How Snowbiker Cassandra Prochera Took Her Passion and skills from the Backcountry to the Big Screen in the new Disney Movie, Tron: Ares.
By the time she was throttling a twin-turbo Ducati Hypermotard 950 through a snowscape built for a Disney sci-fi film, Snowbiker Cassandra Prochera had to laugh at the thought running through her head:
“You’ve made your name as a snowbiker pushing limits in the mountains…and suddenly you’re on set for Tron: Ares.”
What began as a pure love and an obsession for snowbiking, had somehow evolved into one of the most high-profile gigs of her career.
“While I was there, learning about how big that movie really was, I couldn’t help but think about my first season of snowbiking and the people who helped me get started,” Cass says. “If it wasn’t for people like Ian Mckill, owner of Riders Edge Suspension, who helped build my first bike, or Mat Cox, Yeti Snow MX athlete and teammate, who pushed me to become a better rider, I wouldn’t have made it here. Then there’s Ben Pilchard, who spent countless days filming in the backcountry, and riders like Olaf Brensrud, Jenny Hashimoto, Kimé Laliberté, and Allan Hudson – all of them believed in me from day one.”
For Cass, stepping onto the Tron: Ares set didn’t feel like a solo victory. “That leap felt like it wasn’t just for me,” she says. “It was for everyone who helped me get there. Thoughts of them were with me while I was there on the bike, shooting for Tron: Ares.”
Snowbiking is all about flow, precision, and reading unpredictable terrain. But on set, the challenge was to bring that same instinct into a controlled cinematic environment.
Before filming, the stunt team spent several days scouting the location. “We talked about the shots needed for the scene and what was realistic or doable,” Cass explains. “Once everything was set up, it wasn’t too hard to get what we needed. It was nice knowing exactly what I was riding into. The hardest part was operating a bike that was very different from my own, but once I got used to it, I just tried to enjoy every crazy minute of it.”
The original Tron film in the 1980s was sponsored by Ducati, and that tradition continued. For Ares, the Ducati Hypermotard 950 was transformed into a snowbike using a Timbersled track kit, enhanced with a twin turbo system, custom exhaust, and C3 Powersports snowbike-specific foot pegs.
“This thing was a heavy unit,” Cass laughs, “but powerful. Not a bike I’d choose for tree riding, but if you love pulling big steep climbs – this was the machine for it.” By comparison, her personal backcountry build is designed for agility. She rides a Husqvarna 450FX paired with a Yeti Snow MX 126″ 3.25″ paddle track kit, fully equipped with C3 Powersports upgrades – coolant-heated handlebars, engine blanket, thermostat, LED light bar, handguards, and more. “It’s about 250 lbs and has the powerband you want for an all-round snowbike,” she says. “Much lighter and more playful than the Hypermotard 950.”
“So many times while shooting, I caught myself thinking, How am I going to explain this to anyone?! It was insane in such an incredible way.”
As the only snowbike stunt rider on set, Cass felt both the pressure and the privilege. “When I stepped onto the Tron: Ares set, there was no doubt from anyone that I was right for the stunt,” she says. “I was treated with total respect by a team of 130 people. I believe the energy and passion you bring can be felt by those around you, and when it says you’re capable, people know it.” Departments ranged from costume and special effects to picture cars, drone pilots, rigging, mountain guides, and safety teams. “These were people who had worked with actors like Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Tom Cruise – huge names,” she says. “Their world of action movies is unlike anything I’ve seen before. They’re hardworking and completely committed.”
Physically and mentally, Cass was already in peak condition from three months of riding and filming with Yeti Snow MX leading up to the movie. “There’s nothing like snowbiking to get you snowbike-fit,” she says.
During production prep, Cass drove back and forth between Revelstoke and Vancouver six times for costume fittings, bike testing, and studio rehearsals. While staying in hotels near the studio, she kept herself sharp by running 30- to 60-minute sprint sessions in the gym.
“I actually enjoy workouts that get my heart rate up and down repeatedly,” she says. “That’s exactly what happens during a snowbike ride. Constant bursts of energy. Mentally, riding that 550-pound Hypermotard was a challenge, but by the time we were shooting, I was ready to go.”
Two days after wrapping her work on Tron: Ares, Cass found out she was pregnant; with twins. “I was shocked. I laughed. I didn’t know what to think,” she says. “But I felt immediate gratitude for the experience I’d just had, and for what was next.”
She says the Tron experience felt like a gift that capped off one chapter and opened another. “I was grateful for what snowbiking had already brought me and if that was as far as I went, I was at peace with that,” she says. “Then suddenly I was starting a family. After years of wondering if that would ever happen, it felt like life came full circle.”
Now, Cass says, she gets to share this lifestyle and love of the mountains with her kids. “I wouldn’t change a thing. The place I live, this sport – it’s all something I’ll get to share with my daughters, Liv and Em.”
When Cass reflects on how she got here, she sees it as proof of what happens when you keep following your gut. “I didn’t know sledding would lead to snowbiking, or that snowbiking would lead to supportive sponsors, amazing backcountry days with talented athletes, and now a Tron stunt role,” she says. “There were ups and downs, but it became such a part of me that there was no way I was going to stop when things got tough.”
Cass’s passion for riding hasn’t changed – but her sense of risk has. “After having the twins, I can feel what I’d describe as a governor in my thinking while I ride,” she says. “I’m way more cautious now. Liv and Em need me. Even if it’s not in your conscious mind, it’s in your subconscious. Getting hurt just carries more weight now.”
Still, riding continues to fuel her emotionally and physically. “It feels good, it always does. I’m just finding my new rhythm now as a mom,” she says. “Creatively, I don’t have as much time for filming or projects, but I’ve learned not everything has to be perfect. In a way, that’s freeing. Things are more spontaneous and real now.”
Balance looks different now. “My time and energy are first for my family,” she says. “But I also need exercise and powersports to feel like myself. Riding brings out the happiest version of me – the person I want to be for my kids.”
What’s next for Cassandra? ”Snowbike sidecar!” she laughs. “I don’t know if I can make it happen this season – cost, welding, whoops – but I’m pumped about the idea of sharing the mountains with Liv and Em.”Cass has started collecting the gear they’ll need for safe cabin trips this winter. “Last season, I only got out a handful of times after the twins were born, and I was grateful for that,” she says. “But this season, they’re older, I’m stronger, and it’s time to get out there and recharge.”
