Video: The Making of Arrival Episode 5 - Whistler

The Whistler Bike Park has been a staple location in every freeride mountain bike film that we can remember. To find new and original lines can be difficult, because chances are, the world has already seen them. So, our idea to take on the bike park was to do something different and create a segment that most visitors to Whistler can relate to… and when we say most, you’ll know what we mean once you see the segment.


The idea was to take the viewer on a POV whirlwind ride through Whistler Village and the Whistler Bike Park. The POV experience puts you right behind the talents of Mitch Ropelato, Ryan “R-Dog” Howard, and the Coastal Crew, as we whip down the trails and take on the Whistler Village nightlife. We had IFHT’s YouTube sensation Matt Dennison with us to help direct the segment. He’s one hell of a funny guy with a creative mind, and we were lucky to have him along to piece this segment together within a week’s time.


Filming the segment turned out to be nothing less than entertaining and comical the whole way through production and into the final piece, and Mitch and Ryan just blew our minds on the trails. Mitch’s style is so fluid and fun to watch that it was hard to focus on getting shots because we were in such awe. Both riders are so positive and open minded to work with, and that goes a long way when you’re filming all day. We think it shows in the segment.


Huge thanks to Mike Crowe and Brian Finestone of the Whistler Bike Park, Chris McLeod from WB, Dave Murphy from the trail crew, Kira Cailes, Justin Morton and Kevin Rehill from patrol, The staff at the Aava Hotel, Katrina Frew from the Longhorn, and of course Matt Dennison and everyone else involved in making this segment come to life!


To see more behind the scenes footage from ARRIVAL, check out Episode One, Two, Three and Four. "The Making of Arrival" is produced by SecondBase Films and Nic Genovese of Mindspark Cinema.

ARRIVAL is presented by RockShox, in Association with Specialized, Clif Bar and Pinkbike.com, with support from Trek, Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Evoc, and Devinci.

For more details about the film, check out secondbasefilms.com/arrival