The Best Not NW Skate Videos of 2023
A "best of" list often resides in the realm of shit journalism. It’s low hanging fruit for bloggers, SEO chasers and Chat GPT-ers. So why do one? Well, we are living in a world where everyone’s skate footy whizzes passed our attention on an infinite content conveyor belt, inevitably fading into the depths of obscurity. We don’t tend to scroll back, unfortunately. The constant stream of new edits, stories, reels, and videos vying for our focus can be great at times, providing a drip feed of insane skateboarding, but it’s also kinda overwhelming, even for those like us dedicated to scouring every nook of the Northwest for skate content. TBH as I embarked on the mission to compile this list, I was reminded of entire videos from the past year that I absolutely loved, yet had slipped completely from my memory until friends brought them back to my attention when discussing the best videos this year. So what’s the point? I want to offer a momentary pause, a chance to slow shit down a bit and appreciate all of the hard work over the passed year from the Northwest’s skaters, filmers, editors, shops, brands, spot fixers, knob busters, sweepers, DIYers and all the other homies. I hope this article can be a place where we all can stop in to appreciate the output that our collective Pacific Northwest fam has produced in 2023.
Here’s our list of 2023’s best national & international skate videos featuring parts from NW skaters
While these national and international videos might not be ‘local’ or NW centered, they feature parts from NW skaters that are worth watching, and we think it’s pretty important to highlight these ones.
Quasi - Simulation
Simulation is a really great video, and not just because it features Tacoma’s Dane Barker. It’s peak Quasi Americana B roll, spot porn, high level creative skating, and heavy crust, all in one video. Go give it watch.
Lakai - Bubble
The Crailtap camp has a long historical NW connection, maybe stemming from their Canadian Rick/s? (I smell a skate investigation brewing here) Regardless of why, Lakai’s latest full length video Bubble is damn near a local video, as it features full parts from 3 northwest skaters, Griffin Gass, Greg DeHart and Simon Bannerot. The video is really good front to back, and we couldn’t be happier to see Simon get the last part.
Volcom’s ‘Barci Bash’
In Volcom’s ‘Barci Bash’ video we see Simon Bannerot doing exactly what he does best, skating fast af with his signature smooth surfy style. Not only is killing it at nearly every type of terrain but he looks to be having an excellent time doing it. There’ s reason why he got a SOTY nomination this year.
OntourOZ - Girl Skateboards in Australia
This is the 4th video in our 2023 best of lists that features Simon Bannerot. He’s had an insane year, and this Australia tour video is full of more excellent Simon footy. We also get some clips from Seattle’s Griffin Gass, and NW triple OG Rick McCrank.