Touring the True North

Photographer Ben Colen and Carhartt WIP’s Zach Baker hit the road with our North American skate team, skating spots across Canada. Baker recounts the trip through Toronto, Quebec, Ottawa, and Montreal.

Nine skateboarders. Two filmers. One photographer. All of us in a 15-passenger van for two weeks across Canada.

It started with a week in Toronto, hometown of Canadian riders Dwayne Anderson, Ben St. Aubin, and Terrence Fante, and home to our flagship store. The crew and I spent the week exploring the city and its outskirts, skating spots and stacking clips.

From there we headed east – Max Palmer, Enzo Kurmaskie, Tanner Burzinski, Brett Weinstein, Connor Belvis, and Treveon Wade in tow. After a quick stop at the hospital in Ottawa for Max to get some stitches, we drove on to Rawdon Cascades, a one-of-a-kind swim spot shaped by tiered waterfalls and natural rock pools.

The rain wrote off our first couple of days in Montreal, but we found solace at the bowling alley. Once the clouds cleared, we got a few great days of skating – peak Montreal summer, city buzzing – before heading back out on the long drive home.