Sacs de Douche à Québec- Part 3

Welcome back to Canada. So you’re not lost, you should convert all your money to Toonies and read Parts one and two.

I had decided to give this one more day—after all, I wanted to get at least one saleable photo out of the deal. The first plan of attack was to hit the People ledge—a down flat that was in Mack Dawg’s movie last year. The good news about this spot was it had already been hit, so no digging was required, but the bad news is that one of the crews that had hit it was the Runway Crew. Although it seems like that would negate its value for a men’s snowboard video, the guys assured me they’d do “way better tricks” on it.

AS SEEN IN PEOPLE
AS SEEN IN PEOPLE

Since Mike was hurt, he didn’t even put on his snowboard gear. Looked like I was going to have to make due with Kalle and Josh… The worst part about being a photographer on a film trip is you can’t really set anything up. The filmers take precedence, and you’re mostly just there to capture what went on. This is fine when you have motivated and talented riders who make snowboarding look good, but it’s a little more difficult when no one is making any effort. Luckily, the session lasted several hours, so I had plenty of chances to try out different angles, and at least this ledge had interesting scenery around it.

Check out this sweet aerial!
CHECK OUT THIS SWEET AERIAL!
THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PHOTOS I TOOK. I PROBABLY COULD HAVE JUST QUIT AND KEPT MY HANDS WARM
THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PHOTOS I TOOK. I PROBABLY SOULD HAVE JUST QUIT AND KEPT MY HANDS WARM

I could bore you with the names of both tricks that went down, but I don’t really remember. Towards the end of the session, Nova decided he would ride after all, but by that point I was cold and over it. I did take one photo of him from the van that’s actually one of my favorites from the spot.

SHOT FROM THE CAR
SHOT FROM THE CAR

One of the things we’d scoped out the previous day was a wall ride that was definitely doable—in fact, I’m pretty sure JP Walker hit it in some video. The best part, though, was that it would require very little building and would look really rad in photos. Of course, after an hour of debating it, they decided not to bother doing the wall ride. Instead, the idea was to build a kicker on the top of the parking garage next to it and do airs onto the giant snowbank below. Of course, since our van probably wouldn’t even fit into the parking garage, Josh planned on recruiting Max to drive tow-ins with his car. Poor Max was pretty much our bitch the entire trip, given we were a bunch of Americans in a French-speaking country, so thanks, Max—and sorry for running up your phone bill!

JP WALKER DID IT. WE DIDN'T.
JP WALKER DID IT. WE DIDN'T.

As with pretty much everything on this trip, the build-out was the biggest part of the process. This time though, instead of removing snow, the guys were trucking it in. Of course they picked the one surface in the entire city of Québec that had been scraped clean, so it took a few hours to build a kicker. I knew that they probably weren’t going to end up hitting it that day, and I had figured out where and how to rent a car to get home. I just needed to get to the airport.

I asked Josh what the chances were that they’d actually hit the gap today. He started giving me some long, drawn-out answer, but I stopped him and said, “If you might not hit it, I’m getting out of here.” He said, “We’re going to hit it. Stay.” I guess it was a lost cause anyway, because no one was going to give me a ride to the airport. I sat miserably in the van, which was nearly out of gas, so we weren’t allowed to keep it running to stay warm. For awhile one of the Justins joined me, and asked why I was leaving. I explained I wasn’t really getting anything, and I just wanted to go home. Then he asked me how I wanted to cover my part of the van. I laughed, perhaps for the first time on the trip, and told him he should probably talk to Josh about that one.

SWEET KICKER BROS
SWEET KICKER BROS

A few hours later, everyone climbed into the car. Even though I didn’t need to, I asked, “So, are you guys going to hit it?” Josh replied, “No way—the light sucks, and we’re all way too tired, anyway.” Fine. “Can you take me to the airport, then?”

Even after I’d put up with all their shit, paid for hotel rooms I wasn’t even using, and got the dudes a girl’s number at the sushi place, I was not going to catch a break. “Yeah, yeah,” Josh said. “Max is just going to show us one more spot.”

Now, I am actually glad we took this last little detour. The stop was The Citadel, a crazy old building with the only original city walls in North America still intact. Ten feet of snow that had drifted up, and made for insane urban snowboard possibilities; there was even a potential road gap. Of course, the guys were just there to check out a rail. (The same rail, mind you, that the Runway Crew had shot on the day before.) I know, because I saw the photos. I’m sure they were going to do “better tricks,” but if I had any doubts about leaving, this took care of them.

TOTALLY DOABLE ROAD GAP
TOTALLY DOABLE ROAD GAP
BUT HERE'S WHAT WE WERE SCOPING OUT (BEEN DONE)
BUT HERE'S WHAT WE WERE SCOPING OUT (BEEN DONE)

Back in the van, I’d finally lost it. I just started chanting “airport” under my breath. After ignoring and or insulting me for most of the trip, the guys finally decided it was a good time to start joking around. “Oh, I think we’re gonna go back to the hotel and take showers first, haha.” I bit my tongue—the airport was only twenty minutes away.

As we pulled out, they asked where I needed to go. I had no idea, so I had them drop me as close to the entrance as possible. I got out of the van and gathered my stuff. The filmers and Nova exchanged the requisite niceties. Good to meet you, see you around, etc. Not one “Thank you” for me, though. But, I guess, what could I expect?

