Video: Vihti BC - A Self Shot MTB Short Film

May 12, 2021
by Joonas Vinnari  

After a year of scouting for new trails near where I live, I found a blank canvas to build something new. No trails, just some deer tracks and rocky trenches made by Russian soldiers from World War I.

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Russians built these fighting lines to Finland in case the Germans attacked Russia through Finland during WWI. That never happened, and now after 100 years it was time to use them for something else.

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“When you spend all of your spare time in the forest for 8 weeks alone building, riding and filming you might learn something. I learned a lot about the forest, my gear and myself.”

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Tips and thoughts:

- Be patient when filming alone. Some days you might only get one useful shot.
- Note to myself after breaking one carbon crank and slashing two tires when riding in trenches from World War One that are made of rock, use DH casing tires.
- When filming alone, always try to get a shot, any shot. Just put the camera somewhere. Like Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
- Don’t leave home without camera batteries.
- In-camera editing is a great memory saver when out there (if possible with your camera).
- Risk management plays a big role when you’re alone in the forest. Know what you are doing and don’t take risks. There is always another day if you’re tired.
- Respect nature.

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Bicycle, what a great invention. All 140mm of suspension was used while filming.

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I did find plenty of rocks while riding.

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Crank took one for the team.

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Hero dirt

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Not the fastest money shot maker when alone.

Camera gear that I used for this project:

- Canon EOS R
- GoPro Hero Black 7 & MAX
- Chest mount and helmet mounts
- Cable cam from Wiral
- EVO SS & DJI Ronin RS 2 gimbals
- Tripod, clamps and arms

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GoPro life

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That was definitely first time for me to jump over a trench from World War I.

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Spring is turning quickly in the summer.

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Thanks for watching!

@jvinnari

Author Info:
dspmedia avatar

Member since Oct 25, 2007
2 articles

66 Comments
  • 48 1
 Looks like one of Brage´s Cousins.
  • 30 1
 Also not too invasive to nature like all these bike highways they build now everywhere.
  • 6 8
 100%. Kills me a little inside every time I see a quiet forest getting carved and cut up for a bike trail.
  • 22 1
 @Peally: Don't feel bad, the forest will reclaim it within a couple of years if left alone. Also, keep in mind many of the trial initiatives are what got people to respect nature in the first place.
  • 3 0
 Here here! Rowdy and natural. Great work!
  • 22 1
 That must have bee n tough project, man, so sick, riding,editing,building, just awesome! That place could be eastern Squamish. Anyway, big props for your work, looks like Kona should sponsor few riders on the east side of the Globe! Cheers mate!
  • 2 0
 He's good at everything
  • 19 0
 wtf just happened? what was this sorcery of filmaking, riding and trail building, you sir are my new favourite hero may the force be strong with you.
  • 12 1
 What a project and achievement ! Also a very welcome and fresh approach with the music ! this is content that inspires much more that just an other clean Semenuk Vid ( tough I love watching these to humble myself again and again )
  • 6 0
 Rad. Interesting that you managed to shoot that moving camera scene at 1:23 by yourself. Impressive!
  • 3 0
 Cable cam setup is my guess
  • 1 0
 Wiral cable cam. It has a ping pong mode that will just go back and forth repeatedly by itself.
  • 6 0
 Into the Gnar - Finland edition. Double the misery, half the whoop. I think Yoann will still approve
  • 5 0
 Really nice. Well done mate. Wouldn't like to hurt myself out there, looks like a long trek back to anywhere.
  • 3 0
 THAT WAS INSANE!!! Absolutely awesome job man. Curious to know a bit more of the bts of the cable cam shots what you used to get it to follow. Maybe dji active track or something?
  • 4 0
 Awesome work Joonas, from the trail build to the riding to the filming! Self-filming is hard work, especially to turn out something as good as this!
  • 3 0
 There's a meme about metal bands getting losts in the Finnish forests during photo shoots for ther album artwork. They should consider riding MTB's out of the forest
  • 1 0
 I wonder how much unexploded ordinance this guy finds while digging around WWI trenches. I remember watching a video that said that whole forests in France and Germany are uninhabitable due to the number of shells, and the land that has been reclaimed for farming is chock full of old grenades and shells that they dig up every tilling season.
  • 2 0
 Yes, it's insane the amount of unexploded weapons still hidden under a few centimeters of soil in the area between France, Belgium, Holland and Germany, as an example the area around Ypres is sadly famous for this.
  • 4 0
 That was awesome. My kind of trail
  • 4 0
 Incredible amount of work and grit to get this done, hats off to you!
  • 3 0
 duuuuuuuude. that boulder field at the bottom of the rock slab. that made my palms sweaty....(go ahead..)
  • 1 0
 "That rock slab looks like it might be kindof toug- OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG"

