[by Jesse Fox]

It's the middle of May, so where is your snowboard? Piled under snow shovels and flying snow saucers in the corner of the garage? Deep in the basement stored with the Christmas decorations? Edges corroded by rust, the base drying out and growing white fur for summer hibernation? Sound about right? OK, now lets say you're filming for Alterna Films new video Hello World. You and your board can't call it quits in March... your last day won't fall in April... it's May, so you're still shredding, still pushing for the video part that will show the world you ride like a boss.

Alterna Films is 12 years deep in the shred vid game and knows what it takes to make a standout film. Days like this one, with private video shoots on Grouse Mountain, riders meet in the parking lot at 10am and shred until the jobs done. In today's case that was 1am the next morning and it's all part of the program. I spent this fine day on location at Grouse catching up with Carlo Wein (the man behind Alterna since the beginning) and hung with the crew while they put the icing on their video parts.

Let me set the scene: it's 2:45pm and the crew has been getting towed-in by snowmobiles to a good-sized step up feature. Craig Beaulieu and Jesmond Dubeau are battling with doubles, and for the vet of the crew, Dufficy has locked his first shot down in four tries and is already on to the suntan with a cold beer program. There's a significant cloud blocking the sun that slows the action (because only black cars look good in this light) and it puts five filmers, a photographer and nine riders on a brief weather hold. I get a chance to pull Carlo out of the director chair for a quick Q and A.

An epic Vancouver day. Fox photo.

So Carlo, how many years now has Alterna been coming up to Grouse to film late season park footage?
The first year was for Reflection (2003). Grouse has been supporting the local snowboard scene for so long, and every year they've wanted to work with us and step it up to the next level. With the help of the passionate cat drivers we find a way to do something that we haven't done before.

The first video Alterna did was called The Struggle. After twelve years of doing these videos has it become easier to get shots, to get enough impressive footage for the videos?
It feels like it's getting easier. We just know where to cut out the fat, what to focus on. We've been editing for so long now, we just know what you're looking for. With new technologies, it's inspiring and allowing us to do new things and add a lot of production value. Now that we're at the top of the hill things seem to roll a lot smoother.

This is how the professionals do things. Fox photo.

Alterna has always been on the cutting edge with cameras and filming techniques. Follow cams with filmers strapped to zip lines and all that.  What are you guys doing this year to mix it up?
We did a shoot in Aspen with a RC (remote control) helicopter. Mounted a camera with a stabilizer onto it. We hired some ex-military guys from Georgia to come down and operate it. We were able to get just a couple of feet away from the riders and get some really cool shots.

Where are some of the places you've gone to ride this year?
We did a segment in Bosnia, Slovenia. We shot at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic hotel that was all shot up in the '90s because of all the inner turmoil that was going in the country around that time. These guys jibbed everything in and around that place and it was defiantly one of the coolest things I've filmed.

Then we went to Turkey, Istanbul, and the Palandoken resort. There wasn't much snow, but you know we just try to give some perspective on the area, and of course the culture.

Olympic hero Johnny Lyall stepping up to a backside 180. Fox photo.

So we're well into May here. When do you stop filling the hard drive with footage and say ‘that's enough' and start editing?
June fifteenth. That's the cut-off date. We're still getting pow in the backcountry, and are planning on bringing the RC camera into the backcountry for a couple of weeks, so there's still lots going on at this point in the season.

What riders are going to break out when Hello World drops in September?
We started shooting with Jesmond Dubeau this year and I think he's going to have the break-out part. He's well-rounded and he's got everything as far as the urban stuff, backcountry, park... he's got everything. He'll have one of the better parts for sure this year.

Jesmond Dubeau "on set". Fox photo.

(So I put Jesmond on the spot)

Jesmond, Carlo says you've got a bangin' part in the bag. How much more filming do you have left for the season?
I think after this I'm going to be done. Well, hopefully one more backcountry shoot with the boys, then it's back to work; back to the real world for me.

This was your first year filming with Alterna. What were some of the highlights?
Bosnia was super fun; it was two weeks of some gnarly food. Driving across Canada on a rail mission was pretty sweet. I got a call halfway though that trip saying that I was going to be filming for [Alterna]. So I tried to send it as hard as I could.

Do you finding it hard to get motivated this late in the season? Where do you find motivation at this point?
I don't know... I just love snowboarding. Might as well spend the last days that there is snow riding with friends. There's going to be plenty of summer left.

Dufficy the boss with a backside rodeo. Fox photo.

Air Bud with his 'gnarly boots' on. Fox photo.

Rasman on the night booter. Tifo photo.

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With a hand full of shots in the bag, the step session is officially shut down.  High fives are thrown, a couple more beers emptied and the crew sets their sights on the tabletop below. Carlo has a Hollywood set worth of lighting coming to blaze it up for the night session. While they wait for the sun to set, the cast and crew head inside to charge batteries (both literally and figuratively). It's all in a days work for Canada's longest running and hardest working snowboard film production.

Check out more photos on the Alterna Blog.

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Related:
In The Editing Room with Alterna Films
Private Alterna Shoot at Grouse (video, '09)
Sandbox and Alterna, Part 2 (Alterna)