A lot of people may not realize just how many pro athletes RED Mountain and Rossland have been cranking out over the years. This latest sick vid by Bohdan Doval puts the record straight.

It’s a testimony to the amazing culture at RED Mountain and in Rossland that so many top athletes come out of there. From world competitor vets such as Dane Tudor and Mike Hopkins to 10-year-old phenom shredder Neko Reimer, this area of the Kootenays is definitely a place where champs are raised.

In this latest video put out by RED Resort, no less than seven athletes are showcased including Dane Tudor, Mike Hopkins, Colton VB, Simon Hillis, Jamie Rizzuto, Sally Steeves and Kylie Sivell. It’s an amazing edit made all the more awesome by featuring the music of Moontricks, one of our fave bands out of Argenta, British Columbia.

We checked in with director Bhodan Doval to find out more about how the project went down.

Director Bohdan Doval

Hey Bohdan, nice job on the edit. How long have you been working on it?

It took 12 partial days of shooting. Usually between 2-6 hours on each day. And I’ve been editing intermittently, but probably it would probably equal out to around 3-4 solid days of editing.

What was it like working with the athletes?

Working with the athletes was great! They all have professional attitudes when it comes to filming. I especially liked the younger bunch: Simon Hillis, Jon Rollins and Neko Reimer. They’re just super stoked to be getting shots, and carry a positive attitude when out filming.

Any highlights during shooting?

There were definitely lots of highlights when filming. There were a few massive bails from the teens that got me a little worried! One highlight that stands out was when I went out with Colston VB, Mike Hopkins, Simon Hillis and Jon Rollins to shoot an ice cliff on the backside of Granite. It was a drop of 10-20 feet to the landing that’s a 200-foot ice sheet covered in powder. I myself got a little scared skiing down around the side that was still equally as icy (minus the drop). I definitely had shaky legs with all the camera gear on my back. I think those guys overestimate my skiing abilities or just don’t care. But I made it down alright and they all killed it. Simon had a massive bail but took it like a champ.

Any drama?

This entire season has been going very smoothly. No drama at all. Everyone has been awesome.

Why does it seem like the skiers in a few shots only have one ski pole?

(Laughs) Yeah. I was up there shooting with Simon and Jon, and Simon landed on his pole and broke it in half. But we figured we’d just keep shooting since we had to demolish the jump when we were done.

What’s your professional background?

I’ve had an interested in the art of film since a young age. Four years ago I decided to not go to film school and just save up money and buy my own gear and get out there and start shooting! I worked as hard as I could in my free time to get portfolio material together and fast forward four years and I’m lucky to call this my job.

Where did you grow up skiing?

I started skiing when I was 11 at Whitewater Ski Resort. Until last year it was the only ski hill I’d ever been on.

What’s your advice for kids who are interested in becoming RED athletes?

I think to get into extreme sports nowadays you need to be more than passionate. I think you need to be obsessed. It takes next level dedication and practice to stand out from the rest of the competition.