West Lion

[@MARKB671]

Your cinematography skills are amazing .At the same time when doing amazing hiking and climbing. I can't say enough by how impressed I am by your videos and you.

[@DaleStone]

Your audio quality is next level, awesome video!

[@dtocher]

Incredible video. Clearly shows what you would be facing on this hike. It also clearly shows that you are an exceptional human being. Wow. Walking along that narrow cliff ledge with your phone in your hand. That's incredible balance and awareness. Dazzling.

[@BCHiking]

Thanks! If you step carefully and stay on route it's not too bad!

[@YaSrV00c4zB1]

fantastic and amazing experience. nice overview of what to expect from this hike. great job 👍

[@BCHiking]

Thanks! Hope it helps

[@silencenhikes6692]

That is a big elevation gain and you came back to get the camera every time adding more on top of it. You even placed the camera under that bridge. Great job man.

[@BCHiking]

Thank you! Glad you noticed the bridge shot

[@HarlanFox--Scrambles]

Great video Brandon! Your video spoke a ton without using any words.. Loved it!

[@jacobchan677]

Love your videos. Keep going!

[@brandongiroux7448]

Hoping for more this year man. Great shots and the music cuts were smooth. Your work is well made dude, keep at it. Actually makes you think and have an emotional response. Don't let things get in the way of what you love.

[@BCHiking]

Thanks so much for your comment, I truly appreciate it. I got plenty more planned for later this year!

[@kylekochi]

Here from reddit -- this is sick!! Love the camera angles, you must have spent a lot of time repositioning the camera and going back to get the shot! Great stuff man

[@BCHiking]

Thank you! I definitely felt the extra mileage in my legs after I got home

[@benglasscophoto]

@@BCHiking Same, here from Reddit. This is an insane concept. I refuse to believe you do this alone!! Seems crazy that you would walk back and forward setting these shots up!!

[@dramanexus]

Great video, man. Just did this last weekend (without the scramble to the peak, I'm prob 20+ years older than you, that's not my scene now!). Your video captures the experience well.

[@buckrogers7575]

I lived 12 years in Van and climbed lots but never this one......thanks for sharing your adventures

[@BCHiking]

Thanks for watching!

[@outdoorsyaaron]

Making it look easy. Enjoyed the video. Looking forward to more!

[@BCHiking]

Thanks! My legs were pretty knackered once I got home after this

[@LarryMasterArchitect]

Great job, Brandon. Beautiful video.

[@bobelliott2748]

nice video. thx for posting

[@alpinewander]

Really nice work mate.

[@chuckybrenaire6023]

One of my fav Canadian hiker😍

[@jcvancouver]

Incredible my friend.

[@steveday5]

wow, this is just fantastic.

[@alexrode7858]

U make it look so easy

[@alexrode7858]

U inspired me to do it! Made it up yesterday.

[@chesterchan6509]

awesome shots bud! subscribed

[@BCHiking]

Thanks!

[@KeithLemay]

Dope video bro! Thanks for sharing this

[@alexandermarkweber1814]

These are so good

[@BCHiking]

Thanks man! You've climbed some awesome stuff on your channel

[@Codebrah]

This is my goal for the end of next season... do you have any easier recommendations to start out scrambling? I've done Alouette Mountain but thats not really a real scrabble with exposure. Anyways, your videos are awesome!

[@BCHiking]

Brunswick mountain (beside Lions) is a longer and easier scramble, with minimal exposure. Brandywine Mountain is another fun one, near Whistler! If your car can make it there, Cheam Peak in Chilliwack is great too.

[@BCHiking]

Needle Peak (standard route not the Markhor Traverse) in Coquihalla is probably the best scramble/suffer ratio I’ve done. One of my favourites to bring new people getting into scrambling!

[@tridelta3]

Love the format and I'm really impressed by your pace and endurance to manage all the extra legwork to film these shots. I just got into hiking recently and can't imagine doing something like Panorama Ridge in a single day. I was curious, do you split the clip of you walking away from and returning to the camera into the ascent and descent portions of the video to make your life easier, or do you film each way?

[@BCHiking]

Thanks! In a few years you'll probably be trail running this route haha. And occasionally I'll use the same angle coming down as I did going up, but I'll usually try to get different angles to make it more visually appealing. A tradeoff between my leg soreness and the quality of the video!

[@xiaojingli4698]

Nice job!

[@linyan9299]

Until 6:00” I am still in the right route, and then I lost, just 150 meters away from the top. I am very curious, how do you shoot this video?

[@BCHiking]

At around 6:00 you hop up the trees, and keep going up and left a bit once you're past the trees. Keep an eye out for the orange markings if you're getting lost! To shoot the video I place my tripod down, hike then come back and get it.

[@BackcountryRenegade]

Nice vid! Welcome to go silent hiking club

[@jimthompson717]

If you are looking for a video of the hike to the lions, this captures it perfectly. I've done it ,alone, takes me 3 hours up, 2 hours down. It's longer and higher than Eagle-ridge bluffs, but not as difficult. I avoid the final summiting, as I do not want to die.

[@rbmedia8798]

Beautiful video. As someone who’s planning on doing this hike this summer, what would you rate the final climb at in terms of sketchiness and skill level required? I’ve been hiking for quite a while now and I’ve climbed stuff like that before just minus the gigantic deadly drop behind you. Oh also, I’ve always been scared of down climbing, so is it super hard to get back down from the summit?

