We’ve been traveling to film video pieces a lot over the past couple of years, but Latvia has to be our most “remote” destination yet. Truthfully, we couldn’t point to it on a map before this trip, and it’s not a place we’d ever heard much about.

One thing we did know, though, was that it’s the birthplace of Madars Apse, who you may have seen in King of the Road, Skate Tales or in one of his Element parts over the years. Madars always has something unexpected up his sleeve: he speaks four languages, does tricks like this, and has completed high profile skate milestones that you would never expect for someone hailing from country with the population of a small U.S. city (1.8 Million).

Instead of just filming another Hanging Out With or doing another text interview, we asked him if he would be down to show us around Latvia this summer. We shadowed him for a week of skateboarding, meeting his entire family, and talking to locals about the history of the war-torn region. Without being overly sappy, he has a story filled with drive, perseverance, and determination, which made us respect him on a level way beyond the one we already had for his skateboarding.

Follow along as we check out the old statues, sketchy abandoned DIYs, breakdancing locals, and other oddities that make Latvia such a fascinating place.

Filmed by: Josh Roossin & Ian Michna
Edited by: Josh Roossin
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