Maité during the Vienna City Gnarathon, whilst she battled under the rain for the crazy hippie jump that got her the cover of Dolores #11.

Maité Steenhoudt needs no introduction, but just in case you’ve been living in a cave, here’s some basics. She was born in 1999 and started skating when she was 5 or 6 years old, comes from Antwerp, Belgium and I guarantee you can go to a skate event anywhere in the world and she’ll be there.

The first time I saw her skate was in her Thrasher featured From Broski 2 Proski part. Nothing could have prepared me for that. She was a sick skateboarder who floated on her board with an invigorating personal style and impressive ease, yes. But her part was also filled with back to backs with her friends. I thought it expressed the feeling of friendship and going out skating with your homies really well. And then, she surprised the world with her acting skills and humor, for the part was also filled with funny skits. Watching that, you couldn’t help but have a smile on your face. I still think it’s one of the best, most memorable parts ever.

If you ever get to meet Maité in real life, you might find she’s not very different from that Broski performance, for she has a light and a warmth to her and a laid back, magnetic presence. And, despite her lack of seriousness (or, should I say, refusal?), she’s a staple face of Adidas, Carhartt WIP, Spitfire, Ace, MOB grip, Bronson, Lockwood Skateshop and Karbonkel Industries and is already an icon for FLINTA skaters all around the world.

Words by Letícia Nogueira

Photos by Raisa Abal & Zander Taketomo

How are you doing GG? How’s Vienna treating you?

Vienna is treating me good, like always. I love Vienna and I think Vienna likes me too. I haven’t been that many times, but I think she’s kinda into me, so we’ll see.

Might lead into something…

Yeah. Sorry baby, but Vienna is taking me.

What made you come to the Gnarathon a second time?

I came last year, it was super fun. It’s always a good excuse to see your friends that you don’t see so much. It’s like an untouched CPH Open without all the big brands, like before all that, still smaller. So I’m enjoying myself here a lot.

Where are you staying? Do you still crash couches these days?

I’ve been crashing couches loads! I went home for like a week last week and it was actually the first time for like two months that I slept in my own bed, and in a bed. ‘Cause I’ve been crashing couches for the last two months, in Brazil, Stuttgart, everywhere. But then I come home and I fall asleep on my own couch at home. I don’t even make it to my bed! 

Where do you live now? You seem to be all over.

For the moment, I live in Vienna until Monday! I’m going to be moving to Marseille soon. I have a house with my stupid doggies, stupid doggie house. It’s a place we were dreaming of. It’s gonna be just for this year but it’s going to be mental.

Who are these doggies?

It’s me and two other friends, Molly and Khaoula. Marseille is gonna be the next place to be for this year I think.

“You know the front smith that I do with the knees? I got it from Donald!”

Fs Noseblunt in Barcelona

You’ve skated with the Gonz, and that's epic - but tell me about a random skater that no one knows about that you love skating with?

Donald Huycke is my favorite skater. I’ve been skating with this motherfucker since we were like 5 or 6 years old. Our dads always had the same plan, we’d see each other at the skate park every Sunday morning, but by accident, because they always went out skating with us in the morning. We became good buddies when we were 11 or something, but I’ve known him since kindergarten. And you know the front smith that I do with the knees? I got it from Donald. But I’m just the one who’s going on trips and who was in some videos and had more people seeing what I’m doing. So they think it’s my trick, but it’s actually Donald’s trick. I still need a trick from Donald on my part, because it’s not my part if Donald’s not in it.

New part then, is it? What can you tell us about that?

I can tell you that we already made this part in a fake part. It already came out for a Unity event in October. Jeff put me on the poster, and was like “New Maité part!” and I asked Torsten, "It's not ready yet, is it?” And he was like, “No, it’s not.” And so he just made it in one night, we made a fake part with a song I really wanted to skate on but it was too expensive for us to pay. So I could actually skate on it for one time just for the event and only the people present saw it. The real part is gonna be way better though. So many more things I’m hyped with.

Like what?

I did some funny hippy jumps, like the one I did yesterday in the rain. I did one in Marseille, against the pole… I really had to work out the physics, with the angle and all the mathematics. Like, hit my board this way into the pole, so it would bounce and come out in a little angle, like, a 140 degree angle coming out so I could jump on it again. I’m pretty hyped that that one worked. I didn’t even realize it, but I landed it with my hands up, cheering. I didn’t even give myself a break! And also it was in the city I’m gonna live in now, so that’s nice. Torsten Frank is going to be the filmer and editor and I play a bit of trumpet in it too.

Can we expect some acting and funny skits in this one too?

You know me, I never make a serious video. Skateboarding is a joke and it should stay like it. 

I trust the soundtrack will be good too, honestly you have great taste in music.

Yeah, thank you. I think, if you don’t like my music, then there’s something wrong with you, or you hate music. ‘Cause, in my head, it’s not bad, you know? A world without music is not one I wanna live in.

So what music have you been into lately?

Lately I’ve been going hard on Dutch punk, like Ploegendienst. It’s super good, it’s in Flemish, the language that I speak, but they’re from Holland. But the dude is like… I’ve seen his performances before, but he was a rapper then, and I didn’t realize it. He still is a rapper, he’s Ray Fuego. At some point, someone was like, listen, it sounds like Ray Fuego, eh? And I was like, no way, is it him? I thought it was like a blonde guy yelling at the mic, but it’s like a black punk who used to be a rapper. I have a photo with him from when I was like 15. I went to his show back then, and I didn’t realize I’ve been going hard on his new music.

“I never make a serious video. Skateboarding is a joke and it should stay like it.”

Blind rock n roll, baby!

I know you also enjoy drawing, have you been drawing much these days?

It’s always hard to find time, because when I start drawing, it takes me forever. Like, at least a couple of days for one stupid watercolor drawing. But then, when I’m at home, lately I was like, I need to do something with my life too, I want to have something on paper. I love drawing. You should never stop drawing. Umaverse asked me for a series and I’m trying to make one. Look…

Maité brings out her phone, shows me her drawings, scrolls a little bit too far and accidentally shows me a picture of her mom.

And this is my mom, when she was our age. Look, that’s her tattoo. Look at this photo, come on. You have to put it in the interview.

She’s fabulous. Do you get to see your mom often?

When I go home, for sure. She’s the best human. She’s a Moroccan beauty. I grew up knowing I had to respect people, otherwise I was gonna get shmacked. I’m a bit scared of my mom, but like good scared, you know. She taught me life. And I have nothing to hide from her. She knows I’m gaaaaayyy!

Fabulous photo of Maité's mom. 

What was it like, coming out to her and your family?

She figured it out herself. I didn’t come out for a long time, because there was always mad homophobic stuff going on with my family. So I was like, I might wait a bit. But they all love me, they just needed a fucking faggot in the family! And I bet there are more, but they’re just Moroccan. I think it might be harder for other people in my family to come out, because they have different parents too. I’m happy I have my mom as my parent. My uncle Khalil too, he’s my favorite uncle, they’re like a massive family of 8 kids. 

Do you go to Morocco much?

I’ve been two or three times. We have so much family there, like, whole villages! So, my grandma’s sister, they all live in Sidi Slimane and have an orange plantation. Full of oranges! So much, like, from here to there, until you cannot see, full of oranges. And the whole village, like a little village next to the village - they’re all my family! There’s so many of us. I have cousins that I didn’t even know. 

What’s your favorite park to skate in the whole world? And what about back home in Belgium?

My favorite skate park would be Stockwell in London. And then Mechelen DIY, Malinas Machinas in Belgium. That’s the one I’ve been skating since I was a kid, it’s one of the best DIYs. It’s a 15 minute train from where I live in Antwerp and it’s where Jean Jaques is from, the distribution I skate for. Jean Jaques distributing smiles! ‘Cause we’re all bringing smiles, I think. Like a distribution shouldn’t just bring you skate supplies, it also should bring you smiles.

How should we wrap up this interview?

I just want to say, don’t take skateboarding so seriously, guys! It’s still a joke, we’re only playing with a piece of wood, a piece of tree with some wheels on it. It’s not that serious. Enjoy life, try to be in the moment with your friends. Call your mom, tell her you love her. And tell the homie that you’re sitting next to now, tell them you love them. Okay?

Okay. Here it goes: love you, Maité!

Love you, Leti!

“We’re only playing with a piece of wood with some wheels on it.”

Beanplant Disaster at the Sour office.

This interview is featured on Dolores Magazine issue 11, go on and get your copy now!