MargusRigaPhotography

Getting to shoot for Knolly bikes is always a good time. Their bikes rock, and their riders are unreal. So when I got asked to shoot their new super XC rig (Endorphin SL), in Sooke BC, with rider James Doerfling (Big Mountain sender), I knew it was going to get interesting. Along to cover the action was Mitch Cheek of Solos Productions. For two days we put the pain on the Endorphin SL, on uber-aggressive XC trails, through bitter BC winter rain. The bike pulled through without a spec of paint missing, and the Crazy conditions, made for crazy shots.

Sometimes everything aligns in just the right way at just the right time. Last weekend was one of those times.

For two days we had the use of a heli for self-guided sending of some all-time descents with a total of 25000' of vertical slayed. The best part: I got to play too. This was my weekend off. What a vacation.

Brett Tippie (Rocky Mountain Bikes) and I have been trying to organize a night powder shoot for some time, and in late February all the factors lined up perfectly for an epic evening. There was 30cm's of fresh blower powder (very rare for Cypress Mountain), and we had Wade Simmons (Rocky Mountain Bikes) and Andrew Baker (Transition Bikes) along for the ride. Since Wade has been exploring Cypress for fifteen years, he knew all the secret stashes. Also, since we had headlights, we could go away from the ski hill lights and be by ourselves in the darkness and powder. All I can say is, "what a night".

The last time I shot with James Doerfling, I was blown away by his riding style and raw ability. So I was stoked to hear that Knolly Bikes wanted to do a three-day shoot on Vancouver's North Shore with James.

Everything was lining up perfect, except the weather; Three days of colder than average temperatures and bluebird sunny skies -- great for ski photos, the worst for bike photos on the Shore. On the first day, it was as expected. Hot sun spots blowing out highlights through the forest canopy and dark shady spots everywhere else. The woodwork was iced over, deeming it unridable, and the ground on all the landings was either cement hard or icy.

This was not good, but the best thing about being forced to work in unworkable conditions, is that it forces you to think outside the box, and try new techniques and ideas you wouldn't normally try.

In the end we got some really great photos and even lucked out with a five minute fog patch, thanks to a rogue cloud that sailed through our area just as we were setting up for the shot.

Big thanks go out to James for freezing his ass off in shorts and a short sleeve jersey waiting for me to set up the shots, and for hiking his downhill bike all over the mountains.