Helicopter Shuttles - STUND in Williams Lake

Nov 3, 2011
by Ian Hylands  
There has always been something about helicopters that has excited me, no idea what it is, but ever since I was a little boy I loved them. My dad used to commute to his job in the Okanagan by helicopter every now and then, and I remember going down to the helipad with my mom to drop him off. So when Steve Romaniuk called us at Pinkbike this summer wondering if I was interested in flying around in a heli for a day or two and shooting some big mountain lines near Williams Lake, it wasn't a hard decision. The STUND boys had arranged for a friend with a heli to chauffeur us around to film some big mountain chutes that they'd found in some areas that weren't road accessible. What follows is a photographic record of my day in Williams Lake...













































One of the premises of the heli shuttles was that the lines would be ridden un inspected. Lines were scoped from the heli, and decisions were made based on what could be seen from the air. None of the riders actually had time to take more than a cursory inspection of the actual line that they would ride. This wasn't really an issue for Garett Buehler and Mike Kinrade. They were up first and they'd chosen lines that while steep in places, didn't have any prolonged steep sections. The dirt they rode in was soft, sometimes inches deep. Steve Romaniuk and James Doerfling however chose to rider a ridge that was shorter but also significantly steeper. Steve went first. The top section near the roll in was fairly soft, but as Romaniuk made his second turn the ground suddenly got a lot harder. The slope in the chute was steep enough that the dirt had all sloughed off, leaving behind nothing for traction. Within seconds he was accelerating like a rocket, no traction, and a long tight chute in front of him. He hung on for a while, but as he exited the chute he realized he was going way too fast to safely negotiate the rocks at the bottom of the slope. Brakes didn't work, and if he didn't slow down the prospect of getting out uninjured didn't look good. The only choice was to lay the bike over and hope for the best. Doerfling decided to walk down...

The next day the heli wasn't available, and Steve's bike wasn't in great shape anyway, so the decision was made to ride some road accessible faces near town. Mike Kinrade put down the line of the day...



Here is the Stund episode that I was onboard for, enjoy it again!

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IanHylands avatar

Member since Jun 23, 2008
588 articles

39 Comments
  • 58 0
 i enjoyed every pixel on this page, thank you.
  • 7 0
 word
  • 18 0
 Loving the lowtec camera mount
  • 3 0
 I believe the correct term is "Ghetto Jib" or "Ghetto Rig".
  • 7 4
 Great vid. My 8 and 6 year old love watching these with me.
The first song on the video had some not so nice language for kids. I am not saying you should censor but maybe a warning so parents can turn down the volume before they let the kiddies listen? Thanks for the great series!
  • 6 5
 Get a grip...
  • 10 5
 Warning parents:
The entireties of the internet and life have NSFLCKWOPPWPATNTKTTKHABE (Not Safe For Little Closeted Kids With Over Protective Parents Who Probably Are Too Naive To Know That Their Kids Have Already Been Exposed) language and content?
  • 2 0
 wait till you two ^ morons have kids of your own......only then will you understand what snake is asking for.
@ snake; you should be pre-screening EVERYTHING on the internet.....BEFORE letting your kids watch it....
  • 1 0
 orrr you could learn how to edit videos yourself and censor everything you dont like..
  • 1 0
 If they laugh then they already know whats sup and if they are staring waiting for something exciting to happen, it went over there heads & I wouldn't worry about it! Kids grow up real fast, faster than any parent would want, I know I grew up faster than my parents wanted, lol
  • 3 0
 i have kids and i just let them hear that type of language as it comes up in situations like these. not really a big deal. to be honest. i don't expect special warnings, and really only things with like extreme foul language should have a warning. i think it will help them to not make a big deal of it should they hear swearing in public, cuz they're gonna, cuz people swear in public all the time...
  • 2 0
 To those who disagree with me thanks for your points. To be fair I should have watched the video before letting my kids watch but I didn't. I was a little surprised when the video started and just turned down the volume. I'm not saying the internet should be censored and this was just a suggestion to the makers of the video to make it even better. I just wasn't expecting this language on this website.
  • 2 0
 "Steve went first. The top section near the roll in was fairly soft, but as Romaniuk made his second turn the ground suddenly got a lot harder. The slope in the chute was steep enough that the dirt had all sloughed off, leaving behind nothing for traction. Within seconds he was accelerating like a rocket, no traction, and a long tight chute in front of him. He hung on for a while, but as he exited the chute he realized he was going way too fast to safely negotiate the rocks at the bottom of the slope. Brakes didn't work, and if he didn't slow down the prospect of getting out uninjured didn't look good. The only choice was to lay the bike over and hope for the best. Doerfling decided to walk down..."

Definitely sounds like skiing except good luck walking down without axe and crampons - nice writing Ian
  • 1 0
 Thanks!
  • 1 0
 awesome year of filming you guys and great episodes. On a different note i hope you guys have matt hunter back for another episode as a guest rider again. I still love watching the first two seasons and it gets better each year. thanks for all the hard work and dedication that you guys put into each show
  • 3 0
 who ever the hater was on monday saying the season was over and the filming/shooting sucks,


you're an idiot
  • 3 1
 the wooden camera mount is pretty ghetto considering the fact that they have a heli. Obviously makes no difference though, because all of their videos have been awesome.
  • 2 0
 The home made camera accessory are just as good, or almost as good as their much more expensive and "legit" counterparts. This guy is smart for not wasting around $1500 on that kind of steady cam.
  • 2 0
 And wood prolly dampens the vibrations form the heli even more. At least more than steel.
  • 2 0
 That wide angle shot from inside the helicopter makes me nervous, I love it. All the shots are amazing.
  • 1 0
 Hey stund, just curious about your camera hanger for lack of better term, in the heli, didn't the vibration carry through to the camera? Just amateur camera guy questions....
  • 2 0
 Gnarly... Gnarlier... Possibly Gnarliest Lines Ever. Stoked on this.
  • 1 0
 i like the camera mount in the heli. smart way to get a stable shooting platform on a moving object
  • 1 0
 Wish i was rich enough to hire a private pilot and to afford a private heli Frown
  • 1 0
 danm..... at 9 he hits HARD! big mtn is choice. its either pinned or wreck.
  • 1 0
 Brilliant shots Ian. This photo epic makes me appreciate the effort and skill behind that episode even that much more!
  • 1 0
 The Stund series is so cool. Keep up the good work guys.
  • 1 0
 Numerous potential POD candidates in this page alone. Eye candy Big Grin
  • 1 0
 Anyone know the song/artist of the jam playing in the wicked vid?
  • 1 0
 The THINGS i would do to be on this show!
  • 1 0
 awesome, love these photo articles, and the heli camera rig!
  • 1 0
 Those guys are running on Jet A fuel? Wink
  • 1 0
 16th picture down, it's like WHERE'S WALDO???
  • 1 0
 Wish I had a friend with a heli.
  • 1 0
 Another step in making cycling a "petro-tainment" sport...
  • 1 0
 really nice!!!
  • 1 0
 Just like heli-skiing
  • 1 0
 fugazi







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