New Season and New Work

When Nic and I first started Dendrite Studios we envisioned a long steady and growing career of making adventure visual art under the Dendrite banner. It has not been an easy road, but new work continues to trickle in and our previous efforts continue to accumulate accolades. Parallels was recently featured on the vimeo homepage as well as the travel section of USA Today’s website and finally Atlantic Magazine’s homepage. To have our work featured in some of the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world that are completely removed from the ski industry is very gratifying.

Our heads continue to fill with ideas and visions, but funding remains elusive for a full length project. So while Nic and I will continue to keep the Dendrite dream alive with short films and small projects for clients we are also accepting other work to fufill our creative ambitions. Nic has some very exciting things going on which I’m sure he will fill everyone in on soon. As for myself, things have come full circle. As a child I was drawn to the mountains for their beauty and power and the fun I had in them. When my uncle began to give me ski films for Christmas every year my head popped off at the beautiful imagery and the unimaginable skiing I was viewing. That was the beginning of the end. My childhood dream was formed. Some of those films were the early Teton Gravity Research films. I literally wore those VHS’s out I watched them so much. This winter I am the Whistler based cinematographer for TGR. I couldn’t be more stoked to be creating imagery for this iconic action sports film company that had a major part in inspiring the path I have chosen for my life. I am very excited to be bringing the Dendritic aesthetic to a new place and new people.

Dendrite is alive and well and our creative energies will not go un-noticed.

Here’s some pics from the year so far taken with the phone. Follow me on instagram to keep up with my adventures this winter. amerrick is the name to follow.

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I've worked so hard for this? Classic ski bum living is the price I pay for spending my summers in the culture of the city. Winter space in Whistler is limited on short notice. But I wouldn't have it any other way!

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We continue to fly.

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Sunlight has been extremely scarce this January as per usual in BC.

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TGR cine Dan Gibeau and Griffin Post and Todd Ligare came up from Jackson to sample BC pillows and pow. We brought an 18 foot kessler crane into the backcountry with us for a week straight. Heavy load and long days.

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Another day shutdown for light, but the beauty of the mountains remains.

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Dendritic.

Enjoy the season everyone!

-Athan

Tags: adventure art, amerrick, Athan Merrick, Atlantic Magazine, dendrite studios, instagram, parallels, ski film, ski movie, Teton Gravity Research, TGR, USA Today
1 Comment »

TLH Heli Skiing with Epic Planks – Video

Nic and I were skiers before we were film makers. We have since merged our passion for art and the mountains into one, but before that happened we dreamed as kids that one day heliskiing would be in our future. As I grew older heliskiing seemed so far off and so close at the same time. The dreams didn’t stop, and they never should for a skier. Heliskiing is the pinnacle of our sport whether you are a recreational skier, a racer, a jibber, or a full fledged pro. It is a bucket list item for everyone who has ever strapped two sticks to their feet.

The Bird of Dreams.

Here’s the video
http://vimeo.com/28143662

When we first received a call from Epic Planks it was asking if any of the athletes in our film “Out of the Shadows” were without ski sponsors. While most already had them, a few did not. I put forth their names and contacts. Epic Planks chose Alex Blais, a long time Blackcomb local who can be seen at the lunch tables beneath Glacier lodge nearly every day. He shreds, is super stoked, and a ridiculously funny guy with some of the most absurd one liners you’ve ever heard. Besides for the communication with Alex I expected that to be the last of hearing from Epic Planks for a while. They were a small start up company. The skis shipped to Alex looked great and he raved about them. I was ecstatically surprised when Epic Planks called to offer Dendrite Studios the opportunity to film a week long heli trip just north and east of our backyard at TLH Heliskiing.

Alex Blais sending it at TLH on the Epic Planks Crop Duster.

Alex Blais of course came along with Epic Planks athletes Danny Arnold, a young up and coming jibber from Michigan, and Jon Whelan, a young shred head from Nelson, BC. Epic Planks owners Bill Wanrooy and Brian VanDenBrand graced us with their awesome presence. Nic and I were pretty stoked to meet those two guys and are happy to report that both of them were like little groms in expectations of the trip. When the owners of a ski company are that stoked you know the skis are built with passion and determination. We rounded out the trip with two of our favourite skiers from the Dendrite stable, Maxim Arsenault and Matt Elliott. Both of whom are incredibly strong skiers, love the sport as pure as one can, filled with stoke, and are simply rad human beings. For all these great people to come together on, for many, their first heli trip, was exceptional. We tip our hats to Bill and Brian for putting this trip together, childhood dreams were about to be fulfilled.

The Crew below one of countless beauties.

