When we created the Pro For a Day contest, our goal was simple. Find a hungry amateur, someone starving for the spotlight, and let them shine in front of Harookz’s lens on the world famous Whistler Bike Park trails. This person would be exposed to all the daily rigors of a pro’s life, from early morning starts to constant demands of “just one more time”. The life of a pro ain’t easy, and there were plenty of contest entrants that thought they had what it takes.
The judges chose Mark Matthews as the winner. We knew nothing about him except his age, where he lived, and his 140 character submission about why he should win, in which he compared our contest to Charlie Sheen’s internship search.
A young mountain bike shredder splitting his time between Victoria and North Vancouver, Mark turned out to be the ideal Pro For a Day. He was ready to give ‘er, and had a full bag of tricks up his sleeve.
We met up in Whistler. After loading Mark up with a pile of schwag, including 2012 samples of our Shore goggle and some brand new sunglass styles, we hit the hill. Anyone who frequents the Bike Park in the fall season knows that the air is crisp, the dirt is tacky, and lips and berms all over the mountain are finely sculpted to perfection. This day was no different, and Harookz quickly got to work getting some epic images of Mark.
The kid was on fire. From cracked whips on the lofty tabletops of Crabapple Hits to perfectly executed wall rides on A-Line, he was riding like he had something to prove. And just like a seasoned pro, he had no problem carrying Harookz’s extra camera pack around the mountain, and hiking back up to hit a jump when we needed just “one more angle”.
The session continued on the upper mountain in the deep berms of Black Velvet, and on a fairly benign hip where Mark somehow turned it into a perfect launch point for his completely inverted tables.
The timing of the shoot was perfect, as the rain started when we began our descent down the mountain. A few more shots in the pouring rain, and we bee lined to Portobellos for some fine sandwiches, and relaxed knowing the first annual Pro For a Day went down flawlessly.
Here is a selection of killer shots that Harookz.com captured:
