Crankworx Whistler is well underway, and Tuesday evening saw the first of what I like to call the “creative competitions”. Crowds gathered in Whistler’s Olympic Plaza to enjoy the GoPro Dirt Diaries.
The Dirt Diaries combine art and action as six athlete/filmmaker teams are challenged to create a four to six minute mountain biking movie. The teams had seven weeks to make their film from start to finish for a chance to compete for the $5,000 grand prize. The only restriction was that at least 25% of the action had to take place in the Whistler bike park.
First up were athlete Mike Hopkins with filmmaker David Peacock. Their film took us along on an epic mountain biking road trip, showing us how they rip it up in their own backyard and around Whistler. Being the first up is always a tough go, but Mike and David’s film got the crowd AMPED.
Next up, athlete Katie Holden and filmmaker Jasper Wesselman highlighted the community behind the sport. I love Whistler because it draws people of such different backgrounds who happen to share a common passion for the action sport of their choice (be it skiing, snowboarding or mountain biking), and this film really focused on the phenomenal friendships that are forged in this magical little town. Seeing Katie and company power through the mountains made me think back to the summer days spent biking around the neighbourhood with friends—except Katie and her friends are much, much gnarlier.
Five bucks for a seat? The grass was way more fun anyways!
I was eagerly anticipating the next film, featuring Richie Schley and last year’s Dirt Diaries winner, filmmaker Leo Zuckerman (who also took first place in this year’s World Ski and Snowboard Festival Intersection film competition). Schley is a mountain biking legend, and together, Richie and Leo had the makings of the ultimate dream team. Their film did not disappoint: it was the perfect combination of the human element, breathtaking nature and, of course, bikes. It was simply amazing shot after amazing shot. The crowd ate it up.
Kenny Smith and filmmaker Mitch Cheek were up next. The evening’s hosts (who reminded me of the hosts for a Miss USA pageant) introduced the pair as legit British Columbian country boys, and the crowd was engaged from the start. Kenny provided the most delightful, stereotypical surfer dude sounding narrative, and I’m still trying to figure out if it was intentionally funny or if that’s just how he really is. Smith and Cheek’s film poked a little fun of the genre but still captured some amazing biking, with tons of tight turns and slides. I was impressed at how much actual GoPro footage they incorporated into the film.
Possibly the only good thing to come to Whistler Village out of the Olympics -Whistler Olympic Plaza is possibly the best outdoor venue ever for this type of event!
As the evening wound down, our penultimate competitors, athlete Geoff Gulevich and filmmaker Ross Measures presented the film with, in my opinion, the most original concept. Titled “The Lost Tapes”, Geoff tries to get his young son hooked on mountain biking by showing him some VHS tapes reliving some mountain bike adventures from the glory days. While the Kamloops and North Shore tapes leave his son unimpressed (and with the "ballbreaking" features, as someone behind me described it, in the North Shore tape, his son certainly seems hard to please!), the Whistler Park sequence (featuring some very impressive inversion action) drives his son to take off for the trails, bike in hand.
Last but not least were Ryan Howard (R Dogg) with filmmaker Scott Secco, with their film, “Symbiosis”. Ryan and Scott incorporated their own sharing-the-passion-with-the-next-generation theme. Their film had a big budget feel (scenic shots that could only be taken from a heli, and some real up close action of an ant) and offered the perfect balance of lifestyle content and action. There was great variety, including night shots and, my personal favourite, shots with multiple riders training down a trail.
The judges deliberated while the audience tried to stay warm (summer, where are you going!) and ultimately announced Leo Zuckerman and Richie Schley as the first place winners, with Geoff Gulevich and Ross Measures taking second and Ryan Howard and Scott Secco coming in third. All in all, the evening was wildly entertaining and once again showcased some of the incredible talent in the mountain biking community.
