The newest Dirt Diaries champion is Hailey Elise.
Elise is fascinated by the gold rushes that have occurred throughout British Columbia's history, and that many mountain biking locales are directly or indirectly named with these eras in mind. Her winning film depicts her and a group of like-minded creatives who are always searching for the next breathtaking photo or video clip: nuggets not of gold, but of visual arts genius.
The team, consisting of Sue Pratt, Ollie Jones, Kaz Yamamura, Denis Courchesne, Shannon Bates and Huw Thomas, were given approximately two months to make a four-to-six minute flick: at least 25 per cent of which needed to be shot in Whistler Valley and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Narration responsibilities fell to Pratt, a longtime local and former rancher with family ties to gold mining.
Elise has played a supporting role in other Dirt Diaries content before, but never helmed her own project before now.
"I don't even know if I've really processed it yet," Elise said about her crew's victory. "I keep walking by the giant novelty cheque in my house and being like: 'what are you doing here?' It's a flip of a coin if you've made something that the judges see as placing, so you just need to make it with every ounce of your heart in it and do something that we're all really proud of. It was mind-blowing to be able to celebrate that with my best friends.
"We're mining for nugs and on this journey of what it means to always want more, but realizing that what we already had was being there in the mountains. [Dirt Diaries] is an incredible platform to showcase your creative skills within the mountain bike industry. I was talking to Kelsey Toevs who won two years ago, and she was like: 'it really elevated my career.'"
Elise has resided in Whistler for more than a decade. Her backstory is something of a trope to many locals: come for a ski season, stay long-term because you fell in love with the place. The former kinesiology major was persuaded to transform her passion for biking into a career in riding, photography and videography.
Deep Summer
Earlier during Crankworx Whistler 2025, the Deep Summer Photo Challenge united half a dozen photographers who unveiled slideshows of their best stuff at Olympic Plaza. Deep Summer is held in conjunction with the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) as a celebration of the artistry that thrives adjacent to mountain biking
Submissions were taken over a three-day period, and none did a better job than Hector Saura.
A Barcelona native, Saura kicked off his career as a dirt jumper before injury woes guided him towards a life behind the camera. A press release notes that "since 2013, he’s been capturing mountain biking through his own distinctive lens, highlighting the overlooked stories, places, and people that shape the sport. His 2025 Deep Summer slideshow blended raw action, rich culture, and heartfelt community moments—earning him top honours from the judges."
"I’m still processing the fact that I won [Crankworx's] Deep Summer in Whistler," wrote Saura on his Instagram account. "It feels surreal. It’s been a [expletive] long and bumpy road to get to where I am today. The only thing I can say right now is thank you to those who have helped, supported, motivated, and pushed me through this crazy journey that started almost 13 years ago.
"I stayed true to myself and submitted it as I thought it had to be showcased. I’m forever grateful and will never forget this crazy but beautiful challenge."
Check out https://www.crankworx.com/ for more highlights throughout the 2025 festival.
