LW Mag LW Magazine
Related Articles
Dylan Mitchell is one top class Wakeboarder. We recently came across his new web edit which is boss and decided to catch up with him to chat about it as well as everything else Wakeboarding:
Dylan Mitchell 2013 Profile from Roberto Colombo on Vimeo.
You have just dropped this sick edit. How long did it take to shoot and which locations was it shot at?
Thanks so much LW Mag. We shot it over a weekend at Misverstand Dam just up the west coast of Cape Town, it is an awesome place and definitely one of my favourites to ride at .
Was there any reason for putting the edit together or was it just to have something done and on the internet?
I’ve been wanting to do a Web-edit for a while now, both for myself and as a way to say thank you to my sponsors and everyone who has helped me In the last couple of years.
Who are you sponsors?
Fox Clothing, Monster Energy and CWB Wakeboards.
When will you be working on the next one?
As soon as the water stops being so dam cold in Cape Town. [laughs]
With so many athletes releasing edits of themselves, what do you think needs to be captured to set the edit above the others?
I know a lot of people think the wake industry is being over flooded by web-edits at the moment and that the era of full feature films is dying. But I don’t think so. Web-edits are personal, you get to decide how you want to portray your riding. I knew I wanted to make a web-edit for quite some time, but was very much captain indecisive when it came to how, where and when. So I asked my friend from high school Roberto Colombo who has always been creative and really passionate about filming and editing to come in and take charge of the situation. I liked Roberto’s style and knew that if he was involved it would be something very different and a bit more arty than your typical web edit. I’m super stoked on the way it did end up coming out, I think it is unique and not exactly your typical wake edit I just hope everyone else feels the same way.
Tell us about some of the tricks you land in this edit?
There are a few tricks in the edit that took me a few tries, one of them is the Pete Rose (Toeside Backroll with a Frontside 360), which I somehow always manage to get a massive mental block on when filming. I got smashed up so many times trying it that it got to the point where I was just throwing it, closing my eyes, gritting my teeth and hoping for the best [laughs], so that is probably the one I was most happy with.
“I Would really love to try a double flip sometime soon, although I haven’t quite met a wake or kicker big enough…”
Where is your favourite place to shred and why?
My favourite place to shred would have to be a 50/50 between Misvertand dam and Xtreme Gene in Spain. Misverstand is nice and hot in the summer, it’s close to home and where I grew up Wakeboarding, the water is soft and there is always a flat piece of water somewhere on the river. Xtreme Gene in Cordoba, Spain is where I spent the majority of my gap year last year coaching and training. It’s such an amazing place because in summer it cooks with temperatures sometimes going up to 50+ degrees Celsius and not dropping below 40. The water is just as glassy and the sun stays up for long letting you sometimes have a nice last evening ride at 21:00. Add that to it being one of the best training camps in Europe with awesome coaches and great company and you’ve got yourself a winner.
Now that we’re in the off-season, how often do you get to ride and what do you do with your off time?
Unfortunately I tore some of the cartilage in my right knee just after the season ended, so I haven’t had much time on the water in the last 3 months. I did manage to see the positive side as I got to sit down and get my head stuck into my studies. Off seasons are never great though and I’m not a big fan of riding in the cold either but I get withdrawal symptoms way to quickly to keep me off for too long. Luckily the knee is back up to speed and soon I’ll be heading to Lebanon, Orlando and Cali to train and compete in the World Games.
Do you hit up any other sports during the winter that keep you in line for Wakeboarding?
I try to do anything I can to keep active, but unfortunately wakeboarding is the kind of sport that requires you to do it continuously to stay riding fit.
What tricks are you planning to learn and get dialled in the near future?
I Would really love to try a double flip sometime soon, although I haven’t quite met a wake or kicker big enough yet that will make me grow some balls. [laughs]
Is there any trick that gets to you because it is just too damn hard to land constantly?
Yes, that dammed Pete Rose, one day it’s on and the next day I’m getting smashed to pieces, double ejected and nursing headaches. [laughs]
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Mainly to ride and have fun but I would love to compete in the world cup again next season, it’s one of the funnest international competitions I’ve ever been to.
Who do you think is going to be your main competition?
Everyone is shredding so hard nowadays, Shaun Faccio is always killing it and you can always count on him to throw it down in comp and Ryan Durham has been absolutely killing it lately with consistent 9’s and Pete Roses’. But in the end it’s all about having fun and catching up with everyone at the events. So as long as fun is being had I’m having a good time.