TLH heliskiing is in Gold Bridge, BC. We rolled up to the lodge, luxury living at its finest, everyone exchanged smirks of, “Can you believe we are here right now?” We gorged ourselves on fine dining for breakfast and dinner. Lunches were packed with nutrients to eat in the field. Hot snacks were ready when we got back and the end of each day.

First course of many at dinner.

The bartenders kept the spirits flowing and foosball, pool table, ping pong, and the hot tub were all frequented. Simply put the time before and after skiing was as good as it gets, but really that isn’t what matters. What matters is what those childhood dreams visualized. The heli approaching, staring out the window as you fly by so many of the most beautiful peaks you can imagine, the nervous anticipation of landing, jumping out into the snow with the whir of the blades overhead, the heli taking off right over your head, exchanging shakas, fist bumps, and yells and laughter as the heli pulls away, and finally skiing the most incredible runs of your life. Those were my dreams from the age of 12 on onward, and TLH manifested them into real life.

Jon Whelan was not dreaming.

One of the dreaded fears of heliskiing is the down day. Up in AK you hear stories of the slow roast. Two weeks of amusing yourself as the storm rages and the bird won’t fly. I was pleasantly suprised that at TLH because of there alpine and treed terrain down days are very rare. There needs to be extremely high winds for the heli to not fly. It was dumping our first day and we flew through the storm to ski deep tree runs. When the skies cleared later in the trip we ventured into the alpine where big AK style spine lines roll onto glaciers as far as the eye can see. Every type of skiing that exists in the mind’s eye is here at TLH with the massive terrain they have available. Ten lifetimes worth of lines, many of which are on the official Dendrite hit-list if we ever get the chance to go back to TLH. I’ll let the video do the rest of the talking, but if you haven’t been heliskiing drop everything and make it happen, and consider TLH as the spot to go. Our minds were blown and I am desperately trying to figure out how to make it happen again! Bucket list item checked.

Danny Arnold far, far away from Michigan.

Thanks to everyone at TLH! Our lead guide Greg Johnson and the rest of the guides for opening the goods and keeping it safe, the chef, the staff, pilot Steve, and the rest of the pilots. Everyone and everything was incredible!

Pilot Steve would do a little hike for some turns while we did a lap. Our kind of heli pilot.

Enjoy the edit…winter is coming sooner then you think and dreams never die!

TLH Dreaming…

-Athan

Tags: Alex Blais, Athan Merrick, Danny Arnold, dendrite studios, Epic Planks, Jon Whelan, matt elliott, Maxim Arsenault, nicolas teichrob, ski film, ski movie, skiing, TLH, TLH Heliskiing
1 Comment »

DVD’s are on sale…$19.99!

Parallels is flying. In the two days since releasing it to the public we are closing in on 10,000 views.

View a piece of art inspired by playing and exploring the mountains right here… and share it far and wide with your friends.

To celebrate we are dropping the price on DVD’s of our debut film from $27.95 down to $19.99! Go get your copy of the award winning Out of the Shadows in our store…

Tags: dendrite studios, dvd, freeskiing, out of the shadows, parallels, sale, ski film, ski movie, skiing
1 Comment »

Long Overdue Update! New Videos!

Hi everyone,

We have been busy. Recovering from a sleepless year of making, releasing, and promoting this little film we made titled “Out of the Shadows.” It’s funny, once the film is shot, edited, color corrected, sound mixed, too many other tasks to count, and the final stamp of approval is given, the work has only just begun.

We had sold out premieres all over the globe with a few more coming up here in the next couple of months. “Out of the Shadows” was an official selection of many film festivals: Freshtival, IF3, Danish Adventure Film Festival, Up There Film Festival, Steamboat Mountain Film Festival, North Bend Mountain Film Festival, with more coming. We won Best Big Mountain Film at IF3 and were nominated for Best POV at the Powder Video Awards.

Here are some new clips to wet the appetite. Head over to the video page to check them out. The mini-teaser and part of Turpin’s segment have been out for a while, and our newest clip is our crash reel, because everyone loves a good crash segment! 90% of these crashes are not in the film, even though we purposely kept a lot of crashes in the film because that is a part of skiing and every skier crashes. If you don’t crash you are not skiing hard enough! So check it out and watch and laugh and cry at the boys making mistakes. Thankfully no one was hurt during the making of this clip.

If you haven’t purchased the film yet do we have permission to ask what are you thinking? This is the most affordable professional ski film ever released – get yours now for a pay what you want rate or get a dvd for your collection if you already purchased a download. Head over to the store to get inspired before you embark on your next skiing adventure.

