Nicolas Teichrob / Dendrite StudiosA shot of Danny Arnold from Dendrite Studio's recent trip to BC's TLH Heliskiing.Last fall, Dendrite Studios charged out of the gates with their first film, "Out of the Shadows," which took home the Best Big Mountain Film award from IF3, edging out the likes of Teton Gravity Research and other industry heavyweights. This winter, Dendrite began working on their second film, a two-year effort to be released in the fall of 2012. They recently went on their first heli-based film trip in British Columbia.
In late March, the caravan started at Pemberton Airport en route to TLH Heliskiing in Gold Bridge, British Columbia, for four days of filming. At the group's disposal was more than 830,000 acres of terrain and a newly-renovated mountain lodge. Along for the ride were Dendrite Studios founders Athan Merrick and Nic Teichrob, Anthony Bonnello of Azadi Freedom fame, and a group of athletes including Alex Blais, Matt Elliott, Maxim Arsenault, Jon Whelan, and Danny Arnold.
The first day of filming was limited by low visibility and stability issues. The first heli drop happened just before noon and the rest of the day was spent in the trees skiing deep powder and capped off with a gnarly pillow line. There were great shots on day one, but the group was itching to get into some bigger lines.
Day two brought some humbling moments, including Maxim Arsenault ending up head down in a tree well, partially buried by his slough. Alex Blais landed a multi-stage drop before being blinded by face-shots and crashing off a roller.
The sun came out for days three and four and the alpine terrain's cliffs and spines became a playground. Highlights included Arsenault stomping a 50-foot cliff and Anthony Bonnello harnessed, and hanging out of the heli, filming Matt Elliot's huge line. "This place is paradise," Alex Blais said. "When I die, I am definitely going to be a ghost and haunt TLH Heliskiing."
The TLH Heliskiing webisode will be released from Dendrite Studios in May.
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