This month, I travelled to Mexico to attend the 2012 Monterreal International Longboard Festival (MILF) outside of Monterrey, MX. It was experience of a lifetime, to the extreme. I almost died, more than once, but not from any sort of drug cartel threat like you hear in the mainstream media. I had my foot ran over by a car, I fell off my skateboard at 35 mph on a highway when a car stopped in front of me, and I encountered hired killers and took photos with them. Here I present to you a top ten list to visit Mexico for next year’s MILF.

Justin Readings made a fine quick post giving you an idea of what it was like at the Monterreal Longboard Festival this year. He had a great experience, despite a shoulder injury sustained during the race.

Justin after dislocating his shoulder.

He had is arm in a sling for a couple days after the event. He still managed to send y’all an update of his experience very soon after the event. This is my interpretation of the event. The views and images shown are not that of SkateSlate but that of Jon Huey Photography. I will simply warn you that this post contains alcohol consumption and pictures of gals AND guys in short shorts. You have been forewarned and shall present you…

Top Ten Reasons to Go to Mexico for the next MILF. (in no particular order, besides aesthetic presentation.)

La Gente – The People

They’re fun-loving, especially on this weekend. And they looooove posing for photos. The people in the local town of Mesa de las Tablas all came out for the event. They were very welcoming to all of the visitors for the weekend.

Locals get a good view of the finish line area.

Little girls of the village.

A bunch of people from Monterrey come out for the weekend event.

The men from Mesa de las Tablas watch one of the final hairpins.

 The Food – El Comida

Gorditas and fish tacos were the staples for the weekend. And they’re pretty cheap. Another favorite of mine was the hamburguesa. It had avocado and other veggies in addition to some juicy, natural beef. I ate so well while in Mexico.

There are plenty of houses to buy gorditas if you get hungry. And they are the best gorditas you’ve ever had.

Landyachtz filmer Guff McGufferson enjoyed the food so much he filmed it.

The Crazy Place and the Dangerous Curves – El Lugar Loco y Las Curvas Peligrosas

The curves were sharp. The asphalt surface had some sort of slippery film on it (possibly ash from a nearby fire) and it hadn’t rained in Mesa de las Tablas in a while. Dillon Stephens ended up cutting his shin on the outside of the first sweeper. He went to the hospital. There was another rider who was badly hurt with a concussion but I don’t recall his name. I swear it wasn’t me. I did get my foot ran over by a car though at the top of the course. Luckily, it didn’t brake any bones, but it’s still sore.

You have to make sure to avoid the crazy speed bumps. They can easily ruin your day at high speed.

Kyle Martin excelled at this course. This sweeper at the top was dangerous at high speeds because the pavement was a little slippery.

Here’s an example of what can happen on the dangerous high speed sweeper. Aidan Lynds crashes and his board gets in the way of Mexican rider, Romo.

This hairpin was steep and slick.

The Music – La Musica

Many bands were lined up for the weekend, including  Da Cheeks, Chico Sonido, and Tito Fuentes. The stage bumped out dub reggae and I got my groove on. Saturday night had a mix of rock and dance music.

There were some big name bands at the party.

This band rocks out.

The Dogs – Los Perros

There are so many dogs. And none of them are on a leash. They are treated much differently than people treat dogs in the US. They roam free, sometimes getting in the way, and sometimes getting kicked by the locals.

What up, dog?

Casey made friends with many species on his visit to Mexico.

So cute.

In the end, a dog was the least of Kyle Martin’s worries. There were some close calls with cars that caused alarm for many of the racers.

The dog walks casually back to the sidelines to let Kyle pass.

Short Shorts - Las Chiquichores

This is what was promised since I heard about the event. Horny males chanted “Chiquichores” all weekend and taught gringos absolutely useless phrases like,  ”Chi chis para banda.” After the race, the short short contest finally happened before the awards for the race.

Notice Billy Bones back there. He entered the contest.

Billy enjoyed his time on stage.

…I mean, my money was on Billy but they didn’t even call his name for the audience vote.

Ladies strut their stuff while Billy lurks.

Las Cervezas

Alcohol was definitely a big part of this weekend if you were of drinking age, which is 18. Please drink in moderation though. And don’t drink and ride.

Drinking in public next to an officer of the law…completely legal.

Rule #1 – no shotgunning near the race course.

The Race – La Carrera

Apart from a couple miscommunications and crazy moments of safety compromise, the race was pretty smooth. It was a challenging course and there were some world class riders there this year.

Riders enter a tight corner during the race.

Dubes of Paris Trucks hadn’t raced in a couple years so race heats like this…

…got him pumped up.

The last couple of corners had a great view of the fertile valley.

The crowd does the wave, in preparation for the finals.

Kyle Martin leads the final heat in the second to last corner. Casey Morrow follows close behind as Zak Maytum (on my Subsonic board cause his Madrid broke) and Billy Meiners trail behind.

The Road Rash.

Leathers are required for the actual race. The only people with road rash were those with holes in their leathers.

Sometimes you need to sterilize the wound.

I hurt myself after the race.

To get a picture with Las Marinas.

So on my way back to Monterrey with some friends I met at the event, we stopped for some water at a store off the highway. There were a couple trucks of Federal Marines parked at the store. While our friends Chile and Maria went in for water, I chatted with Aliz in the car and one of the Marines was watching me for a while. Maria came out of the store, and the Marine asked who I was. She said my name was Jon and he wanted to know my full name. At this point, I was slightly nervous cause I could tell they were talking about me. Eventually she called me out of the car for a photo. Apparently, they had seen me in longboarding videos and wanted to take a picture with me. It was so awesome. Definitely the highlight of my trip.

My friend Maria Fernanda took these photos of me posing with the Marines.

SO BAD ASS!

Well, whether this made you want to go to next year’s MILF or not…I hope you enjoyed the photos. Very much thanks to the organizers and all my friends in Mexico. I love you guys and can’t wait to see you again. Thanks for all the hospitality while I was visiting. Hasta luego!

Jon Huey

Born in Minnesota and raised in North Dakota, Jon started skateboarding and photographing in his teens. After high school, he moved to the Pacific Northwest and started downhill skateboarding while obtaining his BA in photography at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Jon has shot for Men’s Journal, Tech Teck, Abec 11, Madrid, Seismic, Landychtz, Rayne, Loaded, Tech Deck, Coast Longboarding, and Concrete Wave. Jon is the designer and a staff photographer for Skate Slate Longboarding Magazine and a staff photo blogger for skateslate.com

More Posts – Website – Facebook