Photo Epic: North of Nightfall
The island is the size of Switzerland with a human population of zero, just south of the North Pole. The weather is harsh and ground is frozen for much of the year, but the soil contains gypsum that's similar to Utah's hallowed mountain bike slopes. It's an arctic desert, and there are a lot of geological anomalies that make it oddly conducive to big mountain freeriding.
We've spent a decade looking for these spots on the equator, but didn't think about going north. Darren Berrecloth has always searched for these landscapes, and he looked north. After a scouting mission to Axel Heiberg Island, and realizing it was possible, we pushed to make it happen. Since there's only a short snow-free window up there we knew we'd have to wait a year.
 | 24 hours of daylight removed all sense of time. We found ourselves hiking and riding and filming with flipped sleeping schedules to get the best light, but was hard not to get carried away and extend every mission. It messes with your senses, things are so surreal out there. |
We were up there for nearly a month, in a tent city ringed by an electric fence to keep the polar bears out. We packed in dehydrated food to keep things light as possible, and packed everything out—including our shit. I've never done a film that's in just one location. Telling a story that was so entrenched in a region was ambitious, especially trying to push the boundaries in a place that remote. We had a doctor with us, but everyone was keenly aware that the best case scenario for extraction was an 8-hour flight to the nearest hospital. And if weather rolled it, it could have been much longer.
Looking back, I learned so much from the experience. It's not just a freeride film. There's a glaciology angle, an ecological angle, and an arctic story. That communities have thrived in these harsh conditions is amazing. Some of the history is absolutely wild—arctic explorers ate each other up here. I think we all learned from the region, it had a huge impact on us. I'm from Canada, but I knew so little about the Canadian arctic—the Inuit, the Thule, the threats that area faces today. This isn't a "we've just scratched the surface" type of film; this opportunity was unique and we know we'll never be back. That's bittersweet, but I'm so grateful for the opportunity, and I hope people connect with the film in a way that shares what we experienced up there.
There are nearly 2000 glaciers on the island. Hiking some lines would take an hour or two, depending on how slow the cameramen were.
A Twin Otter with custom tundra tires was our transportation on and off the island.
The crew slept in tents with blackout fabric to combat the 24-hour sun.
Tom got along with the dirt super quick.
The Claw is the law.
The scale of the lines Cam Zink rode dwarfed Rampage.
Carson's line continued into two minute long descent of a perfect grade.
Jeremy Grant, early in the trip & full of optimism.
We saw wolves, polar bears, musk ox, arctic hares & foxes, and mosquitos. Huge mosquitos.
Although most musk ox travel in herds, the lone males can get aggressive and pose a problem.
Insignificant specs.
Tom van Steenbergen pushed his boundaries hard out there.
Home.
Carson
Darren
Tom
Apak, our guide & polar bear security guard, is from Arctic Bay, one of the northernmost settlements in the world.
One of the best parts of being so remote was having time with this group minus all the technology and distractions of the "real" world.
There were SOME distractions...
Cam dropping into the "Drag Strip." 2500 vertical feet.
"We wanted a feeling of intimacy, shooting a lot of the film handheld." - Jeremy Grant
There are only 4 tracks in the film, so capturing natural sounds was key.
Carson with a 3-drop into a long ass line.
Cue Symphony of Destruction.
Day 25, no shampoo.
"Picking the right battles on what tricks you want to do was huge out there. Keeping it simple with a can." Carson Storch
Incredible landscapes in all directions. Once in a lifetime.
Tom & Cam's tandem stepdown flip is one of the most iconic moments in the film.
Also available on Vimeo.
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Props giant props. To me that’s pushing the boundaries of the sport
vimeo.com/ondemand/northofnightfall