Another strong edit from Russia by Dmitry Kononov. You might wonder what “Karelia” could be meaning? Well, say no more:

“Karelia, the geographical area of North-West Russia – or as some call it, the ‘Scandinavia of Russia’ – is on the Finish border and is renowned for its forests, lakes, swamps, rivers and fresh summers. But how good is it for skateboarding?

Vans Russia’s Eugene Nikolaev was born in Karelia and this is where he started skateboarding. His plan to visit his hometown with the team fell perfectly during the moment the pandemic closed all the borders and international traveling became mission impossible. Thanks to decent weather, endless daylight and proper tour guiding, a week-long expedition up north with 20+ people resulted in an unforgettable experience and a solid tour clip.

Rough spots of Petrozavodsk and Kondopoga that had been shaped by Soviet architectural traditions and harsh winters provided a unique terrain for improvisation on skateboards. Vans Russia’s main team mixed with national flow riders and legends helped turn this edit into one for the books. Eugene Nikolaev showed us Karelia and now we want to show it to the rest of the world.”