New Film Shares a Moment of Mountain Biking Zen in the North Cascades

Filmmakers and mountain bikers Drew Boxold and Tanner Stephens and have released a new film in their growing body of work shot in the Washington backcountry. Sponsored by SCOTT Sports, Canyon Ridge is a beautifully crafted short film that’s a “visual meditation on escape and reconnection.”

What’s more, Boxold filmed Stephens and his Scott Genius using a 1971 Bolex H16 16mm film camera for all of the footage. For still photos, they used a 35mm Yashica T4 and Mamiya 7 6x7 film cameras.

“This project strips film-making down to its pure essence and highlights the beauty of riding in nature,” the filmmakers say in their introduction. “No drones. No 4K. No playback. Just the rhythm of riding, the buzz of bees, and the challenge of creating something meaningful, slowly, intentionally, frame by frame, and far from the noise. Canyon Ridge is about getting off the grid, stripping it all back, and remembering why we ride in the first place.”

The duo packed their bikes, camera, boxes of 16mm film, light meters and supplies for four days on the Canyon Ridge Trail in the North Cascades near the Canadian border, an hour and a half northeast of Bellingham, Washington. Its accomplished purpose was to create a visual moment of MTB Zen.

“We hope that this inspires people to get out and find that adventure that lets you take a break from your day,” Stephens said. “Remember it doesn’t have to be epic to be awesome, put that phone on airplane mode and go for a shred!”

Boxold and Stephens say using film pushed their creative boundaries and honed their skills as they settled into a rhythm of shooting, riding, and repeating.

“The simplicity of this rhythm, set against the backdrop of endless mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, is just what’s needed to take a breath and remember how small we are in the world,” Stephens said.

“I’m a person who lives in their own head or imagination, for better or worse,” Stephens said. “Being a dreamer, day and night, is the only experience I know. I love learning, being curious, thinking about all sorts of things we encounter in life, and trying to understand why certain things are the way they are. However, sometimes it gets overwhelming, and I need a bit of a reprieve from myself. This is where bikes and nature have helped me find some solace between my ears. Sometimes we just need a bit more perspective on life and to feel small amongst the rest of the world.”

Boxold says he and Stephens have been wanting to make this film for the past four years. Boxold attended Western Washington University in Bellingham and is very familiar with the riding in the Mukuluk Forest region.

“We shot for four days, sunrise and sunset,” Stephens recalls. “We had some key scenes we wanted to film, which called for particular locations that weren’t on Canyon Ridge, so we checked all those off in the first two days. Then we made our way to Canyon Ridge for the next two days. The actual riding parts were a bit difficult to figure out because the trail was pretty beat at the end of the summer, and doesn’t get a whole lot of mountain bike traffic. Primarily, it’s a moto and hiking trail, so doing it by bike is a bit different, which meant we really had to take our time finding sections of trails that were worthy of filming and had good light.”

Boxold says finding potable water late in the season and the sheer amount of gear for four days of camping, mountain biking and film shooting were difficult.

“A big challenge was packing in everything for shooting and surviving,” Stephens says. ”Drew had his big camera backpack that probably weighed close to 40 pounds, and I actually had two packs, one with our tent, food, Jetboil, and sleep stuff, and the other pack, which I was riding in for the video, was strapped on top of the gear pack.”

Boxold has been using his Bolex camera since 2019.

“I think it came from Transylvania, so I like to think it saw some Iron Curtain historical events or some vampire encounters,” he says.

Boxold modified the camera to shoot Super 16mm, which is slightly wider than regular 16mm and renders a 16x9 aspect ration. Ten seconds of shooting on 16mm costs $5. He says the limitations of the heavy camera and expensive, limited film forces him to lock in and be fully in the moment when filming.

“It’s a completely different mindset," Boxold says. "Doubt can creep in at any point if you let it. There are just certain things you can’t think about or talk about because you would get sucked out of the moment. There could be a hair in the film gate ruining the shot. The meter you used to figure out your exposure settings could have been tricked by a rogue ray of light. Light could sneak into the camera and ruin footage before you even shoot it. There are just so many issues that could arise and negatively impact the project. This kind of goes back to why do it in the first place. Pushing out all this internal noise and focusing solely on what you can control. …Tanner and I have slowly adapted to filming in this slow, methodical process, and for a project like this on a trail like this, it only made sense to do it fully on film.”

Boxold says that there tends to be an established formula now when it comes to making mountain bike videos that has made everyone up their game, but with this film he wanted to take a simpler approach.

“If there is something that someone takes away from this film, I hope that it provokes thought,” Stephens says. “I hope it’s a film that people will go back and rewatch and be able to reflect on their own experiences. Maybe it shifts someone’s perspective on the world, but maybe it’s just another bike film, and someone just enjoys the riding.”

Enjoy Canyon Ridge, and make sure to check out Boxold and Stephen's other films as this freelance team continues to create art and explore the world through mountain biking.