Yellowknife’s Bristol Pitt is coming to our screens soon.
This former gravel pit turned snowboarding area is the subject of a short film that explores the capital’s rugged, community-based snowboarding culture.
The 10-12 minute film is sponsored by outdoor clothing brand Arc’teryx and will eventually be released on the brand’s YouTube channel, but will not be released before its Yellowknife premiere. not. The filmmakers also say they hope to air the video at several festivals to reach a wider audience.
“It’s very innovative to have a pit. It’s basically a hole in the ground that you turn into a snowboard park,” said Tom, who was part of the Yellowknife Furs team that first made the pit possible. Steve Matthews said.
Matthews helped set up a tow rope that would take riders from the base of the hill to the top. Matthews said the pit first received help from the Super Bingo fundraising game about 10 years ago.
“We made almost $100,000 in profit, which allowed us to buy the building, buy the equipment and get all the elevators up and running,” he said.
Today, the Bristol Pit is a practice range for Arctic Winter Games competitors, a learning facility for beginners, and a playground for Yellowknife furs looking to hone their jumping, railing, boxing, and other skills.
Liam Upton has been involved with Bristol Pit since its inception. He describes Yellowknife’s snowboarding culture as “craggy, beat-up and tough.” (Natalie Pressman/CBC)
Liam Upton was a member of Bristol Hill’s board of directors the year it opened and is now involved in managing the facility.
“Yellowknife’s snowboarding culture is rugged, ragged and tough,” he says.
“Rope tows can’t run above minus 30 degrees, but that doesn’t usually stop people. We get people hiking hills, and kids are here even at minus 29 degrees.
“The Hole is very close to my heart,” he said.
For Bristol Pit operations manager Scott Sterling, the facility is all about making the most of what’s available, and he says he’s excited about the film shining a light on snowboarding in Yellowknife.
“I think this is very much a northern thing,” he said. “I’m just trying to make it happen as best I can…It’s not always easy, but it’s really worth it.”
Seth Gillis is the director of this film. He says the DIY attitude is what drew him to Yellowknife’s Bristol Pit.
“I live in Squamish [B.C]And Whistler Blackcomb is right there, and it’s just such a sight, thousands of people every day, kind of mayhem, the lift lines are very long, and when you come to the Bristol Pit, there’s It’s such a breath of fresh air.
“All you really need is a rope tow and a few features and it’s a lot of fun.”
Director Seth Gillis and the rest of the film crew are scheduled to begin filming in Yellowknife in January and return in March. (Courtesy of Seth Gillis)
Gillis said the film needs to be completed by the end of the summer and hopes to have it in Yellowknife by the fall.
Molly Milligan is a Yellowknife fur who has earned snowboard sponsorships and competed in international rail jams and slopestyle events for over a decade.
Between grooming, building the jumps and organizing lessons, Milligan said she was impressed by how much time and energy goes into running the hill.
“So I think it’s really special to have that high level of exposure.”
She said she wanted the film to capture the landscape of Yellowknife and the people who made Bristol Pit possible, as well as how unique snowboarding culture is compared to other sports.
“It’s all about going with friends and chilling out, challenging each other, having fun, and making games. It’s like just playing, totally playing on the hill,” she said. said.