Our skier Brett Crabtree teaches the people on how to negotiate a triple drop from our trip to Selkirk Wilderness Skiing last year over at Skiing Magazine. Go check it out here…

Thank you and hopefully everyone is skiing gratuitous amounts of pow right now!

-Athan and Nic

Tags: Brett Crabtree, crash, crashing, dendrite studios, fall, freeskiing, out of the shadows, pay what you want, selkirk wilderness skiing, ski film, ski movie, ski video, skiing, Skiing Magazine
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Soundtrack Listing for Out of the Shadows

We have been getting many requests for this, so here is the soundtrack listing for Out of the Shadows.  A big thanks to all the artists who allowed us to work together, check out their sites!

Intro – Summer’s Gone, by Golopapas

Brett Crabtree – Song 1: Gravity Taste Test, by Devices Disguised
-Song 2: Nail ‘em Up, by Current Swell

Chris Turpin – EEUOUAA (TheClapSong), by Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Max Arsenault – Heats Rising, by Los Furios

Ian Watson – JYD, by Espionage

Dave Gheriani /Adam Topshee/Alex Blais – So Heavy, by Black Pistol Fire

Athan Merrick/Jake Cohn – Simon Says Instrumental, by BoomBaptist

Matt Elliott – Matt Elliott’s home jam session

Little C – Signature, and Run to the Devil, by Entropik

Dave Treadway – Marmalade, by Sea of Bees

Jon Larsson – New City Anthem, by Sex with Strangers

Eliel Hinder – Be My Television, by The Racoons

Matty GT – June Bug, by Little Foot Long Foot

PY Leblanc – Air 6 (Mr. Clean Remix), by Luke Atencio and remix by Mr. Clean (Colin Smith)

Outro – Organ Inc, by Phontaine

Thanks

-nic and athan

Tags: Athan Merrick, british columbia, dendrite studios, film, freeski, music, nicolas teichrob, playlist, ski film, ski movie, skiing, songs, soundtrack, track listing, whistler
4 Comments »

Out of the Shadows- Now available for purchase- webstore open!

We are very pleased to announce that Out of the Shadows is now available for purchase.  We have a web store built allowing you to purchase the film in a variety of formats.  Here is what will be for sale

- HD Download- Pay what you want rate, minimum of $1.99

-iPod/SD Download – Pay what you want rate, minimum of $1.99

-DVD-Limited run of only 500 – $27.95

-tshirts and hand knit toques/beanies as well

Help support us by spreading the word of the online downloads and the low cost.  We want everyone to get a copy, and for the price of a beer, there’s no reason why not.

We also thank you for your patience and apologize about the long delay. Everything is done legally, professionally, and correctly and that took a lot more delays and hurdles than we ever could have anticipated. We are wiser for it!

Here is the link to the store – http://dendrite.myshopify.com/

Thank you very much,

-Nic and Athan

-Dendrite

Tags: beanies, dendrite studios, download, dvd, for sale, freeski, freeskiing, hats, hd, ipod, movie, rate, sd, shop, ski, ski film, ski movie, skiing, store, tshirts, webstore
5 Comments »

Out of the Shadows available soon – HD downloads and DVDs

So the past couple of months we have been putting the finishing touches to our online store, and getting the DVD innerds ready for printing. It seems like all the paperwork is nearly complete and we are shooting for our store to be open on November 1(Edit: we are now looking at the end of this week.  As soon as we can get it out we will, we are just waiting for the credit card billing company to get their paperwork finished.  We hope that you can catch the film at a premiere of film festival near you.)

The movie will be for sale in 2 major formats:

1) Online Downloads – the full film will be available for download at a ‘PAY WHAT YOU WANT’ rate. We have a minimum on that rate of $1.99. At the price of a beer or a coffee, you can’t not afford to pick this movie up!! All of the funds go directly to helping the filmmakers pay off this film and generate funds to be able to produce their second film, which already has a developed concept prepared.

We will have 2 formats for downloading: HD (high definition), SD/IPOD (standard definition for older computers + for your ipods, itouchs, ipads, other portable media devices, etc.)

2) DVDs – We have only printed a Limited run of DVDs for Out of the Shadows. We want to encourage the online purchasing to decrease the overall waste, and as such only 500 DVDs will be available for purchase. These are $27.95. The DVDs and cases are made locally in Vancouver, BC. They are made with 100% post-consumer recycled chipboard stock, soya based inks, waterless printing technology and 100% wind power. We want to minimize our impact on the environment and as such, these are as plastic free as possible.

I’ll keep things updated here as we near the 1st, but hopefully that day many people will be having a movie night at home.

-Nic

Note: all prices are subject to HST and shipping.

