CK9 Studios

Canadian ski film production studio | Known for: Over Time, Space Craft, Yours Truly and athlete led backcountry shorts | Focus: cinematic snow storytelling, action cinematography, aerial work, editing, color and production systems that make freeride skiing feel narrative, polished and immediate.

Sea dogs turned snow storytellers in the CK9 house

CK9 Studios is a Canadian production house with a strong place in modern freeski filmmaking. It is not a ski brand, crew, or equipment label. Its work lives behind the camera, in the edit timeline, in the scouting plan, and in the production decisions that turn storm windows into finished films. The studio’s own identity is playful and self aware, built around the CK9 or Sea Dogs name, but the output is serious: polished athlete stories that feel closer to short cinema than standard campaign advertising.

The studio is associated with director Clay Mitchell and producer Simon Shave, with a wider creative network covering cinematography, drone work, sound, color, music and production support. That structure gives CK9 the scale to produce refined projects while staying small enough to move with snow conditions. In ski filmmaking, that balance matters. A good winter story may need months of planning, but the actual shoot can depend on three clear mornings, the right avalanche cycle, a functional sled route, and an athlete ready to perform when everything lines up.

CK9’s rise is tied to the current era of athlete led ski shorts. Instead of waiting for one annual full length movie to define a season, skiers now release focused projects built around one rider, one idea, one zone, or one visual concept. CK9 has become one of the studios capable of making that format feel premium.

Over Time Space Craft and the short film lane

CK9’s ski identity is anchored by projects that connect high level riding with clean narrative framing. Over Time with Sammy Carlson is one of the studio’s defining works, a backcountry focused short built around the difficulty of aligning vision, terrain, snow, weather, athlete execution and production timing. The film’s title works because it reflects both the project and the wider reality of ski filmmaking: the best days cannot simply be ordered in advance.

Space Craft, presented by Arc'teryx, pushed CK9 into a more conceptual mode. Featuring Sam Kuch and Cole Richardson, the film uses the idea of space travel as a way to frame skiing’s relationship with weightlessness, risk, exploration and strange mountain environments. It is a strong example of CK9’s film first approach. The skiing is the reason to watch, but the concept gives the project a structure that carries beyond a simple highlight reel.

Yours Truly with Cole Richardson shows a different side of the studio’s range. The film is framed as a visual love letter to winter, filmed in the British Columbia backcountry and built around Cole’s creativity, powder hunting and style. Taken together, Over Time, Space Craft and Yours Truly show CK9’s core lane: athlete led, backcountry heavy, visually polished shorts that give skiers enough character and context without slowing the action down.

RED cameras aerial work and the action cinematography toolkit

CK9’s production value comes from a full stack workflow. The studio lists pre production services such as planning, storyboarding, budgeting, scouting, permitting and music licensing. Those tasks may sound administrative, but they are what allow a ski shoot to move efficiently once the snow arrives. A strong plan means athletes, guides, camera operators and clients know what kind of film they are chasing before the first sled leaves the staging area.

On snow, CK9’s capabilities include RED cameras, action cinematography, certified aerial cinematography, high rope rigging, audio recording and specialty camera mounting. That range is important because freeskiing rarely gives a crew one perfect camera position. A backcountry jump may need a long lens from a safe ridge, a drone or helicopter perspective for scale, a follow camera to feel speed, and a locked off shot to show the full trick. The same line can feel completely different depending on lens, angle and movement.

Post production completes the studio’s signature. Editing, titles, graphics and color are not finishing touches in a ski film. They create rhythm, mood and clarity. CK9’s best projects use pacing to make skiing feel weightless without losing the viewer in over stylized montage. The goal is not to bury the riding under technique. The goal is to make the viewer understand why a turn, air or landing mattered.

Sammy Carlson Sam Kuch and Cole Richardson as recurring reference points

CK9’s reputation is athlete powered. Sammy Carlson brings a deep link to progressive backcountry freestyle, from X Games history to pillow lines, powder takeoffs and large natural features. A film like Over Time only works if the skier can deliver enough substance for the camera to justify the concept. Carlson gives CK9 that kind of gravity: the skiing is heavy enough that the film can slow down, breathe and still keep the viewer engaged.

Sam Kuch gives CK9 another version of modern freeride credibility. His skiing mixes speed, air awareness and exposure in a way that suits cinematic treatment. Space Craft works because Kuch’s style already feels suspended between control and consequence. The studio’s job is to frame that sensation without making it feel artificial. Cole Richardson adds a more playful and creative British Columbia backcountry voice, especially in Yours Truly and his appearance alongside Kuch in Space Craft.

