Making a Snowboard Commercial in 12 Hours
I don’t recommend making a snowboard commercial in 12 hours.
But sometimes, when the right story comes along, you just say yes and figure out the details later.
This is the story of how I made a full-blown snowboard commercial with Cail - an incredible adaptive athlete - in one day, from concept to finished edit, all while battling freezing temps, 40 mph winds, and zero time to spare.
How It Started
First, let me back up. This wasn’t just another brand ad. Cail is an adaptive athlete I originally met while filming a rock climbing documentary in Yosemite last summer. While hanging off granite walls, she casually mentioned she was also a splitboarder — which instantly made me think, we should film this winter! Fast forward to when snow started to fall, and I finally reached out to see if she wanted to be the face of a new snowboard lifestyle commercial. Thankfully, she said yes.
From there, the countdown began: we had 12 hours to come up with a concept, write a script, find a location, shoot, and edit. All in one day.
Step One: Where Do We Even Film?
First up was finding a location. This is normally something I’d spend days on - scouting lines, checking avalanche forecasts, figuring out lighting. But with 12 hours on the clock, I was searching for backcountry zones from behind a laptop. The goal was to find something accessible but still give that big those big mountain views.
Also, safety was non-negotiable. With avalanche danger in play, we decided to avoid any real avy terrain. I knew I’d rather miss "epic" shots and keep everyone safe, which is something I always emphasize when working in the backcountry. Safety first, visuals second - because no shot is worth risking lives.
Eventually, I settled on a nearby backcountry zone that, while not jaw-dropping, would give us some good lines to work with. As you’ll see in the video, maybe I didn’t make the best call there.
Now, it was on to building the story itself.
Step Two: The Concept — A Dream You Don't Wake From
At this point, I had an adaptive athlete, a snowboard, a camera, and a ticking clock. But I needed a narrative. The one thing I knew? This was not going to be a snowboard commercial about gear specs or product details. It was about lifestyle Cail’s lifestyle and emotion and it feels like to live a life of freedom, strength, and resilience.
So I started writing. The concept that quickly formed in my head was that of a dream. Cail posted something on Instagram the night before that really got me thinking (see photo). Cail would fall into bed and enter a dream world where she gets to do what she loves, snowboard through pristine wilderness. And when she wakes, she realizes this isn’t just a dream but her real life. Even as an adaptive athlete, this is what she gets to do.
Once the first draft of the voiceover was done, I checked the time. It was 10:59 a.m.. That gave me until 10:59 p.m. to plan, shoot, and edit this entire thing.
Step Three: Prepping the First Scene — Bedroom to Backcountry
With the clock already ticking, I wanted to knock out the indoor scene before Cail arrived. I had this vision of her falling into bed in slow motion, which would then transition into her rising out of the snow in the backcountry. But of course, like everything on this shoot, I was working with limited time and limited gear.
I scrambled to set up the lights and let me tell you, it was one of those moments where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Stands tipping over, softboxes not cooperating, and me fumbling around trying to get it done fast enough.
Still, there’s something about working under time pressure that forces you to be creative in ways you wouldn't be if you had all day to get the perfect shot. I think there’s value in that and learning to trust your gut, move fast, and accept that "good enough" will have to be great for now.
By the time Cail arrived, I had the lighting more or less dialed, and we quickly went over the voiceover script. She had some great feedback too, instead of something generic about putting her prosthetic leg on, she suggested including that moment when she cranks the wrench on her prosthetic which was a detail that more accurate reflects what she does.
Since I was writing the script, and I’m not an adaptive athlete, I wanted to make sure she had a chance to read through the concept and sign off before we filmed anything. It’s always really important for me to listen and engage with the people in front of the camera empathically to make the best product.
We ran through the scene, tested a few different shots, and then it was time to pack up and head to the snow.
Step Four: Into the Mountains — Battling Wind and Sparse Snow
We hit the road and made it to the trailhead just before 2 p.m. That left about nine hours total to film and edit. But when we got there, it became clear that the elements were not going to be on our side.
The snowpack was thin, with bare patches everywhere. And the wind was howling. We’re talking 40 mph gusts which is not exactly ideal for a dreamy snowboard commercial. But this is real life, and we were determined to figure it out.
The first few shots were tough. Trying to get smooth uphill skinning shots while fighting the wind and keeping gear safe from blowing over was a battle. I had the gimbal set up, trying to do my signature "parallax" move with Cail moving slowly through frame while the background shifts behind her but even holding that steady was rough in the wind.
Still, the goal was to focus on lifestyle and resilience, so I leaned into those moments. Cail moving with strength through the backcountry, despite the tough conditions, said as much about her story as any perfect powder turn would have.
Step Five: Chasing Light — And Time
As we climbed higher, the wind didn’t let up. But the light did start to break in some beautiful ways as the Colorado sun that cut across peaks and make everything glow. I knew we didn’t have long before it would dip below the horizon, so I was balancing two things in my head: Do we push to get more shots? Or do we start heading back so we’re not stuck out in the dark?
In these situations, I always default to keeping people safe and comfortably. So we decided to grab a few last shots and then start the descent. I didn’t want to sacrifice anyone’s wellbeing for a cool drone shot, even though I did throw the drone up once and miraculously, it survived without getting blown into a tree.
Once we wrapped, Cail looked at me and said, "That was a tough day, but so fun." And I had to agree.
Step Six: Back to the Edit — The Real Race Against the Clock
By the time we got back to the car, the sun was fully gone. It was pitch dark. We were cold, tired, and kind of laughing at how ridiculous it had been to attempt all of this in one day. But there wasn’t time to dwell on it. I still had about five hours left to go through all the footage, edit, color and sound design this entire thing.