Tags: british columbia, canada, dendrite studios, dvd, extreme, film, for sale, freeski, freeskiing, hd ski, online download, ski movie, skiing, whistler
16 Comments »

IF3 recap- OOTS wins ‘BEST BIG MOUNTAIN MOVIE’

Wow, IF3 was an experience for sure. Athan and I traveled to Montreal for IF3 and expected to get our show to a larger and a more jib/jump/park oriented crowd, but not much beyond that.

Montreal. New city for Dendrite.

IF3 was a blur. Late nights of parties, long days of watching numerous awesome ski flicks!

During the final evening of the festival, the Newschoolers Awards were given out. We were extremely stoked to be awarded ‘Best Big Mountain Movie’ in the Open category. The nominees were: our movie, MSP’s The Way I See it, and PBP’s Revolver. To beat out MSP and PoorBoyz who both have some rather large budgets and our film shot and produced out of our pockets, feels pretty damn good.

Pleasantly surprised and uber stoked!

We are super thankful to even be nominated in the same realm as these two juggernauts. MSP’s film was amazing, with plenty of humor and as they always do, amazing cinematography.
Poorboyz’ Revolver was incredible as well. These companies have been inspirations for us. So to be considered amongst peers is an amazing feeling.

The venue for the madness.

We also want to give a shout out to our favorite film of the fest “Azadi” by B4Apres. We spent a lot of time hanging with Anthony Bonello and his documentary was a beautiful portrayal of the people and hardships of Kashmir and how skiing, as it brings joy to us skiers, can bring a new light to the locals.

We are ready for more and the next couple of projects are brewing. Look for “Out of the Shadows” to be available soon right here on dendritestudios.com. We appreciate the patience in getting our film out to the masses. It is almost here!

see ya
-nic

Tags: awards, dendrite studios, freeski, IF3, movie, newschoolers, out of the shadows, ski film, ski movie, skiing
10 Comments »

Travel to IF3- a 2 is not a 5

Athan and I are sitting in Vancouver airport currently, it is 7am, and we are heading to Montreal for the International Freeski Film Festival (IF3). Out of the Shadows will be premiering at IF3, and competing in the pro category, which we are stoked about.

Now, here is a lesson to everyone, well maybe just some, or maybe just us. I arrived at Athan’s house in Vancouver last night at 11pm. We had set our wake up alarms for 5:15am. I woke up and my watch said 5:20am. After getting dressed, I woke Athan up, and he too looked at his clock and saw 5:20. After some breakfast we walked 10 blocks to the skytrain station. Hmm, weird. The skytrain had big sliding doors over the entrance…it was closed. This prompted a relook at the old wrist clock, and to my shock it was 3:00am. We had both actually woken up around 2:30am and read the 2′s as 5′s and had both fully thought it was 5:30 when we woke. So we headed back to Athan’s house, slept 2 more hours, then back to the skytrain at the proper time.

Lesson of the story a 2 is not a 5.

Head over to Zapiks.com and Zapiks.fr to see our trailer and to vote for us for the IF3 Best Teaser Award….voting on both sites counts.

off to YUL.
-nic

Tags: airport, dendrite studios, film festival, freeski, IF3, movie, out of the shadows, ski film, ski movie, skiing, travel
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Dendrite Tour Schedule

Get stoked, come see a rad ski film on the big screen with tons of other fanatics and cheer and scream and clap and salivate at the winter ahead filled with deep pow and endless airs.

Dendrite Studios Presents the “Out of the Shadows” official, always updating tour schedule!

Whistler, BC – World Premiere – Aug. 9th 2010 – SOLD OUT

Vancouver, BC – Vancity Premiere – Aug. 27th, 2010 – SOLD OUT

Montreal, Canada – IF3 Pro Category – Friday Sept. 17th, 2010. 4:45pm – Cinema Imperial. if3.ca for more info and tickets.

Salt Lake City, Utah – University of Utah and the Utah Freeskier Society – Sept. 28th, 2010. Doors at 6. Show at 7:30. – Fine Arts Auditorium at the U of U.

Calgary, AB – Freshtival – Oct. 14th, 2010. 6:40pm – Uptown Theatre. freshsports.ca/freshtival for more info.

Brunswick, Maine – Bowdoin College – Oct. 14th, 2010. 8pm – Visual Arts Center Kresge Auditorium.

Vancouver, BC – UBC – Oct. 22nd, 2010. Doors at 6pm. Show at 7pm – Frederic Wood Theatre.

Traverse City, Michigan – Oct. 23rd, 2010 – Inside Out Gallery – 7pm. epicplanks.com for more info and tickets.