The studio’s importance comes from how it collaborates with riders rather than simply documenting them. CK9 films often feel built around the athlete’s personality, not just the sponsor’s deliverable. That is why the projects can serve both brand channels and ski culture. They function as campaigns, but they also stand as films that skiers actually want to rewatch.

British Columbia storm cycles and the backcountry canvas

CK9’s strongest visual language is closely tied to British Columbia. The studio’s projects repeatedly point toward the province’s backcountry: pillows, storm skiing, forested zones, sled access, deep snow, and terrain where creative riders can blend freeride lines with freestyle movement. That setting gives CK9 a natural home base for the kind of skiing it captures best.

British Columbia works for CK9 because it offers both scale and texture. Wide alpine faces create space for aerials and long lens compression. Pillow zones give the camera rhythm and depth. Trees make storms filmable when alpine light disappears. Sled access allows small crews to move fast and return to zones when conditions reset. For a boutique studio, that combination is valuable because it supports ambitious visuals without always requiring the infrastructure of a major expedition.

The studio’s geography also connects naturally with the broader world of ski media. British Columbia, Alaska and the Alps have become recurring reference points for modern freeride cinema. CK9’s work fits that map, but its best material does not rely only on big names or famous peaks. The films often succeed when they make a local storm day, a hidden pillow zone or a short backcountry window feel as cinematic as a major destination.

Production systems as the real studio construction

For a film studio, construction means workflow, safety and consistency. CK9 does not build skis, bindings or outerwear. It builds shoot systems. That includes pre production, access planning, crew roles, permitting, camera plans, sound, color, edits and final delivery. In skiing, those systems have to survive conditions that change quickly: fog, wind, warming snow, avalanche hazard, tired athletes, broken sleds, travel delays and short daylight windows.

CK9’s technical capabilities suggest a studio designed for demanding field work. Aerial cinematography adds scale but requires coordination and certification. High rope rigging opens angles that would otherwise be impossible or unsafe. Specialty camera mounting can place the viewer closer to speed and impact. Audio recording and sound design help ski films feel less empty, especially when the edit uses breath, wind, snow impact or voice to build atmosphere.

The durability of CK9 as a studio comes from being able to repeat that process across different athletes and clients. A one off beautiful film can happen by luck. A recognizable body of work requires repeatable planning, a strong eye, and the ability to protect the production even when winter refuses to cooperate.

Choosing CK9 for an athlete short or brand film

CK9 makes the most sense for projects that need more than a basic action edit. An athlete with a strong personal idea, a backcountry concept, or a season story can benefit from the studio’s ability to shape footage into a finished short. A brand that wants its campaign to feel like entertainment rather than a product spot can also fit CK9’s approach, especially when the product is linked to a real rider story or mountain environment.

The best CK9 style project should start with a clear creative center. That center might be a skier, a location, a visual metaphor, a season goal, or a specific kind of snow. Without that anchor, even excellent footage can feel like a loose collection of clips. CK9’s stronger films show the value of building around a theme: time, winter as a love letter, or skiing as space travel. Those ideas give the edit a reason to move from one scene to the next.

For backcountry work, clients should also plan around buffers. Snow films need time for storms, stability and weather. A compact crew can move quickly, but no production studio can force the mountains to cooperate. CK9’s value is highest when the schedule gives the team room to chase the right conditions instead of settling for whatever is available on a fixed date.

Why CK9 matters to modern freeski storytelling

CK9 Studios matters because it represents where ski media has moved. The culture no longer depends only on annual movie tours or massive production companies. A focused studio can now create a short film that travels through brand channels, festivals, social clips and core ski media while still feeling personal to the athlete. CK9 sits directly in that space.

The studio’s recognition around Over Time, including Best Cinematography at the Powder Awards, shows that the work has been acknowledged beyond simple online views. Its iF3 presence with Space Craft places it within the international ski film circuit. Its collaborations with athletes such as Sammy Carlson, Sam Kuch and Cole Richardson show that respected riders trust CK9 with projects that shape how their skiing is remembered.

On skipowd.tv, CK9 Studios belongs as a ski film production studio rather than a conventional sponsor. Its importance comes from the way it turns backcountry days into lasting ski culture: the planning before the storm, the camera position during the line, the edit after the travel, and the final film that makes skiers want to go outside.