The very last hours of a 10 day shooting session all over the Rockies were definitely among the most special for the Mountains In Motion crew, as they were treated to a surreal aurora display at Lake Minnewanka, in Banff National Park. Here is a sneak peak  from that unforgettable morning.

Big thanks to Aperturent and Dynamic Perception for helping make this happen!

2012 Production Kicks-Off with Summit Time-Lapse:

“What’s that?”

This was a common question we got as backcountry skiers passing us on the trail caught a glimpse of the 4-foot Dynamic Perception Motion Control Dolly sticking out of Paul Zizka’s overnight pack.

This past weekend, the MiM Banff crew set out to capture more time-lapse footage, this time from the stunning Bow Lake area, Wapta Icefield and summit of Mt. Rhondda (10,046 feet). Located on the border between Alberta and British Columbia, Mt. Rhondda offers spectacular views of the surrounding peaks and valleys of both Banff and Yoho National Parks.

But, first you have to get there. Always ready for a little adventure, the Banff crew clipped into the AT skis, loaded on the overnight packs and skied 8km to Bow Hut, which would be our base for the weekend. On Sunday morning, we skied up the toe of the Bow Glacier and across the Wapta to the summit of Mt. Rhondda.

While Paul Zizka is all too familiar with lugging his photo gear to remote places, it took additional strength and perseverance on his part to carry the motion control gear this high. The weather cooperated perfectly, and blue skies, warm temperatures and little wind provided ideal conditions to capture some greatly needed summit material. These conditions were crucial to success after a camera QR plate became fractured in the backcountry. Without the ability to properly secure the Canon 5DmII to the Dynamic Perception MX-2 dolly cart, Paul had to think fast. 8+km into a ski tour with all the extra gear weighing him down and now the entire shoot might be delayed. Luckily, thanks to an emergency supply of  duct tape, the 5DmII was strapped onto the motion control rig to capture a few sequences. Now it is clear why NASA relies on duct tape for unexpected repair work. While the dolly configurations were limited due to the tape hack, Paul was able to capture some great material for the film.

Thankfully, Dan Evans was available to take some behind-the-scenes shots to give you an idea of how the gear was set up, at times rather precariously, and Meghan ensured that the entire rig didn’t take a 1,000-foot fall off Mt. Rhondda.

To top off the trip, Paul Zizka made a side trip to Iceberg Lake in pursuit of the custom built MiM SolarCamera that was deployed during the summer last year. Doug is already hard at work in Atlanta processing 4+ months of time-lapse images from the MiM SolarCam. The results are amazing! Passing rain and snow storms, ever-changing flows from the waterfall and eventually the freezing cycle.

We hope you enjoy this sneak-peek into summit time-lapse in the Canadian Rockies.

Posted: February 8th, 2012

Written by : Meghan J. Ward & Doug Urquhart

Photography by: Dan Evans, Meghan J. Ward, Paul Zizka

Just in case you missed it, here’s the first trailer released for the Mountains in Motion: The Canadian Rockies project in 2011.