Seattle, WA – Oct. 26th, 2010. 8pm. EastLake Zoo Tavern – Benefit for NWAC! THIS RAISED $1600 FOR NWAC!!!

Revelstoke, BC – Oct. 28th, 2010 – Village Idiot Pub – Benefit for Revy Jr. Freeride Team!

Hanover, NH – Dartmouth College and the Winter Sports Club – Nov. 3rd, 2010. 7pm. Collis Commonground.

Sofia, Bulgaria – Nov. 5th, 2010. 19:30 local time. Vlaikova Cinema – Organized by Tribe: Freeski Internet Media.

Nelson, BC – Nov 6th, 2010. Doors at 7pm. Show at 8pm. Capitol Theatre – Benefit for Avalanche Awareness Beyond the Boundaries Society for youth avy education! For tickets and info go to http://www.capitoltheatre.bc.ca/

Santa Fe, NM – Nov. 7th, 2010. 7:40pm. The Screen at Santa Fe University of Art and Design (formerly College of Santa Fe). Put on by whiteroomskis.com

Golden, BC – Nov. 12th, 2010. 9pm. Rockwater Bar and Grill. Tickets at the door.

Whistler, BC – Nov. 15th, 2010. 6:30pm. Rainbow Theatre, Whistler Conference Center. Benefit for the Whistler Community Services Society!

Victoria, BC- Nov 18th (thursday).  Doors open at 6:30pm, movie around 7ish, at Club 9one9 at the Strathcona Hotel, downtown.  Also, Absinthe’s film Nowhere will also be showing.  Put on by Mount Washington Ski Resort.

Vancouver, BC – IF3 Travelling Show – Nov. 20th, 2010 – Vogue Theatre downtown. 2:30 pm.

Steamboat Springs, CO – Steamboat Mountain Film Festival – Nov. 20th, 2010 – Ghost Ranch Saloon. 7pm. $5 at the door.

Waterloo, Ontario -Nov 25th, 2010. Princess Twin Theatre. Ticket cans be purchased at the theatre box office.

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Nov. 26th, 2010 – Fifth Third Ballpark (Pepsi Club). epicplanks.com for more info.

Chicago, IL – Dec. 4th, 2010 – 7pm. Martyrs. http://www.martyrslive.com/

England – Nov. or Dec.

Copenhagen, Denmark – Danish Adventure Film Festival – Dec. 2nd-5th, 2010. adventurefilmfestival.dk/ for more info.

North Bend, WA – North Bend Mountain Film Festival – Dec. 6th, 2010. northbendtheatre.com/ for more info.

Schaumburg, IL – REI – Jan 15th, 2011 – 2pm.

We will constantly be updating this list with more shows and detailed info as it becomes available. We are working hard, but can’t quit our day jobs yet! Have to pay the bills! Also if you want a show in your hometown contact us and organize one. It’s a fun and easy way to make some cash for yourself or donate to a charity.

Tags: dendrite studios, freeskiing, IF3, out of the shadows, ski film, ski movie, skiing, tour, Utah Freeskier Society
16 Comments »

Vancouver Premiere and afterparty keep everyone stoked!

sweet venue!

Our Vancouver premiere went off to a pack house! Sold out show- As occurred in Whistler, the Vancouver show sold out the day before the event. We even had friends who were just going to buy tickets at the door, but with none available we had to send them away empty handed. We squeezed in as many people as possible in the theatre, the limiting venue, and it was packed. Eliel’s UBC crowd was cruising with some pre-party wobbly pops and they were super vocal to see little El bomb through powder. There was crowd stoke throughout the show, from the intro that calms everyone down, to the closing segment and onward. There was a rather high stack of swag to give out as well. There were gloves from Swany, hats and toques from Discrete and Smith, Doglotion tossed in some T’s, Intuition gave out some liners, a footbed from Surefoot, poles from Joystick, a pair of skis from Surface, and a whale watching trip from Geord at Adventure Whale Watching. The whale watching prize went to 11 year old Gabe Goerzen, one of three kids at the event, and the crowd was super amped to see a kid win!

Filmmakers stoked on a packed house!

The pre and post- party venue was pretty nuts. It is the crazy shaped room with a whole bunch of interactive displays and visuals to keep your science mind stoked for hours. There is a piece of a real spaceship engine (that has been to the moon and back), a piece of moon rock that is touchable, and you can even try your skills and landing or launching a spacecraft…I crashed. A big thanks to the Space Centre and their staff for being so accommodating to our antics and allowing us to bring a ski movie to such a rad venue.

Mark and Nic rocking the grass green Dendrite T

Colin Smith, aka, Mr. Clean, was spinning fresh beats all night. This guys spins one incredibly smooth sound and if you are ever in the Victoria area check him out!!

