On their adventures, they discovered that the country offered an incredible opportunity to travel through and discover new terrain, new cultures and most importantly new environments. For Benny Urban, it was the unknown element that was to be the most memorable: “Our trip to Novosibirsk was definitely one of a kind! I think there is almost no location in the world where street snowboarding is as special as this far east in Siberia.”

There was plenty of colourful interactions with the locals, as Sparrow Knox recalls: “Moscow was classic, we arrived at a fairly sizeable waterfall rail when a local lady persistently stood in our way. She wouldn’t let us ride, even though security and the police accepted it was OK to shred it! So here we are, local pedestrians, police and security all keen for me to ride and just one lady standing in the way. She didn’t budge, night falls, we left… but luckily we got the shot first thing and that saved the day.”

The trip clearly had a lasting impact on the team manager Bruno too: “Street riding is really intriguing to most of us. How come you spend time in the city when you could be in the mountain reconnecting with the elements?” he wonders. “Well, what if you grew up in Helsinki, Quebec or Moscow? What if snowboarding in the street is just as natural for you as playing in your backyard? With huge cities and tons of snow, Russia is a promising playground for those who reinterpret the urban environment. When you spend twelve hours a day in the street, you get to experiment with Russian vibes, even if it’s hard to understand what’s really going on over there.”

To accompany the launch of the short film, Matt Georges has produced a limited edition newspaper version which will be available in select Vans stores across Europe.

But until you manage to peruse one of those, sit back, relax and enjoy 10 epic minutes of full-bore streetboarding from the Vans Europe bosses!