BOONDOCKERS 5 aliVe

Each and every
year, there is no question a few of the big guns are going to produce a sick
movie.  This year I’m sure by the look of some of the teasers, will be no
different.  However, a few other companies are stepping it up.  I
think last season was a break through year for Boondockers with a video that
showed tons of promise, and a crew that definitely has the ability to throw down a video worth
taking note of.  This year Dan and his crew held nothing back.  The
Boondocker athletes get all techy in the pow, and show us that snow this deep means only one
thing… SEND IT.  If aliVe is anything like what the teaser portrays, we’ll all be having some great nights in front of the TV, beverage of choice in hand watching this crew show us what boondocking means to them!  

I contacted Dan earlier this week to ask him a few questions.  Here is what he had to say:

Sledshot:  Where
are you based out of?
Dan:  The
Boondockers crew is based out of Salt Lake City, Utah.  The Utah
mountains receive some of the driest, deepest snow in the world and they are
only 30 minutes from my doorstep.

Sledshot:  What
got you in to filming?
Dan:  I
started riding for films in Slednecks 4, when I broke the distance
record.  Since then, I’ve spent more and more time in the
backcountry—riding powder, hitting big drops, and doing as much technical
riding as possible.  I started shooting my own films about 4 years
ago, when my friend Andrew McCarthy asked me to produce the Boondockers video
series with him.  This was right up my alley because
boondocking/powder is the type of riding I love to do and I always wanted to
see more of it in the films.

Sledshot:  Where
is your favorite place to film?
Dan:  One
of my favorite things about making sled films is the opportunity to travel to
new areas all the time.  I love to constantly explore new
terrain.  If I had to pick one place though, it would be the Wasatch
Mountains in Utah, the snow is epic and it’s less than an hour drive to around
six different zones.

Sledshot:  What
are you using for cameras?
Dan:  Right
now I use a Canon GL2, but I’m getting ready to upgrade in the next
month.  This camera has been good to me, but it’s got some rough
years on it.  I also use 16mm film.  Next year it will be
all HD.  I had planned to upgrade last year, but it didn’t make sense
because the HD formats weren’t quite worked out yet.

Sledshot:  What
are you looking for in your athletes?
Dan:  I
look for guys that like to ride hard and always have a positive
attitude.  The Boondockers team is basically a group of friends who
share the same passion for boondocking and riding untouched
powder.  We love to air it out and drop big cliffs too, but at the
end of the day I want to see everyone safe in the parking lot.  There
is never any pressure to jump anything in our group, although it can get a
little competitive when we are fighting about who gets to hit an untracked
jump/drop first.  It’s also important that riders understand the
backcountry and are prepared for avalanches and other
emergencies.  It takes a whole team to put together our
videos.  We all have real jobs and I go to law school, so it’s
definitely a group effort. 

Sledshot:  What
separates you from the other film makers? (magazine..) 
Dan:  The
style of riding in Boondockers separates us from other
filmmakers.  We concentrate on boondocking and deep powder riding
more than anyone else, but we still throw in a bunch of big airs, wrecks (there
were a lot of those this year, but fortunately no one was injured), and
technical hillclimbs.  This year we have a great mix of everything—from
neck deep powder and huge natural jumps in Utah to some of the most ridiculous
hillclimbs I’ve ever seen with Dan Davidoff in Revelsotoke and everything in
between.

Boondockers aliVe
includes a 60pg. magazine that takes you behind the scenes of the film and will
offer an unparalleled look at the riders, locations, and segments in

the
film.  In September I am releasing a limited edition DVD, “Powder to
the People,” which will have our best powder footage from the past five years,
the complete Boondockers one through four films, and loads of cool bonus
features.  This film will have over three hours of footage for only
25 bucks.

Sledshot:  Any
big plans for winter 08/09?
Dan:  Ride,
ride, r-i-d-e!  I plan on chasing powder all winter and travelin