Mr. Clean keeping it fresh and the crowd stoked

Russell provided the beer that flowed all night. Their Rocky Mountain Pilsner and Pale Ale were huge hits with the crowd.

Space theme party room and Russell!

beer, music, people, chip, great times

Many athletes were on hand to take in the scene as well and have a good time. Crabtree, PY, Blazer, Eliel, Turpin, Topshee, Dave G., Max and Little C were all at the show to feast their eyes on Out of the Shadows, and quench their thirst with some brews.

Blazer pulling the name for the whale watching tour

Thanks for everyone who came out and for those who tried and got shut down by the sold outness of the show, stay tuned, because we hope to have another Vancouver show in mid-late Fall (late Oct hopefully). Next stop, Montreal for IF3.

-nic

Tags: alex blazer, Athan Merrick, bc, Brett Crabtree, Chris Turpin, dave treadway, dendrite studios, Eliel Hindert, film, little c, mr. clean, nicolas teichrob, out of the shadows, premiere, PY Leblanc, show, ski movie, vancouver
4 Comments »

Tickets for Whistler Premiere

Tickets are now available for purchase from Millennium Place.

There are two ways of purchasing, in person or over the phone.

In person (cash, credit, debit): 4335 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC, V0N 1B0 (across from Whistler brewhouse)

Over the phone (credit): 604-935-8410

Tickets are $11 ($1 of which goes to a theatre improvement fund that helps keep local theatres affordable and accessible to all).

SHOW TIME: Monday, August 9th, Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm. After party at Black’s pub.
-nic and athan

Tags: dendrite studios, premiere, ski movie, tickets, whistler
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Vancouver premiere of Out of the Shadows

Our first Vancouver date is set and location dialed in. We are stoked to have our Vancouver show on Friday, August 27th. This will be at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (aka, the Planetarium). We’ve got a fun space venue for the pre and post party as well.

We will have local, BC brewed Russell beer flowing before and after the show, as well as fresh beats being spun by fellow UBC geo alumni, Mr. Clean (check out his sets here at SoulGroove.ca ). Come out, have some brews, watch a sick ski film, have some more brews, bring your dancing feet and be merry.

Stay tuned to facebook for an official posting on the event soon. Tickets will be $10, and beer will be $3.

-Nic

Tags: dendrite studios, out of the shadows, planetarium, premiere, russell beer, ski film, ski movie, space centre, vancouver
1 Comment »

World Premiere- Whistler, BC

We are stoked to fill you all in on our World premiere date for ‘Out of the Shadows’. It will take place on August 9, 2010, in Whistler, BC. The show will be held at Millennium Place, and ticketing info will follow shortly. Please visit our facebook page for more info and to stay up to date on more premiere dates soon.

This show will take place during Crankworx, the largest mountain biking festival of the year, and is sure to fill up quickly, so keep posted!

Thanks
-Nicolas and Athan.

Tags: crankworx, dendrite studios, film, millennium place, out of the shadows, premiere, ski movie, skiing, summer, whistler
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Trailer season

Dendrite Studios is proud to release the official trailer for our debut 2010 HD ski film “Out of the Shadows.” We at Dendrite are in the full on post production process now as we piece together the individual segments. We are stoked on the feel and uniqueness of the trailer and you’ll see more of that in the film. Out of the Shadows is a ski film produced without a budget, but with a lot of passion. Enough talk, here’s the trailer.

Proudly shot in the mountains of British Columbia, Out of the Shadows features the finest athletes who have been in the shadows for too long. This is their shot and their opportunity to break out on film. They bring their lives with them and shred the mountains with un-inhibited passion on a daily basis. We bring you their stories.

Featuring the return of PY Leblanc, the forgotten legend Chris Turpin, World Champion Brett Crabtree, Swedish sensation Jon Larsson, and a giant swarm of new comers including Maxim Arsenault, Eliel Hindert, Christian Boucher, Dave Treadway, Mathieu Gagnon Theirault, Ian Cheddar Watson, Dave Gheriani, Adam Topshee, Alex Blais, Athan Merrick, Jake Cohn, Matt Elliot, and Matty Richard.

Arriving in the fall of 2010…

Sponsored by:
Selkirk Wilderness Skiing
The Ski Journal
Russell Beer
Surface Skis
Joystick Skiing
PM Gear
Swany Gloves
Smith Optics
Surefoot
Intuition Liners
Doglotion.com
Indisystem
Point of View Cameras
Lightcraft Workshop
Lowepro
Pelican
Corknine web design

Produced, Directed, Shot, and Edited by Nicolas Teichrob and Athan Merrick of Dendrite Studios.

