Skating on Wild ice
I’ve always said it, long-distance sailing scares the crap out of me….but I would totally do it if I had an opportunity to tell a story.
It’s almost like having a camera in my hand gives me permission to be fearless. To have that child-like mentality of exploration and curiosity.
This story is no different…
It was a full day of pushing my limits, physically & mentally, through 35mph winds, 0-degree temperatures, and a lot of I don’t know how this is going to turn out.
While I consider myself an adventurous guy…
This adventure put me in my place.
Several hours later, after waking up at 4:30, my friend Laura and I are staring at the granite face of Longs Peak, the tallest in Rocky Mountain National Park,
My goal was to film my friend and ice skating coach as she skates on wild ice. A local online newspaper is writing a big story about her experience as a wild ice skater and an educator on the skills and safety of skating in extreme conditions.
So I decided to tag along.
I was there to film BTS (behind the scenes) of the reporter and photographer while they work on their own story of Laura.
I’ve been getting lessons from Laura for the last couple of months. Before this, I have never stepped foot on ice with skates.
My goal is to get good enough to film and document her as she goes into remote alpine lakes of the mountains to skate on wild ice.
So...I’m not going to lie…
I got worked. This hike took us through deep snow, narrow trails that hugged steep slopes, and scrambling up boulders….all with a heavy pack on with temperatures around 0 and winds of 40mph.
There were a few times when I was a little overwhelmed.
I couldn’t feel my fingertips, I took my boots off to try and get my ice skates on (which were frozen stiff) and my feet were exposed to the cold and wind. I was fumbling with camera settings while getting whipped in the face from blowing snow.
It was miserable. But it was soooo dope!
Even though I was there to film Laura, my first goal was safety and just getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Shortly before us, someone else slid down this slope….the very spot where I decided I couldn’t go forward to make it to the second lake at the top. This is a trail review from the very person who slides hundreds of feet down a steep snowfield…
When we were on the lake it was so windy that my bag with 35lbs of gear in it slid across the ice like it was nothing. At this point, I felt safe. There was no steep terrain. I wasn’t on a narrow trail. If the wind caused me to lose my balance like it was earlier I knew I wasn’t going to be sliding down the mountain.
To be completely honest, I wasn’t expecting to do much filming. One I understand there will be plenty more opportunities to do trips like. For me, this trip wasn’t about filming.
It was about getting comfortable with pushing myself physically and mentally in extreme weather conditions while carrying a heavy load of gear. Basically, it was training.
Lacking Mental Stamina…
While I did plan on doing more filming of the hike and Laura skating, mentally I had to focus on one thing at a time. I didn’t have the mental stamina of whipping out a camera or GoPro, even if it was just documenting and not worrying about creating.
The idea of doing multiple things at once was too much for me.
Even though I felt safe, I had a hard time focusing on filming. Mentally, it was a lot for me.
At one point I was absolutely miserable I mean I was having a great time because like these views are absolutely incredible.
I’ve filmed out of helicopters and planes. I’ve been harnessed in filming rock climbing waay up in the mountains and I’ve been scuba diving with a camera and none of that equals or measures up to that day being on this frozen alpine lake in the Colorado mountains
I struggled so much to even do the simplest things with my camera.
Buuut that’s fine because that wasn’t the point of going on that trip.
The main thing I wanted to get out of this trip was just getting used to being in these elements and getting used to carrying around a bunch of gear.
For me, it was learning the ropes of adventures like this. It’s all the little things that you don’t think about until you’re in it. Like bringing a thermos of hot water or broth because my nalgene froze and there’s nothing worse than drinking ice cold water when you are freeezing!
I learned better ways to tie gear to the outside of my pack, to make sure I don’t forget trekking poles, bringing extra hand warmers so my batteries don’t die and so much more.
A lot of gear goes into an adventure like this!
I was obsessed with these clouds the whole way up there.
I never ended up using the snow shoes though there were times when I was stepping through snow up to my thighs.
Over the years I’ve realized that not only has my camera brought me to so many amazing places and introduced me to awesome people but it’s really gotten me to do a lot of things that I normally would not have done.
Whether it’s things I typically wouldn’t be comfortable doing or things I wasn’t really interested in my camera has really pushed me outside of my comfort zone.
I’ve always said it, long-distance sailing scares the crap out of me….but I would totally do it if I had an opportunity to tell a story.
It’s almost like having a camera in my hand gives me permission to be fearless. To have that child-like mentality of exploration and curiosity.
Getting into making videos has, quite literally, brought me to new heights.
It’s totally changed who I am….and I am extremely grateful for that.
Call Me Brende
I’m Josh Berendes (Brende for short), a filmmaker, drone operator, and creative entrepreneur based in Denver, CO.
My mission is to inspire, entertain, and connect with viewers while showing people my perspective of the world.
My camera has taken me from Red Rocks shows and Super Bowl parties to deep canyons and high mountain peaks.
I’ve also been fortunate to work with brands like EA Sports, NFL, The Matador Network, and TDE.
My work ranges from raw emotional storytelling pieces on people and places to exciting visually dope bite-sized content.
I’d love the chance to bring your video ideas to life—let’s connect below.
