TRANSIT | FRIEND SHIPS

The Okanagan crew is back at it again. They put out a great video this year: Transit. It's probably one of the best videos this crew has made. It features full parts by Mike Rowan, James Senger, Kylan Verhaeghe, Pat Hrivnak, Corey Kowalski, and Kyle Stainton.

To learn a little more about their season, and promote Canadian snowboarding, we have a short interview with Corey Kowalski below, followed by a skill testing question.

Interview by Will Fraser

What was the inspiration behind this video?

The main inspiration was just to snowboard/film and see what happens. However, during the winter we did a decent amount of travelling because Mike had just bought a Ford Transit van. He was converting into a mobile home, which was really great for us. It gave us a place to sleep and a way to travel for most of the trips. It kinda became the inspiration. When putting the video together, and trying to come up with a name, it just clicked. We should call it Transit.

What cities was Transit filmed in?

We filmed in Rossland, Creston, Cranbrook, Kimberly, Kamloops, Chicoutimi, Quebec City, Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Winfield, and Armstrong.

Were there any big injuries along the way?

Thankfully no big injuries for us last season. But, at times we all definitely took some slams that had us taking it easy for a bit

Did COVID affect your season in any way?

In March we went to Quebec for what would be the final trip of the movie. And, one day after filming in Quebec City we decided to grab some groceries on the way home. We arrived at the grocery store and it was like a night club inside. There were people scrambling everywhere. We had no idea what was going on. We thought that maybe there were some really good sales happening that we hadn’t heard about. When we got back to our air BNB, we started seeing a bunch of toilet paper memes on social media and still had no clue what was going on. The next morning, we started getting emails about our flights being changed on us and that is when we found out about COVID.  

In the credits you shout out a motel in Creston for giving you a free night. What happened there?

I don't really want to get into the details. Let's just say that there was one night that got a little wild and the motel clerk helped out...

What! You're gonna keep that a secret. Alright. What makes a spot a good spot for you?

When you first come across something that you automatically have a vision for. You know the trick and exactly how it will look on camera. That gets me hyped. Natty speed is always a great bonus.

Y'all have been filming snowboarding for a while. What about snowboarding keeps you coming back?

The feeling you get after landing a trick, the excitement of finding new spots, the high fives/hugs when getting the clip after a battle at the spot, vibes, friendships, travelling and exploring new places, meeting new people, creating memories, having something to reminisce about and share with others.

Well thanks for sharing. I just have one last question... There is a patch of lily pads on a lake. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?

47