30 Dec Video Round Up: 2023
In a world of 15-second Instagram clips and constant social media churn, here’s a silver platter of Canadian BMX videos from 2023. This is the Northern Embassy’s Video Round Up. Happy New Year!
THE NORTHERN EMBASSY
03 Aug Nelson Jam – Interview with Wade Nelson & Andrew Lazaruk
The Nelson contests were our piece of ’90s BMX lore in British Columbia. They exemplified so many things about that time, from people scraping together road trips across Canada and the PNW to get there, to the collective party vibe that resonated throughout the town and its nightlife (which by most accounts could not handle that many BMXers). For those of us who were young, it was a chance to see our heroes in the flesh, riding in the purest way possible with our friends. There were bangers, crashes, and even a flatland contest. Above all else, the vibes were unbeatable and everyone who showed up had a chance to feel like they were a part of something. When a small crew of organizers resurrected the contest as a reunion effort in 2022, a long lost piece of our culture returned and by all accounts brought back its original spirit. The contest is on again for 2023 and I know many riders are feeling the collective pull to be there. Justin Schwanke and I traded some questions with Andrew Lazaruk and Wade Nelson, who are both at the helm again for this year’s gathering.
22 May 43 Years of BMX – An Interview with Wade Nelson
With 43 years of BMX riding comes 43 years of reflection. We have a special interview today featuring Wade Nelson. From starting riding in the burgeoning 1980s to progressing through the commercially low period of BMX in the early 1990s to working industry jobs in the late 1990s to transitioning into a career in teaching in the 2000s, Wade has plenty of stories about his life on and off the bike. Aaron Gates and I teamed up for questions on this one, and we’re appreciative of the amount of wisdom Wade had to share. Dive in for an extensive interview with one of Canada’s most “seasoned” bicycle stunt riders.
10 Dec Video Round Up (2022.4)
In a world of 15-second Instagram clips and constant social media churn, here’s a silver platter of Canadian BMX videos from recent months. This is the Northern Embassy’s Video Round Up.
16 Sep Ramp Check: Slade Scherer’s Adventureland
Slade Scherer is a mad scientist. His laboratory equipment consists of power tools, screws, 2×4’s, and plywood sheets. The experiments Slade can conduct with those materials are seemingly limitless. His most recent experiment, a backyard ramp in Kelowna, British Columbia is the culmination of a year and a half of hard work. Kostya Chimkovitch and I asked Slade to answer some questions about this plywood death trap and how it came to be. Read on to hear the story behind Adventureland.
22 Aug The Gorilla Jam Interview with Josh Bissat
The Gorilla Jam—hosted in Victoria—is one of British Columbia’s longest running and most attended BMX events. We caught up with Josh Bissat to learn more about the history of the jam, its standout moments, and his inspiration for keeping it going year after year.
17 May Video Round Up (2022.3)
In a world of 15-second Instagram clips and constant social media churn, here’s a silver platter of Canadian BMX videos from recent months. This is the Northern Embassy’s Video Round Up.