Autumn In Alberta – A Video Project

I’ve always wanted to show the masses both the quality and quantity of freeride terrain available in Alberta. It’s all too common for guests of our province to write off riding in Alberta with the thought that we don’t have anything to offer but cattle pastures and rolling hills. With Alberta bordered by the Rockies, there is a lot that our side of the mountains offer for accessible terrain. The Crowsnest Pass, Bragg Creek, and Moose Mountain areas are among a few that have a great variety of riding.

Racing weather and an imminent snowfall, Rod Leland and I decided to set out to do something we had planned the whole summer, but never had the chance to do. Either due to weather, or conflicting schedules, things never quite lined up. Needless to say, it was an arduous process to get to the point of actually stepping out the door.

We had originally flirted with the idea of heading into B.C. to produce a Fall edit, but due to early snow in the mountains there, and our drive to show off the quality of riding in Alberta, we locked down our decision to head to Moose Mountain. Moose Mountain is close to Bragg Creek, and a short 45 minute drive for most Calgary residents.

Moose has undoubtedly become one of my favorite places to ride. With the Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society stepping up at every turn to provide advocacy, safety, maintenance, and maps, Moose Mountain has turned into a sustainable network of quality trails that are groomed perfectly, and expanded annually.

I forgot how much work it took to capture and make a video of any magnitude. We only had two days to cover a lot of areas so each day consisted of 10+ hours of filming and work. Pro photographer and longtime friend Rod Leland was behind the camera, and together we carefully chose our shots. This was our first attempt at putting something together since our run in the UFC (Ultimate Freeride Challenge) many years ago. Each day was mentally and physically draining, but the outcomes trumped any pains.

Ingesting footage between shuttle runs.
Day one consisted of focusing on a lot of trail-style shots. We rode the trail named T-Dub which offered everything from fast berm-shots to highly technical lines. The trail finishes off with a few hips that are both left and right for a rider to choose from. On the last hit of the day, on the last shot of the day, I slipped a pedal, jarring my foot on the landing. This was our sign to call the day and start again fresh in the morning.

Three days later. Grade 2 Sprain.
One of the great things of the Moose Mountain/Bragg Creek area is the surrounding landscape of the Kananaskis. There are thousands of square kilometers of open terrain. For the night we set up camp at Mclean Creek, a designated off-highway-vehicle recreation and camping area. I was blown away with the ease of access and the true beauty of the area since it was my first time. With beers in hand and a campfire to relax in front of, we took a load off, reminiscing and reviewing footage.

Reviewing Footage

Day two was focused on a lot more air shots and the perfect trail to provide this was Race of Spades. The trail consists of flowy singletrack mixed with a few good-sized hits. Learning from our day one mistakes, day two was much more productive, netting us a much larger amount of footage.

We were both pleased with the results we got from the limited time we had on our hands. I think we both achieved our goals with this film; mine to showcase that Alberta has a great riding scene and some awesome terrain, and Rod wanting to see if he could produce a quality product on no budget with limited equipment.

We would like to thank everyone who helped us this whole weekend from shuttling, to the friendly locals who helped with trail ideas. At the expense of potentially sounding cliché, it's people like this that make our sport so awesome in every aspect; everyone sharing the same passion for something that they love.

With that being said, sit back, turn up the speakers and enjoy - “Autumn” featuring Stevin Tuchiwsky, and produced by Rod Leland.