Tags: big mountain, blackcomb, dendrite studios, freeski, freeskiing, out of the shadows, pemberton, powder, ski film, ski movie, ski trailer, trailer, unqiue, whistler
5 Comments »

Perspectives #8 – Unsponsored Cheddar

This is a short and sweet little vid of Ian “Cheddar” Watson. Cheddar is a ripper who is as passionate as they come. His gear has holes and patches and insulation falling out. He has a 12,000 dollar sled to get him to the goods and a 500 dollar truck. He’s broke as can be, but always with a smile on his face. This vid hopefully helps him win some new gear in the doglotion.com Big Mountain Freeskier Search.

Music is by BoomBaptist of Archivist Records.
Track is Albert Jones Lost My Love.
myspace.com/boombaptist
archivistrecords.com

To see Cheddar’s full segment look for the debut full length release from Dendrite Studios coming soon.
dendritestudios.com

Oh and by the way…he won.

Tags: Archivist Records, BoomBaptist, dendrite studios, doglotion.com, freeskiing, Ian Cheddar Watson, perspectives, ski film, ski movie, skiing
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Selkirk Wilderness Skiing

Selkirk Wilderness Skiing? Never heard of it. But that is the name that kept popping into people’s minds when we asked around as to what the best catskiing operation on the planet was. SWS is the orginal catskiing operation and it began in 1975. Since then, hundreds have tried to imitate them. But the original is still the best.

The machines and the lodge at SWS.

Why had we never heard of them? Well, pretty much ever since their inception, SWS has had a waiting list hundreds of people long. In the last few years with the economy not looking so positive, the waiting list has vanished and they have finally began a marketing push. Needless to say everyone at Dendrite Studios would be very suprised if that waiting list doesn’t start up again. All those people who suggested SWS were right. Damn right.

Fuel up. You'll be riding pow all day!

The crew consisted of Dendrite Studios heads Athan Merrick and Nicolas Teichrob, as well as athletes Chris Turpin, Eliel Hindert, Brett Crabtree, and Maxim Arsenault. The boys were amped to get after it.

The athletes are hungry.

Welcome to the Selkirks. Meadow Creek to be exact. On a normal year the town would be buried in snow and guests would take the cat right from town to the lodge. This year the town is dry and we drove in cars almost all the way to the lodge. As we arrived to the lodge we noticed the high freezing levels (which was expected based on reports). Welcome to El Nino. We could see the anxious looks on our athletes’ faces, while the guides assured us even though it is one of the worst snow years ever for the operation there is plenty of pow to be had.

No snow in a couple weeks? High freezing levels? You'll still ski pow. Eliel Hindert does just that.

And pow we feasted upon. Selkirk’s terrain is unmatched. They have the classic trees and pillows of every cat op in BC, but they also have spectacular alpine terrain. There are faces in every direction. Since this is an El Nino year with high freezing levels and hard sun we mostly stuck to North faces. It hadn’t really snowed in weeks but the pow was deep, plentiful, and light. Was it over the head blower? No. We had a hard time fathoming how much better the trip could get. Many times between gigantic smiles and laughter all of us said, “Can you imagine if we had blower pow on this trip?” With stoke levels at an all time high, it is hard to imagine life getting any better.

Right to the top with a cat? Ya, that's right.

The guides assured us that 95% of the time it is better. Speaking of guides hats off to Kevin and Scott who kept up with our antics and brought us to the goods safely and effectively. Those two guys are top notch and a blast to ski with.

Those are some cool dudes. Our guides Kevin and Scott eating dinner and keeping the good times rolling.

Turpin kept everyone entertained with rope swing antics and a different vision.

Chris Turpin is from a different planet. But we like that here at Dendrite Studios.

Crabtree became known as Stomptree.

Brett Stomptree...er I mean Crabtree.

Eliel continued to push the envelope.

Eliel Hindert giggling like a school girl. We love that laugh!

Maxim just did what he always does, fast and big.

Maxim Arsenault giving er!

The boys worked up a hunger feasting upon Selkirk’s delights, which brings us to food.

Fresh OJ at breakfast. Yes please.

Wow. We are all ski bums. We eat things like PB and J, and ramen, and free soup crackers from ski areas. We had never eaten so much food in our lives. Giant hot and fresh breakfasts with things like dill omelettes, eggs benedict, pancakes, and bacon. Lunch is eaten in the cat so you don’t miss any skiing time with two different types of giant sandwiches. Ruebens and seafood one day and Ham and Turkey the next. Veggies, fruit, fresh baked cookies, and the special Selkirk tea complete the mid day feast. Just when you thought you were full you get back to the lodge and appetizers are served with Thai soup and lamb kebobs with tzatziki and spanikopita. By the time the ski clothes are off and a quick hot tub rests those tired muscles, dinner is served. Steaks one night and seafood pasta another. Always with fresh salads. Awesome veggies and bread and desert. Needless to say no one ever left the dining room hungry or unhappy. Many thanks to the kitchen staff for working hard to keep hungry skiers immensely happy.

