THE NORTHERN EMBASSY

02 May

Posted at 20:02h in archive by

This is a different story about Canadians traveling, riding bikes, and hitting up awesome skateparks. Riding the Long White Cloud was a documentary about a bunch of pro skaters (including Chris Haslam, Keegan Sauder, and Rick McCrank) riding road bikes around New Zealand and skating along the way. It’s a nice reminder that Fuel TV occasionally does something great, and it looks like an amzing adventure.

Having done a similar trip years ago, this is no walk in the park. They covered a lot of ground in 12 days, and the weather is not always cooperative over there. The parks in New Zealand are unique, and really fit well with the spirit of the trip.

Even with the pretentious narrative, this video manages to create a cohesive theme and go beyond the traditional road trip/road trip video (which is typically just kind of random). It reminds me of videos like Take it or Leave it and the T1 web videos in that it has something holding it together.

Summer is almost here. I’m planning a road trip. Are you?

29 Apr

Posted at 21:47h in archive by

Andrew Schubert put together this dope spring edit of him and his buddies shredding the Okotoks park. Featuring Andrew Schubert, John Alden, Teddy Eyob, Aaron Cheng, and Jay Park, filmed and edited by Andrew Schubert. Such a good vibe throughout, get stoked on spring!

29 Apr

Posted at 11:32h in archive by

A break from the usual BMX videos, this piece on sign painter Nicolai Sclater had my eyes locked from beginning to end. Nicolai, who goes under the working title Ornamental Conifer, is a long time BMX rider, artist, graphic designer, etc. and you may recognize his lettering style from the cover of The Albion issue 8 where he painted the back of a leather jacket (Till The Wheels Fall Off). This video profiles him and the dying art of sign painting as he explains his work and beautifully paints a glass store front window. Found on The Diggest.

28 Apr

Posted at 02:25h in archive by

Here’s a throwback edit of Cory Clarke from 2 years ago when he spent some in Edmonton, AB. There’s not enough Cory Clarke footage out there, one of the most underrated Canadian shredders.

24 Apr

Posted at 05:27h in archive by

cover photo

Tattoos and BMX are nothing new. Many riders are covered head to toe in them, and professional names like John ‘Luc-E’ Englebert, Mike ‘Big Island’ Castillo, and even Canada’s Greg Nicholson have turned their professional career from BMX to the craft of tattooing. I’ve been seeing Lee Dennis, who counts himself on the pro teams of Sunday Bikes and Primo Products, tattoo his friends and himself for a while now, and recently make the jump from garages and his living room to a professional studio. My interactions with Lee in the past had been slim, and I had simply known him as a soft spoken rider that let his riding do most of the talking. One Saturday I took the trip down to St. Catharine’s to meet up with him and speak openly about tattooing, being self taught, balancing it with his responsibilities as a pro rider, and more. Click below to read the interview as we get tattooed with Lee Dennis.

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