[@BCHiking]

Personally I think it's solid and casual but I've been with a few friends who will skip the final scramble at the end. It all depends on your comfort level with similar stuff. If you stay on route it's fairly easy, off route there's a lot of loose rock. I'd say it's about as easy up as it is down.

[@mikeestores3340]

Holy balls! This video takes me back on another level! Mind sharing your whole set up?

[@BCHiking]

Everything I'm using is in the description! Let me know if you want to know anything more specific

[@NathanKliem]

Holy crap... you did the whole "SurvivorMan" filming technique. So, basically you did that climb three times. Great work and great shots, I'm assuming not a lot of time was spent picking where to place your camera? How much longer did that hike take you?

[@BCHiking]

It took me around 8 1/2 hours this time, earlier in the year I did it in around 7, so an extra hour and a half going back and forth!

[@4seasonrunner658]

Nice!

[@ManiDProductions]

epic! well done, must have been a lot of work to film it too

[@BCHiking]

Only added an extra hour and a half to the hike! But a lot more up and down

[@robhasenwinkle]

Great work man. Nothing will stop you, and go mode is where it's at, is the message in this video. What hiking shoes are you wearing here ( brand and model ) and what was the round thing in your right back pocket? lol. It looked like a can of snuff lol

[@BCHiking]

Thank you! I'm usually wearing either the Scarpa Cruxes amzn.to/3fD3zN4 or the La Sportiva TX2's amzn.to/3EdYWU7. The round back thing in my pocket is my lens cap :)

[@robhasenwinkle]

@@BCHiking right on, thanks What is it about the Scarpas that you like? I notice they have a wide sole platform and that attracts me as a lot of low-cut hikers have a rounded more narrow platform that can precipitate rolling ankles. The TX2's look like my budget I might try them out.

[@robhasenwinkle]

@@BCHiking And thanks for posting these great videos. Do you boulder or climb also?

[@BCHiking]

@@robhasenwinkle I have fairly wide feet so the Scarpa's fit my foot shape fairly well. They're pretty burly and I feel like they're better hikers than the TX2's, but the TX2's climb just a little better. They aren't as comfy however, and doing long days with big loads would be more uncomfortable with them. I'd seek to try both out in a store if you can!

[@BCHiking]

@@robhasenwinkle And yes I climb! Boulder mostly in gyms and climb trad outside

[@mark203-o6h]

any suggestions for practice? went there and chickened out last saturday

[@BCHiking]

I would recommend doing this on a clear day! If it's cloudy it can be hard to see the path. Mt Brunswick is a bit easier of a scramble to practice on, it's on the same path from Lions Bay but it diverges left halfway up.

[@tankhistoryfordummies]

Is this hike difficult to the "shoulder" part of the west lion? Would it be good to do this hike in July?

[@BCHiking]

To the shoulder part it’s pretty easy. A little bit of low angle scrambling near the top of it, but nothing crazy. I’d wait until mid July (during a weekday to avoid crowds), depending on the snowpack melt. It could still be a long day depending on how fast you hike, but relatively straightforward

[@tankhistoryfordummies]

@@BCHiking How hard is the scramble for a first time scrambler? I have done steep and long hikes but not scrambles before. Is this one like a class 2?

[@BCHiking]

The scramble to the top might be a bit much, unless you’re with someone who’s done it before I wouldn’t recommend if you’re feeling sketched out. If it’s the just to the ridge before the true summit it, it’s easy. I’ve seen dogs go up, and it’s steepish but not really any exposure. It’s still a great view just to the ridge! Another one is recommend is Brunswick mountain (in late July) if you’re wanting an easier scramble but arguably better views (and less crowded too). You’ll probably want to download an offline gps track and follow it, as it’s there’s a turnoff you’ll have to take about halfway up the lions trail

[@tankhistoryfordummies]

@@BCHiking Completed both the Lions and Brunswick in July 2023. Some of the best hikes I've ever done and views were unbelievable. Also did Mount Unnecessary in August of that year. I'll never forget those views and experiences.

[@BCHiking]

@@tankhistoryfordummies Awesome to hear man. Thanks for coming back and letting me know it went well! Next is HSCT :)

[@robhasenwinkle]

Which drone are you using Brandon? And what are your social media names or url's?

[@BCHiking]

Hey Rob! I was using the Mavic Air 2 in this video, but I’ve upgraded to the Air 2S recently. The 1 inch sensor on the 2S really helps with image quality! My instagram is just my name, though I don’t post much

[@leafinwind99]

Subscribed. In my opinion, your videos are better than Kraig Adams'

[@jesserobertson8012]

great video! how did you get the audio so clean? Foley?

[@BCHiking]

Not foley! That would have taken forever. I just had a shotgun mic on top of the camera

[@hlz657]

Did u use a drone to shoot this video? Thx!

[@BCHiking]

I did yes. Please regard that the summit of this hike is inside a national park and can get quite busy, so make sure not to take off or land your drone around people or inside of the boundary!

[@Dreadnaught396]

What drone setup did you use? Incredible video!

[@BCHiking]

Thank you! I used the Mavic Air 2 and set it on spotlight mode. I'll have to try the active track next time

[@LOSTTIMEBANDIT]

RAD.

[@mountfairweather]

Balls of bronze

[@darrenmcgovern1969]

alone but being filmed the whole time. Really?

[@BCHiking]

Lol tripods exist