Dinner doesn't get much better.

Besides all these great things the best thing about Selkirk is the vibe. You are home, among family. The dining room has a few big communal tables where everyone mixes and mingles and stories from the day are shared. We never sat next to the same person. After dinner the small bar becomes a hang out place where the ping pong table and the pool table light up. The couches are full and people are stoked. And when the staff rallies everyone for a game of the famous Selkirk Crud, make sure you participate. It is ridiculously fun. Only a pool table, the cue ball, the number thirteen, and everyone in pure chaotic fun.

That face means they really like the famous tea in their hands. Can we get the recipe?

Stay tuned for the Selkirk Wilderness Skiing edition of Dendrite Studios’ Perspectives web clip series and many, many thanks to all of the guests and the staff at Selkirk for one of the most amazing weeks any of us have ever had!

Forest can drive a cat like no other. He's the man.

All photos taken by Nicolas Teichrob

Tags: Athan Merrick, Brett Crabtree, catskiing, Chris Turpin, dendrite studios, Eliel Hindert, freeskiing, Maxim Arsenault, nicolas teichrob, perspectives, powder, selkirk wilderness skiing, ski film, ski movie, skiing, snowcat skiing, SWS
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IndiSlider and Indi (shoulder rig)

indiSystems makes simple, affordable, and quality cinema accessories. So if you are part of the growing wave of cinema production aficionados get yourself over to their website and check out their products to bring your footage to the next level over your competitors. Tim is an extremely busy man who stands by his product. It may take a while to get through via email, but give him a call and he will answer any questions you may have. It’s very gratifying to deal with someone who is as passionate about their job as we are about ours.

indiSlider on a tripod. Pan and tilt. Or mount with tripod head on top of slider with accessory.

The indiSlider. Why spend valuable time on set setting up track and a dolly when you can get beautiful, smooth, tracking shots in mere minutes with a simple slider? Every sliding shot you’ll see in Perspectives clips and in the finished film was done with our indiSlider. Put it on the ground or mount it on a tripod, hang it in the ceiling. Why spend thousands of dollars on competitors offerings when you can start sliding your camera at a mere 99 bucks at indiSystems?

indislider at Selkirk Wilderness Skiing before a big boom!

The indi (compact shoulder rig) isn’t listed on the product page yet but a similar offering is available in the indiRailsPro DSLR line. The compact rig folds into itself to fit in a small box and is a beautiful shoulder rig with endless options for configuring it to body size. Having used other shoulder rigs like Cavisions and RedRock’s the little detail I like most about this unit is the small arm with a padded bracket that rests against your chest. Now you have 3 areas of support for smoother handheld shots and less fatigue in the long run. Trust me. Even supporting a lightweight DSLR rig for a whole day on set can put the strain on the back when only your hands and your shoulder take the weight. Call Tim. Hopefully he has more of these in stock, because it is a very sweet little unit that hopefully will be up on his website soon. If not you can’t go wrong with his current shoulder rigs.

indi (name not yet released compact shoulder rig)

The best thing about these products is they cost a fraction of the competitors offerings. More indiSystem product reviews coming soon.

That handle at the top is a nice add on for ground level shots. Details folks.

Cheers!

- Athan

Tags: Cavision, cinema accessories, indi shoulder rig, indislider, indisystem, indisystems, Redrock, ski film, ski movie, skiing, slider, vDSLR rigs
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Perspectives # 4 – Point of View

Perspectives #4 is now online. This is Dendrite Studios POV testing of many different mounts combined with the GoProHD helmet cams. This was all shot inbounds on Whistler Blackcomb.

This Perspectives is presented by Pointofviewcameras.ca. Without their assistance we would not have these fun shots. Visit our video page to see Perspectives 1-3.

Skiing is by Jake Cohn and Athan Merrick.

Music is courtesy of BoomBaptist and Archivist Records. The track is called “Drumatic.”

Cheers!

-Athan

Tags: action armada, Archivist Records, Athan Merrick, blackcomb, BoomBaptist, dendrite studios, Drumatic, freeskiing, GoProHD, Jake Cohn, nicolas teichrob, perspectives, pointofviewcameras.ca, POV, ski film, ski movie, skiing, whistler
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