As soon as we got back to the house, I started dumping footage onto my hard drives. There’s always that tense moment when you’re just hoping all your gear worked and everything actually recorded. Thankfully, all the files came through. But I was running on adrenaline, and there was no time to organize or color code. It was straight into selecting shots and trying to form a rough timeline.
This is where the concept of the dream really started to take shape. Watching Cail crank the wrench on her prosthetic leg, watching her skin up through harsh wind and falling snow, it was clear that this was a story about pushing through limits, facing challenges, and chasing freedom.
Step Seven: Music, Emotion, and Editing Through the Chaos
I always say music makes or breaks a film. Finding the right track was crucial. I needed something that felt dreamy but also had a quiet power behind it and was something that would mirror Cail’s calm determination.
I searched through a bunch of tracks, jumping from epic cinematic pieces to slower, more intimate ones. Finally, I found a song that clicked - it felt light and airy, like floating through snow, but also grounded enough to give emotional weight.
With that locked, I started editing to the beat. Those opening shots of Cail falling into bed, the sound of the wrench clicking, the transition to her rising out of snow and even though I never got that "perfect" transition shot I had envisioned, the music and voiceover carried the emotional thread. Sometimes, editing is about making it work with what you have, not what you hoped you'd have.
As I started piecing together the backcountry scenes, I focused on the small details: the way the wind caught her jacket, her board slicing through patches of crusty snow, the way she looked out over the ridgeline. All these moments became more meaningful than any massive powder turn because they felt real.
Step Eight: Cail’s Words, Cail’s Story
One of the things I knew I wanted from the beginning was Cail’s own voice telling this story. As much as I could have written a script and done a professional VO recording, it wouldn’t have felt authentic.
So before she left that night, we sat down and recorded her voiceover. She read it with a quiet strength that made it feel personal and raw. There’s a line she says that still sticks with me:
"Every time I crank that wrench, I'm reminded I'm still here. I still get to chase the snow, the peaks, the feeling."
That’s when I knew we had something special.
Step Nine: The Panic of Missing Shots and Improvising
Here’s a moment of honesty: halfway through the edit, I realized I was missing a key shot. The one where Cail was supposed to rise out of the snow to match the fall-into-bed shot we filmed earlier. Somehow, in the chaos of the day, I never filmed it.
This was one of those filmmaking gut-punches where you realize you don’t have what you need to tell the story the way you pictured it. But when time is ticking and there’s no going back, you just get creative.
Instead of the literal rise-from-the-snow shot, I used a shot of her ripping skins to transition us into that dreamlike zone but it wasn’t totally what I hoped for. Still, there’s always room for improvement on the next one.
Step Ten: The Final Push
With about 45 minutes left on the clock, I dove into sound design and color grading. I love working on color because it sets the tone for the whole film, but when you’re down to the wire, there’s no time to finesse every frame. I worked fast, pulling blues into the shadows, softening the highlights to give it that cold, wintery glow, and making sure Cail’s figure always popped against the muted snow.
As far as sound design, I wanted to make sure you could hear the scrape of her board, the wind whipping across the ridgeline, and that signature click of her wrench. I even recorded a few foley sounds in my bedroom to fill gaps - because when you don’t have time, you make it happen however you can.
With about 1 minute left, I hit export on the final cut. Watching that percentage bar crawl across the screen, I genuinely wasn’t sure it would finish in time. But at 10:59 p.m., it was done - a full commercial, shot, edited, and exported in 12 hours.
Step Eleven: what I Learned from this process
Looking back, there are so many things I would do differently. But there are also so many moments I wouldn’t trade. Working with Cail was such a blast and seeing how she approaches the mountains with so much determination and grace. The way she carries herself as a professional athlete, the way she navigates the outdoors, and the way she embraces challenges head-on is what made this commercial more powerful than anything I could have storyboarded.
Sometimes, filmmaking is about embracing imperfection. The snow wasn’t good, the wind was relentless, and we didn’t get every shot on the non-existent shot list. But in the end, we made a video I’m proud of. Although small, it’s a story about someone who faces challenges every day and still chooses joy and freedom in the mountains.
Why These Stories Matter
This is the kind of work I live for - capturing real human experiences, especially within the world of outdoor adventure. Whether I’m making branded content, documentaries, or commercial work, my goal is to tell stories that make people feel something.
If you’re an outdoor brand looking to create work that goes deeper than surface-level marketing, let’s talk. This kind of fast-paced, authentic storytelling is what I specialize in. I’m always chasing the balance between cinematic beauty and real, raw emotion - and I believe that’s where the best stories live.
Final Thoughts: Done is Better Than Perfect
In the end, this snowboard commercial isn’t perfect. But it’s real. It captures Cail, her story, and her resilience. And it reminds me, and hopefully others, that sometimes, the best creative work comes when you’re pushed to the limit.
So if you’re sitting on an idea, waiting for the perfect conditions or the perfect moment to start, don’t wait. Go make the thing. Tell the story. Chase the vision even when it feels impossible.
Let’s Connect
Roo is a Emmy nominated documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado but travels all around the world for his filmmaking career. He has directed documentaries for Patagonia in California, produced films for Outside Magazine throughout Europe and Africa, camera operated for Netflix in the Rocky Mountain West, photographed among indigenous communities in South America, and has received notable recognition in the outdoor industry for his work telling uplifting stories in the outdoor space.