--My Brain
  • 1 0
 So much props. My dream is to make historic journeys bike routable and I see you are of a similar mind, but with enough motivation to go make it happen. Thanks for the inspiration.
  • 1 0
 Seriously good! Well done. Hours of squeezing in walks, scouting, cutting, dreaming &digging. And then there's the filming and editing! Bravo. Looks like a really good place to ride
  • 3 0
 Now thats what I call Mountain biking! Adventure riding through the bush! Good work and riding. Had me smiling.
  • 2 0
 Masterpiece! A LOT of hard work went into this project. Thanks for capturing it for us. Amazing choice in music. Rock on my friend.
  • 4 0
 in Soviet Russia, trail builds you!
  • 3 0
 That wins mountain biking for me, the pinnacle of the sport! and then there's the filming on top! Amazing work
  • 4 0
 RAAAD SHIT!
  • 4 0
 Todella kovaa settiä!
  • 3 0
 The opposite of a flow trail = skill trail. I like!!!
  • 2 0
 DUDE, YOUR SOUNDTRACK RUULLLZ! SO AUTHENTIC! I LIKED! RAW AND ETNIC! Wink CHEERS FROM LATVIA!
  • 3 0
 That was worth watching. Really enjoyed the trailwork too
  • 2 0
 Well done. Super cool to see these lines that are deep in history with some really great riding and camera work!
  • 1 0
 Hyvää!!! This made me remember trying to ride single track on a granny bike in Jyväskylä, sometimes multitasking with a bouldering pad on my back. Awesome video.
  • 2 0
 Video Of The Year for me! I can't even imagine how much blood, sweat and tears this took to make. Amazing!
  • 3 0
 Todella vaikuttavaa!
  • 1 0
 Sick! Good to hear some guitars and see some genuinely technical riding, looks pretty fun too!
  • 1 0
 Enjoyed this man, good work! Shows its not always about big budgets and huge whips
  • 2 0
 Viiiittu miten siistii! Huge respect!
  • 1 0
 Lovely. Oh how I would love to have a wooded hillside to attack with a spade and my bike...
  • 1 0
 Great job! Finally a good song in a bike movie! Rock and roll still rules!!
  • 1 0
 Would love to have that as a raw edit as well
  • 1 0
 You are the winner! Awesome video
  • 2 0
 Well done!
  • 1 0
 Impressing! Great job mate
  • 1 0
 Top banana. Enjoyed that.
  • 1 0
 The run out to that slab was chunky!
  • 1 0
 Hell Yeah, Freeride Ain't Dead
  • 1 0
 best vid I have seen on PB in quite a while!
  • 1 0
 Now that IS a flow trail... My kind of flow
  • 1 0
 Unreal skills all around Joonas!
  • 1 0
 I've never seen anything like this, Soo rad!!
  • 1 0
 Cool Vid my brother from another mother !
  • 1 0
 Very well done! Loved the trail, the riding and the filming!
  • 1 0
 Enjoyed watching, respect!
  • 1 0
 Really nice!
  • 1 0
 Good work really!
  • 1 0
 Great job!!!
  • 1 0
 Great job! I like it.
  • 1 0
 Great vid and riding
  • 1 0
 Great work my dude!
  • 1 0
 Nice one.
  • 1 0
 Hyva Suomi!
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