).
Just remember it is all about moral value. In 1998 you conducted all the interviews for the local radio station called Couleur 3. Which interview stands out for you personally?
The GP allowed me to know a lot of skaters. Some looked cool but weren’t. For others it was the other way around. I absolutely wanted to do an interview with Mike V but it was the period when his image was catastrophic. Fights, violence (justified for the most part) and the Greatest Fight DVD was going to be released a few years later! He was the most feared skateboarder on the board but he was one of my idols. I didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t speak much English, that’s what made Couleur3 laugh. Above all, no one wanted to do this job which made me laugh. I loved that. I went up to him and asked him if he was ok for an interview. He said Ok. He was with his daughter, and I met the nicest and coolest guy in the GP. He answered my questions with sincerity and had enormous respect for me. Frankly I was a fan since the World Industries years and being able to spend time with him to discuss was an incredible moment. I must have done about thirty interviews but this is the one I remember.
‘He was the most feared skateboarder on the board but he was one of my idols. I didn’t want to miss it.’
You also run a skateshop called Pulp68 and with Technoir you kicked off skate label. Is it fair to say that skateboarding is your life?
I have to admit, yes. I stopped skating after a bad accident but it stays with me, when I travel and I look at architecture. I always see skate spots, lines. I look for traces, and if there isn’t, I’m trying to understand why (laughing) I don’t recognize myself in current skateboarding and Street League checks, in this fanaticism of social networks and the mode of consumption of media by the new generation who spends more time watching others than practicing yourself. That’s how it is. It’s their life, not mine. I had the chance to go through the ages. That’s what they won’t be able to live with. That makes me a lucky one. My projects like Pulp68 or Technoir is what makes me happy, because I can control everything. If I make mistakes it’s my fault. This freedom is what I’ve always looked for in skateboarding. Now I’m old for all these generations. Sometimes it’s an example and sometimes it’s outdated. I completely accept it. When I leave this world, 70% go to fans or collectors. I would prefer to see them in the street. It’s still a great recognition.
Last question. If you could interview any person, who would it be?
I could put hundreds of names, of people who have inspired me, or for whom I am fascinated, in cinema, skateboarding, art, music. I feed off others and their journey. Unfortunately, many have left us today and the list is growing day by day. I would have liked to meet Kurt Cobain. I saw Nirvana in concert three times and it is not impossible that I shook his hand. I think I would have had a lot of fun talking with him.
Bonus question. Still want to trade my Guerrero Niners with your Bryce Schmitt Stix?
I know she means a lot to you, and I understand that, but unfortunately I have to tell you no. I met Bryce Knight a few years ago during the Marseille Bowlrider. I loved this guy. So this board is important to me. What I can tell you is that the day I have a double, I send it to you directly as a gift!
How about if I find PlanB’s Leia in a galaxy far, far away?
I LOVE YOU! I KNOW!