2022 on film: the year’s best videos from Canada and around the world

Mountain biking is a highly visual sport. Beautiful backdrops elevate the incredible athletic achievements of the sport’s best riders. 2022 was, as always, filled with stunning visuals from January right through to December. Huge freeride lines and technical trials skills stand out, but so do more introspective and behind-the-scenes works.

Take a moment, or a few, to look back on another incredible year (and warmer summer weather) on mountain bikes in 2022.

Caleb Holonko: Lights Out

Caleb Holonko’s jaw-dropping tour of iconic Sea-to-Sky features turns the familiar into the absolutely fantastic. Impressive work.

Steve Venderhoek: Risk is Reward

Firefighting. Digging. Sending huge features on the North Shore. Steve Vanderhoek does it all, and does it better than most.

Danny MacAskill – Postcard from San Francisco

Danny MacAskill never puts out a boring video but, in Postcard from San Francisco, the Scottish trials star sets a new bar. For himself and for anyone looking to follow in his footsteps. Absolutely mind-blowing tricks in this one.

Brandon Semenuk and Kade Edwards: Parallell II

Brandon Semenuk has no trouble making year-end lists on his own but, for Paralell II, the mountain bike icon joins forces with Kade Edwards. Riding in close formation, at a level few could manage on their own, is mesmerizing to watch.

Lightfall

Most mountain bike videos focus on the riders. In Lightfall, Anthill Films turns their lens on legendary Canadian photographer Sterling Lorence.

Interview: Lightfall turns the camera on Sterling Lorence

Rémy Métailler vs. FPV Drone Cam

Rémy Métailler is inspiring to watch from any angle. With the help of a highly skilled FPV drone pilot, though, the Sea-to-Sky rider’s skills look even wilder. It’s not anything we haven’t seen Métailler do before but the shift in perspective makes it look fresh, and all the more terrifying.

Miranda Miller – Muuxtuu

For the fourth episode of Miranda Miller’s excellent Here, There, Everywhere series, the 2017 DH world champ heads to Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. She visits the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Nation to learn a new path to trail building.

DJ Brandt – Residency

Huge sends mixed with highly technical and creative tricks: DJ Brandt is simply stunning in Residency.

Gracey Hemstreet riding Coast Gravity Park

Gracey Hemstreet is obviously fast, as her many World Cup victories attest. But, since Red Bull never televised the junior downhill races, not many Canadians have seen their junior national champ ride. The new World Cup format will change that for future juniors, and Candaians should get plenty of chances to watch Hemstreet as she moves into elite, but this video of her riding at home is an excellent preview of what to expect in 2023. Fast, stylish and absolutely sending the huge Coast Gravity Park jumps.

Brage Vestavik: Sound of Speed

Fast, burly, old-school-meets-new-school freeride from the Norweigan Viking, Brage Vestavik. An instant-classic entry in Red Bull’s Sound of Speed series.

Gee Atherton: Ridgeline II – The Return

Coming back from injury can be hard. Coming back from a long list of serious injuries like Gee Atherton sustained filming The Knife Edge is physically and mentally demanding. In Ridgeline II, Atherton shows he’s right back to where he left off, with high-speed, exposed riding that will have you on the edge of yours seat.

Hugo Frixtalon: T.E.M.P.O.

Pure style on B.C. trails from the French World Cup downhill racer. You’d never guess from watching that Frixtalon is riding Commencal’s new short travel bike for this one.