KARSTEN KLEPPAN LEAVES LONGTIME SPONSOR SKATE MENTAL
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For the past few months, rumors have been swirling about Skate Mental’s Karsten Kleppan leaving his longtime sponsor. For one, the pro had been spotted riding WKND boards on several occasions, which is never a good sign. (As with Evan Smith’s departure from Element, he’d been spotted riding other brands’ boards leading up to the announcement.)
Kleppan turned pro for Skate Mental in 2015 after the release of Nike SB Chronicles Vol. 3. It was announced last year that he will be competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games for Norway. If WKND did actually swoop him up, that means that they’ll have 2 riders in the Olympics, including Alexis Sablone.
Skate Mental’s Brad Staba said goodbye to Kleppan in an Instagram post on the brand’s page last night:
“I’d like to thank Karsten Kleppan for riding for Skate Mental. Was nothing more than a pleasure on all fronts. Talented, kind, and caring person that anybody would be lucky to encounter. I hope you can help Grant Yansura make his dream come true and from the bottom of my heart I love you.”
Update: WKND confirmed the rumors this morning:
