THE NORTHERN EMBASSY

15 Jun

Posted at 23:13h in archive by

We usually stick to Canadian content on here but we’re firm believers in DVDs and just like we talked about ALYK last year, this year we’re talking about the new 90East DVD Sound of the City. The DVD features a few of our Boston homies including Abdul Fofanah, Jake Frost, Lino Gonzalez and many more. While many are focusing on getting that extra barspin in their line, this DVD is anything but that. These guys are having fun and make it about finding and riding unique spots. The DVD makes you feel as though your actually in Boston throughout, and SD footage has never looked better. People can hate on SD online but watching this DVD made me want to sell every HD cam I own and only film SD for DVDs.

Lino also took a different approach to this video, offering it on DVD and also as a $5 digital download, which is a huge step forward in bmx dvds in my opinion. As much as BMX DVDs have decreased in price over the years (in attempt to remain existent), the availability of them has also decreased so being able to purchase/support BMX DVDs has become more difficult because of it. I honestly hope more DVDs will be offered in this way, and I personally love having the hard copy for life but at least having the cheaper digital download alternative will hopefully help sales, and widen the distribution network.

This DVD is sick for alot of reasons but mainly because you can tell the Boston scene is tighter than ever and these dudes are having fun riding. If you liked any Animal DVDs, the recent Skavenger joint, or ALYK, you will definitely enjoy this DVD. You can buy the video as a 20 minute digital download directly from 90East or you can find the disc (which comes with a bunch of bonus material not found in the digital download) in better bike shops across Canada.

13 Jun

Posted at 22:31h in archive by

Our friends over at Muffin and Pedal just put together an awesome 2 part road trip edit along with photos of their roadtrip from Vancouver to Kelowna and Nelson, BC. The view out of the tent at the beginning of the 2nd edit and the overall vibe of both edits makes me super stoked for our Summer Of Fun contest. This trip/edit is what riding BMX is all about, amazing job boys! Featuring Slade Scheerer, Colin Peter Fried, Paul Moffat and Zach Rampen, filmed and edited by Paul and Zach. Read on to see both edits and be sure to check out Muffin and Pedal for a bunch of radness.

(more…)

13 Jun

Posted at 07:00h in archive by

Ottawa’s Josh Brose is throwing a dirt jam this weekend on his family’s farm property in Golden Lake, ON. They’ve been trucking in dirt, built a roll in, spine, mini ramp, and have bands, a DJ, BBQ, and kegs for everyone. $20 to enter the contest and food, booze, and accomodations all day, and $10 if you want to come for just the food, booze, and party. Check out the full info on the Facebook event page, pack your bike, swimming shorts, and tent and make it out to this event.

12 Jun

Posted at 18:52h in archive by

“Jarrod Creally, if you don’t know, is a mad man. Here he double pegs the vert wall at one of the Boicott Jams. Richard and Ryan Davis and a handful of other Calgary locals built this sick set up in Richard’s backyard to host a jam for one day. This had to be eight years ago, to the best of my memory everybody at this jam still rides, and Creally is killing it somewhere is southern Ontario.”
– David Hawthorne

11 Jun

Posted at 21:32h in archive by

The 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs were amazing, congrats to the LA Kings for getting into the playoffs as the 8th Western seed and bringing it home to LA. Although the cup wasn’t won by a Canadian franchise, the Kings we very deserving of their first ever franchise cup, with 45 years in the NHL. As is the case with alot of NHL teams, the LA kings active roster features 15 Canadians in a total of  26 players. Although the cup wasn’t won in Canada, it will be spending a good amount of time in Canada this summer while making it’s way across our country. Below is a list of the 15 Canadian players who were a part of this years Stanley Cup victory and their hometowns which the cup will be visiting.

(more…)

08 Jun

Posted at 11:48h in archive by

Since creating Northern Embassy we’ve wanted to hold a big Canadian contest to unite the country from coast to coast and this summer we’re making it happen. There’s way too many web edits out everyday and so many of them seem a dime a dozen. We wanted to put on something where people can create a short video that is representative of how much fun they are having with their friends, which is the biggest reason we all ride bikes. Some of the best memories you will have come from riding bikes with your friends, taking road trips, riding new spots, the adventure of searching, and so much in between. It can be more than just barspining as many stairs possible.

The idea is simple; we want riders across Canada to have a great Canada Day long weekend riding with their friends, and film it. One of the best things about BMX is the time we spend with our friends, on and off the bikes. We want that weekend to be translated in to an edit, which will be judged on creativity, variety, production, and overall quality. We want to encourage good times over just straight bangers, monotonous riding and circus tricks. Filming can begin as of 5pm friday June 29th, and ends at midnight Monday July 2nd, the entire Canada Day long weekend. If anyone films outside of these times their entry will be disqualified and the BMX gods will strike them down.

To make the contest even more interesting we hit up six Canadian legends/true ambassadors of fun to judge: Dom Mach, Chris Silva, Dave Hawthorne, Corey Dewey, Sam Lowe and Jason Enns! Top groups will win prize packs and trust us, we have some great prizes!! A bunch of rad companies have really stepped up and are hooking it up!! (MacNeil, Colony, Eclat, KINK, Sour Fever, Etnies, Animal, Division, Quintin, Almond, 3Ride, Bmx Gallery and S-One,.

We want you and your friends to participate! All teams must pre-register with us by June 28th. by sending us your list of riders (maximum registered team limit of 7, but more people can be featured in your video) and your location to northernembassy@gmail.com.

We have a bunch of prizes to go around and want to unite Canadian riders across the country so others can see people riding from coast to coast. Here is a short list of pre-confirmed cities/groups who are participating:

Vancouver Island (Kerr Bisland)
Calgary (Austin Odegnal)
Ottawa (Chris Chitaroni)
BMXFU/ Niagara Falls (Brad Hill)
Montreal (Mikael Cardin & Jocelyn Aube)
Edmonton (Mike Boag)
Halifax (Business Crew)

Videos must be completed and uploaded by Sunday July 15th at midnight. We will be making a specific intro for the contest and providing all filmers/editors with the intro closer to the date. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or want to register, please contact us at northernembassy@gmail.com.

06 Jun

Posted at 10:28h in archive by

To be honest, when I first hit up Wayne about this interview I didn’t know much about him. I knew he killed it on a bike, and everyone who has ever met him had a lot of good things to say. After putting together this interview I completely agree with everything anyone has ever told me about him. From moving away from his small hometown (population 4366), his dirt roots, to reasons he loves being a Canadian and a number of other topics, this interview covers just about it all. Wayne is a true Canadian BMXer/shredder, so read on. Huge thanks goes out to David Hawthorne for shooting these awesome photos.

(more…)

05 Jun

Posted at 12:05h in archive by

“ICC’s infamous Oasis ramp at Butta’s house has been torn apart and made a ledge for kicks and a farewell to Oasis, we had a great time and so much fun. Thanks to Enrique “Butta” Abarca. Appearances by Butta, Chris Silva, Ben Rinne and George “Armani” Carijutan.”