A photo recap of 2022

A Year Of Bikes - Hailey Elise

Words Hailey Elise

Photos Hailey Elise

Date Dec 27, 2022

After the complete shit show we have all been living for the past few years, 2022 felt like an attempt to return to normalcy. Mountain bike events, that had been put on indefinite hold, started back up and travel over the border became a less-massive headache. Luckily, I was able to jump right back in and each opportunity to ride or shoot photos tasted sweeter than ever. The events were like a reunion of long-lost friends that didn't skip a beat and the opportunity to ride new trails in new places felt like a privilege. Looking back, this has been one of the wildest years of my life, and as a photographer and rider, one that held the most growth yet. And so here it is, a journey fostered by two wheels and captured as much as possible from behind the lens.

2022 you were sweet and sour but holy fuck, what a trip as a whole.

The year started off with my best friends on the Sunshine Coast. We shuttled up to a trail we'd never ridden and since it was early season, we made our way down, shooting and doing trail maintenance along the way. I can't think of a better way to spend a day, sessioning, shooting, and moving deadfall. I was able to snag this shot of Sam Hounsell in primo conditions.

Spring saw Micayla Gatto, Sofie Agger and myself hit the road for a YouTube series. We spent a month on the road visiting Sedona, Moab, and good ol' Virgin, Utah, riding bikes where we could.

We started off at Sedona Bike Fest and did a little touring of the local trail networks.

Getting weird on the red rocks of Arizona. Shooting on open surfaces made me to stretch to get a creative shot I was stoked on.

Moab isn't all slick rock.

It was back to the desert for my first Formation. Shooting this event was a phenomenal experience and it was incredible to see the progression of women within the sport. Cami Nogueira's line was one of my favs with a spicy shoot that led into this big sender.

Early summer offered a trip to Powell River for NSMB and Toyota BC. It combined two of my favourite things: bikes and trucks. The riding in Powell River is out of this world and so is the camping. I jumped in the back of the truck and went for spin to get this shot.

Watch the video of our trip here!

One of my most memorable shoots was for Arc'teryx, capturing the FLOW retreat hosted by Kootenay Adaptive. It was an incredible day on the trails watching these female athletes push themselves and overcome obstacles.

As a rider and a photographer, a big season highlight was the Only Ride Park Tour with the Mahalo My Dude guys. It was like boot camp for riding and shooting. We spent three plus weeks on the road, visiting five different bike parks around BC.

Jason Lucas in the nug light.

This shot is one of my picks from the trip. While not the most epic, the bugs were terrible and so is Ollie's uncanny ability to blow up a berm. It was dirty and fun to come out with something, even though the shooting conditions were challenging.

Another road trip down south and I was able to link it up with Rampage and work alongside Cy Whitling for NSMB. This was my third time attending the event and it always inspires awe. The size of the features and the energy generated is mind-blowing. I was beyond stoked to shoot this sunset session with Andreu Lacondeguy and his impeccable style.

This image about sums up the vibe.

While there's an obvious number of highs from the event, there were some lows. One of such was Kyle Strait's crash. This image is haunting as it's Tom Van Steenbergen looking on as they heli his comrade out of the site and to the hospital.

After Rampage, I darted right down to Mexico for the Trans Sierra Norte, a four-day Enduro in Oaxaco. And by dart, I mean a plane ride followed by a nine-hour bus trip. Words can't begin to describe this experience but I'm going to try to do my best for an article. One of the race stages was on a trail that was so good, you could hear the loam hitting your helmet. How often do you go all out to get to the bottom and then throw your bike in the bush because your stoke level is too high to even handle?