It turned out I’d been dropped at the wrong terminal. I dragged my gear through even more snow, and finally found the rental cars. Thank god they still had one! $97 a day, but whatever! It took a little while to get it ready for me, and I sat in the airport eating gravy fries. When they finally called me over to tell me my car was ready, I jammed my stuff in and sped off. As it turned out, the windshield washer fluid didn’t work, and I had no idea where I was going. After a scenic tour (that I couldn’t see) through upstate New York, I finally made it to the Burlington airport, where my dad picked me up. I recapped the trip, and he simply said, “I would have left them when they didn’t pick you up from the airport.”

TOTAL COST OF ITEMS OTHER THAN FOOD ON A TRIP “EVERYTHING WAS PAID FOR:” $337.92

  1. Goddamn snowboard shit-heads. Nonetheless, this is the “rail mission” story I have read.

  2. Ha. Reminds me of going on high school filming “missions” in Montana so some kid could kickflip the 6 stair in the next town over… again.

  3. Erik the Wrecker

    What a fuckhead. Sounds like a miserable trip. How could anyone go to Quebec and leave with so little?

    Erik the Wrecker

  4. From_AK_with_Love

    Ha ha sounds like an adventure. They weren’t feeling the road gap?…weak sauce. That thing looks fun….

  5. yup

    Sounds like you should have met up with Desiree and Raewyn when they were up there.

  6. Feel for you dude. made a nice article though. now someone go do that road gap!

  7. Josh Sherman

    i wish i was better at snowboarding… o wait im already pro

  8. BUNCH O BITCHES

  9. billy idol

    sounds like a photographer with little to no skill….

  10. Ryan L.

    Ha how are you going to say anything negative about the photog? It is the riders who didn’t do anything, the riders who have no film contracts, the riders who had no photographer, these guys are a bunch of jokes. They should all be dropped.

  11. Zim

    “sounds like a photographer with little to no skill….”

    Or maybe it’s hard to polish a turd? It’s awfully hard to make bad snowboarding look good. Might sound harsh but it’s true. What does work is a solid collaboration between rider/filmer/photographer. Sounds like a few people on the trip were in primma donna land.

    Come on back down to Earth guys or the gravy train with biscuit wheels is going straight into the ditch.

  12. Lil Wizzy

    Josh sherman isnt my brother hes an asshole

  13. kalle ohlson

    what tha fuck, maybe check out the movie…. a bounch of shoots from Quebec. and that road gap!?!??! check out Alex Paradis shoot from the parking garage roof gap we built instead!! offcourse it has to work between riders, filmers and photagrafers, but does it really have to be the riders fault, maybe it´s the photagrafer…………. hmmm. At least we finally got some good photos when you left and Alex Paradis stept in.

    I think all snowboarders in the business are stoked this was your last snowboard trip Brooke!

  14. admin

    sure thing, sheckler.

  15. J-Holiday

    Interesting to hear the other side of the story huh? Kind of an angry, triple-X-tremely negative version, but interesting just the same. This is the sometimes ugly side of a film trip that a newbie photog might never really imagine exists. Should we nickname Sherman “dream crusher?” Nah.
    Like it or not you were part of that crew and your energy was tied into the end result. It takes work, driving around, patience, mutual respect and yes $$$ to make these things happen. As a filmer / photographer, leaving early and bashing the riders has never proved itself as way to achieve results, unless you’re trying to spread gossip. Most of the time, riders aren’t into the button pushers favorite spots, and that can be frustrating – but It’s not hard to understand why these dudes wanted to session those famous (“blown out”) jibs. Those are the ones they dream about hitting. As kids who love snowboarding, these were spots they couldn’t pass up after traveling so far. Regardless of “who did what”, male or female.
    Don’t give up on your dreams because of one trip, or a few people. Everyone learned something from that one, whether it was that Quebec is full of pretty girls, or that Nova is one talented human being… freakin’ eh’ that place is cold. Hope the next go around is wonderful for all!

  16. ingmire

    You think it was hard getting good shot with those dudes? Try shooting with unsponsored riders (no names). You obviously dont know the slightest thing about turning terds into diamonds, but maybe the other way around. I thought your blog was very disrespectful, and I am ashamed for contributing to your cause by reading it.

  17. the hard way

    Sounds like you learned the hard way the reality of filming and shooting photos… That really sucks of you to bash the riders like you did. Especially when you proudly proclaim that it was your first trip. That’s how it goes… You spend more time looking, shoveling, and driving than you do riding whenever you film. Being a good snowboarder means being a smart snowboarder and taking the time to get what matters.. Being a busy snowboarder doesn’t mean anything besides the fact that 90% of your footage and photos will probably not make the cut at the end of the year. Here’s a few suggestions about your horribly self-centered article.

    -The road gap you showed was super lame. Most people would make fun of it if they saw it in a major video.
    -These dudes were filming for one of the biggest european videos with some of the best riders.
    -Cassanova is probably the best rail rider in history.
    -Sherman shreds.. watch his part.

    After seeing the video and the footage from this trip, it looks like you blew it… not the riders. They probably sensed that you were not a good photographer and when you are not bringing anything to the table on a trip like that, then you are just in the way… Or “sitting in the van because it’s cold”.

    Go back to the open and the x-games where you can be amazed by the latest tricks that everyone does similarly on the perfect course… all while sipping on a mountain dew and eating taco bell burritos… from the warmth of the media tent.

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